Prayer in public Worship but of this I have discours'd at large in the third Chapter 3. Shew us any Church that did not always observe festivals in Commemoration of Christ and his Saints 4. Name any one Church since the Apostles times that had not it's Rites and Ceremonies as many if not more in Number and as liable to Exception as those that we use Nay there are few things if any at all requir'd by us which were not in use in the best Ages of Christianity Nay farther I could easily (h) See Durel 's View of the Goverm c. and Spirit 's Cassend Anglic. p. 123 c. shew that most if not all the Usages of our Church are either practis'd in foreign Churches or at least allow'd of by the most Eminent and Learned Divines of the Reformation Consider also that Separation is the ready way to bring in Popery as Mr. Baxter (i) Defence p. 27 52. has prov'd The Church of England is the great Bulwark against Popery and therefore the Papists have us'd all possible Means to destroy it and particularly by Divisions They have attempted to pull it down by pretended Protestant hands and have made use of you to bring about their own designs In order hereunto they have upon all Occasions strenuously promoted the Separation and mixt themselves with you they have put on every Shape that they might the better follow the Common Outery against the Church as Popish and Antichristian spurring you on to call for a more pure and spiritual Way of Worship and to clamour for Liberty and Toleration as foreseeing that when they had subverted all Order and beaten you out of all sober Principles you must be necessitated at last to center in the Communion of the Romish Church This trade they began almost in the very infancy of the Reformation as appears by the (k) Foxes and Firebrands stories of Comin and Heath and no doubt they held on the same in succeeding Times as appears besides all other Instances by (l) See Stillingfleet's Unreasonableness of Separation Pref. p. 20 c. Bellarini's Letter concerning the best Way of managing the Popish Interest in England upon the Restoration of King Charles the II. For therein it was advis'd to foment Fears and Jealousies of the King and Bishops to asperse the Bishops and Ministers of the Church of England and to represent it's Doctrine and Worship as coming too near the Church of Rome to second the factious in promoting an Indulgence and to endeavour that the Trade and Treasure of the Nation might be engross'd between themselves and other discontented Parties We know how restless and industrious the Romish Faction has ever been and the only visible security we have against the prevailing of it lies in the firm Union of Protestants And therefore I conjure you by all the kindness which you pretend for the Protestant Religion heartily to join in Communion with us For the Common Enemy waits all Opportunities and stands ready to enter at those breaches which you are Making You might condemn the Rashness of your own Counsels and lament it it may be when it wou'd be too late if you shou'd see Popery erected upon the ruins of that Church which you your selves had overthrown It wou'd be a sad addition to your Miseries if the Guilt and Shame of them too might be laid to your charge With what remorse wou'd you reflect upon it when the heat of your Passion was over if the Protestant Profession shou'd be farther endanger'd and the Agents of Rome get greater advantages daily by those Distractions which have been secretly managed by them but openly carried on and maintain'd by your selves With what face wou'd you look to see the Papists not only triumphing over you but mocking and deriding you for being so far impos'd upon by their Cunning as to be made the immediate instruments of your own Ruin Therefore I beseech you not to act as if you were prosecuting the Designs of the Conclave and proceed just as if you were govern'd by the Decrees of the pretended Infallible Chair You may be asham'd to look so much like Tools in the hands of the Jesuits when you suffer your selves to be guided by those Measures which they had taken and talk and do as they wou'd have you as if you were immediately inspir'd from Rome To these arguments I must add another which I hope will prevail with you viz. I cannot see how you can avoid being self-condemn'd if you continue in your Separation For certain it is that most of you have been at our Churches and receiv'd the Sacrament there and I am not willing to think that you acted against your Consciences or did it merely to secure a gainful Office or a place of Trust or to escape the Lash and Penalty of the Law These are Ends so very Vile and Sordid this is so horrible a Prostitution of the Holy Sacrament the most venerable Mystery of our Religion so deliberate a Way of sinning even in the most solemn act of Worship that I can hardly suspect any shou'd be guilty of it but Men of Profligate and Atheistical Minds But then why do's not the same Principle that brings you at one Time bring you at another Why can we never have your Company but when Punishment or Advantage prompts you to it We blame the Papists for dispensing with Oaths and receiving the Sacrament to serve a turn and to advance the Interest of their Cause but God forbid that so heavy a Charge shou'd ever lie at the Doors of Protestants and especially those who wou'd be thought most to abhor Popish practices and who wou'd take it ill to be accounted not to make as much if not more Conscience of their Waies than other Men. Now I beseech you to reason a little If our Communion be sinful why did you enter into it If it be lawful why do you forsake it Is it not that which the commands of Authority have ty'd upon you which Commands you are bound to submit to not only for Wrath but also for Conscience sake Are not the Peace and Unity of the Church things that ought greatly to sway with all Sober Humble and Considering Christians If it be possible saies the Apostle and as much as lies in you live peaceably with all men And shall Peace be broken only in the Church where it ought to be kept most intire And that by those who acknowledge it to be possible and within their Power Are you satisfy'd in your Conscience to join in Communion with us and will you not do it for the sake of the Church of God Will you refuse to do what is lawful and as the Case stands necessary in order to Peace only because Authority commands and has made it your Duty Let me intreat you as you love your dear Redeemer to do as much for the Peace of His Church as for a Vote or Office and to come to the Sacrament
AN ANSWER TO THE Dissenters Pleas FOR SEPARATION OR AN ABRIDGMENT OF THE LONDON CASES WHEREIN The Substance of those Books is digested into one Short and Plain Discourse CAMBRIDGE Printed at the University Press for Alexander Bosvile at the Sign of the Dial over against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleet-street 1700. Imprimatur GUL. DAWES Procan HUMF GOWER SS Theol. pro D na Margareta Prof. GUL. SAYWELL Coll. Jes Praefect JA. JOHNSON Coll. Sid. S. Magist THE PREFACE THAT Collection of Cases and other Discourses which was lately written by the most Eminent of the Conforming Clergy to recover Dissenters to the Communion of the Church of England has met with such an Universal Approbation that I need not speak any thing in commendation of it Therefore I shall wave all discourse of that nature and only give a short account of this Abridgment The Collection it self being large and dear it was thought convenient to reduce it to a less Bulk and smaller Price that those Persons who have not either Money to buy or Time to peruse so big a Volume may reap the benefit of it upon easier terms This I presume will justify my Design if I have not fail'd in the prosecution of it I have us'd my best endeavours to avoid obscurity and all those other faults which are often charg'd upon Abridgments and I hope I may venture to say I have omitted nothing that is material tho' the Number of these sheets is not the Sixth part of those that contain the Original For the Learned Authours of the Collection do frequently glance and sometimes Discourse largely upon the same Subject so that by avoiding Repetitions and blending all the Substance together I have much lessen'd the Expence of Money and Time This and some other advantages arise from the Digestion into Chapters which cou'd not have been gain'd if I had made a distinct Abridgment of every single Discourse I hope I have fairly Represented the Sense of my Authours but if I have mistaken or injur'd it in any particular I am sorry for it and do heartily beg Pardon of Them and the Reader The 11 th and 12 th Chapters I am sure are exact for they have receiv'd the A. Bp. of York's own Corrections for which I am obliged to return his Grace my humblest Thanks Other parts I have submitted to the Censure of other worthy Persons to whose Judgment I shall ever pay the greatest Deference but I have reason to suspect my self for what I have receiv'd no Assistance in and therefore I desire the Reader to Correct me when he finds occasion I have follow'd not only my own Opinion but the Directions of several very judicious Persons in the omission of A. Bishop Tillotson's Discourse of Frequent Communion which is wholly foreign to the Design of the Collection The Quotations in the London Edit 1698. which I follow are very badly Printed and therefore if any mistakes of that Nature have crept into this Book I hope they will not be charg'd upon me Many of them appear'd false at first View and many I knew not what to make of but some of them I have ventur'd to Correct God Almighty grant that this weak endeavour may be of some Service at least towards the Cure of those Divisions which have endanger'd the Ruin of the Best Church in the World St. John's Coll. in Cambridge Octob. 2d 1699. Tho. Bennet A Catalogue of those Books the Substance of which is contain'd in this Abridgment 1. ARchbishop Tennison's Argument for Union taken from the true Interest of those Dissenters in England who profess and call themselves Protestants 2. Archbishop Sharp's Discourse concerning Conscience In two parts 3. Bishop Grove's Persuasive to Communion with the Church of England 4. Bishop Patrick's Discourse of Profiting by Sermons 5. Bishop Fowler 's Resolution of this Case of Conscience whether the Church of England's Symbolizing so far as it doth with the Church of Rome makes it unlawful to hold Communion with the Church of England 6. His Defence of the Resolution c. 7. Bishop Williams's Case of Lay-Communion with the Church of England 8. His Case of Indifferent things used in the Worship of God 9. His Vindication of the Case of Indifferent things c. 10. Dr. Hooper's Church of England free from the Imputation of Popery 11. Dr. Sherlock's Resolution of some Cases of Conscience which respect Church-Communion 12. His Letter to Anonymus in Answer to his Three Letters to Dr. Sherlock about Church-Communion 13. Dr. Hicks's Case of Infant-Baptism 14. Dr. Freeman's Case of Mixt-Communion 15. Dr. Hascard's Discourse about Edification 16. Dr. Calamy's Discourse about a Scrupulous Conscience 17. His Considerations about the Case of Scandal or giving offence to Weak Brethren 18. Dr. Scott's Cases of Conscience resolv'd concerning the Lawfulness of joining with Forms of Prayer in Public Worship In two parts 19. Dr. Claget's Answer to the Dissenters Objections against the Common Prayers c. 20. Dr. Resbury's Case of the Cross in Baptism 21. Dr. Cave's Serious Exhortation with some Important Advices relating to the late Cases about Conformity 22. Mr. Evans's Case of Kneeling at the Holy Sacrament The CONTENTS THe Introduction containing an Argument for Union taken from the true Interest of those Dissenters in England who profess and call themselves Protestants pag. 1 CHAP. I. Of the Necessity of living in constant Communion with the Church of England pag. 15 CHAP. II. The use of Indifferent things in the Worship of God no objection against our Communion pag. 31 CHAP. III. Of the Lawfulness and Expediency of Forms of Prayer pag. 48 CHAP. IV. Objections against our Morning and Evening Service and Litany Answer'd pag. 90 CHAP. V. Of Infant-Baptism pag. 103 CHAP. VI. Objections against our Form of Baptism and particularly that of the Sign of the Cross Answer'd pag. 126 CHAP. VII Objections against our Communion-Office and particularly that of Kneeling at the Sacrament Answer'd pag. 135 CHAP. VIII The Objection of our Symbolizing or Agreeing with the Church of Rome Answer'd pag. 171 CHAP. IX The Objection of Mixt-Communion Answer'd pag. 194 CHAP. X. The Pretences of Purer Ordinances and Better Edification among the Dissenters Answer'd pag. 210 CHAP. XI The Pretence of it's being against one's Conscience to join with the Church of England Answer'd pag. 228 CHAP. XII The Pretence of a doubting Conscience Answer'd pag. 249 CHAP. XIII The Pretence of a scrupulous Conscience Answer'd pag. 277 CHAP. XIV The Pretence of Scandal or giving Offence to Weak Brethren Answer'd pag. 292 The Conclusion containing an earnest Persuasive to Communion with the Establish'd Church of England pag. 309 THE INTRODUCTION Containing An ARGUMENT for UNION Taken from the true Interest of those Dissenters in ENGLAND who Profess and call themselves PROTESTANTS 'T IS plain that the ready way to overthrow a Church is first to divide it and that our Dissentions are Divisions properly so call'd How mortal these breaches may at last prove any
Books and Laxation of Discipline in those Wars Atheism has much increas'd and they say that some undisguised Sceptics and Atheists have since the King's return been much us'd in the Cause of our Dissenters and surely such hands cannot do what well meaning zeal could not effect Nor can they settle themselves as several distinct Parties by a general Toleration For First some Dissenters believe some of the Parties to be incapable of forbearance as maintaining Principles destructive of Christian Faith and Piety This Opinion they still have of Antinomians Quakers and Muggletonians and they formerly declaim'd against the Toleration of Erastians and Independents (e) Harmon Consent p. 12. Nay many Ministers declar'd a Toleration to be an appointing a City of Refuge in Mens Consciences for the Devil to fly to a Toleration of Soul-murther the greatest murther of all others c. Secondly there is no firmness in this Union for the Union that lasteth is that of the Concord of Members in an Uniform Body Thirdly Parties cannot be kept equal in number and interest but one will always prevail and be favour'd as the Religion of the State And it is natural for the strongest to attempt to subdue all the rest so that they will not be at peace but in perpetual discord Some indeed think this inclination to the swallowing up of all other Parties is to be found almost only in the Romish Church But there is something of it to be discerned I will not say in all Churches for our own suffered Bonner himself to live yet in all Factions and Parties tho' the inequality of Power makes it not seem to be alike in all of them Parties who are not otherwise than in shew concern'd for Religion will perpetually covet after Power and Parties that are conscientious in their way will do the same For they withdraw from others because they think Communion with them to be unlawful and if they think those of another way without Repentance to be lost eternally Charity will urge them to reduce them and they will think that suffering them to wander declares them to be contented with their condition Besides experience shews that where there is Power there is little forbearance and the same men as their conditions alter speak of Mercy or Justice Thus did the (f) Vid. August Cont. Petil. Lib. 2. Donatists of old and the (g) Mr. Calamy's great dang of Cov. Ref. p. 3. Heads of the Discipline in the late Times Those that remov'd to New England for Liberty of Conscience when they had gotten footing there refus'd Indulgence to Anabaptists and Quakers and use them to this day with great severity The (h) Whitlock's Memoirs p. 276. Commons in 47 gave Indulgence to all but those that us'd the Common Prayer The Dutch suffer none to speak against those Doctrines which the State hath Authoriz'd and the Remonstrant Party contend for Superiority whenever they have any encouragement The Popish Orders mortally hate and were they not restrain'd wou'd soon devour one another And Gittichius his behaviour towards (i) Ruari Epist par 1. p. 415 416. Ruarus a Socinian of better temper shews the spirit of the Socinians those great asserters of Liberty in Religion The Quakers themselves when form'd into a society began to Excommunicate and Domineer and G. Fox (k) Spirit of the Hart. p. 41. declar'd he never lik'd the word Liberty of Conscience and wou'd have no Liberty given to Presbyterians Papists Independents and Baptists I proceed now to the Second and Chief end of the Dissenters the removal of Popery and perfecting the Protestant Religion As for the removal of Popery 't is plain that the ruin of our Church called by Diodati the Eye of the Reform'd Churches will rather advantage it both at home and abroad For she being more like the Primitive Pattern than some others of the Reformation can better answer the Papists Objections than those that are cramp'd in a few points and therefore if Dissentions ruin her Popery will the sooner spread over Foreign Reform'd Countries And since the Romanists are so powerful diligent and cunning have so much Learning and interest and pretend to antiquity miracles c. nothing can secure us from them at home but the Christian constitution and strong nature of the Primitive Learned Pure Loyal and Pious Church of England which is a National Body already form'd that is able to detect the Forgeries of Rome and hath not given advantage to her by running from her into any extreme Monsieur Daille who was not likely to be partial in this matter and was at that time engaged in a Controversy with one of our Divines (l) De Confess adv Hammond c. 1. p. 97 98. says As to the Church of England purg'd from Foreign wicked superstitious Worships and Errours either impious or dangerous by the rule of the Divine Scriptures approv'd by so many and such illustrious Martyrs abounding with Piety towards God and Charity towards Men and with most frequent examples of good works flourishing with an increase of most Learned and wise Men from the beginning of the Reformation to this time I have always had it in just esteem and till I die I shall continue in the same due veneration of it And indeed it is strange that any who know other Churches and States shou'd be displeas'd at ours which so much excels them Now is it probable that such a Church shou'd have less strength in it for the resisting of Popery than a number of divided Parties the best of which is not so Primitive Learned United Numerous or Legal and is but of yesterday These Parties have scarce any form'd way of keeping out Popery for what hinders a crafty Jesuit from gathering and modelling a particular Congregation And what a gap do they leave open for Seducers who take away all legal Tests and admit strangers to officiate upon bare pretence of spiritual illumination The Romanists have more powerful ways of drawing men from the Dissenting Parties than from the Church of England For Men separate too frequently thro' weakness of imagination for which the Church of Rome has variety of gratifications They will offer strictnesses to the severe and mental Prayer to those who contemn or scruple Forms They have Mystical Phrases for such who think they have a new notion when they darken understanding with words and accordingly the third part of a very mystical Book written by Father Benet a Capuchin was reprinted in London in 46 with a (m) A Bright Star centring in Christ our Perfection Printed for H. Overton in Popes-head Alley new Title and without the Authour's Name and it pass'd amongst some of the Parties for a Book of very sublime Evangelical Truths They use much gesture and great shew of Zeal in Preaching They have rough cords and mean garments bare feet and many other great shews of Self-denial They have Processions and other Rites to humour the soppishness of others But
the act of receiving as was before noted and that for the same Reason saies a (b) Alex. Hales de Missâ— p. 2. quest 10. p. 4. Popish Author which our Dissenters urge for Sitting viz. because the Apostles sate at the first Institution of the Sacrament And every Priest by the order of the Mass-Book is to partake standing at the Altar and not Kneeling there Nay if Kneeling be unlawful because it has been abus'd to Idolatry then we must never receive the Holy Sacrament For we must receive in some convenient posture such as Kneeling Sitting Discumbing Standing and yet every one of these either has been or is notoriously abus'd by Heathens and Papists to Idolatrous ends I hope I need not add that it wou'd be very unjust to say that our Kneeling is an act of Worship to the outward Elements when the Church has declar'd this to be Idolatry to be Abhorr'd of all Faithful Christians I shall conclude this Chapter with the opinions of the Dissenting Writers Mr. Tombes has undertaken to shew that whatever the Gesture of our Saviour was yet we are not obliged to it Theod. p. 168. 'T is granted by Mr. Bains Christian Lett. 24. and Mr. Bayly Disswas c. 2 6. that the nature of the Ordinance do's not make Sitting necessary or forbid Kneeling and Mr. Bains ibid. grants that Kneeling is not Idolatrous and Mr. Cartwright who thought it inconvenient yet did not think it unlawful Harmon on Luke 22.14 Lastly Mr. Baxter Christian Dir. part 2. p. 111. quest 3. sect 40. saies For Kneeling I never heard any thing yet to prove it unlawful If there be any thing it must be either some Word of God or the nature of the Ordinance which is suppos'd to be contradicted But 1. there is no Word of God for any Gesture nor against any Christ 's Example can never be prov'd to oblige us more in this than in many circumstances that are confess'd not obligatory as that he deliver'd but to Ministers and but to a Family to Twelve and after Supper and on a Thursday night and in an upper-room c. and his Gesture was not such a Sitting as ours And 2. for the nature of the Ordinance it is mixt and if it be lawful to take a Pardon from the King upon our Knees I know not what can make it unlawful to take a Seal'd Pardon from Christ by his Embassador upon our Knees CHAP. VIII The Objection of our Symbolizing or Agreeing with the Church of Rome Answer'd BUT say the Dissenters there is so great an agreement between your Church and the Church of Rome that we cannot think communion with your Church to be Lawful They tell us that our first Reformers were indeed excellent and worthy Persons for the times they liv'd in that what they did was very commendable and a good Beginning but they were forced to comply with the necessities of the Age which wou'd not bear a compleat Reformation They left a great deal of Popish trash in the Church hoping by degrees to reconcile the Papists to it or at least that they might not make the Breach too wide and too much prejudice or enstrange them from it but we now live under better means have greater Light and Knowledge and so a further and more perfect amendment is now necessary Now I cannot but inwardly reverence the Judgment as well as love the Temper of our first Reformers who in their first Separations from Rome were not nice or scrupulous beyond the just reasons of things Doubtless they were in earnest enough as to all true Zeal against the Corruptions of that Church when they Seal'd the well-grounded offence they took at them with their warmest Blood and cheerfully underwent all the hardships that the Primitive Christians signaliz'd their Profession with rather than they wou'd intermix with Rome in any usage of Worship or Article of Faith that had the least favour of Idolatry Superstition or false Religion at all in it And yet these Holy and Wise Men when they had the Power and Opportunity of Reforming wholly in their hands being equally jealous of Enthusiasm as they were of Superstition wou'd not give themselves up to those fantastic Antipathies as to abolish this or that Ceremony merely because it had been in use among the Papists if some other very substantial Reason did not plead against it And verily had they not alwaies us'd these temperate and unbyass'd methods of Reformation they wou'd not so easily have justify'd themselves to their Adversaries or the World or have made it so evident as by their Wise management they did that what was done by them was from the mere urgencies of Conscience and Reason and not the wantonness of Change and Innovation So that where any mean honestly as I doubt not but many of those do that Dissent from us they ought to have their Reason very well awake that the mere charge of Popery upon any disputed point may not so prejudice them in their enquiries into things as to leave no room for mature Consideration However that I may fully answer this objection drawn from our agreement with the Church of Rome I shall endeavour to shew 1. That there is a vast distance between the Churches of England and Rome 2. That a Church's Symbolizing or agreeing in some things with the Church of Rome is no warrant for separation from the Church so agreeing 3. That the agreement between the Churches of England and Rome is in no wise such as will make Communion with the Church of England unlawful I. Then I shall shew that there is a vast distance between the Churches of England and Rome as appears by our Church's having renounced all Communion with Rome and utterly cast off the Pope's Power But I shall descend to particulars and shew the vast distance between them First In all those Doctrines and Practices whereby the Church of Rome deprives her Members of their due Liberty and miserably enslaves them For 1. She denies them all judgment of discretion in matters of Religion and binds them all under pain of damnation to Believe her infallible but our Church permits us to prove all things that we may hold fast that which is good she disclaims all pretence to infallibility and owns her self to be obnoxious to error in matters of Faith 2. The Church of Rome imposes a most slavish drudgery in the vast multitudes of vain and childish odd and uncouth Rites and Ceremonies which a Man wou'd wonder how they cou'd invent The like may be said of their cruel Penances in imposing of which the Priests are arbitrary But our Rites are exceeding few plain easy grave and manly founded on the Practice of the Church long before Popery appear'd in the World Our Sacraments are but two and consequently we are not burden'd with the superstitious Fopperies of the other five Popish ones In short our Rites are agreeable to the Rules of doing things decently and in order and doing all things to
Edification Nor do's our Church impose them like the Church of Rome as necessary and as parts of Religion but as merely indifferent and changeable things As for our Penances 't is needless to shew that they are not cruel like those of Rome 3. The Church of Rome subjects her Members by several of her Doctrines to enslaving passions For instance Purgatory subjects them to fear and auricular confession to shame and the dependence of the efficacy of the Sacraments upon the Priest's intention exposes them to great anxiety But our Church rejects the Doctrines of Purgatory and the dependence of the efficacy of the Sacraments upon the Priest's intention and do's not oblige her Members to Confess their sins to Men but when for the relief of their Consciences or making satisfaction c. it is their duty so to do 4. The Church of Rome maintains Licentious Principles and Practices which our Adversaries cannot charge upon the Church of England Secondly In all those Doctrines and Practices in which the Church of Rome is justly charg'd with plainly contradicting the Scripture For instance our Church rejects and utterly abhors the Popish Doctrines and Practices of Image-worship invocation of Saints Transubstantiation Pardons Indulgences Sacrifice of the Mass denying the Bible to the Vulgar Prayers and Sacraments in an unknown Tongue robbing the Laity of the Cup in the Lord's Supper prohibiting Marriage to Priests Merit Superogation making simple Fornication a mere venial sin damning all that are not of her Communion c. Nor is there any Church that more severely condemns all instances of unrighteousness and immorality than the Church of England do's Thirdly In their public Prayers and Offices To shew this in all particulars wou'd be a tedious task therefore I shall instance only in the office of Infant-Baptism by which the Reader may judge of the rest Before they go into the Church after many preparatory prescriptions the Priest being drest in a Surplice and purple Robe calls the Infant saying what askest thou c. the Godfather answers Faith P. What shalt thou get by Faith G. Eternal Life P. If thou therefore c. Then the Priest blows three gentle puffs upon the Infant 's face and saies Go out of him O unclean Spirit c. Then Crossing the Infant 's Forehead and Breast he saith Receive the sign of the Cross c. Then he praies that God wou'd alwaies c. And after a long Prayer the Priest laying his Hand on the Infant 's Head comes the idle and profane Form of the Benediction of Salt viz. I conjure thee O creature of Salt in the Name c. with many Crossings Then he puts a little Salt into the Infant 's mouth saying Take thou the Salt of Wisdom and adds most impiously be it thy Propitiation unto Eternal Life After the Pax tecum he praies that this Infant c. Then the Devil is conjur'd again and most wofully be-call'd Then the Priest Crosses the Infant 's Forehead saying And this sign c. Then he puts his Hand on the Infant 's Head and puts up a very good Prayer Then he puts part of his Robe upon the Infant and brings him within the Church saying Enter thou c. Then follow the Apostles Creed and the Paternoster Then the Devil is conjur'd again and the Priest takes spittle out of his mouth and therewith touches the Infant 's Ears and Nostrils saying c. Then he conjures the Devil again saying Be packing O Devil c. Then he asks the Infant whether he renounces the Devil c. Then dipping his Thumb in Holy Oyl and anointing the Infant with it in his Breast and betwixt his shoulders he saies I anoint thee c. Then he puts off his Purple Robe and puts on another of White colour and having ask'd four more questions and receiv'd the answers he pours water thrice upon the Child's Head as he recites over it our Saviour's Form of Baptism Then dipping his Thumb in the Chrism or Holy Ointment he anoints the Infant upon the Crown of his Head in the figure of a Cross and praies O God Omnipotent c. Afterwards he takes a white linnen cloth and putting it on the Child's Head saies Take the white garment c. Lastly he puts into the Child's or his God-Father's Hand a lighted Candle saying Receive the burning Lamp c. Besides those things which are in the Common Ritual there are divers others added in the Pastorale which I shall not mention And now if any Man will read our Office of Baptism he will acknowledge that no two things can be more unlike than these two Offices are Our Litany indeed has been Condemn'd by Dissenters as savouring of Popish Superstition but nothing is more false if a Man compares it with the Popish one the greater part of which consists in invocations of Saints and Angels But the Brevity I am confin'd to in this Discourse will not permit me to abide any longer upon this Argument Fourthly In the Books they receive for Canonical For the Church of Rome takes all the Apocryphal Books into the Canon but the Church of England takes only those which the Primitive Church and all Protestants acknowledge 'T is true she reads some part of the Apocryphal Books for instruction of manners but she do's not establish any Doctrine by them Fifthly and Lastly in the Authority on which they found their whole Religion The Church of Rome founds the Authority of the Scriptures upon her own infallibility and the Authority of many of her own Doctrines on unwritten traditions and the Decrees of her Councils which she will have to be no less inspir'd than the Prophets and Apostles but the Church of England builds her whole Religion upon Scripture which is her rule of Faith and Practice She Reverences ancient general Councils but do's not think them infallible And as for that Authority which our Church claims in Controversies of Faith by requiring subscription to 39 Articles 't is plain that she means no more Authority than to oblige her Members to outward submission when her decisions do not contradict any essentials of Faith or Manners but not an authority to oblige Men to believe them infallibly true and this is necessary for the Peace of any Church 'T is true she thinks it convenient that none should receive Orders be admitted to Benefices c. but such as do believe them not all as Articles of our Faith but many as inferiour truths and she requires Subscription as a Test of this belief but the Church of Rome requires all Persons under pain of damnation to believe all her false and wicked Doctrines as much as the most undoubted Articles of Faith as may be seen in the Creed of Pius the fourth As to the Motives which our Church proposes for our belief of the Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures they are such as are found in the Scriptures themselves viz. the excellency of them and the Miracles which confirm them
Jews were commanded to destroy Idols and the appurtenances of them Deut. 7.25 26. Is 20.22 because they were so prodigiously inclin'd to Idolatry yet surely the Dissenters will not say we must destroy all things that have been abus'd to superstitious uses for then we must destroy our Bells and Fonts and Churches Therefore as Mr. Calvin upon the Second Commandment saies We do not in the least scruple whether we may lawfully use those Temples Fonts and other Materials which have been heretofore abus'd to Idolatrous and Superstitious uses I acknowledge indeed that we ought to remove such things as seem to nourish Idolatry upon supposition that we our selves in opposing too evidently things in their own nature indifferent be not too superstitious It is equally superstitious to condemn things indifferent as unholy and to command them as if they were holy As for the example of Hezekiah's breaking in pieces the Brazen Serpent because the Children of Israel burnt Incense to it 2 Kings 18.4 it will not prove that whatsoever has been notoriously defil'd in Idolatrous or grosly Superstitious Services ought to be abolish'd and much less that the not abolishing some such things is a good ground for separation from the Church that neglects so to do For 1. The Brazen Serpent was not only defil'd but an Idol it self and that at the very time when it was destroy'd Nay it was worshipp'd by the generality of the People to those daies the Children of Israel did burn Incense unto it and there was little hope of their being reclaim'd while the Idol stood and moreover the use of it was ceas'd for which it was first erected Now without doubt Governours ought to take away those indifferent things which have been abus'd when the People are inclin'd to abuse them again at least if such abuse cannot probably be prevented by any other means but then I deny that our Rites have been or are any temptation to Idolatry or to the embracing of Popery Had Hezekiah suffer'd the Brazen Serpent still to stand no doubt private Persons who have no Authority to make public Reformations might lawfully have made use of it to put them in mind of and affect them with the wonderful mercy of God express'd by it to their Forefathers notwithstanding that many had formerly made an Idol of it and did so at that very time And much more might they have lawfully continu'd in the Communion of the Church so long as there was no constraint laid upon them to join with them in their Idolatry nor do we read of any that separated from the Church while the Brazen Serpent was permitted to stand as wofully abus'd as it was by the generality 2. If Example were a good way of Arguing we find by Hezekiah's practice in other things he did not think it an indispensable Duty to abolish every thing that had been made use of to Idolatry if it did not prove an immediate snare at that time For as to the Temples which Solomon had erected for no other end but the Worship of false Gods 1 Kings 11.7 Hezekiah did not make it his business to destroy them as being in his time forlorn and neglected things of which no bad use was then made Altho' indeed King Josiah afterwards probably upon the increase of Idolatry and renew'd use of those places found it expedient to lay them wholly waste 2 Kings 23.13 Let not any says (d) De Vitand Superstitione Calvin think me so austere or bound up as to forbid a Christian without any exception to accommodate himself to the Papists in any Ceremony or Observance for it is not my purpose to condemn any thing but what is clearly evil and openly vicious III. I proceed now in the last place to shew that the Agreement between the Churches of England and Rome is in no wise such as will make Communion with the Church of England unlawful This I shall evince in the chief particulars which our Dissenters take offence at First Then Episcopacy is so far from being an unlawful symbolizing with the Church of Rome that it is an Apostolical Institution and shall we allow the Pope so much power as to make that unlawful by his use which the Apostles and their Disciples have recommended to us by theirs Nay (e) Bez. Episcop du Moul. Past off Calv. Inst lib. 4. cap. 4. Sect. 2. Epist ad Reg. Pol. Beza P. du Moulin and Calvin grant that this was the Goverment of all Churches in the World from the Apostles times for about 1500 years together Nor do I know how the Dissenters will defend the Observation of the Lord's Day while they contend that Episcopacy cannot be concluded from the uninterrupted tradition of the Church from the Apostles times or how those that separate upon the account of Episcopacy can defend the lawfulness of Communicating with any Christian Church for about 1500 years together I shall add no more upon this point only I refer my Reader to Chillingworth's Institution of Episcopacy and Stillingfleet's Unreasonableness of separation p. 244 c. Secondly Our symbolizing with the Church of Rome in having set Forms of Prayer is so far from being culpable that 't is highly commendable For herein we symbolize with the Primitive Church nor is any thing more expedient for the public Service of God as I have already shewn in the Third Chapter Now if the Papists nay if the Heathens us'd set Forms because it was the fittest way for the Service of God must we be forbidden to use them Because they did well are we therefore to do worse Thirdly Our Liturgy in particular do's not so much symbolize with the Roman Service as to cause a separation For tho' some Collects are taken out of the Mass-Book yet that is not enough to make them unlawful For then the Lord's Prayer the Psalms and a great part of the Scripture besides and the Creeds also must never be us'd I know it has been said that the Scriptures being of necessary use must be retain'd by us tho' the Church of Rome retains them but that there is not the same Reason for Forms which are not necessary and that in those we ought to go as far from that Church as we can But what reason is there for this For the danger that may happen to us in coming too near them lies in things wherein they do ill and not in things wherein they do well No Man can shew a good reason why those Passages in the Common-Prayer-Book which are to be found in the Mass-Book but which were us'd also by the Church before Romanism had corrupted it are not as much to be valu'd because they were once us'd by good Christians as to be run down because they have been since us'd by Superstitious and Idolatrous Men. If any Man wou'd set himself to expose the Mass-Book he wou'd I suppose lay hold upon nothing but the Corruptions that are in it and things that are obnoxious to just