Worship out of the Church and the World 7. This opinion will bring in all confusion instead of pure reasonable Worship while every man is left to find that in Scripture which never was there and that as the onely rule of his actions one will think that he finds one thing there and another another thing for it must be reality and verity which must be the term of Unity men cannot agree in that which is not 8. It will let in Impiety and Errour for when men are sent to seek and find that which is not there every man will think that he findeth that which his own corrupted mind brings thither 9. And hereby all possibility of Union among Christians and Churches must perish till this errour perish for if we must unite onely in that which is not in being we must not unite at all 10. Hereby is laid a Snare to tempt men into odious censures of each other of which see my Author excellently at large 11. Hereby Christian love will be quenched when every man must account his Brother an Idolater that cannot shew a Scripture for the hour the place of Worship c. 12. And hereby back-biting slandering and railing must go currant as no sin while every Calvin Cartwright Hildersham Perkins Sibbs c. that used a Form of Prayer yea all the Christians in the World must be accused of Idolatry as if it were a true and righteous charge And 13. All our sins will be fathered on God as if the second Commandment and the Scripture-perfection required all this and taught Children to disobey their Parents and Masters and say your Prayers and Catechisms are Images and Idols c. 14. It will rack and perplex the Consciences of all Christians when I must take my self for an Idolater till I can find a particular Law in Scripture for every Tune Metre Translation Method Vesture Gesture c. that I use in the worshipping of God when Conscience must build onely in the Air and rest only on a word which never was 15. It will have a confounding influence into all the affairs and business of our lives Lastly It will fright poor people from Scripture and Religion and make Us our Doctrine and Worship ridiculous in the sight of all the World These are the consequences which Mr. Baxter shews very well at large of that impracticable and erroneous doctrine of demanding a particular Text of Scripture for the Ceremonies and Circumstances of Gods worship 17. The Church of England not guilty of any kind of False-worship Defence of the Principles of Love Part 2. p. 3 4. Mr. Baxter having recited the seven several kinds of false Worship acquits the Church of England from all and proves at large in the Pages here cited that it is not guilty of false Worship in any kind or any acceptation whatsoever any more than Mr. Bagshaw whom he there speaks particularly to or the rest of the Non-conformists are in their extemporate Prayers 18. A general Vindication of the Liturgy and Ceremonies Defence of the Principles of Love Part 1.90 91. To do it i.e. to use as he calls it an unreformed Liturgy out of choice is one thing to do it as a duty put upon us by Gods providence and our Governours when we can do no better is another thing it is God that hath pulled down our liberty and opportunity to serve him better and we must obey him It is no faulty mutability to change our practice when God by changing our condition doth change our duty no more than it was in Augustine who professeth that he would worship God as to Forms and Ceremonies according as the Church did with which he joined where-ever he came 19. The soundness of the Doctrine of the Church of England Defence of the Principles of Love Part 2. p. 3. The Doctrine of the Church of England is so sound that the Independents and Presbyterians have still offered to subscribe to it in the 39. Articles Thus hath Mr. Baxter copiously vindicated the Church of England in almost every point of Conformity which is any thing material which shews that Non-conformists themselves do not really believe what they have suggested to and imposed upon the belief of their Followers concerning the sinfulness of Conformity And that what they except against in Conformity is not upon the account of its Sinfulness but Inexpediency onely which neither the Law of God Nature nor Nations did ever allow the People to be Judges of but the Rulers onely and therefore ought in point of Christianity and right Religion to be submitted to for the sake of those great Christian duties Peace Unity and Obedience to Magistrates for the conviction of our religious Enemies for the good and prosperity of the Church for the safety honour and welfare of the King and three Kingdoms for the credit of Christianity and for the glory of God to whom be glory for ever and ever FINIS Pag. 18. Part 1. pag. 49. Par. 1. pag. 36. Part. 1. pag. 56. The publick to be preferred before the private and come to the beginning of Common-Prayer Part. 2. p. 176. Common-prayer preferred before all private duties part 1. p. 97. The heinousness of Separation in consideration of those excellent persons that they separated from 1. the old Conformists 2. the present Conformists Part. 1. p. 12.13 Part. 1. p. 10 11 12. Part. 1. p. 40. Mr. Baxter dares not go against his Conscience in not taking the Sacrament at his Parish Church Part. 1. p. 16 68 69. The Separatists that are so scrupulous about Church communion make no conscience of greater sins Part 1. p. 84. The evil of â—eparation Part 1. p. 2 3. Mr. Baxter â—ounts Sepaâ—â—tists no betâ—er than fooâ—â—sh and beâ—itched â—abes carnal â—nd not spiri 〈…〉 al. Part. 2 p. 155. Separation and Koraism provoking sins Here he speaks particularly to Mr. Bagshaw Part 2. p. 6 7. Part 1. p. 60. The sad effects of Church-divisions Part 2. p. 175. Part 1. p 17. The present separation a promoting cause of Popery and greatly hazards the Protestant Religion advantageth profaneness c. Part 1. p. 32. Part 1. p. 52. The manner how Popery will grow out of our divisions The present Separation promoteth Anabaptistry Quakerism c. Mr. Baxters addition to this History Part 2. p. 175 Part 1. p. 50. Part 1. p. 49. Part 1. p. 54. Part 2. p. 150. * Yet this is that some of the Non-conformists have called one of the hardest points in Conformity The third Edition * Diocesan Episcopacy
would make us giddy that we may rest on them as our Supporters and when they saw us weak would be ready to devour us all Three ways especially will Popery grow out of our divisions 1. By the odium and scorn of our disagreements inconsistency and multiplied Sects they will persuade people that we must either come for unity to them or else all run mad and crumble into dust and individuals Thousands have been drawn into Popery and confirmed in it already by this Argument and I am persuaded that all the Arguments in Bellarmine and all other Books that ever were written have not done so much to make Papists in England as the multitude of Sects among us Yea some Professors of religious strictness of great esteem for godliness have turned Papists themselves when they were giddy and weary with turnings and when they had run from Sect to Sect and found no consistency in any And 2. Who knows not how fair a Game the Papists have to play by the means of our divisions Methinks I hear them hissing on each Party and saying to one side Lay more upon them and bate them nothing and to the other Stand it out and yield to nothing And who is so blind then as not to see their double game and hopes viz. that either our divisions and alterations will carry men to such distances and practices as shall make us accounted seditious rebellious and dangerous to the publick Peace and so they i.e. Papists pass for better Subjects than we or else that when so many Parties under sufferings are constrained to beg for Liberty the Papists may not be shut out alone but have toleration with the rest And shall they use our hands to do their work We have already unspeakably served them in this And 3. It is not the least of our danger nor which doth least affect me lest by our follies extremities and rigours we should so exasperate the common People as to make them readier to join with the Papists than with us in case of any competitions or their invasions or insurrections against the King and Kingdoms peace Let us do nothing by unlawful alienations and singularities or fierce and disobedient oppositions which tend to make the People think better of Papists than of us In the Year 1634. Mr. Roger Williams Assistant to Mr. Ralph Smith Pastor of Plimouth removed from thence to Salem where in one years time he filled the place with principles of rigid Separation and tending to Anabaptistry The prudent Magistrates of the Massachusets jurisdiction sent to the Church of Salem desiring them to forbear calling him to Office which they not hearkening to he proceeded more vigorously to vent many dangerous opipinions as that the Magistrate had nothing to do in matters of the First Table but onely the Second and that there should be a general and unlimited toleration of all Religions and for any man to be punished for any matters of his Conscience was persecution That if the Church of Salem would not separate not onely from the Churches of England but of new-New-England too he would separate from them The more prudent part of the Church being amazed at his way would not yield to him whereupon he never came to the Church-Assembly more professing separation from them as Antichristian Divers of the weaker sort of Church-members did by degrees fall off to him insomuch that he kept a meeting in his own house unto which a numerous company did resort Whereupon he was banished the Massachusets Colonie and came to a place called Providence was followed by many of the Church of Salem who zealously adhered to him and cried out of the persecution that was against them others resorted to them from other places They had not been there long but from rigid Separation they fell to Anabaptistry N.B. renouncing their Baptism received in Infancy and taking up another Baptism and so began a Church in that way But Mr. Williams stopt not there long for after some time he told the people that followed him that he was out of the way himself and had misled them for he did not find that there were any upon Earth that could administer Baptism and therefore their last Baptism was a nullity as well as their first and therefore they must lay down all and look for the coming of new Apostles and so they dissolved themselves and turned Seekers To which I add that this man was one of the greatest Instruments after all this of sublimating the English Separation to the same heighth and gratifying the Papists by raising up the Sect of Seekers And sad sad indeed was the case of the Barmuda's when in so disciplined a Plantation one Minister turned away the greater part from Church-communion till they became Aliens and the rest whom he gathered as the onely worthy persons so many turned Quakers Seekers and such like The case of three or four Churches in new-New-England grieves my heart but the case of the Summer-Islands as related to me by Mr. Vaughan a worthy Minister lately discouraged and come from thence would make a Christian heart to bleed to hear how strict and regular and hopeful that Plantation once was and how one godly Minister by Separation selecting a few to be his Church and rejecting all the rest from the Sacrament the rejected Party are grown to doleful estrangedness in Religion and the selected Party much turned Quakers and between both how wofull are the Fruits But the case of England Scotland and Ireland which I foretold in my Book of Infant-Baptism is yet a more lamentable proof what Separation hath done against Religion so full a proof that it is my wonder that any good man can overlook it Yea before our eyes the most pernicious Heresies even that of Quakers are still not onely continued but increased and we see men that to day condemn communion with the Parish-Churches and then with the Presbyterians do shortly fly from communion with the Independents too It 's commonly known how many of late have turned Quakers and shall we stand by and see such work and neither lament their sins that drive men to this nor warn them of the passions and principles that lead to it Separation will ruine the separated Churches themselves at last it will admit of no consistency Parties will rise in the separated Churches and separate again from them till they are dissolved I beseech my dear Brethren that are otherwise minded to open their eyes so far as to regard experience I am not able to bear the thoughts of Separating from almost all Christs Churches upon Earth but he that separateth from one or many upon a reason common to almost all doth virtually separate from almost all and he that separateth from all among us upon the account of the unlawfulness of our Liturgy and the badness of all our Ministry doth separate from them upon a reason common to almost all or the far greatest
Mr. BAXTER's VINDICATION OF THE CHURCH of ENGLAND In her Rites and Ceremonies Discipline AND CHURCH-ORDERS As faithfully taken out of his own Writings without either false Citation or fraudulent Alteration To which is prefixed His Epistle to the Non-conformists being a just and true Abstract of his Book Entituled A Defence of the Principles of Love Schismaticks are they who unwarrantably separate from those Churches in which they ought to abide that they may gather new Congregations after their mind Mr. Baxter ' s Reasons of the Christian Religion p. 472. No Christian must pretend Holiness against Vnity and Peace and every tender Conscience should be as tender of Church-division and real Schisms as of Drunkenness Whoredom or such other enormous sins Mr. Baxter ' s Reasons of the Christian Religion p. 485. LONDON Printed for Walter Kettilby at the Bishops-head in St. Pauls Church-yard 1682. TO THE READER IT being evidently apparent as in most other cases so in our Church-divisions that a resolved prostration to the Authority and a confident adhaesion to the opinion of reputed-good men doth commonly seduce the Populace first into Prejudice then into Parties and so to a tenacious obstinacy in Errour Hereupon one probable way of Rescue and Remedy is to propose to the wandring People the Documents of one whose Authority is great among them Therefore have I thought on the Oracle Mr. Baxter who in this Book His Defence of the Principles of Love is not more Antesignanus than Eirenarches prescribing very well for Peace and Church-union as the ensuing Treatise especially the Epistle shews And to anticipate that prejudice and mistakes which a thing of this nature is very liable to let no man think it my design to accuse Mr. Baxter of Self-contradiction Inconsistency c. but that it is meerly for the conviction of those whom that learned Author calls Honest erroneous Christians and to let the World see that Mr. B. and other Non-conformist Ministers do not believe that intrinsick evil and sinfulness to be in Conformity which their unwary Followers are induced or rather seduced to believe and that there is more extrinsick danger and heinous sinfulness in their separation than his honest erroneous Christians do imagine that the difference between Conformists and Non-conformists is very small and as Mr. Baxter tells Mr. Bagshaw in his Defence that Non-conformists do injure Conformists and make the Case of Conformity more odious than it is And to obviate Objections let it be noted 2. That if here be found any small alteration in words it is meerly for the sake of brevity and ease in reading and no other than what doth fairly consist with and not at all pervert the sense and meaning of the first Author And since the renouncing of the Covenant which Non-conformists call the great Mountain in the way is now removed if the more peaceable Non-conformists have a mind to come into the conforming Churches here is that in this small Treatise will help a little to justifie and encourage their practice in so doing What acceptance this poor thing will have I am ignorant but not sollicitous since the testimony of my Conscience is that it is in vindication of Truth and defence of a good Cause nor would I fear the success much more than I do the acceptance would the honest erroneous Christian read it with as little partiality and prejudice as he would if coming from the first Authors hand Mr. BAXTER's EPISTLE TO THE Non-Conformists Being a just and true Abstract of his Defence of the Principles of Love BRETHREN IT grieves me to the heart that neither Party Conformable or Non-conformable is more sensible of the sin and danger of our distance though I know that in both Parties there are many wise and holy persons who I suppose lament it more than I do It layeth my soul in daily lamentations to see how we run further from each other to the apparent danger of the Protestant Cause and of the Kingdoms welfare and of all the hopes of our Posterity Our narrow Judgment draws many to think that it is the Interest of Religion now in England to have the Parish-Churches brought low in reputation and deserted and God's publick worship which they would have all religious People use to be onely that of tolerated or more private Churches by which they little know what they wish against the Interest of the Christian and Protestant Religion in this Land and what hurt they would do if in this they had their wills The Interest of the Christian Protestant Religion must be kept up by keeping up as much Truth Piety and Reputation as may be in the Parish-Churches I am very glad that the pious Lectures of Mr. Hildersham Mr. Rogers and such other old Non-conformists are in so good esteem among good people where they will read them urgeing the people not onely against Separation but to come to the very beginning of the publick Worship and preferring it before their private duties And I need not tell those that have read the Writings of the good old Non-conformists Ames Parker Bains Fox Dearing Greenham c. that these did some of them read the Common Prayer and most of them judged it lawful to join in it or else Mr. Hildersham Rogers c. would not write so earnestly to men to come to the beginning and prefer it before all private duties When I think what learned holy incomparable men abundance of the old Conformists were my heart riseth against the thoughts of separating from them If I had come to their Churches when they read the Common-prayer and administred the Sacrament could I have departed and said It is not lawful for a Christian here to communicate with you What! Such men as Mr. Bolton Mr. Whateley Mr. Fenner Mr. Crook Mr. Dent Mr. Dike Mr. Stock Mr. Smith Dr. Preston Dr. Sibbs Dr. Taylor and abundance other such yea such as Bishop Jewell Bishop Grindall Bishop Hall Bishop Potter Bishop Davenant Bishop Carleton c. yea and the Martyrs too as Cranmer Ridley Hooper Farrar Bradford Philpot Sanders c. I think not my self worthy to be compared with Mr. Bolton Whateley Fenner Preston Sibbs White Field Usher Jewell and abundance other old Conformists and you might forgive me if I tell you again that if they were all alive and used now the same Liturgy and Ceremonies as they did then I could not find in my heart to think their communion in Prayer and Sacrament unlawful nor to censure that man as injurious to the Church who should write to persuade others not to separate from them on that supposition I am sure the Assembly of Divines that sate heretofore at Westminster were so conformable when they went thither that I never heard of five Non-conformists among them except the five dissenting Brethren their Judgment was as Mr. Sprints that Conformity was lawful in case of necessity rather than to be deprived of Liberty to preach
the Gospel And as for the present Conformists I know those of them whom I think as godly and humble Ministers N.B. as most of the Non-conformists whom I know and as my acquaintance increaseth I know more and more And I tell you again that I believe there are many hundred godly Ministers in the Parish Churches of England and that their Churches are true Churches And for my part I forbore communion with the Parish Churches in the Sacrament a long time yet at last I saw that the reasons seemed to me to cease and I durst not go against my Conscience for I knew not what But O that you would yet consider how much defect of love and patience there is in you as well as others How easily can we aggravate the faults of others and how hardly can we aggravate or see our own The defects of the Liturgy and the faults of those by whom we suffer are easily heightned even beyond desert but when many of us vend untruths and slanders against our Brethren about the Land who aggravates this or repents of it But above all I entreat the dividing Brethren if they can so long lay by their partiality to judge by this of the reasons of their separation from those Churches private or parochial that they differ from in tolerable things You think it a sin to communicate in a Church where the Liturgy is used and where Discipline is not so strictly exercised against some Offenders as you and I desire But publick multiplied untruths in mens mouths do never make you scruple their communion I intreat you do but study an answer to one that would separate from you all upon such grounds as these First for the Sin consider of these Texts Exod. 23.1 Thou shalt not raise a false report c. Eph. 4.31 Let evil speaking be put away from you Jâ—mes 4.11 Speak not evil one of another c. Tit. 3.1 2. Prov. 25.23 Pet. 1.2 1. c. Have you more or plainer Texts of Scripture against the Common-prayer than these are against Slandering c. Now suppose one should say that a People of such sin as this should not be communicated with what answer will you give to this which will not confute your own objections against communion with many Parish-Churches in this Land God hates every disorder in extemporate Prayer and yet he more hates that censoriousness and curiosity which would draw men to forsake the substantials of Worship or Christian love and communion on that pretence If Christians should plead Gods jealousie about his Worship as censoriously against their own prayers as they do against other mens and Churches in this case they would turn prayer into the fuel of despair and torment If Paul thought his Galatians foolish and bewitched and his Corinthian-Christians to be Babes yea carnal and not spiritual because there were among them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 envyings strife and divisions or as the words signifie zeal or aemulation strife and separation factions and dividings in several Parties while one saith I am of Paul another I am of Apollo what wonder if we are no better now I will not pretend Conscience for the defiling of my Conscience and the forsaking the sacred life of love Do not you your selves condemn a carnal state Remember then that they are carnal who are contentious dividers in the Churches 1 Cor 1 2 3. You will join with me in disallowing a fleshly life Remember then that the works of the flesh are these as Adultery Fornication c. so also Hatred or Enmities Variance Emulations Wrath Strife Seditions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dividing into Parties c. I know you will confess that if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8.9 Remember then that the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of Love that the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness c. Gal. 5.20 Old Mr. Wilson Pastor of Boston being desired by the Elders of the Churches assembled at his house that on his dying-bed he would declare solemnly to them what he conceived to be those sins which provoked the displeasure of God against the Countrey told them that he had long feared these sins following as chief among others which God was greatly provoked by 1. Separation 2. Anabaptistry 3. Koraism when People rise up as Korah against their Ministers and Elders as if they took too much upon them when indeed they do but rule for Christ and according to Christ and so for the Magistrates being Gallio-like not caring for these things or not using their power and authority for the maintenance of the Truth and Gospel and Ordinances c. Alas dear Brother that after so many years silencing and affliction after Flames and Plagues and dreadful Judgments after twenty years practice of the sin it self and when we are buried in the very ruines which it caused we should not yet know that our own uncharitable divisions alienations and Separations are a crying sin yea the crying as well as the uncharitableness and hurtfulness of others Alas will God leave Us even Us also to the obdurateness of Pharaoh Is there not crying sin with Us What have we done to Christs Kingdom to this Kingdom to our Friends to our selves and alas to our enemies by our Divisions and do we not feel it do we not know it Wo to us into what hard-heartedness have we sinned our selves Irenaeus Epiphanius Augustine Theodoret beside the rest do sadly tell us in their Catalogues and Controversies how lamentably these Dividers then hindered the Gospel and distressed and dishonoured the Church And the sad stories of Holland Munster and others in Germany Poland and especially these twenty years past in England do bring all closer to our sense The dissolution of the separated Churches of the English in the Low-Countries by their own divisions is a thing too well known to be concealed Brethren I know that our division gratifieth the Papists and greatly hazardeth the Protestant Religion and that more than the most of you seem to believe or regard I know that our division advantageth Profaneness and greatly hinders the success on both sides I know that it greatly pleaseth Satan and buildeth up his Kingdom and weakeneth the Kingdom of our Lord his own mouth hath told us so I foresaw that while we worried and weakened one another Papists were like to be the principal gainers and they would be ready to offer their service to strengthen one of the Parties against the other and would be glad to take up the reproaches against the most religious people that were by angry Adversaries brought unto their hands And that when we had made our selves the common scorn by our manifold divisions and by our biting and devouring one another they would plead this as their shame to draw People to themselves as the onely stable and consistent Church and
part as I conceive Therefore pray we Mr. Baxters Prayer O That the God of love would pity and undeceive the selfish and passionate sort of professed Christians and teach them to know what manner of spirits they are of O that he would rebuke the evil spirits that are gone forth the Spirit of Covetousness and Pride the Spirit of Hypocrisie and religious Imagery of Self-conceitedness of Malice and Wrath of Back-bitings and False-accusing before that both Christianity and Humanity be turned into Devillism and before Earth be more conformable to Hell O that the Spirit of Light would make us of one mind and the Spirit of Love would mortifie both mens malignant and religious passions contentiousness and malice and cause us to love our Neighbours as our selves That as the Envious and striving Wisdom from beneath hath caused Confusion and every evil work so the Wisdom from above which is first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be intreated might bring forth mercy and good fruits without partiality or hypocrisie that we might edifie the body of Christ in love Eph. 4.16 and frustrate the hopes of the enemies of our peace who wait for our total dissolution and triumph already in our Divisions when it is their own Mill which grindeth us to Powder but God can make their Oven to bake us into a more Christian and salubrious consistency that I may use Ignatius's Allegory but it must be first by fermenting us with unfeigned love and then we shall be lovely in his sight and the God of love and peace will be with us Amen Mr. BAXTER's VINDICATION OF THE CHURCH of ENGLAND In her Rites and Ceremonies Discipline AND CHURCH-ORDERS 1. Standing up at the Creed and the Antiphones Mr. Baxter's Scripture-Proof of Infant-Church-membership Part. II. cap. 6. p. 121. I Humbly propound meaning to the Assembly of Divines that the Custom of standing up at the Creed may be reduced to its Primitive nature and vigour i.e. as 't is now in use in the Church of England it being then quite out of use And in the next Page he reckons this among one of those five plain Duties which he says must not be wiped out lest the Directory be found more defective than the Common-Prayer-Book In his Sacrilegious Desertion of the Ministry Rebuked he says that the Conformists in standing up at the Antiphones viz. Gloria Patri Te Deum Jubilate c. do better than the Non-conformists in not standing up 2. Episcopal Confirmation Scripture-Proof of Infant-Church-membership Part. II. cap. 6. p. 120. I humbly propound says Mr. Baxter that the ancient practice of Confirmation may be reduced to its primitive nature i.e. as 't is now used in the Church of England as plainly appears by his calling it in the same page The old Order of Confirmation by Bishops For this he cites Calvin as earnestly desiring it Instit l. 4. cap. 19. In the 122. page he intimates Confirmation also to be one of those plain Duties not to be wiped out lest the Directory be found more defective than the Common Prayer-Book and left the World be made believe that 't is such things i.e. such plain Duties as these that we find fault with He adds that since there are so many learned and judicious opposers meaning the Episcopal Divines observing the alterations therefore says he 't is but modest and rational to desire either the establishment of the fore-mentioned particulars viz. Confirmation Standing up at the Creed c. or the publication of satisfactory Reasons against them And in his Political Apherisms Thes 236. Let Ministers says he be restrained by Law from admitting the uncatechised and unconfirmed to Communion intimating very well that he would have them looked upon as excommunicate persons that refuse to be chatechised and confirmed to which he prefixeth that if Magistrates force not the grosly ignorant to hear and learn and submit to chatechising and such means of instruction till they are confirmed their Baptism will but let in corruption and confusion into the Churches He hath in his Treatise of Confirmation p. 206 307 208. alibi soundly asserted the cause of Conformity in this point which his deluded Followers do so profanely and scornfully not onely neglect but contemn and deride Nor can I find that ever Mr. Baxter found much fault with the manner of its Administration as now in the Church of England If he would have every Parish-Minister invested with the power of Confirming 't is no more than what the Canons of the Church allow if the Bishop think fit the Bishop or Suffragan says the 60. Canon Every Parish-Minister may be made a Suffragan if the Bishop so please 3. Church-Musick by Organs or such like Instruments In his Christian Directory Ecclesiastical Cases Q. 86. Mr. Baxter renders these five Reasons for the Use and Lawfulness thereof 1. God set it up long after Moses's Ceremonial Law by David Solomon c. 2. It is not meerly an instituted Ceremony but a natural help to the Minds alacrity and 't is a duty and not a sin to use the helps of Nature and lawful Art As it is lawful says he to use Spectacles in reading the Bible so it is to use Musick speaking of Church-Musick to exhilarate the Soul 3. Jesus Christ joined with the Jews that used it 4. No Scripture forbids it therefore it is not unlawful 5. Nothing can be against it that I know of but what may be said against Tunes and Melody for whereas they say 't is humane invention so are our Tunes Metre and Version nay it is not a humane invention as the last Psalm and many others shew which call us to praise the Lord with Instruments of Musick The last Book he hath printed that I know of viz. Poetical Fragments hath in its Preface more to the same purpose 4. Godfathers and Godmothers Infant-Church-membership p. preliminary to the Epistle Mr. Baxter there tells us that the currant consent of Historians assures us of the use of Godfathers and Godmothers at the Baptizing of Infants in Hyginus's time who lived as he alledgeth from Nicephorus Paraeus Prideaux and others within about 40 Years of S. John the Apostle and conversed with the Disciples and Familiars of the Apostles and therefore says he could not be ignorant of the practice of the Apostles in Baptizing Infants Thus hath he well proved the use of Godfathers and Godmothers in all probability to be Apostolical at least 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and beyond all reach of scruple to be of greatest antiquity in the Church viz. forty years within the Apostles times 5. The Antiphones or the Peoples bearing a Part with the Minister in Divine Service Christian Direct Cases Ecclesiast Q. 83. 1. Says Mr. Baxter the Scripture no where forbids this 2. If the People may do this in the Psalms in Metre there can be no reason given but they may lawfully do it in Prose 3. The Primitive Christians says he were so full of the zeal