reproachfull Epithites of Trimmers Gadders and Changlings as the Product of discontented Spirits that did not know when they were well or at leastwise would not And then in Chap. 6. he follows his Charge and Reproves them 1. For a stubborn Refusal to walk in the Antient ways of the Church 2. For Revolting from them by a perpetual Backsliding Ver. 28. 3. For being no better than Reprobate Silver And in Chap. 18 He calls upon them to Return from the Evil of their own new Ways to walk in the Antient and true ways of God from which they were without any just Cause ungratfully and unkindly departed But instead of hearkning to him they gave him this resolute Answer at ver 12 There is no Hope but we will walk after our own Devices and we will every one do the Imaginations of his own Heart To which dreadful Answer of theirs the Prophet makes this lamentable Reply ver 13. Therefore thus saith the Lord Ask ye now amongst the Heathen who hath heard such things the Virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing And again at ver 15. he pronounceth a dreadful Sentence against them in the Name of the Lord in this Form of Words Because my People have forgotten me and have burnt Incense to Vanity and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the Antient Paths to walk in Paths in a way not cast up I must confess I have had great searching of Heart what the meaning of the Peoples words might be in the first Part of their Answer viz. There is no Hope Certainly it could not be There is no Hope of Salvation For the close of their Answer imports the contrary for they said We will walk after our own Devices and we will every one do the Imaginations of his own Heart It seems by this Answer that they did intend to serve God some way or other but it must be in such a way as pleased them and in no other way did they intend to walk So that I understand by these Words of theirs There is no hope they mean that the Prophet had no hope of Reclaiming them from following their own ways that he might as well hold his Peace and say nothing as to persuade them to return from their new Practice that they had taken up to Repair to the Antient ways of God and so eager and to earnest and so intent and resolute were they to make good their seditious Words that they were making ready to run a way from him and get out of the hearing of him and this is clear if we consider the words of the Prophet in Chap. 2. 25. His Words There are these Wiâ—h hold thy Foot from being unshod and thy Throat from thirst but thou saidst there is no Hope no for I have loved Strangers and after them will I go They were putting off their Shooes to run in their Vamps with more speed and hast to get out of his sight and hearing and such a thirsty desire had they after strange Novelties that they could not stay so long with the Prophet as to give him the hearing of what it was that he had further to say to them For he would willingly have Reasoned with them butthey were in such hast that they would not stay to hear the sound of his Trumpet sound a retreat to them to return to the good old way that they had cast behind their Backs and at last by their frequent refusing to hear him and the snapishanswer that they gave him He calls Heaven and Earth to bear Witness against them in such Words as these Be astonished O ye Heavens at this And be horribly affraid Chap. 2 12. And then with bitter Sighs calls to the Earth O! Earth Earth Earth Hear the Words of the Lord. Chap. 22. 19. and elsewhere Chap. 6. 17 18 19 20. Where after he hath spoken these Words I set Watchmen over you saying Hearken to the sound of the Trumpet But they said We will not hearken He then proceeds in his Appeal to his former Evidence Therefore here ye Nations and know O Congregation what is amongst them Hear O Earth behold I will bring Evil upon this People even the Fruit of their thoughts because they have not hearkned unto my Word but Rejected it To what purpose cometh there to me Incense from Sheba and the sweet Cane from a far Country Your Offerings are not acceptable nor your Sacrifices sweet unto me From whence you may observe if ye will that the true God accepts of no kind of Service done to him that hath not the stamp of his antient High way upon it Enquire of all the Prophets and you will not find one of them that doth not sharply reprove and inveigh against all sorts of Scismaticks that have forsaken the plain High-wayes of Salvation to follow the Dictates of their own Hearts and devise to themselves new ways of Worshipping God and that every one of them did put the Trumpet to his Mouth and sound a Retreat to them to return to the High-way of Salvation wherein God had formerly led them I Confess we are under a Cloud of God's Anger and the Rod of his displeasure is upon us especially in our Divisions about Sacred things for if Unity Peace and Concord in a Kingdom owning Christ for our Lord and Saviour be one of the choice Blessings that we can wish for under Heaven then certainly by the rule of Contraries Divisions Discords and Dissentions are one of the greatest Plagues and Curses that can possibly â—all upon such a Kingdom and People upon Earth If Divisions bring Desolations to a well setled Common-wealth so will Divisions in the Church at last bring ruine and desolation to Religion and make us worse than the Heathen For a People so divided are in the High way to all sorts of Miseries as Christ hath assured and experience taught us If any one beneath Christ had asserted such a thing I might have mistrusted his Prediction but when the only begotten Son of God who is truth it self and therefore can not possibly lie for he is his Fathers true and faithful Witness of all things past present and to come And was not this the Voice of the Eternal Father from Heaven This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear ye him And is not this his saying A Kingdom divided against it self cannot stand but is brought to desolation that is puts the Kingdom where such Divisions are into the direct way of Desolation and Destruction Now I say that since the Son of God hath spoken the Word I dare not give him the lie by thinking that a Nation divided in it self can possibly stand in a state of security Therefore did he give this Advice and Charge to his Disciples to have Salt in themselves and to be at Peace one with another Certainly it was the same thing that the Prophet Jenemiah aimed at in that Word of Advice which with grief of
to Posterity that no Man hereafter shall dare to think other wise of thy Majesty then becometh him and my Ministry shall be approved to proceed from thy Direction But if those Crimes be truly urged which are Inforced against me then let the Curses Return and light on my own Head and let those whom I have Cursed live in safety and thus exacting a Punishment from those that disturb thy People keep the rest of the Multitude in Peace Concord and Observation of thy Commandments secure and void of that Punishment which is due unto wicked Men for that it is contrary to thy Justice that the Innocent Multitude of the Israelites should answer their misdeeds and suffer their Punishments Whilest he spake these Words and intermixed them with Tears the Earth instantly trembled and shaking began to remove after such a manner as when by the Violence of the Wind a great Billow of the Sea floteth and Waltereth hereat were all the People amazed but after that a horrible and shattering noise was made about their Tents and the Earth opened and swallowed them up both them and all that which they esteemed dear which was after a manner so exterminated as nothing remained of theirs to be beheld where upon in a Moment the Earth closed again and the vast gaping was fast shut so as there appeared not any sight of that which had happened Thus perished they all leaving behind them an example of Gods Power and Judgments And this Accident was the more miserable in that there was not any one of their Kinsfolk and Allies that had Compassion on them so that all the People whatsoever forgetting these things that were past did allow Gods Justice with Joyful Acclamations esteeming them unworthy to be bemoaned but to be beheld as the Plague and Perverters of the People After that Dathan with his Family was extinguished Moses Assembled all those that contended for the Priest-Hood committing again the Election of the Priest-Hood unto God that the Estate thereof should be Confirmed to him whose Sacrifice should be most acceptable in God's sight for which cause the Two Hundred and Fifty Men Assembled themselves who were both Honoured for the Vertue of their Ancesters and for their own Abilities far greater than theirs with those also stood Aaron and Chore and all of them Offered with their Censers before the Tabernacle with Perfumes such as they brought with them when so great a Fire shone as neither the like was ever kindled by Mans Hand nor usually breaketh from the Bowels of the burning Earth nor was ever quickned in the Woods in the Summer-time by a Southern Breeze But such a one as seemed to be kind in Heaven most brightsom and flaming By force and Power whereof those Two Hundred and Fifty Men together with Chore were so Consumed that there scarce appeared any Relicks of their Carcases only Aaron remained untouched to the end it might appear that this Fire came from Heaven These things thus brought to pass Moses intending to leave a perpetual Memory to Posterity of that Punishment to the end they should not be igorant of it Commanded Eleazer the Son of Aaron to Consecrate their Censers affixed to the Brazen Altar that by Reason of this Monument all Men might be terrified who think that the Divine Power can be Circumvented by Humane Policy THE BANNER OF Corah Dathan and Abiram Display'd and their SIN Discover'd In several SERMONS Preach'd at BRISTOLL Numbers xvi xxiii xxiv xxv xxvi And the Lord Spake unto Moses saying Speak unto the Congregation of Israel saying Get you up from about the Tabernacle of Corah Dathan and Abiram And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram and the Elders of Israel followed him And he spake unto the Congregation saying Depart I pray you from the Tents of â—hese wicked Men and touch nothing of theirs least ye be Consumed in all their Sins ISrael was once Gods choicest Jewel snatch'd forth of the Fire of sore Affliction A People wonderfully Redeemed with a Mighty Hand and Stretched out Arm of Heavenly Power from cruel and bitter Bondage A People thorowly Taught and Instructed in the Sacred Oracles of God and purest of his ways A People fed with Bread from Heaven for Man did eat Angels Food A People that had God and Christ for their Guide and Conduct and Angels and the best of Men for their Guards and Governors A People that wanted no Mercy nor Blessing that either Heaven or Earth could aford And yet from amongst this People did such a Root of Bitterness spring up and such a deadly Sin a deadly Sin appear'd which did more highly provoke the Lord to Anger and more hotly kindle the Fire of his Jealousie and wrathfull Indignation than either the Sin of Sodom or the Wickedness of Egypt For when the Lord sent his Angels to destroy Sâ—â—om for their Sins of Pride and fulness of Bread Idleness and hard Heartedness to the Poor he meekly heard Abrahams Petition for them and patiently suffered him to Pray and Interceed for them as long a sin reason he could desire O Let not the Lord be Angery saith he and I will speak but this once Peradventure there shall be Ten that is Ten Righteous Persons found there and the Lord said I will not destâ—oy it for Ten sake Gen. 18. 32. And before he Executed his Judgments upon Egypt for their unjust Dealings and exercise of Cruelty upon this very self same People in my Text he treated with Pharaoh from day to day by Moses and Aaron with Signs and Wonders to try if he would soften his hard Heart towards them But for the Sin of these his lately and for a long time beloved People he was so deeply incensed against them that he hastily and suddenly commanded Moses and Aaron to separate themselves from them that he might Consume them in a Moment ver 21. The first thing then before I come to the Words of my Text must be to enquire what their Sin was that so we may the more readily and easily understand the Doctrine we are to learn from thence Their Sin and Wickedness under the cloak and colour of Holiness is drawn up in a brief Remonstrance in ver 3 in these Words They gathered themselves togather against Moses and against Aaron and said unto them ye take too much upon you seeing all the Congregation are Holy every one of them and the Lord is amongst them wherefore then lift ye up your selues above the Congregation of the Lord. In which bold Remonstrance of theirs there are four Articles which they xehibited in foro in open Court two directly against Moses and Aaron one pretendedly for God and the other point blank for themselves 1. In the First they draw up a charge against Moses and Aaron for exceeding the Bounds of their Commission Ye take too much upon you ye do more than you can justifie more than ye have Warrant from God to do This Lordliness of yours is not
flourish and spread it self in the sight of all the Redeemed Tribes of Israel that they could not see nor perceive the Serpent at the Root Israel was Gods chosen People above all Nations upon the face of the Earth and these Men the choisest of all Israel Psal 78. 31. Having now considered them in their Generations and Qualifications it remains that we consider them in their Estimation in what Esteem they were both with God and the People And 1. That they were once in high Esteem with God Moses himself acknowledgeth it in ver 8 9. And Moses said unto Corah Hear I pray you ye Sons of Levi Seemeth it a small thing to you that the God of Israel hath separated you from all Israel to bring you near to himself to do the Service of the Tabernacle and to stand before the Congregation to Minister unto them And that they werein great Credit and Esteem with the People we have their own words for it in ver 41. But on the Morrow all the Congregation of Israel Murmured against Moses and against Aaron Saying ye have Killed the People of the Lord. How strong were the delusions of these Men When notwithstanding the visible and unheard of Judgments which the Lord Plagued them with In causing the Earth to open her Mouth and swallow up some of them and Fire from Heaven to consume the rest Yet on the Morrow whilest these things were fresh in their sight and memory they could tell Moses and Aaroâ— with murmuring Words that they were guilty of Murder in the the Death of these Men Ye have Killed the People of the Lord. Ye have not only lifted up you selves and made your selves Lords over Gods Heritage but Treacherously and Cruely Murdered the Saints and People of God Thus did they by way of Recrimination charge the Meekest and Faithfullest Man upon the face of the Earth with the Guilt of the greatest Wickedness that could possibly be Committed And doubtless had they had an Armed Power answerable to their Envious and Arrogant Hearts they would have Erected a Sanedrim of their own and Arraigned him as Guilty of the Death of all the Israelites that dyed for their Wickedness in the Wilderness since the Day that they came up out of the Land of Egypt till then Just so the worst of Hellish Villanes except Judas and Julian the Apostates Araigned the best of Kings Jesus Christ excepted King Charles the First I mean as Guilty of all that Blood that had been shed in the three Kingdoms of England Ireland and Scotland in the time of those unnatural and Bloody Wars continued for so many dreadful Years of that Pious Prince's Raign And here I could willingly make a Digression from my matter in hand by saying That I could wish that my Head were Waters and mine Eyes Fountains of Tears that I might Weep Day and Night not only for the Sins of mine own unstable Heart but for the ensuing Miseries which without speedy and unfeigned Repentance will certainly fall upon the Church of God in these Kingdoms the Lord hath shak'd his Rod at us for several Years past nor hath he yet laid it aside for the noise of it is still in our Ears and we seem to take little or no notice of it as if we did either stop our Ears at it and so refuse to hear it or by a careless slighting of it make a puff at it or were wholly void of Sence and Reason not to understand the meaning of it like those whom the Prophet Isaiah exclaim'd against chap. 1. ver 3. The Ox knoweth his owner and the Ass his Masters Crib but Israel doth not know my People doth not consider I must confess it is very sad to think that when God condescends to speak to poor Mortal Creatures in so many different ways as he hath done to the People of these Kingdoms and so few of us understand his meaning in any of them That we should be so destitute of Evangelical Wisdom that we should neither Hear nor See nor Tast nor Feel God in the various Dispensations of his Providences but continue in a senceless stupid dull frame of Spirit as if we resolved to walk contrary to his Providences be they what they will But least a larger Digression should divert your Thoughts from the Subject I am discoursing of I will immediately return to them where I left them and shew you more of their Sin and Wickedness for so strangly and so strongly were these Israelites ensnared and bound with the Cords and Chains of this spiritual Delusion and so cheated by the seeming Holyness of these eminent and famous Men that they adventur'd to Canonize them for Saints after they were dead altho' they died Impenitent Rebels And a probable Reason why they had such an esteem for them after they were dead was either because the Two Hundred and Fifty Men Confederates with Corah Justified their doings to the Face of Moses in the Tabernacle of the Lord and in the presence of God and died with Censors in their Hands and Incense burning thereon Or else it was because they intended to play over again the same Game that their Brethren had lost and so prove a second Brood of Religious Rebels That this is more then probable the words in ver 42. do plainly demonstrate for do but mark the Words And it came to pass when the Congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaroâ— that they looked toward the Tabereacle of the Congregation and behold the Cloud covered it and the Glory of the Lord appeared Hence it is very evident that these Chips of the old Block were resolved to revive the good old Cause of their deceased Friends and had not the Lord again Graciously preserved his Church this last Seditious Commotion might have been worie than the former For Corah and his Company did but charge Moses and Aaron with the Sin of self-promotion But these Off-spring of theirs charge them with the shedding of Innocent Blood even the Blood of the People of the Lord and so might pretend that God had put into their Hand the Sword of Vengeance for Innocent Blood These things being well weighed and considered without doubt this was the Root and Rise of their Sin The high conceit which they had of their own Knowledge and Holyness together with the Applause and Estimation which they had with the People had so lifted them up with Pride that they thought themselves so full of Knowledge and so Holy and in both so perfect that their Consciences would not suffer them to live any longer in obedience to a written Law that is to such a Law or to such Rules and Orders as should be delivered to them by any other hand then their own And this is clear if we consider the time of their publick discovering of it and we shall find that it was immediately upon Moses's pressing them to a strickt Observation of an harmless Ceremony for Decency and Order to
reciprocally it is a thing most reasonable that they which receive it should always enjoy it since God himself had given them both the Assurance and Confirmation God therefore will once more Determine who amongst you shall be chosen to Offer Sacrifice unto him and to take charge of those things which appertain to Piety for it is a most Absurd Matter that Chore should have Power to desire a Dignity and that God should be deprived of that Authority to dispose the same as best liked him Cease therefore to Mutiny amongst your selves and to be troubled upon these Occasions and let every one of you that desire the Priest-Hood to Morrow bring each of you his Censer with Perfume and Fire from his House But thou O Chore give place unto God and expect his Election neither Arrogate to thy Self a greater Authority than God hath but come thou also amongst the rest of thy Competitors in this Honour to hear his Judgment neither see I cause why Aaron should not be there also present to be Judged with thee in that hitherto he hath Virtuously and Uprightly behaved himself in that Office and is likewise of the same Tribe and Race that thou art off Ye shall likewise offer Incense in the Presence of all the People and when the Perfume shall be past let him whose Sacrifice shall be most Acceptable in Gods sight be declared and published for the High-Priest so shall I be acquit of that Slander which is so wrongfully urged against me whereby I am charged upon my own particular Grace and Favour to have bestowed the Office of the Priest-Hood on my Brother After that Moses had spoken in this manner the People gave over Murmuring and forbear suspecting Moses allowing in themselves all that which had been spoken as being profitable for the Common-Wealth so that hereupon they dismissed the Assembly The next Day the People reassembled themselves together to assist the Sacrifice and to hear the Strife decided amongst the Competitors neither was this Assembly without Tumult for the whole Multitude were in suspence in expectation of the Event and some of them were desirous that Moses might be Convicted of Deceit But such as were of the wiser sort amongst them desired an end of the Sedition for they feared least the Common-Wealth should be utterly ruinated if the Tumult should proceed any further the Multitude likewise being desirous of Novelties and prone to speak evil of their Magistrates were diversâ—y disposed upon every Occurrent Moses also sent his Servants to Dathan and Abiram to Summonsthem to Appear according to the Covenant and Accord to attend the Issue of the Sacrifice but their Answer was that they would not Obey him nor that they would any longer permit that Moses by his subtil and sinister Devices should signorize over the People Which when Moses understood he took divers of the Elders amongst the People with him and being no ways moved with the Contumacy of Dathan be came unto him being willingly Attended by those who were drawn to Accompany him Now when Dathan and his Friends understood that Moses with the Nobles came unto them both they their Wives and Children Assembled themselves before the Tabernacle expecting that which might ensue They likewise came Guarded with their Servants who were Armed to Oppose themselves against Moses if so be he should offer them any Violence But no sooner drew he near unto them but that lifting up his Hands towards Heaven he Cryed out with a loud Voice in the hearing of the whole Multitude and Prayed after this manner O God! said he thou Lord over all that which either Heaven Earth or Sea containeth thou art a sufficient Witness with me of all my Actions for that I have managed all things by thy Will And thou art he who hast given me Power to Execute my purposes Thou that always in Commiseration of the Hebrews hast been my perpetual Help and Assistance Hear this my Prayer for nothing that is either done or thought can be hidden from thee for which Cause I hope thou wilt not Disdain to Testifie and Justifie the Truth and manifest the Ingratitude of these Men. Thou dost exactly know the Antiquity of my Race now also Testifie the Truth for me in those things which these Men altho' they know the contrary are not ashamed to impute unto me at such time as I led a Peaceable Life And that by thy Council I forsook the Possession of my Goods and the Fruition of my Peace to Engage my self in these Miseries which I have suffered for these Men. And first of all for their Liberty and now likewise for their Safety I have readily undertaken grievious Travels now therefore since I am grown into Suspition amongst these Men who by my Care and Providence have escaped so many Mischiefs and Miseries Thou that appearedst unto me in that Fire on the Mountain of Sinai and Vouchsafest to speak unto me and to Confirm me by the sight of Miracles that in thy Name sentst me a Messenger into Egypt and hast given me Means to escape their Servitude And hast made Pharaoh's power and Armies inferior to my Fortunes that when we were ignorant of our Ways thou gavest a Passage through the Sea in whose Bottom and Womb the Egyptians were Drowned that gavest us Arms when we were unweaponed that madest the bitter Waters Savory and fit to be drank of and in our scarcity of Water forced Drink for us out of the Bowels of the hard Rock when we found no Meat on the Land thou did send it us from the Sea Moreover as a thing never hard of before afforded us Meat from Heaven and hast Established our State with Laws and Customs Be thou O Lord my Judge in all things and my Impartial Witness that I have neither bin Corrupted by any Bribe of any Particular Hebrew to favour Injustice nor that I bave suffered a Poor Man in his just Cause to loose his Right against a Rich Adversary And now having Administred the Common-Wealth will all Sincerity I am called in Question for a Crime whereof I am altogether Guiltless as if I had bestowed the Priest-Hood on my Brother for private Affection and not for thy Command sake Make it known that all things are disposed of by thy Providence and that nothing is brought to Effect by Casualty but by thy special Ordinance and to Express that thou hast care of the Hebrews Testify the same by thy just Punishment Inflicted on Dathan and Abiram who Accuse thee to be Insencible and boast that thou art Circumvented by my Subtilies But thou shalt make thy Revenge more notorious against the unbridled Detracters of thy Glory if they Perish after no common Manner least any Man should suspect that they suffer nothing Inhumane But let the Earth which they unworthily tread on open it self and swallow them up both with their Faculties and Families By this means both thy Power will manifestly appear unto all Men and thou shalt leave an Example
Heart he gave to Jerusalem a little befere they were carried away Captive into Babilon Chap. 6. 8. Be thou Instructed O Jerusalem Least my Soul depart from thee least I make thee Desolate a Land not Inhabited 'T is true that such Offences will come but woe be to them by whom they do come o ye think that Christ the Prince of Peace will Patronize your Divisions Will ye lay the Burthen of Spiritual Wickedness upon his Back and by force of strange Arguments compel him to bear another Cross This would be one way to Crucifie him afresh and to press him down as a Cart is pressed with Sheaves Are the Divisions of Christians pleasing to God Do ye think that Christ takes it well at your Hands to Foment so many Divisions as ye have crumbled your selves into since ye have left our Church Is the Study of Divisions the visible mark of Christianity Is this to do the Will of God on Earth as it is done in Heaven Are there any sort of Dissâ—nters there No. The Angels were never known since the Fall to fall out amongst themselves either in Heaven above or in any Service that they have been imployed in for Christ upon Earth There is no Strife or Contention amongst them they serve Christ with one Consent and Praise him with one Voice they all Glorifie his name in one Form of sound Words and Perseverance in the same Those two Servants of Christ the Evangelical Prophet Isaiah and the great Evangelist St. John do both agree in their Testimonies concerning this thing The Testimony of the Prophet is written in Chap. 6. 3. And one Cried unto another and said Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole Earth is full of his Glory The Testimony of the Evangelist is written in the Book of the Revelation Chap. 4. 8. And they Rest not Day and Night saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come You may plainly perceive by these Sacred Records that there are no Dissenters in Heaven that the Angels do serve Christ in Unity of Spirit and in Uniformity of Words So that we may easily gess who were the first Dissenters even the fallen Angels and therefore the name of a Dissenter can be no Glory to the Professors of the Christian Religion But that the fallen Angels were the first Dissenters from the way of Truth The Blessed Jesus in whom are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge hath put the Question out of Doubt in his Discourse with the Pharisees in John 8. 44. Where after they had told Christ that Abraham was their Father and that God was their Father Christ tells them plainly that they were Related to neither but that they were of their Father the Devil and the Lusts of your Father will ye do for he was a Murderer from the beginning and abode not in the Truth From these Words of our Saviour we may understaud what the Devils Sin is for which they are Reserved in Chains of Darkness unto the Judgment of the great Day Also From Christ's Words here it is evident that the fallen Angels did know the Truth and by their Unbelief fell from it and of pure and upright Angels became unclean Spirits and Devils For as no Man can be blamed for not abiding in a House wherein he never was neither would Christ have blamed the Devils for not abiding in the Truth if they had not known it and been Instructed in it Wherefore did Christ call Judas Devil Have I not chosen Twelve and one of you is a Devil Was it not because he knew the Truth and Preach'd the Truth and afterwards became an Enemy to it and betrayed his Lord and Master that had taught and Instructed him in it as by his Confession before he Hanged himself it was too manifest A Christians Eternal Happiness consists chiefly in two things A true Faith and an Holy Life A Judgment rightly inform'd in matters of Faith and a Conversation rightly ordered in the Practical Duties of true Holiness Those Men and Women whose Lives and Conversations are Holy are Baptized with the Holy Ghost and they that are truly Zealous for the Honour of God's Holy Name are Baptized with Fire so that to be Holy in our Lives and Zealous in our Spirits for the Glory of the Holy God is an outward Testimony of the inward Baptism of the Holy Ghost and with Fire precedent to which is the Baptism of Water the Gate of Enterance into an outward Profession of the Gospel Now both these Pillars of the Christian Religion are apparently to be seen in the Doctrine and Prayers of our Church to all that have not shut their Eyes against it nor turn'd their Back upon it I am bold therefore to say that the Service of God in our Church is Holy because it is Founded in the Holy Scriptures Composed of Precepts Examples or Commands Collected out of the Holy Scriptures Therefore many of our Prayers are called by the Name of Collests because they are Collected out of those Portions of Holy Scripture that are Appointed to be Read that Day that they are used All the Hymns that we use both at Morning and Evening Prayer are the very Words of the Holy Scriptures or clearly deduced from them Those that Composed it and set it in that Sacred Order as it is now Established by Law were Dr. Cranmer Arch-Bishop of Canterbury Dr. Ridly Bishop of London Dr. Hooper Bishop of Gloucester Dr. Latimer Bishop of Worcester Dr. Thirlby Bishop of Ely Dr. Day Dean of Chichester Dr. Tayler and Dr. Cox Almoner to King Edward 6 th with divers other Pious Learned Holy and Faithful Men who out of a Godly Zeal and Sacred purpoâ—e to advance the Glory of God the Gospel of Christ ' and the Salvation of Souls Formed these Prayers for the Service of Almighty God that his Houâ—e might be called as Christ and the Prophets foretold An House of Prayer for all People suitable to the State and Condition of all sorts of the Sons and Daughters of Men High and Low Rich and Poor Bond and Free Wise and Foolish Learned and Unlearned Saints and Sinners and all that Profess the Gospel of Christ may in one pure Language and Form of sound Words call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one consent for the only Wise God hath promised it by the Mouth of the Prophet Zephaniah Chap. 3. Ver 8 9. Therefore wait ye upon me saith the Lord until the Day that I rise up to the Prey for my Determination is to gather the Nations that I may assemble the Kingdoms to pour upon them mine Indignation even all my fierce Anger for all the Earth shall be devoured with the Fire of my Jealoucy For then will I turn to the People a pure Language that they may all call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one Consent If all Scripture given by Inspiration is profitable for Doctrine
is a wife Man and endued with Knowledge among you Let him shew out of a good Conversation his Works with Meekness of Wisdom But if ye have bitter Envying and Strife in your Hearts glory not and lie not against the truth This Wisdom descendeth not from above but is Earthly sensual Devilish For where Envying and Strife is there is Confusion and every evil work But the Wisdom that is from above is first Pure then Peaceable then gentle and easie to be intreated full of Mercy and good Fruits without Partiality or wrangling and the Fruit of Righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace Do ye not know that the Church of God is built upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets whereof Christ Jesus the anointed Saviour was the corner stone And do ye not know that all of them have from time to time declaimed against all sorts of false Doctrin Heresie and Scism and declared for Unity Peace and Concord amongst all that proâ—ess the Christian Religion If ye have forgotten these things be not angry with me if I bring to your Remembrance the Testimonies of some of the Prophets who have given their suffrage to this Assertion The first is that of the Prophent Isaiah Chap. 35. 8. And an High-way shall be there and it shall be called the way of Holiness Now thus much I am bold to say in Vindication of the Publick Service of our Churâ—h that it is not only Formally an High-Way but really a Way of true Holiness and Righteousnuss if we can but frame our Lives and Conversations thereunto and obediently answer God in the things we pray for without which no one can walk in the Light of God's Countenance upon Earth nor ever see his Face in the Kingdom of Heaven The next is the Prophet Jeremiah chap. 31. 9. I will cause them to walk by the Rivers of water in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble And then at ver 21. he explains his meaning in this ver saying Set thee up Marks make the high heaps set thine Heart toward the High-Way even the way which thou wentest turn again O Virgin of Israel It seems by these Words of this Prophet that the People did formerly walk in the common High-way of Salvation but now they had forsaken it and drawn away many after them and caused them to stumble into their ways from the antient Paths to walk in Paths in a way not cast up i. e. to make a Profession of such a Religion which had neither Fence nor Bounds nor Form nor Method and so at last to make their Land desolate chap. 18. ver 15 16. I could instance the Testimonies of several other Prophets but two such Witnesses as these two Prophets were and such great Sufferers as they were for witnessing against the Scism that was raised against the Church of God in the time of their Prophecying may be sufficient to convince any unbiast Person that the increase and continuance of Scism in a Kingdom are sure Harbingers to the Ruin and Deâ—truction of it They that will not believe this will not believe Moses and the Prophets and they that will not believe them neither will they believe tho' one should arise from the Dead with the Flames of Hell-Fire about him But haply some one or other may ask this Question what is the Foundation of Scism or whence doth it arise Why truly the question is worth asking and the Answer if I rightly apprehend it may do some good to the Church of God for the time to come however under Correction I will give my Judgment upon it and if it can plainly appear that I am mistaken in my Judgment I shall ingeniously confess that I am a Man and not God and therefore may err The Question is whence Scism ariseth I Answer Scism ariseth from hence when a Man of Knowledge and deep Understanding in the Mystery of Godliness which he had attained unto by his constant attendance on the the publickâ— Ministry of the Word and Service of the Church at length begins to grow weary of serving God in the Highway of Salvation and to think in himself that he knows as much or more than his own Minister can teach him and that he can make better and longer Prayers than the common Prayers of the Church are he is not at rest till he hath found out a creeping hole of â—islike at something or other tho' it be but some harmâ—ess Ceremony and so having once disgusted it he resolves to dissert the Communion of the Church and then is at a Stand in himself what to do or what Society of Men to associate with just like a Man that hath variety of Business with divers Men in several Places and not yet resolv'd whither to go first takes his Staff in his Hand and at the door sets it as upright as possibly he can and that way that his Staff falls that way he steers his Course So likewise do those knowing Men that for little or no cause forsake the publiqué Assemblies of our Church set up the Staff of Conscience and towards what Society of Men it falls thither they trudge Such a Similitude as this doth that smart Prophet Hosea Uâ—e when he reprov'd the humersom and Headstrong Tribe of Ephraim and the unstable Tribe of Juda for their easie Compliance with new-fáshion'd Altars and making a new Covenant and for taking new Measures of Divine Worship and justling out that which was before established bâ— the Law of God Now this similitude of the Prophet is written in the 4th Chapter of his Prophesie Ver. 12 13. My People ask council of their stocks i. e. their stock of knowledge and their staff declareth unto them for the spirit of whoredoms that is of Spiritual Whoredoms hath caused them to err and they have gone a whoring from under their God They sacrifice upon the tops of the Mountains and burn Incense upon the Hills under Oaks and Poplars and Elms. Thus Scism sprung up like Hemlock amongst the Backsliding Israelites and thus it sprang up amongst the English Deus dabit his quoque finem The Lord in Mercy put an end to our Divisions for they are very many great and very destructive for A Kingdom divided cannot stand well A Parliament divided cannot make Laws well A Church divided cannot pray well A Clergy divided cannot all preach well A University divided cannot study well An Army divided cannot fight well A Fleet of Ships divided cannot sail well A Chamber of Aldermen divided cannot Rule well A House divided cannot thrive well A Man divided in himself doth seldom think well and A Vestry divided will never do well either to Church or Poor So that by all these Experiments it is too evident that where Strise and Divisions are there will be certainly Confusion and every evil work will follow But where Unity Peace and Concord are there are the choicest of God's Blessings attending yea there God