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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41704	Conformity according to canon justified, and the new way of moderation reproved a sermon preached at Exon, in the cathedral of St. Peter, at the visitation of the Right Reverend Father in God, Anthony by divine permission Lord Bishop of Exon / by William Govld.	Gould, William, d. 1686.	1674 (1674)	Wing G1438; ESTC R10196	17,842	58

Durell entitled Ecclesiae Anglicanae adversus schismaticorum criminationes vindiciae and The Church of England not condemned by any other Reformed Churches both so well known to this Audience as sufficiently satisfactory in this Particular to all intelligent and unbiast persons that they spare me the Labour of any farther Discourse And indeed our Mother the Church of England is so far Justified against all imaginable rational Opposers from the publiquely-printed harmony of Confessions in which book are inserted also the Thirty nine Articles and by the publick open practice of our neighbour-nations we not condemning them nor they us that our enemies have recourse to Clamour and Noise and want only an opportunity by Swords and Pistols to encounter our Reasons and Demonstrations Club-Law must once again gain that advantage when occasion offers which they despair of by Arguments and Disputations They are not for treating like Men but fighting like Beasts Men neither to be broke nor to be softned all Anvil and Adamant and Nonconformists in all other Kingdoms and over all the Christian World as well as to the Church of England as is admirably proved by the Learned Author aforesaid All the Reformed Churches maintain this Principle That every National Church hath Power to make Laws for herself in outward things not expresly commanded or forbidden in the Word and that they may vary according to Times Places and Persons and other Circumstances and not one of them but hath acted according to this Principle in making Laws different from their Neighbour Churches I therefore pass to the last Particular not only Scriptures Reason Experience Fathers Councils and Reformed Churches but our Nonconformists and very Dissenters by their Confessions and Practices own this Power in Ecclesiastical Superiors however refractory to our present Constitutions And first I cite Calamy in his Convenant-Sermon who tells us That the Covenant is to be taken standing the head uncovered and the right hand bare must be lift up which are emphatical Cermonies sayeth the Man of God and Significant that we call God to witness c. Here I note that there are as many Cermonies in this unlawful Oath as the Church of England hath in her whole Worship legally authorized and the Ceremonies are significant too as well as ours 2. I cite the preface to the Directory where the thorough-Reformers thus conclude We are resolved to lay aside the Common prayer-book and set up the Directory instead thereof where we hold forth what is of Divine Institution in every Ordinance and other things not of Divine Appointment we do hold forth according to the Rules of Christian prudence consonant with the general Canons of the Word of God But now I demand By what Law of God or Man have you the Sole Priviledg of thus holding forth Why may not the Church of England use the same liberty of her Christian prudence agreeable to the Rules of the Word dic Quintiliane colorem If this Priviledg be granted to a Directory without Law set up why not to a Liturgy legally established and if granted the Church of England hath thus proceeded in the Liturgy prescribed viz. by Christian prudence and the Canons of the Word 3. I cite a not unlearned-Treatise of the Presbyterian entitled An Alarum by way of answer to the last warning-peice where the Authors tell us That no Man endued with right Reason but will say there is a necessity of a Government if of a Government then of an Vniformity else it will be confused therefore there is a necessity that every man should observe such Orders Time Place and Gestures as the Parliament and Assembly but why not as the King Bishops and Clergy shall appoint Very sound and good It follows No man that hath any use of Conscience in any thing but he will acknowledg that he is bound in Conscience to obey the Laws of the Land in things indifferent and deserves Censure for being turbulent even in matters of Worship But now the Case is altered the Nonconformists being not in Throne of Government it is false Doctrine at present in the Church of England 4. I cite Mr. Baxter who writing to his Brethren Brandon and Caryl cleaves a hair Let me be bold to tell my Brethren of the Ministry That though I deny them to have any Authority against the Word yet so great is their Authority as Guides and Governors of the Church in things agreeable to and but generally determined in the Word that the want of the knowledg of this Truth hath been the occasion of all the Schisms and Confusions in England And till we have taught even our godly people what Obedience is due to there spiritual Guides the Church of England will never have any good or established Order I say again we are broken for want of the knowledg of this Truth and till it be better known we shall never be bound up and healed To which if you add the formal Covenant of the Brethren of New England for admission of Members even these precious Saints will condemn themselves or must justify this best of Reformed Churches Thus I have by Scripture Reason Experience Fathers Councils Reformed Churches and the Confessions and Practices of the Nonconformists themselves plainly proved a Power in Church-governors to make Canons and decree Rites for the external Solemnity and Decorum and Order of Divine Service to which all Priests and People are to yeild Obedience under their Government and Jurisdiction quod erat demonstrandum From the preceeding Discourse I do as a zealous Brother reprove my Brethren of moderate Principles as Commentators as Casuists and as pretenders to the Politicks And so with a brief Exhortation to all my reverend Brethren shall conclude the Discourse 1. They are abominable Commentators They shall always sign the Infant baptized with the Cross that is to say the Children of Conformists but the Canon says not it must be done to the Seed of the righteous Not marry without Banes or Licence at uncanonical Hours or prohibited times or without the consent of their Parents or Governors that is The Minister shall not do it gratis but if soundly payd it is no Disobedience against the Canon of the Church He shall not diminish the Prayers of the Church on the account of Preaching or any other respect that is to say unless it be to increase the Salary or to lengthen the Sermon for to make way for the freely conceived Directory-way of canting in the Pulpit He shall read the Letany on Wednesdays and Fridays every week Antiphrasis voces tibi per contraria signat Canonical Obedience in omnibus licitis et honestis that is as far as the new Saints will permit upon whom they depend for a Maintenance The confirming their Doctrins by Scripture according to Exposition of the Fathers and their Mothers own Articles Populo ut placerent quas fecissent fabulas Whensoever they officiate to wear the Surplice that is if their precious Benefactors do not account

are curious of satisfaction in the Case before us Thirdly When we exchanged a Charles for an Oliver a Bishop for a Lay-elder the Oaths of Allegiance and Canonical Obedience for Covenants and Engagements and a Liturgy for a Directory you know the Consequence by a sad and dear-bought experience no sooner were Order and Decency removed from the holy Oratories no sooner were Priests and People indulged to their own fancies and conceptions in Preaching Hearing Administration and Reception of the Sacraments and Publick Prayers but immediately we had Pulpit against Pulpit Altar against Altar Preaching and Prayer placed as Antipodes Ordinance justling out Ordinance that to speak with Erasmus ingeniosa res fuit esse Christianos Such who never sate at the feet of Gamaliel stept up into the Chair of St. Paul the People were taught from the mouth of a Cannon and the Church swept with the Besom of Destruction The Weaver became inspired and had new Lights and glorious Discoveries the Mechanical Demetrius a precious dispencer of the Words and Sacraments and Alexander the Coppersmith could challeng the Reverend Assemblies at Gifts and Experiences The Souldier undertook to cut the Text and could as powerfully Preach Swords and Pray Granadoes and as devoutly curse Meroz as any of our Soul-searching Ministers who first pulled down King and Bishops by the form of Godliness and the Vertue of Hocus pocus That there might be no want of Labourers The Common-Reaper thrust his Sickle into the Lords Harvest and Common Shepherds qualified themselves for the oversight of the Flock of Christ and the Cloak and Apron Preach'd down Gowns and Universities and he whose occupation it was to mend the old Shoes of the Prophets had the possession of Desk and Pulpits Venting Treason Nonsence and Blasphemy by the Hour-glass we had a New-England Medley instead of Decorum and Reverence and an Amsterdam hotch-potch as many Religions as Babel had Languages instead of Uniformity and the Beauty of Holiness we began to number Articles of Religion almost by the Million as St. Austin said of the Donatists The Charisma of boldness acted the part of the Gift given by Imposition of hands and he that could neither Write nor Read by virtue of Lungs and Impudence was taught to pray Extempore in the Congregation of the Saints A Phrenzy became desirable for its Lucid intervals and it was thought a glorious attainment above others to be besides our selves our Churches were Garisons to keep out the Sacrifice of Obedience and its Notaries while by prophane boldness pious Nonsence and tumultuary Effusions men dayly offered unto God the Sacrifice of Fools We had Stones given us instead of Bread and amidst perpetual holding forth suffered a Famine of the Word and by all men not distracted Divines and Preachers Scholars and such as carried on the Work were very carefully distinguished some Oxford-Schismatick petitioned the pretended Parliament to send down Ministers to teach the Colledg-Graduates how to Preach down Learning and Sciences I suppose under the pretence that they stood in need of more powerful Instructers The progeny of Sects grew too Numerous for any other way of Arithmetick than the Stars of Heaven or Sands by the Sea-shore for multitude the Questions of our Creed almost as Numerous as the Letters of it such who boasted Communion with Christ in the purest Ordinances of Worship banished his Prayer from the Pulpit and imputed Blasphemy and Atheism to the glorious Form of the Saviour of the World The Ark of God was a kind of Noahs Ark with us where the unclean Beasts were herded up together without order or distinction and the Church our Mother once the joy of the whole Earth equally overwhelmed with grief and confusion We found her in the Wood as the Psalmist speaks of the Ark of Divine service stript of all her due Attendants and Solemnities and the Cathedrals turned to Stables Where the Sacriledg had some ingenuity To give so lively an instance of the vast difference between Laud the Glorious and the new Reformers of this best of Reformed Churches Tell me now ye prudential Clergy-men whose Moderation is a constant omission of the holy Rites and Offices of the Church does not the whole Kingdoms experience proclaim a Zeal for our Canons to be a Zeal according to knowledg Is it not the Policy and temporal Interest of a Priest aswell as his indispencible Duty to obey our orderly Constitutions Thou High and Mighty Master of the Politicks When was thy Mother the Eye and Glory of all the Christian Churches Was it not when the Ark was setled with a Decent Splendour amongst us When the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy enjoyed its full Authority and Encouragements When the venerable Courts of Justice dazled the eyes and brake the hearts of the most insolent offenders And all the parts of Divine Service performed with that Decorum as is enjoyned by the Canon of the Text with a solemn Reverence Since these things are so by experience lay then aside my moderate Brother this Lukewarm kind of Temper set a higher estimate on the Churches Peace and Honour and contribute to her recovery to some degrees at least of the ancient Lustre By doing all things decently and in order Fourthly The Ancient Fathers and Councils joyn with Scripture Reason and Experience as to this Power by me pleaded for from the Text in our Eclesiastical Superiors Thus St. Austin to Casulanus in things undetermined in the Word Mos populi Dei instituta majorum pro lege Dei tenenda sunt Hence St. Bernard Epist 7. of things absolutely good or absolutely evil the Case is Evident the one must be not done when commanded the other done though prohibited by Superiors inter haec sunt media quaedam in his fas non est sensum nostrum sententiae praescribere Magistrorum To both assents the old Tertullian in his Book De corona Militis where speaking of kneeling the sign of the Cross of standing at Prayers between Easter and Whitsuntide and many other Rites and Customs of the Primitive Church Harum aliarum ejusmodi disciplinarum si legem expostules Scripturarum nullam invenies c. Hence thus much is clear from Antiquity that the Ancient Christians of the purest Ages of the Church were not in bondage to a Scruple nor startled at a Ceremony nor ever said to their Governours shew us a Text for such Rites and Orders They too well understood Christian Liberty and themselves to throw away their Time Interest Peace and Safety for the mere Fringes of the Garment of the body of Religion with our peevish and withal obstinate Renegadoes That conditional Assent and cautionary though not absolute Obedience we do owe to our spiritual Pastors and Governors albeit we have not express Commission out of Scripture for the very particulars cannot be denied by any Man in his senses for to dispute in such a Case instead of yielding Obedience is to declare to the World that when Christ ascended up