the Schooles by Syllogismes If then our Reason understands not what is declared How can we by Reason make any deduction by way of Argument from that which we understand not As for Example Some hold That the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son some that he proceeds from the Father by the Son I pray Doth any man understand how the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father from the Son or by the Son no certainly how then can he affirm or believe a tittle more of the Holy Ghost than the Holy Ghost hath declared Seeing as I said He understands not at all what is declared Discourse must be of things intelligible though Faith believes things not intelligible Can any man prove that rotation and circulation are all one who understands not what rotation or circulation is the like may be said of procession or mission of the Holy Ghost The Scripture plainly tells That the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and that he is sent by the Father that he is sent also by the Son but whether he proceeds from the Son or by the Son the Scripture is silent and I am therefore ignorant having no knowledge at all of any Divine Mysteries but from the Scriptures I grant That by rational deductions and humane way of argumenting 't is probable that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Son as from the Father but if in divine matters we once give way to humane deductions a cunning Sophister may soon lead a weak Disputant into many Errours By humane deduction you may infer that the Son is inferiour to the Father as begotten by him the Holy Ghost inferiour to both being sent by both with us the less is sent by the greater by humane deduction from three distinct persons you may prove three distinct substances I hope you will make no such inferences in the Divine Persons Again What a business have the School-Men made about these words of our Saviour This is my Body with their praedicatum and subjectum and copula and individuum vagum in the pronoun This. Innumerable are their intricate Impertinencies in this matter and in their conclusions The Papists hold Christ to be present in the Sacrament Transubstantialiter the Lutherans Consubstantialiter the Calvinists Sacramentaliter and yet all confess they understand none of these ways as St. Paul saith Desiring to be Teachers they understand not what they say neither whereof they affirm 1 Tim. 1. 7. Had the Scripture affirmed any of these wayes we ought to have submitted our Reason in things above Reason though we understand them not and 't is reasonable so to do but to go about to prove by reason what is above reason is wonderful and to discourse of what we understand not is doubtless a spice of madness and the conclusions we draw from such discourses must needs be very dangerous we following the ignem fatuum the uncertain light of humane reason in Divine matters so totally beyond our reach Wherefore we have no other safe way to speak of Divine matters but in Scripture Language ipsissimis verbis with the very same words according to that 2 Tim. 1. 13. Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in Faith Mark Hold fast not onely the matter of Faith but the form of sound words these are safe humane words in Divine and high Mysteries are dangerous Man can no more set them forth in humane words than express the Divine substance by humane painting 't is the sole work of the Holy Ghost who is also Divine There hath not been a greater plague to Christian Religion than School-Divinity where men take upon them the liberty to propose new Questions make nice distinctions and rash conclusions of Divine matters tossing them up and down with their Tongues like Tennis Balls and from hence proceed all the dangerous Heresies and cruel Bickerings about them falling from words to blows The first Divinity School we read of was set up at Alexandria by Pantaenus and from thence soon after sprang forth that damnable Haeresie of the Arrians which over ran all Christendome and was the cause of destruction to many Millions of Christians both Body and Soul The Haeresies before this were so gross and sensual that none took them up but dissolute or frantick people and soon vanish't but after this School subtile way of arguing was brought into Christianity Haeresie grew more refined and so subtill that the plain and Pious Fathers of the Church knew not how to lay hold of it and repress it the School distinctions and evasions quite baffled them and these Sophisters proud of their conquest triumphed and carried away a specious appearance of Truth as well as Learning or rather cunning insomuch that many godly persons were also deluded and fell in unto them and many of their Haeresies continue unto this day This great bane of the Church took it's rise from hence Many of the Primitive Doctors and Fathers being converted from Heathenisme and having by long and great Industry acquired much knowledge in natural Philosophy Antiquity History and subtil Logick or Sophistry were very unwilling to abandon quite these their long studied and dearly belov'd Sciences falsly so called and therefore translated them into Christianity applying their School terms distinctions Syllogismes c. to Divine matters intending perchance through indiscreet zeal to illustrate and imbellish Christian knowledge with such artificial forms and figures but rather defaced and spoyled it which the wisdome of St. Paul well foresaw and therefore fore-warned us of it Col. 2. 8. Beware lest any man spoyl you through Philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men after the Rudiments of the World and not after Christ. I humbly conceive it nad been far better for them and all Christendome had they determined with St. Paul To know nothing but Christ and him Crucified and not to intermingle mans Wisdome and excellency of speech with Divine Knowledge and Scripture Doctrine which is to be taught by the demonstration of the Spirit and of power as is set forth 1 Cor. 2. not with Logical Syllogisms and Sophistical Enthymems for as the wisdome of God was foolishness to the Greeks and Gentiles so the wisdome of the Greeks and Gentiles was foolishness to God and destruction to his Church who by the foolishness of preaching had overcome all their wisdome and captivated their understandings in obedience to the Faith But when the Christian Doctors left this plain and simple way of preaching and sell to cunning disputing introducing new forms of speech and nice expressions of their own coyning some approving some opposing them great Discords Warrs and Confusions soon followed Had that most Prudent and most Pious Constantine the first and best of Christian Emperours had he pursued his own intentions to suppress all disputes and all new questions of God the Son both Homoousian and Homoiousion and commanded all to acquiesce in the very Scripture expressions without any addition
scripture so plainly declares that nothing so covers the multitude of our sins as an act of charity nothing so acceptable unto God so joyful to his holy Angels as conversion of a sinner Yet these men will most passionately and pardon me if I say most uncharitably and irreligiously cry A way with these Idiot Sectaries and mad Phanaticks let them wander and perish in their own wild imaginations we will not leave one Ceremony nor any one line of our Common Prayer Book to gain thousands of them No if you alter that wee will rather leave the Church and go to the Papists Mass. If these be not as simple Sectaries and mad Phanaticks as any whatsoever let God and his holy Angels judge But as for you my Reverend Fathers of the Church I hope you will consult with Scripture in this weighty Affair and model all according to the rules of meekness charity and compassionate tenderness to weak ones there set down and endeavour with prudent admonitions to rectifie the errors of these too zealous Ceremonists with fatherly bowels of condescention to win the hearts of blind and wilful Separatists Certainly the more understanding and powerful Leaders of them will not cannot have the face to stand off after your charitable condescention their populous pretences will be so confuted their mouths so stopped their faces so confounded as for meer shame if not for reason and religion they must come into our Church and their Pastors coming in the Sheep will follow though some stand a while and gaze but at length having no men of ability to lead them on in their perverse wayes the Shop-prating Weavers and Coblers will soon be deserted and made heartless seeing their own naked folly And then shall we all joyn and joyfully sing Te Deum in our Churches and the holy Angels in the Heavens And then I shall most gladly sing with good old Simeon Lord now let thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation Concerning Preaching IT remains that I now handle this great business of Preaching wherein I fear I shall displease many there being but few who use it according to the original Institution and yet I had rather they should Preach as they do then quite omit it for certainly 't is a necessary work for a Minister of the Gospel to Preach the Gospel St. Paul tells us That some Preach the Gospel out of envy yet he was pleased that Christ should be so preached rather then not preached and so I say of Preaching Christ out of vanity as 't is evident many do preaching themselves and their own abilities at least as they think ablilities though often great weaknesses and conceited impertinences I beseech you tell me did not Christ and the Apostles Preach the best way and are not we to follow their example Who dare say otherwise yet many do otherwise they take ere or there a sentence of Scripture the shorter and more abstruse the better to shew their skill and invention this they divided and subdivided into generals and particulars the quid the quale the quantum and such like quack salving forms then they study how to hook in this or that quaint sentence of Philosopher or Father this or that nice speculation endeavouring to couch all this in most elegant language in short their main end is to shew their Wit their Reading and whatever they think is excellent in them No doubt rarely agreeing with that of St. Paul I determined not to know any thing among you save Iesus Christ and him crucified And my speech and my preaching was not with inticing words of man's wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of Power 1 Cor. 2. And I verily believe this is the reason why Preaching hath so little effect in these days because they labour to speak the wisdom of this world which is foolishness with God nor do they Preach in demonstration of the Spirit but in demonstration of their Learning I know full well this unapostolick way of Preaching was used by some of the Antient Fathers especially the Greeks always fond of nicities and curiosities and being now become Christians as I said before transplanted their beloved Rhetorical flowers of humane learning into Christian Gardens which proved rather Weeds to over-run the seed of sound and plain Apostolick Doctrine humane nature being a soyl apter to give nourishment and vigor to humane principles then divine But when did ever any Learned Witty Rhetorical harang or cunning Syllogistical discourse convert the tythe of St. Peter's or St. Paul s foolish Preaching as he tearms it but the wisdom of God to those that are perfect and sound in the faith Who is ignorant of that famous passage at the Council of Nice whither resorted with divers others one Eminent Heathen Philosopher offering himself as the manner of those vain-glorious Sophisters was to dispute with the Christian Doctors some Bishops of greater Repute for Learning undertook him and as they thought cleerly Confuted but no way Converted him at last rises up a grave antient Bishop of small Learning but of great Faith and Piety and with great dissatisfaction of his Brethren fearing some gross baffle should befal this good man comes up to the Philosopher and with great Magisterial Authority recites unto him the Apostolick Creed I believe in God the Father Almighty and in the close calls to him O Philosopher believest thou all this The Philosopher answered I believe not being able to resist the demonstration of spirit and power wherewith he uttered those Divine Mysteries as he confess 't before them all You will say this was a Miracle of great rarity I grant it but many such Miracles should we see had we the Faith and powerful Spirit of this Holy Bishop and would indeavour to imitate Apostoliâ—al Preaching not Philosophical Arguing nor Rhetorical declaiming We see plainly the Apostolical Preaching was either Catechistical Instructions or Pious Admonitions not tying themselves to any form but past from one matter to another as the Auditors condition required not as the Preachers fancy and reading prompt just as the Roman Emperour Caligula who when Delinquents came before him to be judged condemned or acquitted them as agreed best with the current of his Oration So these men shape their discourse more to the applause then edification of the hearers And so much time is spent in composing these Oratory Sermons as the Minister hath not leisure to perform a quarter of his Parochial Duty of visiting the Sick of admonishing the scandalous of reconciling the janglers of private examining and instructing the poor ignorant souls thousands in every Country as ignorant as Heathens who understand no more of most Sermons then if in Greek so that the Sermon is rather a Banquet for the Wantons that are full then instruction to those who are even starved for want of spiritual food the plain and saving Word of Christ not the nice conceited word of Man which may nourish
their Judgments but receive their Opinions as agreeing with their Judgments this is evidently true and clearly rational and fully agrees with the Rules given by some of the Fathers as St. Cyprian and St. Austin two as generally and as deservedly reverenced as any in the Christian Church St. Cyprian tells us that the very Praepositus which we call Bishop is to be guided by his own reason and conscience and is responsible only to God for his Doctrine St. Austin tells us that he submits to no Doctor of the Church ever so learned ever so holy any further than he proves his doctrine by Scripture or reason and desires none should do otherwise by him this is plain and rational dealing had the Evangelical Doctors taken this course in the beginning they had saved themselves from many intricate troubles which their in-bred over-revence to antiquity entangled them in But sure they needed not have been so scrupulous in this matter seeing there is scarce any one Father whose authority the Papists themselves do not in some particular or other reject though other whiles when he speaks for them they try it up to that height as if it were even a matter of damnation not to submit unto it I say not this as if I would have antiquity wholly rejected by no means but to consult the Fathers with great regard as Expositors of Scriptures and attentively observe what they shew us from thence I am not of those who admire the great knowledge in divine matters revealed in this later Age of the world I do not think there are any now so likely to discover the truth of Gospel mysteries as those of antient dayes As for that saying A Pigme set on a Giants shoulder may see more than the Giant pardon me if I call it a shallow and silly fancy nothing to our purpose for our question is not of seeing more but of the clear discerning and judging those things we all see but are in doubt what they mean if a Pigme and a Giant see a Beast at a miles distance and are in dispute whether it be a Horse or an Oxe the Pigme set on the Giant shoulder is never the nearer discerning what it is which depends on the sharpness of sight not the height of his shoulders Now that the antient and holy Fathers of the Church were more spiritual and consequently sharper sighted in spiritual things than we carnal creatures of this later age is evident by their Spiritual holy Lives The natural Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2. 14. And how natural how carnal how purblind we are is too too visible Besides a purblind man near the object will discern it better than a much sharper sight at greater distance as we are For if you ask those lofty conceited Pigmes why they give more credit to the Fathers of the second and third Century than to those of the sixth or seventh they answer Because those that lived nearer the dayes of Christ and his Apostles are like lyer to know their minds better than those of remoter and corrupted Ages the reason is good but mightily confounds those who live at the very foot of the Hill in the valley of darkness and all Iniquity and therefore not so likely to discern the truth of the doctrine of Christ preach't on the top of Mount Sion as those who lived in higher ascents Wherefore I shall alwayes hearken with due reverence unto what those Primitive Holy Fathers deliver and the more holy and more antient doubtless more to be regarded And yet seeing that Irenaeus and before him Papiâ—â— held to be a Disciple of St. Iohn the Apostle taught the error of the Millenaries rejected now by all the Church why might not others do so as well as they and therefore there can be no certainty of their Doctrine farther than they shew us clearly from Scripture which ought to be our only Rule of Faith as I shewed before But in any point of Religion either of Faith or Discipline if after diligent and humble search of Scripture the matter be doubtful then certainly I would so much reverence antiquity as to embrace what I found approved of by the greater number of antient Fathers and what I found generally approved by them though my own judgement did much incline to the contrary yet I would receive it unless it appeared to me flatly opposite to Scripture which we believe to be the Word of God then it were damnation in me to forsake that and hearken to the words of Fathers on earth or Angels coming from Heaven till they could make me understand their word agreed with Gods Word I must be saved by Faith in God and Christ and not by faith in Men or Angels And now I shall be bold to make this assertion That the Man who reads Scripture humbly and attentively fasts and prayes to God earnestly consults his Pastors and Teachers carefully and modestly and yet after all continues in some error by blind ignorance and mistake of Scripture if such a thing was or ever will be suffered by the infinite goodness of God that Man shall sooner be saved than he who receives a true opinion from the authority of Men which he soberly conceives to be contrary to Scripture for 't is all one to him as if it were really so all things are unclean to him that believes them unclean so all things are damnable to him that believes them damnable as he must do who believes them flatly contrary to Scripture Let no Man count me a libertine in faith because I would neither compel nor be compelled to submit to the Doctrines of Men. I trust in God no Man shall out-go me in zealous contending for the Faith once delivered to the Saints once for all never to receive any new Doctrine any other Gospel than that preached by Christ and his Apostles herein I am no Libertine by God's gracious assistance neither Men nor Angels shall make me recede from one tittle of this nor to embrace with divine faith one tittle more than this for doubtless it is far greater Idolatry to believe in Man than to sacrifice to Man more to give him my heart than my hand And yet notwithstanding all this no Man is forwarder than my self to receive from others humane doctrine as humane that is I believe it is not only possible but probable also that another may have more natural understanding more acquired learning than my self and so may find out that in Scripture or from Scripture or by reason which I cannot do my self but yet I can have no possible assurance that the Doctrine he delivers to me is absolutely true because I have assurance that 't is possible for him to erre and then I can have no assurance but that he may erre in that very Doctrine he now delivers me There is no Man I ever yet heard or read of to
heretical Profession though not their Opinion who conscious to themselves of their own dissimulation and desirous to get favour with St. Austin a Person of great Veneration and Authority with all related unto him this specious Story which St. Austin's great Charity was apt to believe as St. Paul saith believeth all things and from hence concludeth that it might be lawfull to use the Power of the Civil Sword to reduce Hereticks to the Church But unless it can be evidenced that these Donatists Hearts were changed as well as their Profession a thing impossible to prove all this proves nothing Thirdly Put the Case their Hearts were really changed as to matter of Belief 't is evident their Hearts were very worldly still groveling on the Earth not one step nearer Heaven our Saviour saith An evil Tree can't bring forth good Fruit and sure their Heart was evil which was far more moved for the quiet enjoyment of this Worlds good than for the blessed enjoyment of Christ. Fourthly Though we farther grant that the pruning of the Magistrates Sword did really correct the vitiousness of the Tree and made it bring forth some good Fruit yet shall we do evill that good may come of it God forbid saith St. Paul Put the case Malchus had been converted by St. Peters cutting off his Ear this would not have excused St. Peters act which our Saviour so sharply reproved and threatned with perishing by the Sword and gave him the reason why he ought not to use the Sword in his cause Thinkest thou that I cannot pray unto my Father and he will presently give me more than twelve legions of Angels Canst thou do any thing more prejudicial to the honour of my God-head than to think I want the help of Man to defend me And according to this may our Saviour say Thinkest thou that I cannot pray unto my Father and he shall give me more than twelve millions of Souls to worship my Name or canst thou do any thing to eclipse more the power and glory of the Gospel which I have ordained to be set up by weakness and foolishness of Preaching and thereby to subdue both the wisdom of the Greeks and the power of the Gentiles As I my self have conquered all Enemies by preaching and suffering so must my Disciples tread in my steps And just so we find that the Gospel was most miraculously advanced over all the World by preaching and suffering for it not by compelling others to it 'T is evident that upon preaching of the Gospel as many as were ordained by God to Eternal Life believed and surely those who are not ordained by God to Eternal Life can never be brought thither by the ordinance or power of Man Wherefore when the Ministers have preached and prayed they have performed all they can do the rest must be left to the Justice or Mercy of God who hath mercy on whom he will haue mercy and whom he will he hardeneth so that the sharpest Sword in this world shall enter their hard heart no more than an Adamant All this I say in reference to compelling Men to believe or conform still reserving to the Magistrate power according to Scripture To punish evill doers not evill believers not who think but do publish or do practice something to subvert the Fundamentals of Religion or disturb the Peace of the State or injure their Neighbour God the only searcher of hearts reserves unto himself the punishment of evil thoughts of evil belief which Man can never have a right cognizance of for the greatest Professor may be the greatest Atheist But the Magistrate shall conceive he hath sufficient warrant to punish also evil believers and shall proceed to execution or on that pretence shall punish true believers the Scripture is most clear that the Subject is bound to submit and bear it with all Christian patience to the loss of Goods Liberty or Life not only patiently to bear it but to rejoyce in it and I am sure if he hath any true Religion any right understanding in him he will rejoyce on his own behalf because his reward is exceeding great Therefore whoever under pretence of Religion raises any Tumult or takes up Armes against the Magistrate to preserve himself from persecution absolutely declares himself either a stark Fool or a stark Atheist either he believes there is no such reward or is mad to reject the opportunity of gaining it and so at the best is fit for Bedlam at the worst for the Gallowes now let him choose An Appendix to the former Subject BEfore I leave this matter of imposing new Articles of Faith I desire to speak a word or two concerning the authority of Councels and Fathers in relation to it When the Superstitions and the Abuses of the Popish Church especially in the matter of Indulgences grew so very gross as not longer to be endured Luther Melancthon Oecolompadius Bucer divers others opposed them and coming to dispute with their Adversaries about these things the Popish Doctors having no Scripture for their Errors quoted several Fathers and Councils to give countenance unto them The Evangelical Doctors so called because they chiefly urged Evangelium the Gospel for the defence of their Doctrine were most of them bred up from their Infancy in the Popish Church and therein taught even to adore all Councils and Fathers and education being of great force to command and awe both the Wil's and Judgments of Men made them very shie and timorous to reject that authority which they had long reverenced in modesty therefore some of the Evangelical Doctors were content to admit the authority of Fathers and Councils for three or four of the first Centuries some admitted five or six whereby they were reduced some times to great streights in their Disputations for though neither all nor half the Popish Errors can be found in the Councils and Fathers of these Centuries yet some of them were crept very early into the Church This Superstition of the Cross and Chrysme were in use in the second Century The Milenary Error got footing about that time the necessity of Infants receiving the Blessed Sacrament of the Lords Supper came in soon after About the fourth Century there was some touches in Oratory Sermons by way of Rhetorical Ejaculations like praying to Saints but long after came to be formally used as now in Churches and so Superstitions came in some at one time and some at another The Papists themselves do not receive all these Errors but reject some as that of the Millenaries and the necessity of Infants receiving the Lords Supper Now I ask first the Papists by what rule they retain some of these things and reject others Secondly I ask the Evangelical by what rule they submit to the authority of some Centuries and refuse others Both will answer me Because they believe some to be erroneus some to be Orthodox Whereby 't is evident that neither submit to the Fathers authority as comanding
whom I could more readily submit than to St. Austin a Person of wonderful sharpness in understanding and yet of great modesty no way affecting to take new Opinions much less to impose them no others Now I pray consider How can we have assurance of any Doctrine he delivers more than another I mean assurance from his own authority or reason what he delivers from Scripture authority is another matter we believe St. Austin erred in some things whereof he was most confident he believed it absolutely necessary for Children to receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as I say'd he believed it a direct heresie to hold there were any Antipodes Lactantius another great Wit and great Scholar believed the like with divers others Who then can doubt but that they might be mistaken in other things also Wherefore let God be true and all Men lyars in this sense to deliver lyes materially that is falsities for truths What I have said of Fathers must certainly hold good of Councels also though ever so general ever so Primitive for this and that Father may and have erred surely then that and that may also erre I can have no assurance in Men nor can I be saved by faith in Men. The general Objection made against this is The promise which Christ made unto his Church That the gates of Hell should not prevail against it and that he would be with the Apostles unto the Worlds end As for that other saying of our Saviour He that will not hear the Church let him be to thee as an Heathen and a Publican I can't but wonder that Men of any brains or modesty should so grosly abuse this saying spoken of several differences between Man and Man to be referred to the termination of the Church that is the Congregation of the Faithful which they usually and by order should assemble in and refer this to the Church in general in matters of Faith not in the least pointed at there Wherefore I pass this over as very impertinent and proceed to answer the former Objection of more weight yet no way concluding as they would have it No Man in the Christian World can more firmly believe than I do That the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it and that Christ will be with his Church unto the end of the World but I do not believe nor am I bound by Scripture to believe such Expositions as the Popish Church makes of this place By what authority doth the Romish Church challenge to themselves to be Expositors of Scriptures more than other Churches I find nothing for it in Scripture which is my Rule of Faith I proceed then to the business of general Councels Whether they may erre in some points of Faith and why not All the Evangelical Doctors grant the later general Councels have erred if so why not the former what promise had the former from Christ more than the later what period is there set in Scripture for their not erring or what promise is there at all for any not to erre The gates of Hell shall not prevail against the Church I grant what 's this to a General Council not the thousand part of the Clergy not the thousand thousand part of the Church which is Scripture is alwayes put for the whole Body of the Faithful though of late it be translated into quite another notion and taken for the Clergy only But you will say a General Councel is the representative of the whole Church what then what promise is made in Scripture that the representative shall not erre You further urge If the representative erre 't is probable the whole Church will receive their errour I answer We are now treating of matter of Faith which must not depend on humane probabilities but Divine certainties besides 't is not so probable the Church will receive the error of the representative We know the whole Church hath not received a Truth determined by them much loss an errour And I pray have not Councels been against Councels Put then the case a General Councel should erre in some matters you can't therefore say the whole Church hath erred the gates of Hell have prevailed against the Church I pray consider can you truly say the Great Turk hath prevailed against the Christian Army because he hath kill'd the thousand part of it and yet the greatest General Councel holds a less proportion to the whole Church But I will grant yet more Put the case the whole Church should deviate into some erroneous Superstitions had the Devil therefore prevailed against it Can I say I have prevailed against another Man because I gave him some slight hurt in his Leg or Thigh as long as his Head his Heart his Arm are whole he still is able to fight and wound me as bad or worse till the Devil can so wound the whole body of the Church as to destroy the Vitals the Fundamentals and make it no Church the gates of Hell can't be said to have prevailed against it Now God be blessed there have continued all along several Churches as great or greater than the Roman Church which have still maintained in defiance of Satan One God the Father of whom are all things and one Lord Iesus Christ by whom are all things and several other sound Doctrines of Christianity how then hath Satan prevailed when so many millions have waged war against him and upheld the Kingdom of God and his Christ The Scripture plainly tells us that in the dayes of Anti-Christ's great power the Church shall be driven into the wilderness scarce visible in the world neither Pope nor Devil hath yet so prevailed but as then Christ shall have so Christ hath still had a Church warring against Satan Sure no learned Papist will deny but that about the second Century the Millenaries were far the greater part of the Church scarce any writing Doctor in those dayes but had this error Did Satan then prevail And in St. Austin's dayes the necessity of Infants receiving the Lords Supper was so general and held so necessary a Principle that it was made use of to prove the necessity of Infant Baptism this Sacrament being to precede the other in those dayes a Lanthorn would have been necessary to find out a Church without this error Did Satan then prevail But say you No General Councel determined those errors why because none was called about them had any been called who can doubt but that they would have avowed that in the Councel which they all taught in their Churches No the Spirit of God would have preserved them from it Shew me that promise in Scripture if Gods Spirit did not preserve them from teaching the whole Church so I fear the Spirit would not have preserved them more in Council than in Congregation where all sucking in this error from their Infancy would hardly have quitted it by a determination in Council I humbly crave pardon for this bold presumption being lead into it
unless the Bishops received a new Commission to ordain as well as a new Ordination If it be answered That these Chorepiscopi were meer Priests sent forth to have inspection only over other Priests Then I pray observe that these Chorepiscopi being meer Priests took upon them to ordain other Priests which certainly had been madness for them to do had they then such a Belief of Bishops as is now required They might as well have undertaken to create Stars in the Heavens For if Bishops only have received a Divine power from Christ and his Apostles to ordain Priests he that hath not this divine power of Ordination can no more ordain a Priest than a Man without the divine power of Creation can create a Star both are impossible in nature from whence it must follow that these Country Bishops were directly mad in undertaking to ordain Priests having received no such divine power from Christ his Apostles or their Successors But if we take these Country Bishops for sober Godly Persons in their right witts as doubtless they were being selected for that Office they must needs believe that being Priests alone they had power to ordain other Priests and also believed that the Bishops having made them Overseers and Governors in their little Circuits they had also received thereby Commission to ordain as well as to govern and were as little Bishops under an Arch-Bishop for such really they were so that I can't in charity censure them so much as of contumacy in taking upon them more then they thought at least they had Commission to act I doubt not but the chief Bishop would be wary enough not to employ any contumacious persons I conclude then first That it was only a meer mistake an easie and pardonable mistake of their Commission Secondly That in those Times it was not thought an impossible thing for bare Priests no Bishops to ordain other Priests for then certainly they would never have undertaken it And I confess my self of their opinion and can't but so continue till I see more reason to the contrary And I hope my Reader will see what weak proofs are brought for this distinction and superiority of Order no Scripture no Primitive General Council no general consent of Primitive Doctors and Fathers no not one Primitive Father of Note speaking particularly and home to our purpose Only a touch of Epiphanius and St. Austin upon Aerius the Arrian Heretick but not declared no not by them an Heretick in this particular of Episcopacy so that I my self declare more particularly against him then these Fathers do accusing him of Heresie in part of his affirmation concerning Bishops though not in every part I shall conclude this business by giving my poor Judgment drawn from the preceeding Arguments I find in Scripture that the Priesthood is a holy Order into which no man is to thrust himself unless he be called I do not find that Deaconship hath an inferiour part in it or Episcopacy above it but that it is compleat and entire in it self and that it may involve many administrrtions in one and the same Order and sometimes many in one and the same person St. Iohn was an Apostle an Evangelist a Prophet a Pastor a Teacher an Ordainer which we call Bishop all these Gifts he had by one and the same Spirit and in one and the same Priesthood Christ himself was of this Order a Priest for ever after the Order of Melcbisedek that is both King and Priest these were his Offices he is called also the Bishop of our Souls Was this in Christ a distinct and superiour Office or Order to his Priesthood who will presume to affirm this And Christ told his Apostles As my Father sent me so send I you Christ therefore made them also Kings and Priests as St. Iohn tells us Rev. 1. Our Saviour's Kingdom was not of this World no more was that of the Apostles Our Saviour's Office of Priest and Bishop was one and the same so was that of the Apostles and they Ordained and sent others as Christ. Ordained and sent them there was no distinction or diversity of Order in Christ and his Apostles no more was there in those who were Ordained and sent by the Apostles though there might be diversity of Gifts or Administrations all were not Evangelists nor Prophets some had the gift of Tongues some of Prophesie some of Miracles some of discerning Spirits and some such Gift I conceive they might have whom the Apostles constituted superintendent Overseers Bishops over the rest endued especially with the Gift of Discerning and Judging of Men and therefore fit to be intrusted with the Ordaining of others for which there needed no new Order but the enlargement only of their Commission to Ordain to oversee and govern those that were Ordained And these as I said before being setled in this eminent manner over the rest were call'd by that name in Greek which signifies as much and which we in English call Bishop and by degrees this name was wholly appropriate to them In this order the Apostles left the Church at their death and in this order their Successors continued it as in duty sure they ought from time to time near one thousand five hundred years without any interruption Wherefore for any to alter this way of Government or to take upon them to Ordain not being chosen this way to it they would be guilty of great rashness and high presumption and I thank God I am as zealous for the preserving this Primitive way as any Man Yet I cannot by any means consent to them who would have Episcopacy to be a distinct Order for the Reasons before given nor can I think the Ordination of a Priest made by Priests invalid for though it ought not be done but only of necessity yet being done 't is valid and certainly may without any crime be done by any Priest by shipwrak or any such chance cast into a Country where there were none Commissionated to Ordain in such a case he might and ought to Ordain other fit Persons for the Service of God and Preaching of the Gospel For who can doubt but that the Substance is to be preferred before Ceremony And as St. Paul approved of the Preaching of Christ out of envy rather than no Preaching so doubtless to Ordain out of order is better than no Ordination and the Church of Christ be deprived of Preaching Praying and Administring the Sacraments and all other Pastoral Duties so great necessity may well excuse any irregularity Yet where Order can possibly be observed it ought to be for God is the God of Order Wherefore he that wilfully transgresses against Order transgresses against God and shall receive to himself damnation for if to resist the Ordinance of Man only in humane and temporal things be damnation much more is it to resist an Apostolick Ordinance in things Spiritual and Divine Concerning Deacons HAving thus stated and united the two pretended distinct
into all and understand the behaviour of each Pastor under him to admonish and chastise when there was cause Whereas with us partly by great distance of Cities partly by the favour of former Princes several Towns being cast into one Diocess they became so large as 't is impossible any one Bishop should have a sufficient inspection into them As I said before of great Parishes so here of Diocesses the Bishop knows not the names nor faces of half or a quarter of them much less their behaviour he may have as well a part of France in his Diocess to govern And as for their Triennial and Circuity Visitations they signifie just nothing as to this 't is a meer money business to pay procurations to the Bishop fees to Chancellors Registers c. the Bishop indeed usually makes a Speech unto them and a Sermon is preach't by some one of them wherein perchance good Admonitions are given but what knowledge can the Bishop by this have of their lives or doctrine or diligence If he continue long there he may learn a few more names or faces scarce any thing more I humbly conceive this ought to be redressed and the Diocess bronght into that compass that each Bishop may be a Bishop in Government as well as in Title and Authority over them But if the Diocesses be divided less and Bishops more encreased where shall we have maintenance for so many Bishops some having too little already When ever I shall see the Clergy of this Nation Congregated by his Majesties Authority resolved in good earnest to reform and establish all according to the holy Constitutions of the Primitive Times and come to this last mentioned contracting the bonds and in number encreasing the Diocesses and Bishops for them I 'le undertake to propose wayes both rational and conscientious of providing convenient maintenanee for all but I desire to be excused at present least greedy Harpies make ill use of my zealous intentions And so I proceed to consider a second abuse in Church Government which is Exempt Jurisdictions a thing altogether unknown to Antiquity and brought in by Papal Tyranny The Popes at the height of their usurped dominion taking upon themselves to be head of the Christian Churches to be the Universal Bishop thereof and all other to be but their Curates took then upon them also among other matters to exempt from the power of â—â—y their under Bishops whomsover they Pleased And out of policy to have the more Creatures and Vassals immediately depending on them in every Kingdom and Nation to stickle for them with Kings and Princes on all occasions did for the most part exempt all Monasteries who with their near Relations and Tenants made a great part of the Kingdom from the Jurisdiction of the Bishop they exempted also several Deans and Chapterss several peculiar Chappels several Arch-Deaconries and other and some of these were endowed with Archiepiscopal Jurisdiction in their Precincts wherein they acted whatever they pleased without controul of any but their Popeships All which would have appeared a confused madness in Primitive times when for any person to have been out of the Jurisdiction of all Bishops was to have been quite out of the Church and would have been lookt upon as a Heathen and Infidel according to the Primitive practice in all Ages till Papal usurpation And therefore all these Exempt Jurisdictions are meer Papal and if duely examined will be found opposite to the established Laws of this Kingdom since the reformation from Popery as they are directly opposite to the Primitive Canons of the Church before Popery was known or heard of And by reason of these Exempt Jurisdictions great disputes and great frauds arise between the Bishop and them and the poor Clergy are so pild and pold by them both that they are forc't to go in threadbare Coats whilst the several Officers of both grow fat and fair by fees extracted from them Wherefore I humbly conceive the Bishops with the rest of the Clergy are bound in conscience to implore the Assistance of both Houses of Parliament to Petition His Majesty for the redress of these abuses by Pious Laws Setling the Church Government in the Primitive purity and authority which most evidently was very great and as greatly reverenced Bishops being the persons to whom Christ and his Apostles committed the Souls of Men bought with the precious blood of Christ to whom be glory and to his holy Spouse the Church be all Sacred Authority for ever Amen A Charitable Admonition to all Non-Conformists MY beloved in Christ you see how earnestly I have pleaded for you to the Fathers and Governors of our Church that they would graciously condescend to abolish some Ceremonies in the Church that they may receive you into it but yet I have no great hopes that they will hearken to me you your selves for whom I plead destroy my hope for they presently dash me in the teeth saying go rather and perswade the Sons in duty to submit to their Fathers then Fathers to yield to Sons and can you deny but of the two you are rather to submit You think to excuse this by saying Were it not against your Conscience you would submit but you dare not for fear of displeasing God his holy Word forbids you I beseech you shew me in his holy Word any one clear sentence against any one Ceremony commanded in our Church you see plainly I am not biast to any one Ceremony and I am sure I have read the Scripture all over several times and I humbly conceive 't is no pride of heart if I think I understand Scripture as well as you and for my part I cannot find any one condemning Sentence in Scripture But you have the Spirit of God enlightening you which I want by this rule you may affirm any thing out of Scripture and I should be as mad in disputing against you as you in affirming it 't is madness for a blind man as you conceive me to be to dispute of colours therefore if you are so void of all reason as to expect your bare affirmation that you have light ought to convince all gain-sayers I shall not trouble my self or you to gainsay you farther but address my self to others who soberly undertake to shew me such Texts as an unbiast Christian willing and desirous to submit to all Scripture Truths as I am sure I am may discover the truth of them and I desire those sober undertakers to show me any one such clear Text to excuse their non-conforming as I show them for their conforming Submit your selves to every ordinance of man c. 1 Pet. 2. 13. and Obey them that have the rule over you and submit Heb. 13. 17. These are as clear as the Sun that you ought to obey Now if the Text you bring be not so clear but doubtful I beseech you is your conscience so bold against a clear Text and so timerous at a doubtful Text is this