many other Instances of a like nature it appears that tho it may be doubted whether our Ceremonies be indeed apt to stir up the dull mind of man to the Remembrance of his duty to God yet cannot it be rationally doubted but what is apt to do so may be both practised and imposed without any derogation from the Kingly or Prophetick Office of our Lord. Answ 3 3ly Hath Christ set down in Scripture all things that may any way conduce to excite good affections in us or give occasion to any pious Meditations or hath he not if he hath not then is not the assertion true on which the Argument is grounded viz. That Christ in Scripture hath set down all things by which we lawfully may be admonished of our duty If he hath then 't is not possible that any man should have a good affection or pious meditation stir'd up within him by any other means or object then such as is expresly contained in the Word of God Than which assertion nothing can be be more false Who knows not that memorable Story of the Cook who from consideration of the heat of his own Fire was moved to reflect on the excessive torments of Hell-Fire and thereby to abstain from that iniquity which would expose him to them Should a Dissenter in his discourse with one of this calling or in his writings advise him to make this reflection would he usurp upon Christs Regal or Prophetick Office Answ 4 4ly Tho this Objection speaks only of Mystical significant Ceremonies yet doth it with equal strength conclude against all Ceremonies and against the Appointment of time and place for publick worship for if this be a good Argument Christ is the only Lawgiver to his Church and therefore the Rulers of the Church may make no Laws concerning Ceremonies of Mystical Signification why is not this as good Christ is the only Lawgiver to his Church and therefore they may make no Laws touching the time and place of publick worship And if Christ hath committed to his Church no Authority of appointing new things but only a Ministry to observe and do such things which Christ hath appointed then either Christ hath appointed time and place or she hath no Authority to appoint them To this Dr. Ames answers that time and place are no new things But I hope to appoint new time and place is to appoint new things and to make Laws determining a time and place not determined before is to make a new Law about them Again if this Argument be good Christ is the only Lawgiver to his Church and therefore the Rulers of the Church may make no Laws concerning Ceremonies c. why is not this as good Christ is the only Lawgiver to his Church and therefore the Civil Magistrate may make no Laws concerning the Payment of Tythes or allowance of maintenance to Ministers or of making charitable Provisions for the Poor or touching any other Christian duty But must leave every man to his Freedom in these matters as Christ did Answ 5 5ly 1 Cor. 14.40 10 31 32. Christ having by his Apostles given Commandments which only primarily concern the Rulers of the Church viz. That all things in the Church be done decently and orderly to the Glory of God Rom. 14.19 and so as to give none Offence that Christians should follow after the things which make for Peace and whereby they may edify one the other I say this being so all the Injunctions made by the Rulers of the Church pursuant to the ends of Decency and Order the Glory of God the avoiding Scandal the preservation of Peace Unity Edification and for prevention of the Contrary are done by virtual Commission from this one Law-giver and therefore can be no Entrenchment on his Legislative Power And if Superiours should mistake in Judging that such things did really conduce unto the decency and orderly performance of Gods Service or to the other ends forementioned when indeed they do not so yet would not their imposing of them for these ends be any usurpation upon Christs Legislative Power any more than a Law made by Civil Rulers which proveth inexpedient or burthensome to the people tho by the Makers of it it was intended for their good usurps upon the Legislative Power of the God of Heaven For as it is judiciously said by Mr. Disp 5. Chap. 2. §. 29. Baxter if just Authority shall injuriously he should have said mistakingly determine of such things it may be the Subjects duty to obey because these are not matters alien to their Power and without their line but only this is an imprudent overdoing in a work that belongeth to them When St. James saith that there is one Lawgiver he most plainly speaks of such a Law-giver who is able to save and to destroy or pass the Sentence of Absolution and Condemnation upon others whence he infers that they who take upon them to censure and condemn their Brethren usurp his Prerogative but he speaks not about the Laws of Decency and Order and therefore cannot be supposed to condemn them And whereas Mr. Answ to the Commissioners p. 65. Baxter doth plausibly object against the Imposition of our Ceremonies that they are equally useful to the Church Universal in all Ages as to any Particular Church or Age and therefore should be the Matter of an Universal Law if of any and so should be the Work of the Universal Law-giver if of any I answer This if granted will only prove that there is no such positive decency Expedience or Edification in these Ceremonies as is conceived by our Rulers that should render them fit to be imposed but doth not prove that they usurp upon Christs Legislative Power by imposing of them to these ends But 2ly This way of Arguing will necessarily condemn the Church of Christ throughout all Ages she having always used and by her Canons and Constitutions imposed such Ceremonies as were equally useful in all Ages and all Churches as in any as v.g. standing upon the Lords-day at Prayer receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper fasting and all the Ceremonies anciently annexed to baptism to omit many others of like Nature before mentioned Now saith he in another place I dare not think or assert that for truth which will condemn all the Christian Churches in the World throughout most Ages of it Disp 5. Chap. 2. from §. 7. to the 24. 3ly The same Judicious Person gives us many instances of matters relating to the Service of God which Christ hath not determined by Law as v. g. What utensils to employ about the Publick Worship of God whether we shall receive the Lords Supper at a Table of Wood or Stone whether we shall sing in Rythm or Metre or in Prose what Order shall be observed in Reading of the Scripture or how much of it shall be read at a time what Method we shall use in Preaching what Words in Prayer or what Gesture with
all persons to obey those that have the rule over them Heb. 13.17 and submit themselves Rom. 13.1.5 1 Pet. 2.13 and to be subject to the higher powers as to the ordinance of God and that for Conscience sake and the Lords sake He that can satisfie his Conscience in his refusal so to do must shew some Law of God as evidently forbidding his obedience to what Superious do enjoin P. 197. as do these Scriptures command obedience to them in all lawful things I having therefore in this Treatise answered all your pretences for such a prohibition of the Holy Scripture forbidding your submission to the Rites and Constitutions of the Church of England enjoined by Superiors have made it manifest that you can never satisfie your Consciences in your refusal to submit unto them nor can you or your Leaders return a satisfactory Answer to the Questions propounded by that Author to you in these words P. 58. Do they prefer mercy before Sacrifice or comply with the forementioned injunctions of Obedience to their Superiors who will not submit to Rites or Circumstances or to the use of things no where forbidden in the word to prevent Schism and all the dreadful consequences of it but rather will give cause to their Superiors to judge them scandalous Resisters of Authority and pertinacious Disturbers of the Churches Peace 59. Do not they scandalize offend and contribute unto the Ruine of Christs little stock who do involve them in a wretched Schism on the account of things which they may lawfully submit to Do not they shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men who forbid them to enter when they may Do not they impose heavy burthens also who say to their Disciples Hear not the Common Prayer Receive not the Sacrament Kneeling suffer not your Children to be signed with the Cross Communicate not with that Minister who wears a Surplice or with that Church which imposeth any Ceremonies or any Constitutions but concerning the time and place of performing Publick Worship If nothing doth so scandalize Christs followers as to find their Teachers at discord and divided can they act as becometh his Disciples who are not willing to procure Vnity and Concord and to avoid this scandal by their submission to things indifferent in their own nature and not forbiden in the law of God § 2 Thirdly He pleads for this submission from that great rule of equity which calls upon you to do to others as you would be dealt with putting the Question to you thus p. 187. Do not you expect obedience from your Children and Servants in like cases Should you command them to come at ten of the Clock into your Parlour to Family Devotions requiring them to come dressed and to kneel at their Devotions would you permit them to refuse to come at the time and to the place appointed because all times and places are indifferent to God or in the garb appointed by you because God regards not habits or to refuse to kneel because they may pray standing Would you not rather judge them contemners of your lawful authority and needlesly and sinfully scrupulous in those matters And must not you by the same Rule be guilty of contemning the lawful Authority of your Civil and Spiritual Fathers and of the Masters of Christs Family by your refusal to submit unto their Constitutions in matters of like nature upon the like accounts or can those Principles derive from him who is the God of order not of confusion 1 Cor. 15.33 which would so evidently should they obtain fill Families as well as Kingdoms and Churches with confusion and destroy their order § 3 Fourthly He argues ad hominem thus If notwithstanding the evidence produced p. 289. that Baptism by immersion is sutable both to the institution of our Lord and his Apostles and was by them ordained to represent our Burial with Christ and so our dying unto Sin Rom. 6.4 Coloss 2.12 and our conformity to his resurrection by newness of life as the Apostle clearly doth explain the meaning of that Rite I say if notwithstanding this Dissenters do agree to sprinkle the baptized Infant why may they not as well submit to the significant ceremonies imposed by our Church for since it is as lawful to add unto Christs institutions a significant ceremony as to diminish a significant ceremony which he or his Apostles instituted and use another in its stead which they did never institute what reason can they have to do the latter and yet refuse submission to the former and why should not the peace and union of the Church be as prevailing with them to perform the one as is their mercy to the Infants body to neglect the other And § 4 Fifthly The said Author shews that our divisions do highly prejudice the Christian Faith Chap. 1. that they gratify the Infidel and Sceptick and scandalize the weak and doubting Christian that they minister to the advantage of the Papist and to the prejudice of the true Protestant Religion that they are highly prejudicial to the State that they have a pernicious influence upon our selves by promoting strife enmity carnality and all the evils consequent upon them by obstructing the love peace unity order and edification of the Church and the benefit of our Prayers by hindring the efficacy of the means of Grace by depriving us of all the blessings of love and peace and by endangering our eternal peace And hence he strongly doth infer That if Dissenters do not think it better that all these evils should ensue than that they should comply or bear with those few ceremonies P. 22. and scrupled expressions of our Liturgy then must they in these matters submit to the commands of their Superiours And p. 29. he puts this serious Question to Dissenters Whether those ceremonies and those expressions in our Liturgy which they at present scruple be so plainly evil and so unquestionably forbidden that for preventing all these dreadful evils they may not be complyed with adding That if they be not so clearly and indispensably evil that these great ends of the promoting the salvation of mens Souls and the preventing of the forementioned evils which do inevitably ensue upon them cannot hallow them they cannot be excused from being accessary to those evils which ensue upon their separating from and their dividing of the Church on these accounts Now that Dissenters cannot rationally judge these things to be thus clearly and indispensably evil or think it better that all these mischiefs should ensue than that they should submit unto them he seems convincingly to prove from these considerations 1. Chap. 6. §. 1. from p. 167. to p. 170. That the duties of promoting Christian love peace unity and the edification of the Church and the preventing of Division Schism and the disturbance of the Civil Government are moral and essential duties which will admit no dispensation so that it is the duty
God be wholly resolved into the merit of the cause for which they were inflicted they can never be feared nor consequently prove coercive to their subjects who are not convinced of the badness of their own cause which in the event will never make them properly coercive at all Besides those censures which are supposed only declarative not operative are not properly the acts of authorized but skilful persons for it is skill not authority that is a prudent presumption that any thing is such as it is declared and therefore the opinions of learned though but private persons would in this way of proceeding be more formidable than the peremptory sentences of Ecclesiastical Governours considered only under that relation And lastly were the censures of the Church only declarative offenders would be as much bound in Heaven when not bound on Earth as when they were so since all Gods threats against them will be verified though they be never censured by the Church and so Christs promise whatsoever you shall bind c. will be wholly insignificant § 14 Tenthly Consider I beseech you that no prejudices you have contracted no scruples which do hinder your Communion with the Church of England can excuse you from the guilt of Schism in separating from her until you have done all that lawfully you may and honestly you can for the removal of those prejudices and for the satisfaction of those scruples it being all mens duty as much as in them lies to promote the Churches peace and to prevent her Schisms and therefore to do all that lawfully and honestly they can in the pursuit of those good ends Now 1. you may impartially examine the grounds on which you do forsake Communion with us in all or any of our publick Ordinances you may diligently peruse and read those learned Tracts which have been written to prove the lawfulness of your Communion with her in those Ordinances you may confer with the most able and judicious of her lawful Ministers and propound all your scruples to them in order to your satisfaction And whosoever separates from Communion with us without a conscientious performance of these things must certainly contract the guilt of Schism or criminal separation from us because he separates before he hath done all that lawfully he may for the prevention of his separation And surely my Dear Friends it highly doth concern you first to perform these duties before you do proceed unto a fixed separation from our Church for seeing what is performed in our Assemblies is the injunction of those higher powers to whom God doth require us to be subject in all lawful matters and that for Conscience sake Rom. 13.1 5. and of those spiritual Governours to whom the Gospel doth command obedience and submission as far as lawfully we may Heb. 13.7 17. unless we first examine those injunctions of our Superiors Civil and Sacred not daring to refuse obedience to them before we find that they are contrary to the Law of God we may oppose the will of God whilst we seem zealous for it and transgress the command of God by transgressing the commands of our Superiours And yet how few are those Dissenters who first confer with any able Pastors of the Church of England read any of their learned Tracts or do impartially weigh the grounds on which they do proceed to separation it grieves me to consider God grant this be not laid unto their charge another day § 15 Again to take off all your scruples which proceed upon your doubtings or suspicions that the Magistrates Civil or Sacred do exceed their bounds in the imposing of these things or do impose things doubtful Consider I entreat you 1. that this will never warrant your refusal to obey Superiors that you conceive the Magistrate exceeds or else unduly doth exert his power in commanding any thing provided you may lawfully obey it Because 't is not your business or duty to enquire into the reason of the commands of your Superiors to censure or pass judgment of the expedience of them or the inexpedience but only to enquire whether you may lawfully obey what is commanded For as the Magistrate should lay upon the subject no unnecessary burthen so neither ought the Master or the Parent to lay such burthens on his Child and Servant and yet none will excuse a Child from his obedience to his Father a Servant from obedience to his Master upon this account that they conceived the injunctions of their Master or their Parents inexpedient or unprofitable provided they only did require that which might be lawfully performed much less can Subjects be excused from their obedience to their Spiritual and Civil Parents upon these accounts To such injunctions we are obliged to submit though not on the account of any immediate power they have received from God to make them the power they derive from him being for edification only yet on the same account that Christ paid tribute lest we should offend them and by our disobedience in lawful matters should minister Scandal both to them and others and cause them to suspect that our Religion did countennnce disobedience to Governours in those things and tend to render us unquiet and unpeaceable so that although the thing enjoined may be a yoke and an unnecessary burthen and so unwarrantably be laid upon us yet our submission to it out of humility and love to peace and our respect to Gods Vicegerents may be acceptable to God and be rewarded by him And if St. Paul himself though free did voluntarily submit unto such things for the promotion of the Gospel and the good of others why may not we for the promotion of like Christian ends submit unto them Lastly If nothing I have offered can prevail with you to embrace Communion with us let me intreat you to do all you can to testify that you abstain from our Communion not out of humour peevishness or from a turbulent disposition and much less from a factious and rebellious spirit but purely out of Conscience towards God Do all that lawfully you can to shew that you are of a peaceable temper desirous of Communion with us so far as Conscience will permit you that you do truly reverence your Governours and are desirous to yield obedience to them in all lawful things and nothing which may give them just occasion to suspect that you do only Hypocritically pretend Conscience for your disobedience or that you still retain among you any Factious or Seditious Principles § 16 1. Therefore let me intreat you to comply with the established worship of the Church of England as far as you declare either by words or actions that it is lawful so to do for this you can do if you will and therefore if you do not do it you demonstrate against all pretences to the contrary that you are not willing to comply with your Superiors as far as lawfully you may As many of you therefore as do think it
his commands in lawful matters as our weak Brethren can be to see us yield obedience to him in such things 2ly Others will be as prone to censure our refusal of Obedience as Turbulent Sehismatical as disobedience to the Higher Powers and disorderly walking as the weak Brother is to censure our Conformity as Popish Superstitious and the like And 3ly Why may not others be as well tempted by their refusal to conform to separate and to do as they do with a doubting Conscience as the weak Brother may by our conformity be tempted likewise to conform with a doubting Conscience Moreover whosoever doth consider the temper of the Nonconformists will find occasion to believe that there is little fear of drawing them by our examples to conform but rather that they will be apt to censure us for our Conformity and could we do so we should only tempt them to perform their Duty tho against their Conscience Prop. 6 The Scandal caused by the Dissenter on supposition that he refuses where he may lawfully obey which is the case in question is Scandalum datum i.e. Scandal arising from the omission of his Duty the Scandal ministred by the Conformist can be only Scandalum acceptum sed non datum or Scandal arising not from the action of him that doth conform but from the ignorance and weakness of him who is offended at his doing so for certainly by doing of my Duty in things lawful I give to my weak Brother no just occasion to be grieved at what I do or to pass censure on me as an Evil doer or to Separate from Communion with me or to do with a doubting Conscience what he sees me do but by omission of my Duty to Superiors I shall give just occasion both to them and all who peaceably conform to grieve at my action to pass their censures on me as a disobedient Person And if I do by my example occasion the omission of my Brothers Duty and his separation I shall be justly charged with his guilt as Ministring temptation to him by that example to neglect what lawfully he mought and by God is Commanded to perform and so I must offend him more in the Apostles sense by tempting him to sin or to continue in sin The sum is this by refusing to conform in such a lawful case lest we should offend our weak Brother we seem directly to sin our selves to avoid an occasion of sin in him we do as far as I can judge offend God the King the Law the Church and Conscience too by not doing our Duty lest we should offend our Brother by doing it Now sure it must concern us more to avoid a Scandal given with these circumstances then to avoid a Scandal which is only taken Now from these Propositions it is easie to return an Answer to all that is Objected by Amesins Scholast disp p. 42 43. and transcribed by Mr. Jeans to prove the unreasonableness of this Assertion That Authority is to be obeyed in things Lawful even tho Scandal should ensue against this Doctrine which he ascribeth to our Prelates he disputes thus Obj. 1 A Scandal in the nature of it is Spiritual murther § 2 now suppose a Superior should command a thing in it self indifferent whereupon Murther were like to follow as to run a Horse or a Cart in a certain way at a certain time when it may be unwitting to the Commander little Children were playing in the way would any Mans Conscience ferve him to do it Answ Yes if he saw there were more or like danger of as great mischief by running of this Horse or driving of this Cart in any other way which as I have already shewed is the present case with reference to our refusal of Obedience to the Commands of our Superiors concerning things indifferent and Lawful in themselves Obj. 2 Avoiding of Scandal is a main Duty of Charity may Superiors at their pleasure appoint how far I shall shew my Charity towards my Brother then surely an Inferior Earthly Court may cross the determination of the High Court of Heaven Answ This argument I thus retort Obedience to Superiors Civil and Sacred is a main Duty of Christianity and to avoid all Schisms and Divisions of the Church which is Christs Body all disturbance of her Peace all needless Seperations from her Communion are all important Duties of Christianity may then the ignorance and consequential weakness of my Brother appoint how far I shall be obedient to Gods Vice-Gerent or Christs Messengers how far I shall avoid dividing and disturbing of the Churches Peace then surely may my Brothers ignorance and error cross the determinations of the High Court of Heaven what if they be offended at my paying Tribute in that Quotum which the Law of our Superiors prescribes will Charity oblige me to refuse to pay it Or is it not as much my Duty to obey Gods Vice-Gerents in all other Lawful matters as in the ease of Tribute Is not the precept as express for the one as for the other 2ly This strongly proveth it our Duty in the present circumstances to conform since by refusal so to do we only exercise our Charity towards our weak Brother but by conforming we exercise like Charity and care to avoid Scandal towards more and more deserving Persons and also do avoid dividing and disturbing of the Churches Peace By our refusal to conform to lawful institutions of Superiors that so we may avoid the Scandal of weak Brethren we disobey them whom God Commands us to obey we harden our weak Brother in his Disobedience and Schism we rob our selves of the benefit of the Publick Ordinances bring Penalties and Excommunications on our selves we rob the Church of her Unity Peace and Love and if we be Ministers we deprive our selves of opportunity to exercise our calling to the good of Souls now to avoid the Scandal of a weak Brother by incurring all this guilt is so far from being a main Duty of Charity that it doth flatly contradict the ground and measure of all Charity Self-Love and seemeth to be only doing many Evils that one good may come Obj. 3 Superiors have no power given them for destruction but for Edification if therefore they Command Scandals they go beyond their Commission neither are we tied therein to do as they bid but as they should bid Answ 1. If they Command us to do that which of its own Nature giveth Scandal by being a direct and an immediate cause of sin 't is true we must not do as they bid but as they should bid or rather as their great Superior bids but not if they Command what only through the sin or ignorance of others proves to them a Scandal especially when our refusal to obey them will Minister an equal Scandal which is apparently the present case 2ly I Answer That it belongs not to private persons to enquire whether their Superiors do go beyond their Commission in Commanding of these
things but only whether what they do Command tho it should exceed the power given them by God may without sin be done and if they find it may they cannot without sin refuse obedience no not in case of accidental Scandal Obj. 4 If determination of Superiors were sufficient to take away the sin of Scandal then they do very ill that they do not so far as is possble determin all things indifferent that so no danger may be left of giving of offence by the use of them Then the Church of Rome is to be praised in that she hath determined so many indifferents then Paul with the other Apostles might have spared a great deal of Labour in admonishing the Churches how they should avoid offences about some indifferent things a far shorter way had been either to determin the matter fully or else to have given order that the Churches should among themselves determin it at home Answ 1. We do not say that the determination of Superiors will always take away the sin of Scandal but that it certainly will do it when upon that determination an equal Scandal follows on the other hand 2ly It will not follow hence that they do ill in not determining all things indifferent that so no danger may be left of giving of offence by the use of them Because the remedy may be much worse than the Disease as being 1. To bring a Yoke of bondage on the necks of Christians which they could hardly bear for if the Council at Jerusalem thought fit to stile their Imposition of a few necessary things a Burthen how well might the determination of all things indifferent deserve that appellation And 2ly As tending to distract Mens devotions by their attendance to such a multitude of Ceremonies as must be then imposed and as are actually imposed by the Church of Rome 3ly As tending to Minister occasion to endless divisions in the Church and scruples in the minds of her weak Members for if three Ceremonies determined by the Church are so much scrupled if by occasion of their Imposition such Divisions and Separations have so long continued as we by sad experience see what might be then expected should all indifferent circumstances be determined by her and for these reasons it by no means will follow that the Church of Rome is to be praised in that she hath determined so many matters of this Nature Nor 3ly Will it follow that the Apostles might have spared a great deal of Labour in admonishing the Churches how they should avoid offence about some things indifferent even by determining them fully or by giving order that the Churches should among themselves determin them for this which he here stiles a shorter way might have been far more dangerous by Ministring to great contentions in the Church and causing the weak Jews to flie off from the profession of the Gospel or from Communion with their fellow Christians and so that course would not have hindred the perishing of the weak Brother but rather would have tended to the promotion of his ruin Obj. 5 But say that the Arch-Bishop of Corinth for now I suppose such a one had called his Congregation and with consent of his Clergy had determined that Men might and for testifying of Liberty should at a certain time eat of such and such meats which Men formerly doubted of would not yet the Apostle have given the same direction he did Would not good Christians still have had care of their Brothers Consciences Can the determination of a Superior be a sufficient Plea at the Bar of Gods Judgment seat for a Man that by virtue or force thereof alone hath done any action that his Conscience telleth him will Scandalize his Brother I Answer 1. That no Mans Conscience can tell him certainly that he will but only that he may Scandalize his Brother by conforming to the Commands of his Superiors and it may also tell him that he is in danger to Scandalize them more by not conforming and in this Case the Plea holds good the Scandal being equal on both sides I durst not disobey Superiors against a plain Command and to the manifest dividing and disturbing of the Church to avoid the Scandal of a weak Brother arising not from my action but his ignorance And 2ly Hence I return an Answer to the Questions contained in the Objection to the first viz. Would not St. Paul in case of the determination of the Arch-Bishop of Corinth that all Meats should indifferently be eaten have given the same direction as he did Answ Had he so done there would have been no obligation on the Corinthians to obey their Arch-Bishop in opposition to St. Paul because the power Apostolical was much Superior to that of Bishops and Arch-Bishops they must have therefore in this case obeyed St. Paul by virtue of the general Command to obey Superiors but whether in this case St. Paul would have delivered the same direction is uncertain but this is certain and a sufficient Answer to the Question that St. Paul would have considered where the Scandal would have been greatest both with respect unto the number of Persons offended and the destructive Nature and consequences of the offence and would accordingly have given his directions and and so accordingly do we To the second Question Would not good Christians still had care of their Brothers Consciences Answer They would have shewed their care both of their Brothers Conscience and their own by giving him by their example no occasion to disobey those that Ruled over them in Lawful matters to the dividing and the disturbing of the Churches Peace To the third Question Can the determination of Superiors be a sufficient Plea at the Bar of Gods judgment seat for doing any action that his Conscience telleth him will Scandalize his Brother I Answer Why not if doing of his Duty will be a Plea sufficient But on the other hand can the pretence of Scandalizing a weak Brother be a sufficient Plea for disobedience to Gods Vice-Gerents in a Lawful matter and for dividing and disturbing of the Churches Peace and thereby ministring a greater Scandal both to Superiors and to all peaceable Conformists Obj. 6 I would fain know whether those Superiors do not give a great Scandal which take upon them to impose unnecessary Rites which they know many good Men will be Scandalized by Answ Good Mr. Doctor it concerns you more to know and practise your own Duty then to be censuring and curiously searching into the actions of Superiors for which not you but they must Answer if they do offend Obj. 7 It seems then in case the Magistrate Command it we may wound the weak Conscience of our Brother and destroy with our indifferences the work of God and him for whom Christ died Answ True we may do that which hath an accidental tendency to these unhappy ends As v. g. suppose the Nonconformists are grieved at our Preaching and submission to Superiors and our continuance
of all Christians to contend earnestly and strive together with one Soul for the promotion of these duties and the prevention of the contrary evils 2ly p. 176. That the preserving of what is most essential unto the welfare of the Church and to the interests of piety is more to be regarded than the omission of what is only circumstantial to them and that precepts which concern only Rituals p. 46. are to give place to those which do concern the welfare of mens bodies and much more to those which do respect the welfare of our Brothers Soul so that when both cannot together be observed we must neglect or violate the former to observe the latter Agreeably to which assertion Divines do generally lay down this as a certain rule concerning positive commands requiring things which it is not intrinsecally evil to omit viz. That all such things cease to be duties when they are inconsistent with others of a greater consequence there being greater reason and obligation when we cannot do both to do the latter with the omission of the former And this that Author doth confirm 1. From the example of God himself who suffered his own ceremonial institutions to be neglected upon accounts of lesser moment p. 171. viz. circumcision for the convenience of his peoples travels in the wilderness the celebration of the Passover in the 14th day of the first month when they were in a journey about their temporal concerns 2ly From the example and declarations of our Saviour who taught that in all such cases p. 171 172. God would have mercy and not sacrifice approved the action of David and his Servants in eating the Shew-bread which was by Gods prescription to be eaten only by Aaron and his Sons and who commanded the impotent man to take up his Bed and walk upon the Sabbath-day whence he seems evidently to infer 1. p. 173. That if God was pleased to suffer his own institutions in matters ceremonial to be neglected when that neglect was needful to promote some higher end if to preserve the life of man and beast he would permit men to do that which otherwise would have been deemed a breach of his own institution and a prophanation of his day it is not to be doubted but he will permit us to do those things which in their natures may be inconvenient when it is necessary to submit unto them for the promotion of the great ends of love peace unity and the advantage of poor Souls if our respect unto our Brothers life and health will warrant our neglect of many outward duties then surely our respect unto the Churches peace and unity and to the good of Souls may warrant our submission to those things for these good ends which God hath never plainly made it our duty to omit and our Superiours whom he most plainly doth command us to obey in lawful matters do enjoin 2ly p. 175. That if the duties mentioned be of an higher nature than any outward circumstance of worship it cannot be so much our duty to endeavour that Gods worship should be performed without those rites or circumstances as that these higher duties should be practised or to contend for the omission of them with loss or hazard of these more weighty matters if in these moral duties consists the life and substance of Religion and the essentials of true Piety whereas the matters which our Dissenters do contend for relate not to the being of Religion but as they think only unto the purer exercise of some religious duties certain it is they ought not so to contend for the omission of these external circumstances as to impair that charity and peace that unity and edification wherein the substance of Religion and the welfare of the Church consists which seems to be the very Argument St Paul insists on when he saith Rom. 14.17 19. the kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness and peace wherefore let us follow after the things which make for peace i. e. Let us not by doing or omitting of these things obstruct the Churches peace or hinder the promotion of those things in which Gods Kingdom more especially consists 3ly p. 176. He asks Whether Dissenters can with good conscience say that Gods glory is as much concerned in the administration of his worship rather in some other way than in that mode which now obtaineth in the Church of England as it is certainly concerned in the performance of those moral duties and in the honour and success of Christian Faith the salvation of Souls the welfare of the State and of the Protestant Religion and whether by joining with us in our publick Ordinances such mischiefs would ensue if not 't is certainly their duty rather to comply with the commands of their Superiors p. 177. though they conceive them burthensome and inconvenient than to administer by their refusal so to do occasion to the greater dishonour of their God and all these dreadful evils both to Church and State which do ensue on that refusal § 5 Sixthly This Author strongly seems to argue for this submission in prosecution of the ends forementioned from the example of St Paul who though he were free from all men 1 Cor. 9.19 20. yet made himself servant to all that he might gain the more to the Jew p. 145. becoming as a Jew that he might gain the Jew c. For sure saith he it well becometh our Dissenters to imitate this great example of St. Paul by conforming their wills as servants do unto the will of their Superiors and doing all that lawfully they can to please and testify their due subjection to them without respect to their liberty to do in order to their being serviceable to the Church in the promotion of the Gospel and the salvation of Souls as the Apostle did when he submitted to the circumcision of Timothy when he undertook a legal purification of himself and offered sacrifice against which actions it is easie to produce more plausible exceptions than they can bring against our Ceremonies especially if we consider that the Apostle did comply Acts 21.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 28.17 not only with the Law of Moses for this end but also with the traditions imposed by the Elders and so did yield unto the very thing which they are so afraid to do § 6 Seventhly This Author proves That Schism is a most pernicious evil Chap. 2. §. 1. this he makes good from Scripture from the concurring suffrage of all the Fathers of the Church from the mischievous and dreadful consequences of it and from the opposition that it bears to the great duties of Charity and Peace of Union and Edification Now certainly it highly must concern us in reason and in Conscience where our mistakes are like to prove of such a fatal consequence to our immortal souls and to expose us to such dreadful evils to be very wary
this precept of St. Paul by giving scandal to the Church of God and to Superiors Civil and Sacred as by omission of them you must do The wisdom which is from above is impartial Yea do not many of you submit unto them when you find it necessary to avoid Civil and Church censures and to serve the interests of your party and shall these low concerns prevail more with you than the Churches Peace the procuring all those blessings which would ensue upon our unity and the prevention of those mischiefs which follow upon our divisions Pudet haec opprobria vobis c. § 9 Thirdly Consider that the Apostle to quell the Schisms and Disorders committed in the Church of Corinth informs them That God is not the God of confusion but of Peace as in all Churches of the Saints 1 Cor. 14.33 Now it is fully proved here and by others who have laboured to convince you of the mischief of your Separation 1. That upon the same principles by which you do excuse your Separation from us and your erecting opposite Communions you consequentially do excuse many of the Antient Schismaticks condemned by the Church you give to others an Apology not Answerable by you to separate from your selves And lastly you condemn the practice of the first and purest Ages of the Church and must have separated from Communion with her in what Age following the Apostles soever you had lived and so have made disturbance throughout all Churches of the world and therefore you may rest assured you do not act agreeably to the good pleasure of that God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is the God not of disturbance but of Peace And we may speak unto you in the language of Theophylact In locum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be you ashamed to contradict the customs of all Churches § 10 Fourthly 1 Cor. 7.12 15. Consider that the same Apostle forbids the believing Brother to separate from his Heathen Wife and the believing Wife to desert her unbelieving Husband for this very reason That God had called us to peace and yet he elsewhere shews how inconvenient it was to be thus yoked to unbelievers 2 Cor. 6.14 If then our being called to Peace will warrant and even sanctifie our yielding to so great an inconvenience and render it our duty to make no separation in our Families on those accounts will it not hallow our submission to some things inconvenient in the Church and render it our duty to make no separation from it on the account of such things § 11 Fifthly Consider that if all things indifferent be left so by your Governours the Minister who officiates must and therefore may impose upon you in many things relating to Gods Publick Worship for as I have already shewed he must chuse some place and time in which he will officiate he must do it in some habit he must chuse some Chapters to read some Psalms to sing some kind of Bread and Wine to Consecrate with many other things of a like nature and if they may do this why not the Magistrate If your Ministers may as Governours impose these things upon you why not the Bishops as their Governours upon them why not the Magistrate as the Supreme Ecclesiastick Governour upon both The seal of Government is finally resolved on them who have the power of imposing so that to deny the Ministers this power over the people or the Bishops over the Ministers is to make neither the one nor the other properly Governours § 12 Sixthly That God who hath established the Office Ministerial and Magistratical must have consigned that power to them which is sufficient to acquire all the ends for which it was designed these ends are among others the Peace the Union the Order the Edification of the body or society of Christians subject to them God therefore must have given to these Officers sufficient power for the acquiring of these ends as far as they are needful for the Church of God but without a power of silencing disputes when they arise and do disturb the Church and making Rules for Uniformity and Order when differences do arise and divisions multiply and confusion is introduced by variety of practice in indifferent matters it is apparent they cannot obtain these ends in Church or State and therefore 't is not to be doubted but God hath given them a power of making and imposing of such Rules in the forementioned cases to those ends Seventhly Consider that since it is for ever necessary that things should be done decently and in order and to edification and what is decent orderly and tending to edification will be ever subject to variety and to a relative uncertainty seeing that may be so in some place age and circumstances which may in others cease to be so 't is necessary that there should be perpetual judges of these things and they can be no other but the Rulers of the Church they therefore must have power to judge and to determine in those cases Eighthly Consider that it cannot reasonably be imagined that the God of Love and Peace who questionless delights to see men converse peaceably together Eph. 4.3 Rom. 14.19.12.18 and with one heart and mouth to glorifie him and who so strictly doth command us to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace to pursue the things which make for Peace and do as much as in us lyes in order to it should disapprove of what is so expedient and visibly conducing to this end if not expresly or by plain and immediate consequence forbidden by him or should approve of Separation and division upon trivial accounts Now how can we be said to do as much as in us lies in order to that end if we will not comply in order to the Churches Peace with constitutions of Superiors which are not evidently repugnant to his Law or to the dictates of our natural reason § 13 Ninthly Consider what is like to be the natural result of your refusal of Communion with us even no less than Excommunication which though perhaps the fault committed may not in it self deserve yet can I see no reason 1. Why you should not dread the Sentence seeing Pastoris sententia etiam injusta timenda est even the injust Sentence of Superiors may be dreaded when it doth actually deprive us of Church Priviledges and therefore we stand bound to do what lawfully we can even all that is not evidently sinful to avoid it 2. Nor can I see even why the Sentence may not be valid before God though not by reason of the moment of the things themselves yet for that disobedience to lawful Governours and violation of the Peace which is contained in our refusal to submit unto them I confess there is an opinion much received in the world that makes the censures of the Church only declarative which will excuse you from these fears for if the confirmation of these censures by
neglect his Imployment at home and Travel up to Jerusalem at a charge double or treble to the charge of the Sacrifice which was to be Offered laying all other things aside till that be done this being not declared expresly in the Law of Moses they determined in this case that he that became lyable to any Offering might defer the paying of it till the next Solemn Festival of the three came when all must appear before the Lord at Jerusalem The Law had said thou shalt Reverence my Sanctuary but had not particularly declared in what Actions that Reverence should be expressed they therefore ordained in the pursuance of that general Precept that no Man should go into the Temple to Worship with a Purse a Staff p. 116 117 118. or his Shoes on no Man was to spit no Man to sit there during the time of Divine Service nor use any irreverent Gesture To these we may add the Gizbarin or the three common Treasurers and Overseers of the Temple stock p. 39. and all consecrated things and the Catholikin who were Head Treasurers over them The singing of the Levites Children with their Fathers as our Choristers now do p. 36. p. 53. p. 83 84. p. 96. p. 103 105. p. 108. 119. The suspensive Trespass Offering The Cross upon the Wafer made in Oyl The manner of their Lotteries for the Service of the Priests Their Publick and private Prayers and their Worshipping in time of Prayer the way of discovering the New Moon before their Feast p. 122 123. p. 138 139. p. 174 175. p. 180 181. p. 189. and giving notice of it The manner of saying the Aegyptian Hallel and the manner of conveying the Scape Goat and giving notice of it when done The Branches of Pome-Citron used at the Feast of Tabernacles and the Psalms then sung Lastly the time place and person for reading the Law at the Seventh year All these to omit many more of the like Nature were things needful or at least useful to be determined and yet the Law of Moses hath said nothing of them If therefore notwithstanding any Precepts forbidding the addition to the Law of Moses or the exactness of the Prescriptions of that Law the Rulers of the Jews found cause or at least thought themselves impowered to appoint and to determin of these things why may not Christian Magistrates and Governours use the same Power in the Church of Christ If doing this was no derogation from the fidelity of Moses in writing of the Jewish Law why should we think that doing matters of like Nature is any derogation from the fidelity of Christ in giving us that Gospel which is stiled the Law of liberty Answ 3 3ly Certain it is Christ hath done what this objection doth assert his faithfulness obliged him to do viz. He hath not in the Writings of the New Testament given us a perfect Rule which clearly and expresly mentions all Ceremonies which are needful to be used in his Service or hath determined all things indifferent in their own Nature but disjunctively necessary or after which way or manner we must Act continually in the performance of his Worship For instance He hath said nothing of the time or place where and when he would have us to Assemble for his Worship or of the Ornaments of the place or the disposal of the Seats for Priest or People or whether Men should Sit or Stand during the hearing the Word Read or Preached or of the Number which should Assemble at one place or be under the care or the inspection of one Pastor nor how long we shall continue so Assembled and when the Solemnity shall be dismist And yet he who commands us to Assemble for his Solemn Worship must command some Number to Assemble with some Minister in some place and at some time He hath enjoyned Publick Prayer but he hath not determined whether we must Pray in a set form of words or only in words premeditated Or 3ly without Antecedent Meditation what we shall say or whether we shall Pray in words composed by our selves or prescribed by others He hath not told us who shall pronounce the Prayers whether the Minister alone or whether the People may not bear a share in the performance of that duty by saying with or after him or by responses or alternate sentences as was the Custom in the Jewish Church He hath not told us how oft we shall meet publickly for the performance of this duty whether every morning and evening Wednesday and Friday or only on the Lords day He hath appointed the Scriptures to be read in our Assemblies but then he hath not told us who shall be appointed for that work whether a person shall be Ordained for that Office as in the Latin and the Eastern Churches or a Clark as it is usual in our Churches whether Scripture alone may be read there or the Epistles and writings also of Pious Men as in the Primitive Church they did He hath not told us what Chapter or what Book we are to read or in what Method or how much whether in the Old or the New Testament or what Translation shall be approved by any Church He hath commanded that his word be Preached in our Assemblies but hath not plainly told us who alone shall Preach whether ordained persons only or also gifted Brethren whether with License or without nor in what Method whether by Doctrine and use or any other way whether with Study or without whether by chusing of a Text or only chusing of a Subject to discourse upon whether with Notes or only by the help of Memory whether in a place dedicated to that service or not dedicated whether in a Church or in the open Field nor lastly hath he told us how often nor how long we are to Preach He hath Commanded us to sing Psalms but then he hath not told us whether all should sing together as is the Custom in our Parish Churches or only some as in Cathedrals Whether the Psalms we sing should be in Rythm or Meeter or not whether we should siâ—g with Vâ—â—al only or with Instrumental Musick also nor what 〈…〉 or what Translations of the Psalms shoulâ— bâ— appâ—oved or allowed to be sung in Churche◠〈…〉 we should sing before or only after Serâ—â—â—â— or whether we should do it standing or in the sitting Posture He hath said Go and Baptize all Nations but hath not clearly told us who shall Baptize and in what cases whether the Priest alone or any other Christian especially in cases of necessity whether Baptism shall be Administred to Infants is not expresly said in Scripture but is left to be collected thence by Analogy and rational deductions whether all Infants are to be Baptized or only those of Christian Parents or of true Believers whether with stipulators or without whether we should Baptize in a River Pond Spring Font or Basin whether Infants should be Baptized at Eight days old within a
another thing Yea every man will be apt to think he findeth that there which his own corrupt mind brings thither It will bring confusion into Families as well as Churches whilst every Child and Servant will by this principle be tempted to reject the Instructions of his Master or Father who would teach him a Catechisin or form of Prayer for which the Scripture affords him no particular direction 6ly And hereby all possibility of Union among Christians must perish till this opinion perish for if we must unite only in that which Scripture doth particularly direct us to we must not unite at all If we must all in singing Psalms agree in no Metre or tune in the Church but one that Scripture hath prescribed us we must not sing at all If we must pray in publick only in Words prescribed by Scripture to be used in publick we must not pray at all in publick If we must receive the Sacrament only when it is consecrated in Words prescribed by Scripture we must not receive at all 7ly Hereby Christian love will be quenched when every man must account his Brother a Transgressor against the perfect Rule of Scripture that cannot shew a Text of Scripture for the hour the place of worship the bells the hour-glasses the pulpit the utensils which are used in the Service of God Hereby those pious Men Calvin Cartwright Sibs Perkins Hildersham who used a form of Prayer yea almost all the Christians in the World must be condemned 8ly This Doctrine will rack and perplex the Conscience of all Christians by forcing them to think that they are guilty of sin by every Tune Metre Word Gesture Time Place or any other Circumstance of worship which they use without a Scripture warrant On this account some dare not pray in their Families some dare not think what they shall pray some dare not teach their Children to pray some dare not hear a studyed Sermon or read a printed Book To conclude this Tenet will affright poor people from Scripture and Religion and make us our doctrine and worship ridiculous in the sight of all the World Lastly I add that they who do assert this Tenet do many things repugnant to it As v. g. They introduce Lay Elders unordained of whom there is no mention in the Scriptures or in the Church of the first Ages They sing in stinted Metre Hymns of their own devising for which no Precept or Example can be produced from the Book of God Besides where hath our Lord or his Apostles enjoyned a Direrectory for publick worship and that which they imposed what Authority could it pretend to but that of man They when they take an Oath do not refuse to lay their hands upon and kiss the Holy Scriptures Now all agree that Oaths are solemn Acts of Divine Worship for they are Invocations of God and thereby we acknowledge his Omniscience and that he knows the uprightness of our intentions and that his Justice will avenge it self on the false Swearer and that his Power is able to inflict upon him the severest Judgments and that he by his promise stands bound to help and to reward all those who do believe and act according to the Holy Scriptures Here therefore is an outward Ceremony of Humane Institution joyned with many acts of religious worship Again when they enjoyned the solemn League and Covenant they ordered that the whole Congregation should take it 1. uncovered 2 standing 3. with their right hand lift up and bare Now let any man of reason say if it be unlawful to submit to our three Ceremonies of kneeling crossing and wearing a white Garment in Gods Service why it is less unlawful to use three other Ceremonies in that more solemn act of worship viz. the taking of an Oath or if men may appoint these Ceremonies to be used in taking of an Oath what hinders but in other acts of worship they may do the like CHAP. IV. The CONTENTS Obj. 3. It is unlawful to add unto the parts of Gods worship but to add our Ceremonies to Gods worship is to add to the parts of Gods worship which they endeavour to prove by 12 Arguments To this Argument we answer 1. By shewing what outward worship in the general is viz. The Acknowledgment of some Excellency in the Person worshipped by actions proper to express our Sense or Apprehension of that Excellency Whence 't is concluded that our Ceremonies can be no parts of worship because not in themselves or by their imposition intended to express our Sense of any Divine Excellency The Arguments to the contrary are briefly but fully answered § 1. Obj. 4. To impose our Ceremonies without license from Christ is to invade his Kingly Office he being the sole Law-giver to his Church and derogate from his Prophetick Office which is the only Teacher of his Church and the Appointer of all means whereby we should be taught Answ 1. That it falsly is supposed that the Rulers of our Church have ordained any Ceremonies to teach Spiritual Duties by their Mystical Signification or to be Authentick means of Spiritual Teaching 2 That it can be no derogation from Christs Prophetick or his Kingly Office to stir up our minds by things apt to stir them up to the performance of their duty or to express and signify our duty by things apt to express and signify it 3ly That it is not true that Christ in Scripture hath set down all things by which we may be admonished of our duty 4. That this Argument concludes with equal strength against the imposition of all Ceremonies even time and place 5ly That the Injunction made by Rulers for Decency and Order if they do truly answer these ends are made by virtual Commission from Christ and therefore can be no Entrenchment on his Legislative Power Mr. Baxters Objection answered § 22. CHAP. IV. § 1 IT is not lawful to add unto the parts of Gods worship Obj. 3 but to add our Ceremonies to Gods worship is to add to the parts of Gods worship Repl. to Dr. Ham. p. 85. therefore it is not lawful to add our Ceremonies to Gods worship The Minor is proved by Mr. Jeans thus Because our Ceremonies are external worship and therefore parts of Gods worship That our Ceremonies are external worship he proves by these Arguments Arg. 1 1. Those external Ceremonies whose proper use is the honouring of God are external worship but our Ceremonies are such Ergo. Arg. 2 2. All external Ceremonies in their Nature formally elicited from Religion are external worship but our Ceremonies are such Ergo. Or thus All meer and immediate actions of Religion are parts of Divine worship but our Ceremonies are meer and immediate acts of Religion Another argues in the like manner thus Arg. 3 1. As the means that God hath appointed to teach obedience be acts of Divine Service so the means that man deviseth for that end and purpose must needs be worship also Arg. 4 2. Those signs
that are devised to be means of Spiritual Instruction by their notable and mystical signification are essential parts of worship It being a part and means of his worship to teach his worship Arg. 5 3. The publick reading of the Scripture for the Edification of the Church is acknowledged to be a part of Gods worship so is the Preaching Explaining and Applying of the Word and if to teach by Word be a worship of God to teach by Sign whether significative by the appointment of God or declaratory by the Invention of man is worship also Arg. 6 4. All actions whereby Spiritual Duties are taught in Gods solemn worship are acts whereby God is worshipped and all acts whereby God is worshipped in his solemn Service are worship but significant Ceremonies do teach Spiritual Duties in the worship of God and consequently God is worshipped by them and they are worship Arg. 7 5. The use of Jewish Ceremonies in the solemn worship of God was a part of his true and immediate worship and service therefore others also must be a part of his worship for agreeing with them in common nature and use they must needs consent in the common nature of worship tho they differ in their adjuncts Add to these the Arguments of Mr. William Bradshaw in his Treatise of Divine Worship Arg. 8 1. All Actions and Services that man performeth directly to God are parts of Divine worship Chap. 1 § 2 it being impossible to imagine how the Creature should perform any Service or do any action to the Creator but worship But such are the Ceremonies Arg. 9 2. All Special things done in the Service of God are worship § 3 but such are the Ceremonies Arg. 10 3. All Special actions done in the Service of God must either bring Special honour to God § 4 and so be parts of his worship or they must needs dishonour him because all actions done in his worship which bring no honour to him are a profanation of the Name of God Arg. 11 4. As Civil Ceremonies tned to the honour of them to whom Civil Worship is due Chap. 5 § 7 and is a part thereof so Religious Ceremonies tend to the honour of him to whom Religious Worship is due and is a part thereof neither can any man imagine how any thing should be Religious whether a Substance or a Ceremony but it must needs respect him whom Religion it self respecteth Chap. 7 5. Those peculiar Rites and Ceremonies which are in that manner and form used in the Service of God § 20 Arg. 12 that if God himself did but ratify and confirm that present use of them should then be parts of his true outward worship must needs as they are used without his Ordinance be parts of a false outward worship for whatsoever God tieth in a peculiar manner to his worship is a part thereof Those Ceremonies therefore in controversy being of this Nature must be parts of false worship for else the bare ratifying of them could not make them true worship Answ For Answer to all these trifling Arguments it will be only necessary to lay down plainly what is the Nature and what are the Requisites of Religious worship which being done the vanity of these pretended Arguments will be obvious to every discerning Eye Now outward worship in the general is the Acknowledgment of some Excellency in the Person worshipped by actions proper to express our Sense or Apprehension of that Excellency so that three things concur unto the Constitution of it viz. 1. An apprehension of that excellency in a person which deserves to be adored 2ly An Act of the will inclining us to do what we conceive is proper to testifie our apprehension of that excellency 3ly An outward Act performed for the expression of our Conceptions of that excellency Where therefore there is no intention to express our apprehension of any excellency in another Coroll by any Action we perform nor is there in the Nature of the Action any signification or expression of that excellency there can be no worship and therefore no false Worship it being therefore evident that in wearing of a Surplice or using the sign of a Cross there is no Natural signification of any excellency of that God we Worship nor is there in us who do use these things any intention to express our apprehension of any excellence in God 't is certain they can be no Worship and therefore no false Worship of God 2. This being the Nature of Worship in the general Religious Worship must be an Act or Service in its own Nature or the intention of the Worshipper expressive of some excellency or perfection in the object Worshipped And hence our knowledg or conceptions of God our disputations and disquisitions touching his Nature and his attributes are no parts of Worship tho they be terminated upon God and he be the sole object of them because they do express no Honour they are not designed as the expression of our apprehensions of his excellency 3. God being the only object of Religious Worship all Worship that is truly called Religious must be either terminated on God or such as doth express some excellency that properly belongs unto him if it be terminated on God and doth express no excellency belonging to him and give him no real Honour tho it be designed to Honour him it is then Superstitious Worship of God if it express some excellency proper to God but terminated one the Creature it is then Idolatrous Worship Those Ceremonies therefore which are not used with a design to express any Honour which we owe to God cannot be superstitious Worship and If they do not give that Honour to the Creature which is due to God they cannot be Idolatrous Worship 4ly Altho those duties which are performed by Christians relating to the second Table viz. obedience to Magistrates love to our Neighbours and all the Acts of Charity and Justice are done for the Lords Sake 1 Pet. 2.13 and with respect unto Gods Glory Matt. 1 Cor. 10.31 5.16 and to this end they eat and drink and do all other Civil Actions yet are they not Religious Worship because the immediate ends of those Actions is not the expression of any excellence in God but the pleasing of the Magistrate the doing good to our Neighbour the refreshing of our Bodies that therefore any Act may properly be stiled Religious it must proceed from a primary direct immediate tendance or intention to give Honour to God or to express our sense of some of his perfections or his Holy Attributes wherefore the primary direct and the immediate intent of the Conformist in submitting to the Ceremonies being the same viz. Obedience to Superiours in lawful things he cannot rationally be said to perform Religious Worship by thus using them tho he submit to the injunction for the Lords sake who hath commanded that obedience And since the Magistrate commands them not as immediate expressions or acknowledgments
of any excellency in or Attribute of God but partly for distinction partly for decency and uniformity and partly for their Antiquity and lastly as being apt to put us in mind of our duty they cannot be supposed by commanding of them to these ends to make them parts of Worship 5ly External and Bodily Worship is either Substantial or Circumstantial and Ceremonial the Substantial parts of Gods outward Worship are vocal Prayer Praises hearing of the Word not as the word of Man but of God receiving of the Sacraments as they import an entering into Covenant with God and an Eucharistical Oblation of our Souls and Bodies to him Those Bodily Acts which be performed by us in pursuance of these substantial parts of Worship and whereby we do signifie either our Reverence of that God in whose presence we are or with whom we have to do as standing uncovering the head kneeling at Prayer bowing of our Body at our entrance into the place of Gods Worship prostration lifting up our Hands or Eyes to Heaven or whereby we do make profession of our Faith in God as standing up at the Creed to profession of our Faith in a Crucified Saviour on which account the Ancients used the sign of the Cross or lastly whereby we enter into Covenant with God according to his institution as by receiving of the Sacramental signs All these are Ceremonial or Circumstantial parts of Worship 6ly These Ceremonial parts of Worship are in the general commanded by God and they are natural signs of Reverence required by the second Commandment for that forbidding all outward Religious Worship to be given to that which is not God and that because it is that Worship which is due to God the affirmative part of that precept must be supposed to be this Thou shalt give unto me that outward Worship when therefore our Church Commands her subjects to Kneel at their receiving of the Sacrament with Prayer and doth exhort but not Command them to Worship God when they do enter into the place of Worship or bow unto the blessed Jesus who is God blessed for evermore when they are by his Name put in Remembrance of that great Salvation which he hath wrought for us she only doth appoint that to be done at such a time which God hath in the general Commanded to be done and so doth institute no uncommanded part of Worship 7ly When any thing is by God Commanded to be done in his own Worship which doth not primarily directly and immediately tend to express or signifie our sense or apprehension of his excellency or his Attributes the doing of it in its own Nature is no part of Worship but only the doing of it in Obedience to the Command of God for all obedience is an acknowledgment of Gods Sovereign Power and the subjection which we owe unto it Thus v. g. to receive the person that is to be Baptized to give the Bread and Wine to the Communicants are no parts of outward Worship because they are not directly and immediately designed to express any excellence of God but only done in order to the Baptising of the person to be received into the Church or the convenience of the Communicants receiving Sitting at the receiving of the Sacrament can be no part of Worship in those Churches which retain the gesture because it is retained only as a most fitting Table gesture and all those things which God enjoyned to be done in his own Temple the use of the Snuffers and the Tongs the cleansing of the Candlesticks the lighting up of the Candles the bringing in of the Wood for the Burnt offerings with infinite things of a like Nature could be no parts of Worship otherwise than as they were performed directly in obedience to a Divine Command Now hence 't is easie to return an Answer to the forementioned objections For 1st Hence it appears that the proper use of those Ceremonies of the Church of England which are not Natural or Instituted parts of Worship is not the Honouring of God by the acknowledgment of any of his excellencies which is sufficient refutation of the first Argument 2ly Hence it appears that they are not meer and immediate Acts of Religion or formally elicited from Religion as the second Argument supposes 3ly Hence it is evident that all the means that God hath appointed to teach Obedience are not Acts of Divine Worship as Preaching Reading of the Word pious Discourse good Advice and good Example which is sufficient Answer to the third Argument which also falsly doth suggest that our Ceremonies are devised to that end 4ly Hence it appears that it is no part of Gods Worship to teach his Worship teaching being an Action directed not immediately to God but Men nor are our Ceremonies devised to be means of Spiritual instruction by their Mystical signification nor are such signs necessarily essential parts of Worship unless afflictions which are signs of Gods displeasure designed to be means of Spiritual instruction be also parts of Divine Worship as the fourth Argument supposeth 5ly Hence it is manifest that the teaching and reading of the Scriptures for edification of the Church is no part of Gods Worship for the reason mentioned before on which false supposition doth the fifth Argument proceed 6ly Nor are all Actions whereby Spiritual duties are taught in Gods Solemn Worship Acts whereby God is Worshipped as is suggested in the sixth Argument 7ly Nor was the use of Jewish Ceremonies in the Solemn Worship of God any part of his true and immediate Worship unless they were such Jewish Ceremonies as did express or signifie some Divine Excellency or the acknowledgment thereof in those that used them as the seventh Argument suggest but doth not prove 8ly Nor are our uncommanded Ceremonies performed directly to God as is supposed Argument the eighth 9ly Nor are all special things done in the Service of God parts of his Worship as is asserted Argument the ninth 10ly Nor must all special Actions done in the Service of God bring special Honour to him viz. by the signification of any of his excellencies not the snuffing of the Candles not the bringing of the Wood to the Temple as the tenth Argument supposeth such Actions are indeed performed in order to those things which do bring Honour to God even as submission to the Ceremonies prescribed by the Church is done in order to the free Preaching of the Word and to the demonstration of our Obedience to Superiors and to the preservation of the Churches Peace by which things God is highly Honoured 11ly All Civil Ceremonies or all the Circumstances of them are not parts of Civil Worship not the taking of the Cup by the Cup-bearer but the Kneeling with it not the filling out of the Wine but the tendring it in that humble posture In a word only those Ceremonies whereby we do express our sense of some excellency in our Civil Superiors or which by Nature or by Custom signifie some excellency in
the person to whom they are performed are parts of Civil Worship And so also is the case with reference to Religious Worship Nor are our Ceremonies Religious but only Ceremonies used in Religion 12ly Nor would the Command of God to use a Surplice or sign with the Cross to signifie to the Congregation the Reception of the Baptized Person into the Society of Christians make these Ceremonies parts of Divine Worship any otherwise than the doing of them would be an Act of Obedience to Gods Command and therefore the doing of them without that Command can be no Worship and therefore no false Worship Nor is all that God tieth in a particular manner to his Worship any part thereof Obj. 4 To bring in any Ceremonies of Ordained and Mystical signification appropriated to the Worship of God without any License from Christ himself is to Trespass against his Kingly Office for he is the only Law-giver to his Church and hath committed to her no Authority of appointing new things but a Ministry to observe and do such things as Christ hath appointed with order and decency unto Edification It also is a derogation from the fulness of Christs Prophetick Office For Christ is the only Teacher of his Church and the Appointer of all means whereby we should be taught and admonished of any holy Duty and whatsoever he hath thought good to teach his Church and the means whereby he hath perfectly set down in Holy Scripture so that to acknowledg any other means of teaching and admonishing us of our Duty than such as he hath appointed is to receive another teacher into the Church besides him and to confess some imperfection in the means he hath ordained to teach us by This I would learn saith Ames how we can acknowledg and receive any means of Religious teaching with Faith except it appear to be appointed by an Authentick Teacher and Law-giver and how our Prelates in appointing means of Spiritual teaching which Christ appointed not can be accounted therein Ministerial Teachers under him as their and our only Authentick Teacher As also if Christ be our Authentick Teacher in all good that we learn about Religion who taught our Prelates so good manners as to put Fescues of their own making into his hand and so appoint him after what manner and by what means he shall Teach us To this objection I Answer Answ 1 That this Argument is grounded upon this false supposition that the Rulers of our Church have instituted any Ceremonies to teach Spiritual Duties by their Mystical significations or to be Authentick means of Spiritual Teaching whereas I know no Ceremonies appointed to be used to that end so that both the use of the Ceremony and the end are matter of the Churches Precept and it were folly for her to make such Constitutions for since the Church cannot discern whether I have learnt that Spiritual Duty by using of her Ceremonies or not She cannot punish the Offenders against such an Ordinance and so must vainly make it She hath indeed appointed such Ceremonies as she conceiveth apt to stir up the dull mind of Man to the remembrance of his Duty Preface to the C. prayer of Cer. c. by some notable and special signification and therefore hath enjoyned them because she so conceiveth of them but she hath no where said that she enjoyns them to Teach Spiritual Duties or assigned any determinate signification of them v. g. she hath enjoyned her Ministers to wear a Surplice when they Officiate but hath not said that she enjoyns it to Teach them Innocence or Purity or any other Spiritual Duty Rubr. after the Communion She enjoyns her People to Kneel at the Sacrament and tells us that we should signifie thereby our humble and grateful acknowledgment of the benefits of Christ but then she doth not say that she designs thereby to Teach us Humility and Gratitude for those benefits but only calls upon us to express that humility and gratitude which she supposeth we have learnt already In a Word these Ceremonies are not by her appointed to signifie at all much less to signifie what being used without her institution they would not signifie but they are appointed to be used as being apt when used to mind us of or bring into our minds our Duty or as fit to excite within us Pious meditations and reflections Answ 2 2ly I answer that if it be no derogation from Christs Kingly or Prophetick Office to stir up our minds to the performance of our duty by things apt to stir them up unto it or to express and signify our duty by things apt to express and signify it then can it be no encroachment on those Offices to impose or require such things as have an aptness thus to signify and mind us of our duties for in it self it cannot be unlawful to require what may be lawfully performed tho it be not required Now if it be a derogation from Christs Prophetick or his Kingly Office to use such things as are apt to put us in mind of our duty it must be unlawful to toll a bell to put us in mind of going to Prayers to keep by us a skull or skeleton to mind us of our Mortality or a pare of Leathern Breeches as Dr. Prideaux did to mind us of our former low Condition to have our vaults or burying places ready fitted and prepared as the Eastern Nations had and some great persons have because these things are apt to mind us of our latter ends or to set apart a closet in our Chambers for private devotions that so our coming thither may mind us of our duty Moreover then the ingenious Meditations of pious Mr. Boyle and Quarles his Emblems and all the History of the five Books of Moses graven in Stone in the Chapter House of Sarum and all things of like Nature which are apt to bring to our Remembrance good things and are not by our Lord in Scripture appointed to be used to these ends must be all Sacrilegious usurpations upon Christs Kingly and Prophetick Office Again then must that pack of Cards which Contains the whole History of the Popish Plot and our deliverance from it be guilty of this Crime because they were designed to stir up our minds to an abhorrence of their wickedness and a Thanksgiving to the Author of our Deliverance and we with equal reason may ask that profound Question of Dr. Ames who taught the Author of them such good manners as to put Fescues of his own making into our hands to mind us of these things Lastly Upon the same account it must be a derogation from Christs Prophetick and his Kingly Office to require men to come gravely into the House of God or be uncovered there or to kneel at their devotions because these things are apt to stir up the dull mind of man to the Remembrance of the Majesty and Greatness of that God with whom he hath to do By these and
many other things of a like Nature which he most truly saith are all left to humane Determination ibid. §. 27.28 and to humane Prudence And yet according to his Argument seing no reason can be given why the Determination of most of them would not be equally useful in all Ages and all Churches they must be the matter of an Universal Law if of any and so of an Universal Law-giver and so cannot be left to humane Prudence or Determination Again when the same Person Argues against the Imposition of our Ceremonies thus Disp 5. Chap. 4. §. 3. If these things are needful now why not throughout all Ages and all Churches if therefore Christ did neither by himself nor his Apostles institute and impose these Rites then either the imposing of them is needless and consequently noxious or else you must say that Christ hath omitted a needful part of his Law which implyes that he was either ignorant what to do or neglective of his Affairs This Argument again condemns all the Churches of Christ throughout all Ages since the Apostles times who have always used some Ceremonies which neither Christ nor his Apostles thought fit to institute And 2ly It also renders it unlawful for humane Prudence to determine any of those things which saith he Christ and his Apostles have left undetermined they being mostly such as are or may be equally useful in all Ages of the Church and such of which it may be said whensoever they are determined by humane Prudence if they are needful now why not always c. CHAP. V. The CONTENTS Obj. 5. Those Ceremonies which God himself appointed to teach his Church by their signification may not now be used much less may those which man hath devised § 1. Answ 1. That as St. Paul submitted to some Jewish Rites unlawfully required by the Jewish Christians that he might gain the Jew and Minister to their Salvation so may the Christian submit to Ceremonies unfitly imposed by Superiors for like good ends Answ the 2d This Argument offers nothing against signs Natural and Customary such as are kneeling at the Sacrament the Cross in Baptism standing up at the Creed But only against signs arbitrary from the imposing of which the Excellent Bishop Taylor doth excuse our Church § 2. Obj. 6. The use of the Ceremonies is superstitious and therefore cannot be submitted to Answ By stating the true Notion of Superstition and shewing 1. That Superstition is a species of false Worship and therefore where no Worship is exhibited by the act done or intended by the Doer or Imposer of it as in the case of our Ceremonies there can be no Superstition in that Act. 2ly That Superstitious Worship undue as to the manner of it can only be performed by offering that as acceptable and pleasing to God or as an Exercise of Religion or an Acknowledgment of some of Gods Perfections which is not so 3ly All Superstition consisting Fundamentally in this mistake and formally in the ensuing Practice It follows that the Forbearance of an Act upon the like mistake viz. That we conceive it well-pleasing to God and tending to his Honor to forbear it when indeed it is not so is Superstition § 3. Hence our Dissenters must be Superstitious provided that the Rites that they refuse Submission to be lawful in themselves 1. Because they do and must esteem this their refusal as an Act of special Honour done to God 2ly Because they must esteem themselves by this forbearance Preservers of Gods Worship pure and spiritual 3ly Because they must esteem themselves under a necessity of displeasing God by joyning in Communion with us § 4. § 5. What is the true Import of Edification § 6. Obj. 7. We must not submit to the Institution or Introduction of New Sacraments And therefore not to the Institution of the Ceremonies of the Church of England they having the Nature of Sacraments § 7. Answ 1. That the Ceremonies of the Church of England are not appointed to be signs of Spiritual Grace or to confirm Grace to us 2ly That the designing of these Ceremonies to express signify or bring into our minds Spiritual Duties cannot make them Sacraments With reasons why the Representation of some Spiritual Duty by a mystical Rite cannot as properly pertain to the Nature of a Sacrament as the sealing some Spiritual Promise doth § 8. Many things required in Sacraments which are all wanting in our Ceremonies § 9. Mr. Baxters Arguments to prove the Cross as used in our Church a Sacrament are answered § 10. CHAP. V. BUt say Dissenters Obj. 5 If those Ceremonies which God himself ordained to teach his Church by their signification may not now be used § 1 much less may those which man hath devised now God hath abrogated his own not only those that were appointed to prefigure Christ but such also as served by their signification to teach moral duties and so as now without great sin none of them can be continued in the Church no not for signification and therefore to bring in others of like Nature is to Judaize To confirm this Argument they add that if men may impose such Ceremonies because of their significancy they may reduce into the Church of Christ all the whole Mass of Jewish Ceremonies as v. g. 1. Those of moral signification as the not eating of Blood to teach us to avoid cruelty towards the life of man and beast the not eating of unclean beasts to denote our abhorrence of the impurities and immoralities which by that abstinence the Jews were taught to refrain from the not touching any thing unclean to mind us of avoiding all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit to omit infinite instances of like Nature 2ly By the like reason many Jewish Rites which were Types and Shadows of things to come may be reduced into the Church upon other accounts as v. g. Circumcision to mind us of the Circumcision of the Heart the Paschal Lamb to signify our Gratitude for passing from Darkness unto Light or from our Spiritual Thraldom unto sin into the Liberty of the Sons of God all Sacrifices of Thanksgiving and all whereby they owned God to be the Author of Life and Death and all their temporal Mercies and did Acknowledge that they deserved to die for sin and all the Jewish Garments importing Spiritual Duties to be performed by their Priests with many things of a like Nature And indeed saith Bishop Taylor If the Church might add things Duct Dub. l. 3. c. 4. R. 20. § 7. or rituals of Signification then the Walls might be covered with the Figures of Doves Sheep Lambs Serpents Birds and the Communion Table with Wine Herbs Tapers Pidgeons Raisins Hony Milk and Lambs and whatsoever else the wit of man can invent But the manner of teaching these truths by Symbolical things actions is too low too suspicious too dangerous to be mingled with Divine Lyturgies Christ may as he please consign his own good things
bore towards their Christian Brethren And such is kneeling and prostration in prayer embracing and shaking of hands Such saith the Apostle was that covering of the Womans Head in time of Publick Prayer even that which Nature taught 1 Cor. 11.14 15. Such are the Festivals of the Church viz. Expressions of our Praises for the Mercies then received And the standing from Easter to Whitsunday and on the Lords day used in the ancient Church was not to teach by way of signification any duty but to express and testify their Belief of our Lords Resurrection and for this end we also stand up at the Creed now that such signs may lawfully be used and required I know no cause of doubting from any thing which this Objection offers they being not instructive in but only expressive of our Faith and Duty and under this head may be comprised kneeling at the Sacrament as an Expression of our inward Reverence and signing with the Cross as an Expression of our Faith in and owning of the crucifyed Jesus Signs Arbitrary are such as neither of themselves nor yet by any antecedent Custom do signify distincty and determinately to others that which they are instituted or imposed to teach or signify such are the Elements of Bread and Wine for the breaking of Bread doth no more naturally signify the breaking of Christs Body on the Cross than the breaking of any other thing would do and such are all the moral significations of the Rites appointed by the Jewish Law concerning clean Beasts for Sacrifice and unclean forbidden to be sacrificed or eaten and such is the wearing of a Surplice to teach or signify purity it being naturally or by any antecedent Custom no more proper determinately to teach or signify to the Beholder or our selves this Grace than the putting of it on upon black Garments to signify Hypocrisy and a Pharisaical Temper and that we are like Scpulchres white without but black within Against the fitness of the Imposition therefore of such arbitrary signs to teach those duties which are more plainly and determinately taught already in the Word of God I fear this Argument too strongly doth conclude But then the Excellent Bishop Taylor doth sufficiently excuse our Church from this supposed guilt by saying that There is reason to celebrate and honour the Wisdom and Prudence of the the Church of England Ibid. §. 8. p. 327 which hath in all her Offices retained but one Ceremony that is not of Divine Ordinance or Apostolical Practice that is the Cross in Baptism Which tho it be a significant Ceremony and of no other use yet as it is a complyance with the Practice of all ancient Churches so is it very innocent in it self and being one and alone is in no regard troublesome or afflictive to those that understand her Power and her Liberty and Reason I said she hath one only Ceremony of her own appointment for the Ring in Marriage is the Symbol of Civil nor a religious Contract it is a Pledge and Custom of the Nation not of the Religion and those other Circumstances of her Worship are but determinations of time and place and manner of a duty They serve to other purposes besides signification they were not made for that but for Order and Decency for which there is an Apostolical Precept and a Natural Reason and an Evident Necessity or a great Convenience Now if besides these uses they can be construed to any good signification or instruction that is so far from being a prejudice to them that it is their Advantage their Principal End being different and warranted and not destroyed by their superinduced and accidental use sect 3 The use of the Ceremonies is superstitious Oâ—â— 6. and therefore we say they cannot submit unto the Practice of them without sin That the use of the Ceremonies in Religious Worship is superstitious they prove by Arguments already answered viz. That it is super statutum or more than God hath in his Word required and that they are imposed as parts of Worship Moreover these things say they cannot be used without Superstition in the Service of God which have no necessary or profitable use in his Service for as vain Thoughts and Words are forbidden in the Holy Scripture so is it not to be doubted but that vain actions are forbidden especially in the Worship of God Answ 1 To give a Satisfactory Answer unto this Objection it will be only necessary to state the Notion or true import of Superstition that by applying it to our own Practice and to the Practice of Dissenters we may judge who are most guilty of this vice 1. Therefore Superstition being a species of false Worship whereby we do exhibit Worship to an Object to which it is not due or to that Object which deserveth Worship in an undue manner it follows plainly that where no Worship is exhibited by the act done or intended by the Doer or Imposer of the act there can be no Superstition in the Exercise of such an act there may be Vanity and an abuse of Power in the imposing rites unprofitable and unnecessary but there can be no Superstition or Will Worship where there is neither any act of Worship nor any Will to worship God by the Performance of these Rites nor designation of them unto such an end 2ly Superstitious Worship undue as to the manner of it can only be performed by offering that as acceptable and pleasing to God or as an Exercise of Religion and honor to God or an Acknowledgment of some of his perfections which is not acceptable or well pleasing to him which rendreth him no honor and doth not tend to the Acknowledgment of any of his Attributes or perfections for by performing that which indeed is pleasing and acceptable to God or which doth render honor to him we cannot be superstitious hence it must follow that when men make those things a part of their Religion which God hath not commanded or forbidden and think God is pleased with their meer doing or abstaining from doing them they in so doing must be superstitious Two things are therefore necessary to compleat this species of false Worship viz. 1. That the matter about which it is conversant relate to the doing some supposed Religious Act that is some Act of Service acceptable and well pleasing to God and which directly tends unto his honor 2ly That he who doth it do really mistake in judging such an action to be indeed Religious and tending to his honor and therefore acceptable to him 3ly All Superstition consisting fundamentally in this mistake and formally in the ensuing practice thereupon it must with equal reason be concluded that the forbearance of an act upon the like mistake viz. that we conceive it well pleasing to God and tending to his honor to forbear it when indeed it is not so is Superstition because by that Forbearance we equally design to please and honor God and do it as unduly
with respect unto the manner And therefore it is well observed by Dr. Stillingfleet That many Superstitions condemned in Scripture chiefly consist in the forbearance of things lawful Serm. of Superst p. 37. on supposition that the forbearance of them was well pleasing to God The Superstition condemned Coloss 2.22 lay in supposing God to be pleased with their Forbearance of things lawful with their not touching tasting handling them and therefore was a negative Superstition And so it was in the dispute between Christ and the Pharisees about healing on the Sabbath day they thought it unlawful and therefore did abstain Christ thought it lawful to do good on the Sabbath day and therefore did it here was no positive observance on the Pharisees part yet here was Superstition in them and therefore the true Notion of Superstition doth extend to the Forbearance of things in themselves lawful as displeasing to God § 4 Now to apply these things that the Forbearance of the Ceremonies required by the Church of England on supposition that they are lawful in themselves and yet are by Dissenters abstained from as unlawful must be superstitious will be exceeding evident 1. Because they do and must according to their Principles esteem this their refusal to submit unto them when imposed as an act of special honor to God it being a declaration of their minds that they think God dishonoured by such acts and therefore dare not comply with them it can be only fear of sinning against God which can engage them with the hazard of their Estates and Ease c. thus to refuse obedience to the Commands of their Superiours They then must look on this refusal as a product of the fear of God and as an act of true obedience to him in opposition to the unjust Commands of men or an obeying God more than man and consequently they must esteem themselves more holy acceptable and well pleasing to God on the account of this Forbearance than Conformists are 2ly Because they do and must esteem Gods Worship corrupted by the use of these our Rites as to the Purity and the Spirituality of it and so they do esteem themselves by this Forbearance Preservers of his Worship pure and spiritual and free from that Idolatry and Superstition with which they charge it upon these accounts 3ly Because they do and must according to their principles rather refuse to joyn in the external Communion of our Church and rather bound to set up separate Communions than to comply with these our Rites now surely nothing but a necessity of displeasing God by joyning in Communion with us can warrant their refusal of it nothing but a necessity by God imposed on them of setting up such separate Communions in Order to the acceptable Worship of God can justify their Separation if therefore they mistake in Judging that such necessity is laid upon them as they must do if it be lawful to submit unto these Rites and hold Communion with us notwithstanding the necessity which lyes upon them to submit unto them they must be superstitious in that Practice which follows from this grand mistake § 5 In answer to the Close of this Objection it is said That these things edify by their Signification and therefore must be good and profitable and so not like unto vain Words and Actions To this it is replyed by Dissenters that many things of a like Nature when they are used by devout and thinking men may edify by their Signification and yet the imposition of them upon that account would scarce exempt them from the appearance of vanity As v. g. Should a Church Governor command his Subjects to appear in Armor in the Church to signify their Spiritual Warfare or to put on an Helmet to signify that they would manfully fight under Christs Banner or to drink Milk in token of their desire to feed on the sincere Milk of the Word or to use Vinegar and Gall in token of their Resolution to undergo the greatest Hardships for the Sake of Christ or to put on a pair of Spectacles to signify we are dim sighted in the things of Christ tho the Signification of these things might tend to edify the things required could hardly be excused from vanity 2ly They add that Edification in the Scripture Sense is quite another thing from this obscure way of teaching by Signification To edify our Brother in the Scripture Sense is to build him up and to confirm him and help him forward in the Christian Faith 1 Tim. 1.4 Jud. 20. The things by which the Church is said to receive Edification are of a better Nature viz. Walking in the Fear of God and in the Comfort of the Holy Ghost Act. 9 31. The Preaching of the Word 1 Cor. 14.3 4 5. Christian admonition and discourse Administring Grace unto the Hearer Eph. 4.29 The Graces of the Holy Spirit descending on Christs Members Eph. 4.16 Of the Edification of any indifferent and humane Ceremony the Scripture speaketh not one Word We are then said in Scripture to edify our Brother when we forbear indifferent and unnecessary things which through his weakness do cooperate towards his ruine Rom. 14.19 20. We do it by our Charity towards him in these things for Charity edifyeth 1 Cor. 8.1 By our Promotion of unity and so by the removal of such unnecessary things as do obstruct it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Edifie your selves into one 1 Thes 5.11 Answ But were this granted that some one or more of our Ceremonies seemed to you unprofitable and unserviceable to the use of Edifying what is that to you who only are concerned to know whether what your Superiors Command may lawfully be done by you and who Transgress your bounds when you presume to judge whether the things imposed be in their own Natures profitable edifying or convenient to be imposed for if they be as you conceive the fault supposed in the imposing of them is not yours but theirs whereas the fault in not submitting to them if lawful will most certainly be yours 2ly Whatsoever they are in themselves yet your submission to them in obedience to the lawful Commands of your Superiors for preservation of the Churches Peace for the prevention of Schism and all its dreadful consequents for the obtaining freedom to joyn in the Communion of the Church will doubtless highly tend to your Edification and your Profit as being a Submission to them for such Pious Christian ends as Christianity most stirictly doth oblige us to aim at and pursue and which are in themselves sufficient to sanctifie an action otherwise unprofitable and render it a Christian Duty Lastly to Kneel at the receiving of the Sacrament to express our Reverence and Humility to sign a Child with the Cross in token to the Congregation that he is listed among Christs Members or wear a Surplice for decency or distinction cannot be proved to be vain by any of the Instances forementioned Obj. 7 We cannot say Dissenters
conform with doubting Consciences Or 3ly By grieving them Or 4ly By causing them to separate from our Communion 6ly We are not to abstain from that indifferent action which may Scandalize our Brother when by forbearance of that action as great if not a greater Scandal is Administred to others this proved to be the case in our refusal to comply with the Commands of our Superiors in Lawful matters 7ly The Scandal caused by the Dissenter refusing to do what Lawfully he may is Scandal given the scandal Ministred by the Conformist can be only Scandal received § 1.9 Objections of Amesius and Mr. Jeans Answered § 2. Some unsatisfactory Answers to the Objection from Scandal noted as v. g. 1. That the Scandal which the weak conceive at our Conformity is passive whereas 't is only active Scandal which we are concerned to avoid 2ly That Scandal is an action done with intent to ensnare Men in sin since therefore none can judge that by imposing or submitting to our Ceremonies this is intended they cannot truly be Scandalized 3ly That we can give no sinful Scandal by using of our Ceremonies because we give a reason of our action 4ly That they are to be deemed obstinate who after a reason given are still Scandalized and so their Scandal is Pharisaical and not to be regarded § 3. CHAP. VII Obj. 4 THAT which doth Minister Scandal to weak Brethren must not be done § 1 saith the Dissenter no not at the Command of our Superiors but by submitting to and using the imposed Ceremonies we minister Scandal to weak Brethren And therefore we must not submit unto them To lay foundations of a full and satisfactory Answer unto this Objection I lay down these ensuing Propositions 1. That Scandal is an action whereby occasion is ministred to the sin fall or ruine of our weak Brother it is any thing saith St. Paul by which our Brother stumbleth or is offended Rom. 14.21 it is a stumbling block or an occasion to fall put in our Brothers way v. 13. Where note 1. That under the Word action is comprehended 1. words tending to the same effect And 2ly omissions of actionswhich have the same consequence 2ly This Scandal may be Ministred as well by doing of our Duty as by doing Evil. So the Preaching of the Cross was to the Jews a stumbling block 1 Cor. 1.23 2 Cor. 2.16 the Gospel Preached is to many a savour of death and Christ himself is said to be to many a Stone of stumbling 1 Pet. 2.8 and a Rock of offence and the occasion of their fedling It therefore is erroneously said that our action Coroll tho it may displease yet cannot minister occasion of Scandal to both parties for tho 't is true I cannot give a just occasion of offence by doing or omitting the same action for then I must lie under a necessity of sinning it being necessary for me either to do or to omit the doing of it It is as true that some weak Persons may take offence at my performing and others be as much offended at my omitting the same action Prop. 2 That Scandal sin or fall of others which is occasioned by doing of my Duty cannot be my sin and so I cannot be obliged to avoid it the reason is because I cannot sin in doing of my Duty and because I must not do Evil Rom. 3.8 as the neglect of Duty is that good may come Hence it doth clearly follow Coroll that by obedience to the lawful commands of my Superiors I cannot be guilty of sinful Scandalizing of my Brother because obedience in such cases is my Duty Obj. No human ordinance can take away the condition of Scandal from that action which would otherwise be Scandal that is which being not commanded would be Scandal Answ It is sufficient if it can take away the sin of Scandal and that it doth by making that become my Duty which Scandalizeth my weak Brother We do not say the sin of Scandal is avoided simply by the Lawfulness of the action which we do for tho all meats were lawful in the Apostles time yet this would not excuse the Gentile Christian from sin in eating of those meats which gave offence to his weak Brother but then say we the sin of Scandal is avoided when the action being lawful in it self is necessary in obedience to Superiors and for the exercise of our Ministry and for the peace of the Church and the prevention of Schisms and separations in and from it with all their fatal consequences it being all Mens Duty by all lawful means to prosecute these good ends Prop. 3 They who Object the case of Scandal as the ground of their refusal to submit unto these Constitutions must confess or dispute against them from this Topick upon this supposition that they are in themselves indifferent and that 't is only the mistake of our weak Brother which can lay this restraint upon our practice in such matters because from matters in themselves evil or forbidden we are obliged to abstain tho no such Scandal should ensue upon the practice of them Prop. 4 As far as I am able to discern we cannot Minister occasion of Scandal to our weak Brother by submitting to these commands of our Superiors but either 1st By Ministring occasion to his rash judgment and censure of our action as an Evil deed Or 2ly By moving him by our example to conform even while he doubts the lawfulness thereof and so to do it with a doubting Conscience and therefore to his own damnation Rom. 14.23 which seems to be the Scandal mentioned 1 Cor. 8.10 11. Or 3ly By grieving him to see those things are practised by us which he condemneth in his Conscience which seems to be the Scandal spoken of Rom. 14.15 Or 4ly By causing him to separate from our Communion upon these accounts and by so doing to incur the guilt of Schism Prop. 5 We are not saith Mr. Jeans obliged to abstain from that indifferent action which may Scandalize our Brother when by forbearance of that action as great Scholast dispute p. 102. if not a greater Scandal is Administred to others for as St. Bernard truly saith Prudenter anim advertendum est Scandalum Scandalo non emendari qualis emendatio erit si ut aliis Scandalum tollas alios Scandalizas We are prudently to mark that one Scandal is not mended by another which kind of emendation we should practise if to take off offence from one party we give offence unto another for in this case we must have as much reason on the account of Scandal to do as to forbear the action Now it is certain that our refusal to comply with our Superiors Command in lawful matters doth Minister occasion of like Scandal in all particulars forementioned For 1. The Magistrate and they who think themselves obliged to submit to his injunctions are as much grieved to see Men stifly to persist in disobedience to
from the Sacrament and so by joyning with us in this Ordinance when they can joyn with others who do keep up Discipline they should approve of our neglect of Discipline and by partaking with such Persons become partakers with them in their sin Answ Admit that Discipline is too much wanting in our Church and that Sufficient care is seldom taken for the exclusion of unworthy Persons from that Holy Ordinance how is it I beseech you that you by your participation of this Ordinance among us become partakers of this guilt Do you by thus receiving either command rejoyce in or take pleasure in this supposed neglect No your obiection shews it is your trouble do you consent to this neglect by joyning with us in this ordinance If so then our Lord Christ and his Apostles must be supposed to have consented to all neglects and all miscarriages in the whole Publick Worship of the Jews because they joyned with them in that Worship Then must the Regular Members of the Church of Corinth have approved the disorders of that Church touching the Sacrament and the abuse of their Spiritual Gifts by Communicating with those who were then guilty of them and so they must have been obliged to Separate on that account whereas the Apostle never doth exhort them so to do but only doth advise the parties guilty to amend these disorders and to do all things decently and orderly Then also are we guilty of all the imperfections both in Prayer or preaching of which that Minister is guilty with whom we joyn in the performance of those duties Lastly do we contract this guilt by the neglecting of our duty in reforming these defects Alas if there be reason to complain of such defects it must belong unto the Governors of Church and State and not to private Persons to reform them CHAP. IX The CONTENTS The posture of Kneeling at the receiving of the Sacrament is lawful and convenient and Separation because it is imposed is Schismatical § 1. To the Objection from Christs example it is Answered 1. That it concludes as much against Sitting as Kneeling 2ly That we are not obliged to imitate it 3ly That Christ himself consented to a like change of the Paschal Gesture ibid. to the Objection that Kneeling before a Creature is Idolatrous it is Answered 1. That the foundation of it is false it being not the sight of the Elements which doth induce us to Kneel 2ly That then the Dissenters are Idolaters 3ly That then the Jews must be Idolaters in Worshipping God before the Ark or Mercy seat 4ly That in this action no Worship being tendred to a Creature there can be no Idolatry § 2. the difference betwixt us and the Church of Rome consists in this that we only make the Creature the occasion they the object of Worship the Custom of our Church in bowing at our entrance into the Church or Chancel and at the Name of Jesus cleared from all appearance of Idolatry ibid. To the Objection that we must not Communicate in this Ordinance with Wicked Men it is Answer'd 1. ad hominem that it is to be feared that they do Communicate with Schismaticks with those that speak evil of dignities and Rebels who have not publickly repented of that sin 2ly That this Argument will drive them as well from other Ordinances as the Sacrament 3ly That private persons may unblameably Communicate in such Assemblies the Precept to exclude them being not directed to them but to the Rulers of the Church 4ly That private persons only are obliged to withdraw from such Persons in familiar and unnecessary converse not in Publick Duties § 3. The great objection from the neglect of Discipline proposed in these Propositions 1. That the excluding notorious wicked Persons from the Communion of the Church is the express Ordinance of Christ 2ly That the exercise of this Discipline doth highly tend to the glory of God and to the credit of Christianity 3ly That it is necessary to preserve the Members of Christs Body from the danger of pollution 4ly That probably this is requisite to preserve the Church Gods Temple and to continue the assistance of his Holy Spirit with her 5ly That the neglect of this great Duty tends much unto the detriment of the Church by exposing her to Gods judgments § 4. To which objection it is Answered 1. That in case Church Officers do not perform their Duty with respect to this great Ordinance yet is it not the Peoples Duty to separate on that account 2ly That altho Excommunication be the Duty of Church Officers yet is it not a Duty necessary to be exercised at all times on all offenders in all circumstances 3ly That tho it be the Christians Duty to withdraw from and to avoid the Scandalous Offender yet is this only then a Duty when we can serve no higher ends of Piety and Mercy in holding correspondence with them 4ly That it may be doubted whether all Scandalous professors deserve immediately to be excluded from Communion with us § 5. 5ly That our Church Officers cannot be truly said to own or to approve of this supposed neglect of discipline and that if the Rules of Discipline prescribed by them were duly practised this Objection would vanish § 6. That the continuance of Gods presence by his Spirit with his Church cannot be proved entirely to depend upon the separation of wicked Persons and Scandalous Offenders from her § 7. The Objection against these words used in confirmation that this is done to certifie them by this sign of Gods favour and gracious goodness to them Answered § 8. Other Ceremonies defended from the ensuing Propositions 1. That the laudable Customs of the Catholick Church which are of present observation are fit to be observed by all Christians whence is justified 1. The Custom of delivering the Sacramental Elements into the hands of the Communicants and speakto them severally 2ly The retaining of God-Fathers and God-Mothers 3ly The Answering of the sureties in Baptism 4ly The use of the Ring in Matrimony § 9. Prop. 2. That it concerneth not Inferiors to know the reason why Superiors do Command one thing rather than another but only whether what they do Command be not forbidden § 10. Prop. 3. That bodily Worship is required both in the Old and the New Testament which is sufficient to justifie 1. Kneeling at Prayer 2. Bowing at the Name of Jesus 3. Vncovering our heads in the House of God And 4ly Standing up at the Gospel the reason of that Custom § 11. The Churches Festivals considered and the Lawfulness of some of them proved from Propositions laid down by Mr. Baxter § 12. Three other Arguments for the expediency of them 1. From the consideration of the end for which they have been instituted by the Wisdom of the Church 2. From the benefit which may redound unto us by the observation of them 3. From the continued Custom of The whole Church of Christ § 13. Five Arguments of Mr. Baxter
of divine service the Lord Jesus Christ shall be mentioned due and lowly Reverence shall be done by all persons present as it hath been accustomed testifying by these outward Ceremonies and Gestures their inward Humility Christian Resolution and due Acknowledgment that the Lord Jesus Christ the true and Eternal Son of God is the only Savior of the world in whom alone all the Mercies Graces and Promises of God to mankind for this life and the life to come are fully and wholly comprised And 3ly When we Kneel at the Reception of the Blessed Sacrament Rubrick after the Communion we do not pay that outward act of Worship to the Elements of Bread and Wine but to that Savior whom they represent for the Church of England hath declared that thereby no adoration is intended or ought to be done unto the Sacramental Bread and Wine there bodily received So that from the express declarations of the Church of England it appears that none of these things are by her made the objects of Religious Worship but only the occasions of tendring that Worship which we owe to God and therefore there is no appearance of Idolatry in the performance of these things Obj. 3 We are commanded to Separate from every Brother that walks disorderly 2 Thessal 3.6 § 3 And are forbidden to keep Company with any man who being call'd a Brother is a Fornicator or Covetous or an Idolater or a Rayler or a Drunkard or an Extortioner with such a one we must not Eat 1 Cor. 5.11 And if we may not Eat with Such a Person at our own Table may we Eat with him at the Holy Table of the Lord Now through the want of Discipline such Persons are admitted amongst you saith the Dissenter and therfore we dare nor joyn with you in that Ordinance Answ 1 I pray God this objection doth not make you meet together as the Apostle saith of the Corinthian Schismaticks 1 Cor. 11.17 not for the better but the worse For I much fear there may be found in those Assemblys which you resort to as more pure besides a crew of Schismaticks with whom according to the Discipline observed in the purest Ages of the Church the Christian ought not to communicate many who rail against Superiors and speak evil of Dignities and many who have once been open Rebels and have not publickly repented of those crimes and if you can communicate with them why not with such as usually do meet at our Communion Tables The wisdom which is from above is impartial Answ 2 Consider I beseech you that this argument will drive you as well from our Assemblies and from our Prayers as from our Communion Table for you may as well Argue thus him that I may not keep company with at home I may not keep company with at Church him that I must not joyn with in my Civil Converse I must not hold Communion with in Sacred him that I may not Eat with I may not Pray with as you do Argue thus him that I may not Eat with at my own I may not Eat with at the Table of the Lord. This is apparent from the occasion of the objected Precept viz. The Incestuous Person who was to be taken from among them v. 2. To be delivered to Satan for the destruction of the Flesh v. 5. To be purged out from the new lump v. 7. To be put away from among them v. 13. If therefore after admonition they continue obstinate and Refractory Offenders they are to be excluded from all Christs ordinances and to be esteemed as Publicans and Heathens Matt. 18.17 Accordingly they by the discipline observed in the purest Ages of the Church were actually excluded from Communion with her in all her Offices if then we may not joyn with them in one we may not joyn with them in other Ordinances till they have satisfyed the Church they being by this precept equally to be excluded from them all Scripture may also be as plausibly produced for the declining of Communion with them in publick Prayer and family devotions in hearing of a Sermon and the like as in receiving of the Sacrament for doth not David make it the Character of good and blessed men that they stand not in the Congregation of Sinners Doth he not say Psal 1.1 Psal 101.4 I will not know a wicked Person Answ 3 That even wicked Persons who are not Scandalously and Notoriously such but make profession of Obedience to the laws of Christ and are not by the Church cast out for acting contrary to their profession may be unblameably communicated with seems undenyable from the Example of our Saviour by whom Judas was certainly admitted to that Passover which spiritually did signify and represent Christ to them 1 Cor. 10.3 And by which rite they owned themselves the servants of the God of Israel v. 18. Whence none might eat thereof who were not Circumcised Exod. 12.48 That he was also present at the supper of our Lord I have fully proved already If then a person so unworthy and so regardless of the Law of Moses that he had actually resolved to take a reward to betray Innocent-blood If a Thief Psal 15.5 and a Covetous person was by our Lord admitted to the Passover If one who by our Lord was known to be in heart a Murtherer and a Betrayer of his Master was yet admitted by him to his Sacrament you see that sinners must be first notorious before they ought to be excluded and when they are so our Rubrick and our Canons give every Minister Authority to with-hold the Communion from them and therefore Authorise them to exercise the Discipline required in this case Hence also we may learn that to communicate with those whom we know to be wicked in this duty derives upon us no Communion in their Guilt for otherwise our Lord and his Disciples would not have joyned in Communion with that wicked one Answ 4 This precept is not directed to particular persons but to the Church of Corinth in the General as you may learn from v. 4. And therefore hence it only follows that it is the duty of Church Governors to exclude such persons from Communion with her but not that private persons should refrain Communion with the Church because they judge that they neglect their duty And therefore we do never read that Christ or his Apostles refused Communion with the Jewish Church or did neglect to go unto the Temple or the Synagogue because the Scribes and Pharisees neglected to perform their duty and our Apostle here doth never call the members of the Church of Corinth to separate from them who caused disorders in the Celebration of this Sacrament but only calls upon them to reform those disorderly proceedings And I beseech you to consider what a Gap would be laid open to perpetual Schisms if private persons were permitted to judge when their Superiors did neglect their duty in any part of publick worship
and were permitted to separate from them and joyn in opposite Communions as oft as they imagined that others better did acquit themselves in Prayer or Preaching or in Administration of the Sacraments or any other duty which belongs unto the Ministerial Office Answ 5 Lastly this Text only engages Private Christians to separate from persons Guilty of such crimes as to familiar converse in things unnecessary but never to decline their presence so as to neglect the doing or receiving good to their own souls or bodies For 1. Divines agree in this that Christ and his Apostles do not in this or other places prescribe such separation as is injurious to any or takes off any duties which by the law of nature we do owe unto them or our Relation to them calls for A Wife must not by virtue of this Precept separate from her ungodly Husband no tho he be an unbeliever let her not leave him saith St. Paul 1 Cor. 7.15 A child must not deny subjection to a wicked Parent nor a Servant to an evil Master but must be subject with all fear not only to the good and gentle but also to the Froward 1 Pet. 2.18 If then this Precept will not oblige us to perform what is injurious to anothers temporals it cannot lay upon us an obligation to do that which is prejudicial to our own Spiritual concerns Much less what prejudicieth the concernments of the Church our Spiritual Mother and makes us disobedient to our Spiritual Fathers 2ly This Precept doth not bind in case of signal damage for I am not obliged to renounce his Company by whom my Trade is carried on my goods go off because I judge him wicked or Profane or to refuse a Customer because he is no Saint for then no Trade could lawfully be managed and there would be no living in the world I do not mean saith Paul to for bid your keeping Company as your occasions serve with the Fornicators Covetous Idolaters of the world for then you must go out of the world v. 9.10 If then as far as the concernments of our worldly callings warrant us we may enjoy their Company much more when this is necessary to the concernments of our Souls or our Spiritual Callings 3ly When I am called as a Guest where accidentally I meet with such a one I am not then obliged to depart and leave the Company because I find him there for this can be no evidence of my familiarity with him Much less am I obliged to depart on his account when I am graciously invited to this heavenly banquet and call'd to feast upon the Supper of the Lamb. And 4ly Our Lord did notwithstanding this duty of avoiding the Company of wicked men familiarly converse with Publicans and Sinners in order to their reformation and spiritual advantage Matt. 9 13. and justified his so doing by this Rule I will have mercy and not Sacrifice why therefore may not we by the same Reason justifie our converse with them in order to our own Spiritual Good But because this Objection of the want of Discipline is the great Scruple of Dissenters and some even among our selves seem to speak slighter of it than they ought to do I will endeavor in some few Propositions to shew how much it doth concern all Churches to endeavor to keep up their Discipline by the exclusion of notorious evil livers from the Church and how far the neglect thereof can be imputed to our Church and whether any separation from her can be justified on this account And therfore I assert That the Secluding of profane and wicked Persons who after admonition by the Church Prop. 1. continue such from the Communion of that Church of which they formerly were Members is the express Ordinance of Christ For 1. Matt. 18.15 16 17. Our Lord himself commanded that if by private admonition we cannot gain our Brother we should tell the Church and if he did neglect to hear the Church he should by Christians be esteemed as a Publican and Heathen adding that whatsoever ye the Church Governours shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven Whence it appears that as it is the Duty of the private Christian who cannot gain his Brother by the private admonitions prescribed by Christ to complain of him to the Church so is it the Duty of the Church to admonish and reprove and call him to repentance and if he will not hearken unto her voice to bind him here on Earth and that the Brother thus bound is afterwards to be looked upon as to Communion in sacris as a Heathen and a Publican And altho no express could be produced from Christ to this effect yet even the constitution of Church Government must necessarily infer it for Government in Church or State there cannot be without a power of punishing unruly Members now the Government of the Church being Spiritual her punishments can be only such even seclusion of her Members from spiritual things moreover there can be no Peace and Order under any Government without a Power of secluding by some means or other such Persons from that Government as obstinately persist in the disturbance of it and violation of its fundamental Laws On Luc. 6.22 And therefore as Grotius truly saith Christ having once constituted a Church and that to be a holy and undefiled Temple to himself must be supposed to command all those things without which this his Temple could not be kept pure But it is plain that a Power of censuring Offenders against this Pure and Holy Institution and of ejecting those who by their wicked conversations do defile this Temple is necessary for the preservation of the Church in purity And indeed I cannot understand how the Church should be a Society without Union or how she can have Union without some Rules of Government and Order or what those Rules can signifie without a Power to punish nor what Power of punishing the Church as such can have except it be by debarring of her Members from some or all of their Church Priviledges nor do I understand how it should be the Duty of Christians to withdraw from every Brother that walks disorderly if the Church Officers have not a power to pronounce such persons fit to be withdrawn from especially seeing not hearing of the Church must go before his being deem'd or treated as a Publican and Heathen Nor Lastly can I understand St. Pauls discourse unless he Argue thus Vide sclater in locum The whole body of the Christian Assemblies ought to be a new Lump and purged from old Leaven or from such Persons as notoriously commit such Crimes as manifestly are repugnant to the profession of Christianity and inconsistent with true piety he therefore who being call'd a Brother that is making profession of Christianity is guilty of such Wickedness should be cast out of the Society of Christians for as when the Paschal Lamb was offered among the Jews no Leaven was
Church on them who are notoriously otherwise they are Commanded to purge out the Old Leaven that they may be a new Lump and to look diligently that no root of bitterness spring up among them Heb. 12.15 whereby others may be in danger of defilement And as to them who sin'd with an High hand was threatned destruction by the hand of God so the Apostle saith that him who defileth the Temple of the Lord will God destroy 1 Cor 3.17 And as God declared that he would not be with the Church of Israel when it was defiled except they did destroy the accursed thing from among them that is the person who Transgressed his Covenant Josh 7.11 12. So we may also fear that he will not vouchsafe his presence with us unless we also do remove those from among us who defile his Temple and openly transgress their Christian Covenant As then Jehojada set Porters at the Gates of the House of the Lord that none who was unclean in any thing should enter 2 Chron. 23.19 So also should the Rulers of Christs Church Act. 20.28 Jer. 15.19 who are Commanded to take heed unto the Flock and whose concern it is to separate the precious from the vile That the neglect of this great Duty tends very much unto the detriment of the Church Prop. 5. not only as it indangers the infection of her Members and brings a Scandal on her but also as it doth expose her to Gods judgments for the neglect of this his Ordinance this may be gathered 1. from the close of the 5th Chapter of the first Epistle to the Church of Corinth where the discourse of the Apostle on this subject concludeth with these words do not ye judg them that are within that is saith Dr. Hammond you know it is the practice among you to inflict censures on Church Members and ye shall put away the evil from among you That is by doing this you shall free your selves from those punishments which the neglect of your Duty in permitting such offendors to go unpunished and unreformed may bring upon you 2ly From Christs reproof unto the Church of Thyatira because her Rulers suffered the Woman ealled Jezabel to teach Rev. 2.14 15. and to seduce his Servants to commit Fornication and to eat things Offered to Idols Rev. 2.20 and from his threatnings against the Church of Pergamos that he would come against her quickly and fight against her with the Sword of his Mouth for suffering those among her who taught the Doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitans if she did not repent that is saith Dr. Hammond There is gotten among you and permitted and not punish'd by your Bishops N. B. that unclean Doctrine and Practice of the Nicolaitans which being odious to me ought most strictly to have been punished by you and if this lenity be not speedily mended I will visit and destroy you suddenly by judgments parallel to the Sword that fell on the Israelites that were corrupted by Balaams Counsel Numb 25.5 And as when Magistrates neglect their Duty in punishing Offenders and bear the Sword in vain God is provoked to take it into his own hand and punish such Offenders by his immediate power so when Church Discipline is neglected it may be rationally expected God should immediately punish that neglect Now on these propositions depends the great Objection of Dissenters against Communion with and for their Separation from our Church For say they seeing it is certain that a Church in which this Duty is performed is better than a Church which doth neglect it fince we have cause to hope Gods presence will be more vouchsafed to such a Church and his good Spirit will more powerfully assist them seeing in such a Church the danger from Gods judgments and the pollution of her Members will be certainly the less we think it reasonable to prefer a Church in which this Discipline obtains in some good measure as it doth in our Communions before Communion with that Church in which it is apparently if not confessedly neglected and therefore till the Church of England will restore this Discipline 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we shall continue as we are § 5 In Answer to this considerable Objection I add these following Propositions That in case Church Officers do not perform their Duty with reference to this great Ordinance of Chris Prop. 6. yet is it not the * Praecidendae unitatis nulla est justa necessitas cum sibi nequaquam nocituros malos ideo tolerent boni ne spiritualiter sejungantur à bonis cum Disciplinae severitatem consideratio cusiodiendae pacis refrenat aut differt August contr Epist Parm. l. 2. c. 11. p. 39. Peoples Duty to Separate from their Communion except in the ensuing Cases 1. That they require those who Communicate with them to own or to approve of this defect in which Case it is evident that our Communion with them must be unlawful because it cannot be obtained without sin Or 2ly When we without dividing of the Church or disturbing of her Peace or disobedience to or Separation from her Governours or any other greater evil to our selves or to the Church of God can Communicate with other Church Officers legally called who conscientiously endeavor to perform that Duty which others do neglect for from the Reasons offer'd in the foregoing Propositions and the confession of our own Church that this is a Godly Disciplne and that the Restoration of it is much to be desired it rationally seems to follow that if this can be done without a greater evil to our selves or to the Church of God we should prefer a Church Caeteris paribus in which this Discipline of Christ obtains in some good measure before Communion with the Church in which it is confessedly neglected For proof of the proposition thus laid down let us consider 1. That the Scribes and Pharisees rejected Christs Doctrine Luk. 7.30 and the Baptism of John which was an Ordinance of God and yet our Saviour bids both the People and his own Disciples Mat. 23.1 hear them sitting in the Chair of Moses which doth imply Communion with those Scribes and Pharisees And tho both Priest and People were exceedingly corrupted tho he declares the Scribes and Pharisees to be a Generation of Vipers v. 33. and the Generality of the People to be of their Father the Devil Joh. 8.44 and the Sadduces who joyn'd in Publick Worship with the rest Mark 12.27 to be greatly erroneous yet neither did he Separate himself nor command others to Separate from the Communion of the Jewish Church or Synagogues on those accounts 2ly St. Paul declareth of the Church of Corinth that it was their fault that the incestuous Person was not separated from their Communion 1 Cor. 5.1 and commands them to separate him v. 13. But he chides none for Communicating with them whilst he was not Separated which sure he would have done had that Communion
been their sin He tells them that the Supper of the Lord was Celebrated so among them that they came together for the worse v. 17. that some of them were drunk v. 21. that they despised the Church of God v. 22. that they did eat judgment to themselves v. 29. not discerning the Lords Body that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for this very cause many were sick among them many weak and many fallen asleep v. 30. yet did he not reprove any for Communicating with them in that Ordinance or counsel them to cease to do so till these things were reformed but rather doth suppose it was their Duty still to come to eat together v. 33. He adds that they did so administer the publick ordinances of Prayer and Praises 1 Cor 14.14 v. 33. that they became unfruitful and unedifying but knowing that God was the God of Order and not of Confusion he adviseth none to Separate for greater Edification Lastly He speaks his fears that at his coming he should sind among them envyings zeal commotions contentions evilspeaking whisperings puffing up and many who had lived a long time in Uncleanness Fornication and Lasciviousness and had not yet repented of those sins 2 Cor. 12.21 22. such he foretels he will not spare 2 Cor. 13.2 and thereby tacitly insinuates the fault of the Church Officers in sparing of them but never intimates that they Communicated with them in their guilt who joyned in Communion with them since then in all these cases we find not the least intimation of the Duty of the sound Members of the Church to separate on these accounts we may be sure that no such Duty was incumbent on them 3. In his Epistle to the Church of the Galatians he intimates that some of them were removed from him that called them to the grace of Christ unto another Gospel Gal. 1.6 That among them was taught that Doctrine of justification by the Law of Moses and of the necessity of Circumcision and the observance of the Ceremonial Law by which the Gospel was perverted v. 7. the death of Christ made vain Gal. 2.21 by embracing of which they were fallen from grace Gal. 5.5 and Christ was made of none effect unto them and would profit them nothing v. 2. and by which they who had begun in the Spirit were made perfect in the Flesh Gal. 3.3 That having run well they were so hindred and bewitched by their false Teachers as not to obey the truth Gal. 3.1.5.7 that being known of God they again returned to weak and beggerly Elements desiring to be in bondage to them Gal. 4.9 that they observed Months and Times and Years v. 10. that upon this account he was afraid lest he should have laboured in vain among them v. 11. he doubted of them v. 20. he again travel'd with them till Christ should be formed in them v. 19. He therefore minds them of their danger from these perverters of the Gospel saying a little Leaven leaveneth the whole Lump Gal 5.9 of their Duty saying cast out the Bond-woman and her Son Gal. 4.30 of his desire that such Men were excluded from them saying I wish they were cut off that trouble you Gal. 5.12 But after all this he adviseth none of the sound Members of the Church to desert the Publick Assemblies or separate on the account of the perverted from them But only doth advise the spiritual Persons to restore them in the spirit of meekness who were overtaken with a fault and to bear one anothers Burthens Gal. 6.1 2. 4. In his Epistle to the Colossians he intimates there were among them Men who being dead with Christ from the Elements of the World did notwithstanding dogmatize after the Commandments and Doctrines of Men Coloss 2.20 21 22. and thereby tacitly accused the Doctrine of Christ as insufficient and imperfect without the Doctrins which they superadded to it and chargeth them with Superstition and Will-Worship v. 23. which is the very charge that our Dissenters do injuriously make against the Church of England But do they find one word of Counsel or advice to any to separate from the Assemblies at Coloss because these Superstitious Persons were crept in among them 5. Our Saviour in his Epistles to the Seven Churches doth charge them with great faults and the permission of most notorious corruptions crept in among them for which he threatneth the severest of his Judgments if they did not repent but yet the Communion of the sound Members of the Church with Men so criminal in the Assemblies of the Saints is never mentioned among the faults of any of those Churches nor doth Christ thunder out one threat against them upon that account Rev. 2.14 Of the Church of Pergamus he complains that they had there them that held the Doctrine of Balaam who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the Children of Israel to eat things Sacrificed unto Idols v. 15. and to commit Fornication and also them who held the Doctrine of the Nicolaitans which he hated and therefore he declares v. 16. if she repented not that he would come against her quickly and fight against her with the Sword of his Mouth To the Angel of the Church of Thyatira he speaks thus I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest the Woman Jezebel v. 20. which calleth her self a Prophetess to teach and to seduce my Servants to commit Fornication and to eat things Sacrificed unto Idols To the Angel of the Church of Sardis he writes thus Chap. 3.1 Thou hast a Name that thou livest and art dead And that there were but a few Names in Sardis which had not defiled their Garments that therefore if she did not repent and watch v. 4. he would come unto her as a thief in the night To the Angel of the Church of Laodicea he v. 3. speaks thus Because thou art neither cold nor hot v. 16. v. 17. I will spew thee out of my mouth adding that tho they said I am rich and increased with Goods and have need of nothing yet were they indeed wretched poor miserable blind and naked He also doth commend the Church of Ephesus because she could not bear them that were evil Rev. 2.2 v. 6 and because she had tried them who said they were Apostles and were not and had found them Lyars And Lastly Because they hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans And he speaks kindly unto them of Thyatira who had not that doctrine of Jezebel for which the Rest were reprehended But yet we find not the least word of Reprehension of any in these Churches for joyning in Communion or in the publick Worship with men thus faulty nor any Counsel or advice to separate from the Communion of these Churches upon those Accounts The neglect of the Angel of the Church of Pergamos and Thyatira in suffering such to be among them is severely taxed but the Neglect of others to separate on
that account is never in the least insinuated this therefore Principles of love p 44. saith Mr. Baxter to his dissenting Brethren you may observe that no one Member is in these Scriptures or any other commanded to come out and separate from any one of all these Churches as if Communion with them in Worship were unlawful and therefore before you separate from any as judging Communion with them unlawful be sure that you bring greater reasons for it than any of these recited were And to confirm this Answer it deserves to be considered that we find in the New Testament express injunctions directed to the whole body of the Christian Churches requiring them to refuse Communion in their private conversations with such persons or to renounce familiarity with them not to company with them 1 Cor. 5.9 Not to eat with them v. 11. To mark them who cause divisions and scandals contrary to the Doctrine which they had received and avoid them Rom. 16.17 To withdraw from every Brother that walks disorderly Thess 2.3 6. To have no company with them that they may be ashamed v. 14. We also find the Angels or Officers of the Church oft blamed for this neglect by Christ and his Apostles as in the case of the Incestuous Person the case of Pergamos and Thyatira where they were suffered who taught the Doctrins of the Nicolaitans of Balaam and of Jezebel that is both spiritual and carnal fornication This I have against thee O Thyatira that thou permittest Jezebel Vid. Synops in locum quod eam non coerces censuris Ecclesiae that thou doest not execute the censures of the Church upon her this against thee O Pergamos that thou hast those who teach the Doctrine of Balaam whereas thou being the Angel of the Church shouldst have fought against them with the Spiritual Sword as did the Angel who resisted Balaam because his way Numb 22.22 23. Hebr. 12.15 was perverse before God We find them call'd upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to execute the Office of a Bishop by looking diligently that no such persons be among them and warned of the great danger that the Whole lump might be exposed to by such Soure Leaven We lasty find our Saviour praising the Angel of the Church of Ephesus that he could not bear them but never do we find our Lord or his Apostles calling the People to come out from them or to be separate but only in such cases as did oblige them to touch the unclean thing 2 Cor. 6.17 that is to joyn in their Idolatries or partake with them in their Sins From which Considerations Rev. 18.4 it follows as Estius well notes that the Governors of the Church which tolerate Such Persons in the Church offend and that the People who use familiar converse with them do likewise offend but it by no means follows that they who do perform the publick duties of Religion where they are present do offend and as the Reverend and Learned Dr. Unreas of Sep. p. 217. Stillingfleet well notes There be many Reasons to break off private familiarity which will not hold as to Publick Communion and which may render it the Christians duty to do the first and not the latter For our Communion in Publick is a thing which Chiefly Respects God and is a necessary duty of his own appointing the benefit whereof depends upon his promises and all the Communion we have with other men therein is only that of Christ and his Apostles with Judas at the Paschal Supper joyning together for the performance of a Common Religious duty But private familiarity is a thing which wholly respects the persons we converse with it is a thing of meer choice and of much danger it being hardly to be imagined without approbation at least if not imitation of their wickedness And to this the concurrent judgment of the Old Nonconformists who did not think this want of Discipline sufficient cause of separation from Communion with us for having laid this as a foundation that no man ought to separate from a true Church requiring nothing sinful of him Grav confut p. 18. in order to Communion with them they add that altho it were Granted that we wanted both the exercise of the Churches Censures and some of those Officers which Christ hath appointed to exercise them by yet might we be a true Church notwithstanding as there was a true Church in Judah all the days of Asa and Jehosaphat yet was not the Discipline reformed there till the latter end of Jehosaphats Reign The Church of Corinth was a true Church even when the Apostle blamed them for want of Discipline the Congregation of Samaria is called a Church before the Discipline was established there and even in Jerusalem there was a famous visible Church of Christ long before Sundry parts of the Discipline for want whereof they condemn us were established there yea it is evident that by the Apostles themselves divers Churches were Gathered some Good space of time before the Discipline was setled or exercised by all which it is manifest that howsoever those parts of the Discipline which we want be necessary to the beauty and well being and perservation of the Church yet are they not necessary to the being thereof but a true Church may be without them 2ly They add Ibid. p. 51.52 That it doth not belong to private persons to set up the Discipline of the Church against the will and consent of the Christian Magistrate and Governors of the Church yea they declare that in so doing they should highly offend they are bound saith Giffard P. 59 95 100 101 102. by the bands of Conscience and the fear of God from presuming to take upon them publick Authority And if so it is evident that they cannot chuse Pastors for themselves and set up other Churches and Church Governors to exercise the Churches Discipline because they do conceive it is neglected by the Christian Magistrate and other Governors of the Church Yea lastly let me ask our dissenting Brethren if on account of this supposed neglect of Discipline they think themselves obliged to desert Communion with the Church of England whether will they go The Church of Rome they know besides her other errors is more Guilty of this crime than we men may be any thing in their Communion provided that they be not Hereticks and still be owned as Genuine Members of their Church The rest of the Reformed Churches are as loose as we their Members Generally are as corrupt in manners as ours are the same may be affirmed of the Eastern Churches they therfore must acknowledge that they cannot lawfully maintain Communion with any other Church on this account and that there always was even since the reformation a necessity of separation from all Christian Churches in the world for this neglect of Discipline or that they notwithstanding this supposed neglect may hold Communion with the Church of England now have
by executing of them only should rebuke the Scorner which the Wiseman forbids Prov. 9.8 Here then our Saviors Rule seems to take place Give not that which is Holy unto Dogs Matt. 7.6 lest they turn again and rent you Such persons ought therefore only to be excluded from the Sacrament according to the Counsel and Direction of the Church of England but not entirely and without exception excommunicated from the Church Prim. Christian Part 3. p. 377. To this effect it is observed by Dr. Cave that the Primitive Church Relaxed the severity of their Discipline when great multitudes were concerned or such persons as were like to draw great numbers after them in this case saith He they thought it prudent and reasonable to deal with persons by somewhat milder and gentler methods lest by holding them to terms of Rigor and Austerity they should provoke them to fly off either to Heathenism or to Heresy This Course St. Cyprian and his Brethren took for as the concord of his Collegues and the benefit of uniting the Fraternity and healing the wound in the Church required they 1 Necessitati temporum succubuisse p. 52. §. 3. yeelded to the necessity of the times and admitted the lapsed to Communion upon tolerable hopes of their true repentance 2 Ad gentiles se vias saecularia opera convertat vel ad Hereticos Schismaticos rejectus ab Eccle. transeat ibid. §. 10. v §. 3 9. lest being excluded from the Church they out of desperation should fly back to the Worldy or joyn with Hereticks or Schismaticks And in like manner saith he did our Brother 3 Cornelius yield to the necessity of the times Cornelius necessitati succubuit ibid. §. 6. Admitting to Communion plebis maximam partem maximum Fratrûm numerum a great part of the common people or the Brethren which separated with him upon the satisfaction and repentance of Trophimus alone with whom as they first separated they returned Moreover to this accords the judgment of St. Austin who declareth that 4 Neque enim potest esse Salutaris à multis correptio nisi cum ille corripitur qui non habet sociam multitudinem cum autem idem morbus plurimos occupaverit nihil aliud bonis restat quà m dolor gemitus Contr. Epist Parmen l. 3. p. 61. B. Correption cannot be salutary when the offendor hath many partners and that when the same disease hath seiz'd on many there remains no other Remedy for Good men to use but Prayers and Sighs and Sorrow And again that when 5 Et revera si contagio peccandi multitudinem invaserit Divinae Disciplinae severa misericordia necessaria est nam Consilia separationis inania sunt perniciosa atque Sacrilega quia impia superba fiunt plus perturbant infirmos bonos quam corrigunt animosos malos ibid. lit D. the Contagion of sin hath ceased the whole multitude the severe mercy of Divine Discipline is necessary for then all Councils of separation are vain pernicious wicked and Sacrilegious because they will more disturb the pious that are weak then correct the wicked that are sturdy And to confirm the judgment of St Austin the 6 Synop Pur. Theol. disp 48 §. 30. Authors of the Dutch Synopsis have observed that the Prophets and pious Priests among the Jews did never in a general declension of the people recur to these severer Methods And * Neque enim duris remediis locus est ubi tota Ecclesia in morbo cubat Grot. 2 Cor. 12.6 Grotius and Estius observe from these words of St Paul to the Corinthians that he was in a Readiness to revenge all disobedience when their obedience was fulfilled that there was no place for severe Remedies when the disease had infected the whole Church And that the Apostle was forced to yield to this necessity Esth in locum because the Offendors in the Church of Corinth being many Compan to the Temple part 4. p. 548.549 they could not easily be excommunicated I conclude therefore with the judicious Dr. Cumber that till men be so humble as to be willing to suffer shame and undergo severities in this world that their Souls may be saved in the next we may advise them to private and particular acts of mortification and repentance but it will be in vain to impose them on this untractable generation since by imposing them in these circumstances the Church would make this holy means of Reformation rather despised then obeyed Prop. 8 Altho it is the Christians duty to withdraw from and to avoid the scandalous Professor and the disorderly Walker yet is this only then a duty when we can serve no Higher ends of piety or mercy in holding correspondence with them For he that doth command us to withdraw from him that walks disorderly doth leave it still our duty to admonish him as ae Brother and therefore still to maintain that correspondence with him which is necessary to that admonition 2 Thess 3.14 15. and to all other good endeavors to reclaim and gain our Brother And therefore tho our Lord knew well the obligation of this duty and the great scandal which the Scribes and Pharisees would take at his free converse with Publicans and Sinners he doth not only justify the fact as being done in order to their reformation and conversion but also represents it as an higher duty and more incumbent on him then the avoiding the familiarity of wicked men and bids those Pharisees who reckoned it their duty to renounce all familiarity with such men learn what that meaneth I will have mercy and not Sacrifice And tho St. Paul permits not his Corinthians to have any fellowship with Unbelievers Matt. 9.13 or go unto their Idol Temples or their feasts yet he allows the coming of the unbeliever into their Assemblies 1 Cor. 14.23 as being that which might be instrumental to his conviction and conversion And v. 24 25. which is more observable St. Jude speaking of those impure Dreamers who defiled the Flesh c. saith thus v. 8. These are spots in your feasts of charity when they feast with you they therefore did intrude into these feasts and consequently joyned with them at the Table of the Lord of which these feasts were an Appendix and yet St. Jude prescribes no separation of the Saints from these Assemblies on that account Lastly tho Eli's Sons were Sons of Belial Sam. 1.2 12. and knew not the Lord Altho they caused the People to abhor the offering of the Lord v. 17. and therefore to neglect to come to Shilo with them v. 24. yet are they also said to make the Lords People to transgress viz. By this neglect it therefore was the Peoples duty still to attend upon these Ordinances of the Lord tho this could not be done under these circumstances without Communion with these Sons of Belial and Ministring
saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. 36. in 1 Ep. ad Cor. p. 487. l. 3.24 484. l. 5. that one may be said to sing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though all sing after him so that the voice comes as it were from one mouth all which testimonies sufficiently convince us that what we do in this particular is sutable to the practice of the whole Church of God in Antient times 3. This custom doth commend it self unto us from the consideration of the benefit which may accrue unto us by it For 1. We hereby shew that Symphony which Christ requires in our prayers Matt. 18.19 that they may be prevailing and that we fully do agree to the Petitions that are made in our behalf Rom. 15.6 and praise God with the Minister not only with one heart but with one mouth 2. Our attention is hereby both quickned and engaged which might be apt to stray the more if we should bear no part in the whole Service for when the people bear a share in the performance of this duty Combers Comp. part 1. p. 177. They must expect before it come that they may be ready when it is come they must observe that they may be right and after take heed to prepare against the next Answer they are to give How pious therefore and prudent is this order of the Church thus to intermix the peoples duty that they may be always exercised in it or preparing for it and never have leasure to entertain those vain thoughts which will set upon us especially in the house of God if we have nothing to do Object 3 Our Saviour reprehends the vain Repetitions of the Heathens in these words When you pray § 3 use not vain repetitions as the Heathens do for they think to be heard for their much speaking be not ye therefore like unto them Matt. 6.7 8. Now of these vain repetitions the Common Prayer seems to be guilty say Dissenters 1. In the frequent use of the Lords Prayer that being there appointed to be used four times in the Morning Service viz. after the Absolution the Creed the Litany and in the beginning of the Communion Service 2. In those words used in the close of the Litany O Christ hear us Lord have mercy upon us Christ have mercy upon us Lord have mercy upon us and in the frequent repetitions of the Gloria Patri To this Objection I Answer Answ 1 That our Saviour cannot be supposed to reprehend such repetitions as these are proceeding from a fervency of Spirit 1. Because he himself used the like expressions when He prayed most fervently for the Evangelist St. Luke informs us That being in an Agony he prayed more earnestly Luk. 22.44 And Matthew doth assure us that He repeated thrice the same Petition for he saith Matthew prayed the third time saying the same words Chap. 26. vers 44. This therefore cannot be vain Repetition unless our Lord himself did practise it in contradiction to his own command Moreover our Saviour sung an Hymn with his Disciples at the conclusion of the Sacrament according as the Jews were wont to do at their Paschal Supper Censent viri eruditi cantatos à Christo hymnos qui paschate cani solerent à Psal 113. ad Psal 118. inclusivé Synopsi Cum in plurali dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inde colligi ipsos una hymnum omnibus notum cecinisse quomodo Christo accinere potuissent discipuli si ille novum insuetum hymnum cecinisset Buxt de coen Dom. §. 84. which Hymn began at Psal 113. and ended with the 118 Psalm This saith the Learned Buxtorf was a very Antient custom mentioned in the Jewish Talmud and there delared to be prescribed by the Prophets Now that our Saviour sung this very Hymn is highly probable say the Learned because he did in other things comply with the Rites used by the Jews in celebrating of the Paschal Supper and therefore may be well supposed to have done so also in this Case Now in this Hymn Psal 118. we find the same words in the four first Verses viz. for his mercy endureth for ever parallel to those in the end of our Litany and in the last Verse we find the same words again and indeed the whole Psalm is full of Repetitions as you may see v. 8 9 10 11 12. as also Psal 115.9 10 11 12. The sweet Singer of Israel affords us many like Examples so Psal 119. we have this Prayer teach me thy statutes v. 26 64 68 124 135. teach me the way of thy statutes v. 33. teach me thy judgments v. 108. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes v. 5. make me to go in the path of thy commandments v. 35. let my heart be sound in thy statutes v. 80. so that upon the matter we find him ten times repeating the same thing Six times in the same Psalm he prays that God would quicken him according to his word and loving kindness viz. v. 37. 88. 107. 149. 156. 159. And he professes his love of and delight in Gods Law in the same Psalm as oft as there be Letters in the Alphabet In Psalm 42 43. which are assuredly twins their matter being alike and they having no title to distinguish them we find the same thing thrice repeated viz. why art thou cast down O my soul c. Psal 42.5 11.43.5 In Psal 107. we find this Prayer four times repeated Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness viz. v. 8 15 21 31. and lastly in Psalm 136. we find these words O Give thanks unto the Lord for his mercy endureth for ever four times repeated and that Clause for his mercy endureth for ever twenty six times To these Examples it is Answered Reply Presb. Comission p. 85. that there is a great difference betwixt what is unusual and what is our daily course of worship Answer Be it so nevertheless once usage is sufficient to shew that the thing cannot be unlawful or forbidden by the Text forementioned since Negative Precepts always do oblige and so that which they forbid can never be done without sin 2. The Assemblies Annotations tell us that some of these were common constant forms as well for ordinary daily praises in divine service as for extraordinary occasions and this appears from 1 Chron. 16.34 where it is said that Heman and Jeduthun and other men were chosen to give thanks to the Lord because his mercy endureth for ever So also 2 Chron. 5.13 they praised the Lord saying Psalm 136. for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever So Ezr. 3.1 they sang together in course praising and giving thanks to God because he is good for his mercy endureth for ever And Jer. 33.11 is mention made of them that should say praise ye the Lord for the Lord is good for his mercy endureth for ever from all which places it seemeth evident that Psalm 136. as well as