the Law Matt. 23.23 viz. Judgment and Mercy Mark 12.33 That to love God with all our hearts and our Neighbour as our selves is more than all Burnt-offerings and Sacrifices That to pray hear read the Word receive the Sacrament to fast are but the means which God hath in his Word ordained for the encrease of Justice Equity Mercy Love Peace Humility and Temperance and such like Christian Graces and therefore these must be the things in which God is concerned mostly that we should yield obedience That when the Scripture reckoneth the Graces of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 it tells us they are Love Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Righteousness and Temperance not prayer fasting hearing receiving of the Sacrament c. And lastly 't is observable that we are call'd to imitate our heavenly Father in acts of Love and Mercy our Lord and Saviour in Meekness and Humility Bowels of Mercy Compassion and Self-denyal but not in prayer and fasting and in such like duties Since therefore God is more concerned for matters of this Nature than for his outward worship his Word must be more perfect in prescribing of these duties than any circumstances of his worship if then it be unlawful for us to submit to any Ceremonies commanded by man which respect his worship because Gods Word must be a perfect Rule not only of all parts but of all modes of Worship it must be more unlawful to submit to any humane constitutions touching Equity and Justice Mercy and Compassion Love Charity and Peace because Gods Word must be supposed in these more weighty and substantial matters to be a Rule more perfect And therefore all the Laws and Statutes respecting matters of this Nature which cannot be collected from the Words of Scripture must by this doctrine be cashiered as vain Inventions and Christians must stand obliged to refuse obedience to them For instance I am commanded to worship God in publick but whether I must do it in a Church or in the Field in black or white or any other garb by stinted Words or by Expressions of my own immediate Invention in this or that or a 3d posture is not expressed in Holy Scripture If therefore in these cases I must not yield obedience to any power that will command me to worship God in white to pray in stinted Words to do it kneeling or the like because that Scripture which is a Rule of Worship hath not determined of these things must I not do the like in other cases of an higher Nature and because Scripture hath commanded that I should be charitable and give Alms but hath not said what portion I shall give nor when nor in what place or to what persons nor in what manner whether by my self or by the Overseers of the Poor am I not bound as much to shew my disobedience to those Laws which rate me to the Poor and which give power to Officers to strein on my refusal to pay that rate If I must not joyn with an Assembly that doth use a stinted Form of Words that riseth up at the rehearsal of the Creed or with a Pastor that doth officiate in white because these things are not commanded in the perfect Rule of Worship how dare I to commence a sute of Law to arrest a person for a debt or to indite him for a trespass without Scripture warrant these things being no where commanded in that perfect Rule of Equity and Justice The Scripture having said There is utterly a fault among you that you go to Law one with another 1 Cor. 6.7 Luk. 6.35 Matt. 5.40 lend hoping for nothing again if any man take away thy Cloak let him have thy Coat also but never said If any man officiate in white or by a Form of Words do not joyn with him is it not matter of just admiration that they who never scruple to act contrary unto the letter of the Scripture in the former cases should be so very scrupulous in things no where forbidden in the Word 3ly This dangerous opinion will force men to be troublesome in all the Churches of the World and to refuse communion even with those Assemblies they are joyned with nay had they lived in the Jewish Church or any other Age of Christendom they must have been continual Separatists For where I pray you could they have found a Precept for all the Jewish Practises and Observations which I have mentioned in the foregoing Arguments If they had lived in the next Age to the Apostles with Polycarp and Ignatius who did converse with the Apostles where would the Scripture have afforded any warrant for observation of the Feast of Easter which both the Churches of the East and West observed in the days of Polycarp L. 5. c. 24. as is recorded by Eusebius or any Precept for bowing to the East Resp ad quest 118. which Pseudo-Justin mentions as a thing practised in his days or for the Observation of the days on which their Glorious Martyrs died Apud Euseb l. 4. c. 15. which yet the Church of Smyrna mentions as a thing practised by the Christians not long after the death of the Apostles or for the Water mixed with the Sacramental Wine of which both Justin and St. Cyprian speak Apol. 2. Cypr. Ep. 63. Just M. ibid. or for the portions of the Sacramental Bread sent to the Sick and absent to signify they were partakers of the same Sacrifice and belonged to the same Altar or for their standing in their publick worship from Easter unto Whitsunday Resp ad quest â—15 Can. 19. and every Lords-day to testify their belief of our Lords Resurrection which yet by the Great Nicene Council was required to be observed by all Christian People and which they did accordingly observe Tertullian gives us a Catalogue of many observations which the Church used in his days and which she vindicated not from the Scriptures De Coron Milit. c. 3 4. but from the Patronage of Custom and Tradition I will begin saith he with Baptism where coming to the Water we testify before the President or Bishop that we renounce the Devil his Pomps and his Angels then are we thrice dipt answering something more than Christ commanded in his Gospel The Sacrament of the Eucharist which our Lord instituted after Supper we partake of in our Meetings before the day arise we think it wickedness to fast or to pray knâ—eling on the Lords day we kneel not from Easter to Whitsunday whensoever we go forth or come in or whatsoever we are conversant about we sign our Foreheads with the sign of the Cross and if you do require a Law of Scripture for these Observations you will find none Tradition will be alledged as the Author and custom the Confirmer of them For these are observations which we defend not from Scripture but from the title of Tradition and the Patronage of Custom This was the Practice of the first Ages of the Church
saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. 36. in 1 Ep. ad Cor. p. 487. l. 3.24 484. l. 5. that one may be said to sing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though all sing after him so that the voice comes as it were from one mouth all which testimonies sufficiently convince us that what we do in this particular is sutable to the practice of the whole Church of God in Antient times 3. This custom doth commend it self unto us from the consideration of the benefit which may accrue unto us by it For 1. We hereby shew that Symphony which Christ requires in our prayers Matt. 18.19 that they may be prevailing and that we fully do agree to the Petitions that are made in our behalf Rom. 15.6 and praise God with the Minister not only with one heart but with one mouth 2. Our attention is hereby both quickned and engaged which might be apt to stray the more if we should bear no part in the whole Service for when the people bear a share in the performance of this duty Combers Comp. part 1. p. 177. They must expect before it come that they may be ready when it is come they must observe that they may be right and after take heed to prepare against the next Answer they are to give How pious therefore and prudent is this order of the Church thus to intermix the peoples duty that they may be always exercised in it or preparing for it and never have leasure to entertain those vain thoughts which will set upon us especially in the house of God if we have nothing to do Object 3 Our Saviour reprehends the vain Repetitions of the Heathens in these words When you pray § 3 use not vain repetitions as the Heathens do for they think to be heard for their much speaking be not ye therefore like unto them Matt. 6.7 8. Now of these vain repetitions the Common Prayer seems to be guilty say Dissenters 1. In the frequent use of the Lords Prayer that being there appointed to be used four times in the Morning Service viz. after the Absolution the Creed the Litany and in the beginning of the Communion Service 2. In those words used in the close of the Litany O Christ hear us Lord have mercy upon us Christ have mercy upon us Lord have mercy upon us and in the frequent repetitions of the Gloria Patri To this Objection I Answer Answ 1 That our Saviour cannot be supposed to reprehend such repetitions as these are proceeding from a fervency of Spirit 1. Because he himself used the like expressions when He prayed most fervently for the Evangelist St. Luke informs us That being in an Agony he prayed more earnestly Luk. 22.44 And Matthew doth assure us that He repeated thrice the same Petition for he saith Matthew prayed the third time saying the same words Chap. 26. vers 44. This therefore cannot be vain Repetition unless our Lord himself did practise it in contradiction to his own command Moreover our Saviour sung an Hymn with his Disciples at the conclusion of the Sacrament according as the Jews were wont to do at their Paschal Supper Censent viri eruditi cantatos à Christo hymnos qui paschate cani solerent à Psal 113. ad Psal 118. inclusivé Synopsi Cum in plurali dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inde colligi ipsos una hymnum omnibus notum cecinisse quomodo Christo accinere potuissent discipuli si ille novum insuetum hymnum cecinisset Buxt de coen Dom. §. 84. which Hymn began at Psal 113. and ended with the 118 Psalm This saith the Learned Buxtorf was a very Antient custom mentioned in the Jewish Talmud and there delared to be prescribed by the Prophets Now that our Saviour sung this very Hymn is highly probable say the Learned because he did in other things comply with the Rites used by the Jews in celebrating of the Paschal Supper and therefore may be well supposed to have done so also in this Case Now in this Hymn Psal 118. we find the same words in the four first Verses viz. for his mercy endureth for ever parallel to those in the end of our Litany and in the last Verse we find the same words again and indeed the whole Psalm is full of Repetitions as you may see v. 8 9 10 11 12. as also Psal 115.9 10 11 12. The sweet Singer of Israel affords us many like Examples so Psal 119. we have this Prayer teach me thy statutes v. 26 64 68 124 135. teach me the way of thy statutes v. 33. teach me thy judgments v. 108. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes v. 5. make me to go in the path of thy commandments v. 35. let my heart be sound in thy statutes v. 80. so that upon the matter we find him ten times repeating the same thing Six times in the same Psalm he prays that God would quicken him according to his word and loving kindness viz. v. 37. 88. 107. 149. 156. 159. And he professes his love of and delight in Gods Law in the same Psalm as oft as there be Letters in the Alphabet In Psalm 42 43. which are assuredly twins their matter being alike and they having no title to distinguish them we find the same thing thrice repeated viz. why art thou cast down O my soul c. Psal 42.5 11.43.5 In Psal 107. we find this Prayer four times repeated Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness viz. v. 8 15 21 31. and lastly in Psalm 136. we find these words O Give thanks unto the Lord for his mercy endureth for ever four times repeated and that Clause for his mercy endureth for ever twenty six times To these Examples it is Answered Reply Presb. Comission p. 85. that there is a great difference betwixt what is unusual and what is our daily course of worship Answer Be it so nevertheless once usage is sufficient to shew that the thing cannot be unlawful or forbidden by the Text forementioned since Negative Precepts always do oblige and so that which they forbid can never be done without sin 2. The Assemblies Annotations tell us that some of these were common constant forms as well for ordinary daily praises in divine service as for extraordinary occasions and this appears from 1 Chron. 16.34 where it is said that Heman and Jeduthun and other men were chosen to give thanks to the Lord because his mercy endureth for ever So also 2 Chron. 5.13 they praised the Lord saying Psalm 136. for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever So Ezr. 3.1 they sang together in course praising and giving thanks to God because he is good for his mercy endureth for ever And Jer. 33.11 is mention made of them that should say praise ye the Lord for the Lord is good for his mercy endureth for ever from all which places it seemeth evident that Psalm 136. as well as
many other things of a like Nature which he most truly saith are all left to humane Determination ibid. §. 27.28 and to humane Prudence And yet according to his Argument seing no reason can be given why the Determination of most of them would not be equally useful in all Ages and all Churches they must be the matter of an Universal Law if of any and so of an Universal Law-giver and so cannot be left to humane Prudence or Determination Again when the same Person Argues against the Imposition of our Ceremonies thus Disp 5. Chap. 4. §. 3. If these things are needful now why not throughout all Ages and all Churches if therefore Christ did neither by himself nor his Apostles institute and impose these Rites then either the imposing of them is needless and consequently noxious or else you must say that Christ hath omitted a needful part of his Law which implyes that he was either ignorant what to do or neglective of his Affairs This Argument again condemns all the Churches of Christ throughout all Ages since the Apostles times who have always used some Ceremonies which neither Christ nor his Apostles thought fit to institute And 2ly It also renders it unlawful for humane Prudence to determine any of those things which saith he Christ and his Apostles have left undetermined they being mostly such as are or may be equally useful in all Ages of the Church and such of which it may be said whensoever they are determined by humane Prudence if they are needful now why not always c. CHAP. V. The CONTENTS Obj. 5. Those Ceremonies which God himself appointed to teach his Church by their signification may not now be used much less may those which man hath devised § 1. Answ 1. That as St. Paul submitted to some Jewish Rites unlawfully required by the Jewish Christians that he might gain the Jew and Minister to their Salvation so may the Christian submit to Ceremonies unfitly imposed by Superiors for like good ends Answ the 2d This Argument offers nothing against signs Natural and Customary such as are kneeling at the Sacrament the Cross in Baptism standing up at the Creed But only against signs arbitrary from the imposing of which the Excellent Bishop Taylor doth excuse our Church § 2. Obj. 6. The use of the Ceremonies is superstitious and therefore cannot be submitted to Answ By stating the true Notion of Superstition and shewing 1. That Superstition is a species of false Worship and therefore where no Worship is exhibited by the act done or intended by the Doer or Imposer of it as in the case of our Ceremonies there can be no Superstition in that Act. 2ly That Superstitious Worship undue as to the manner of it can only be performed by offering that as acceptable and pleasing to God or as an Exercise of Religion or an Acknowledgment of some of Gods Perfections which is not so 3ly All Superstition consisting Fundamentally in this mistake and formally in the ensuing Practice It follows that the Forbearance of an Act upon the like mistake viz. That we conceive it well-pleasing to God and tending to his Honor to forbear it when indeed it is not so is Superstition § 3. Hence our Dissenters must be Superstitious provided that the Rites that they refuse Submission to be lawful in themselves 1. Because they do and must esteem this their refusal as an Act of special Honour done to God 2ly Because they must esteem themselves by this forbearance Preservers of Gods Worship pure and spiritual 3ly Because they must esteem themselves under a necessity of displeasing God by joyning in Communion with us § 4. § 5. What is the true Import of Edification § 6. Obj. 7. We must not submit to the Institution or Introduction of New Sacraments And therefore not to the Institution of the Ceremonies of the Church of England they having the Nature of Sacraments § 7. Answ 1. That the Ceremonies of the Church of England are not appointed to be signs of Spiritual Grace or to confirm Grace to us 2ly That the designing of these Ceremonies to express signify or bring into our minds Spiritual Duties cannot make them Sacraments With reasons why the Representation of some Spiritual Duty by a mystical Rite cannot as properly pertain to the Nature of a Sacrament as the sealing some Spiritual Promise doth § 8. Many things required in Sacraments which are all wanting in our Ceremonies § 9. Mr. Baxters Arguments to prove the Cross as used in our Church a Sacrament are answered § 10. CHAP. V. BUt say Dissenters Obj. 5 If those Ceremonies which God himself ordained to teach his Church by their signification may not now be used § 1 much less may those which man hath devised now God hath abrogated his own not only those that were appointed to prefigure Christ but such also as served by their signification to teach moral duties and so as now without great sin none of them can be continued in the Church no not for signification and therefore to bring in others of like Nature is to Judaize To confirm this Argument they add that if men may impose such Ceremonies because of their significancy they may reduce into the Church of Christ all the whole Mass of Jewish Ceremonies as v. g. 1. Those of moral signification as the not eating of Blood to teach us to avoid cruelty towards the life of man and beast the not eating of unclean beasts to denote our abhorrence of the impurities and immoralities which by that abstinence the Jews were taught to refrain from the not touching any thing unclean to mind us of avoiding all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit to omit infinite instances of like Nature 2ly By the like reason many Jewish Rites which were Types and Shadows of things to come may be reduced into the Church upon other accounts as v. g. Circumcision to mind us of the Circumcision of the Heart the Paschal Lamb to signify our Gratitude for passing from Darkness unto Light or from our Spiritual Thraldom unto sin into the Liberty of the Sons of God all Sacrifices of Thanksgiving and all whereby they owned God to be the Author of Life and Death and all their temporal Mercies and did Acknowledge that they deserved to die for sin and all the Jewish Garments importing Spiritual Duties to be performed by their Priests with many things of a like Nature And indeed saith Bishop Taylor If the Church might add things Duct Dub. l. 3. c. 4. R. 20. § 7. or rituals of Signification then the Walls might be covered with the Figures of Doves Sheep Lambs Serpents Birds and the Communion Table with Wine Herbs Tapers Pidgeons Raisins Hony Milk and Lambs and whatsoever else the wit of man can invent But the manner of teaching these truths by Symbolical things actions is too low too suspicious too dangerous to be mingled with Divine Lyturgies Christ may as he please consign his own good things
in our Ministerial function and thereupon do judge of us as of Time-Servers and Separate from our Communion and become guilty of that Schism which accidentally procures their ruine must we not therefore submit to Authority Obey them that have the Rule over us or feed our Flocks When therefore things indifferent in their own Nature become necessary to these ends we may perform them tho accidentally they tend unto the ruin of our Brother 1. Because disobedience to our Superiors in Lawful matters is a sin and we must not do evil that good may come 2ly Because the Scandals following from our refusal to obey will in this case be greater and more destructive to Souls then are the Scandals which are ministred by our obedience Obj. 8 It is good saith Paul neither to eat Flesh nor drink Wine nor to do any thing whereby thy Brother stumbleth or is offended or is made weak Rom. 14.22 But our Prelatists determine quite otherwise if Authority enjoyn it is good say they to eat Bread drink Wine wear a Surplice use the sign of the Cross in Baptism tho never so many Brethren stumble or are offended or made weak thereby Answ This Tenet is injuriously imposed upon them whom he contemptuously stiles Prelatists they do not say that the determination of Superiors will always take away the sin of Scandal in these matters but that it will then do it when upon that Determination an equal or a greater Scandal follows on the other hand and where the thing is Lawful and the Scandal equal what reason can there be on the account of Scandal for our refusal to obey Obj. 9 But can then the Law of Superiors be greater then the Law of Charity which is Gods Law Answer Is not the Law of Obedience to our Rulers equally Gods Law Put the case that after the Decrees of the Synod of Jerusalem some particular Persons should have been offended that their Brethren refused to eat meats offered to Idols pleading that was Superstition in them or a betraying of their Christian Liberty or that the things enjoyned by that decree were not Commanded of the Lord and so were Human inventions Will-Worship and addition to Gods Word would Christians then have been obliged to suspend their obedience to this Decree lest they should offend such Scrupulous Persons I trow not § 3 There be other Answers usually offered to take off the Objection of Scandal ministred by our Ceremonies which I cannot approve of and therefore dare not offer as v. g. 1. It is said the Scandal which the weak conceive at our Conformity is passive and not active that is the nature of our action doth not give occasion to it but they are only Scandalized through ignorance or weakness Now say they it is only Scandal given which we are Concerned to Avoid in opposition to this Plea I say That it is not sufficient to excuse us from being Guilty of sinful Scandalizing our weak Brother that what we do is Lawful in it self and therefore ministers no just occasion to the sin full or ruin of our Brother For the Apostle doth declare that he was taught by the Lord Jesus that no meats were of themselves Rom. 14.14 unclean and therefore that the eating of them could minister no just occasion of offence to the weak Jew 1 Cor. 8.7 and that it was for want of knowledg and through the weakness of his conscience that the weak Brother was offended at it and yet he doth as positively declare that it was evil to eat them with offence that the strong by thus eating of them did walk uncharitably and sin against Christ Rom. 14.15 20. 1 Cor. 8.12 Matt. 17.27 moreover our Lord himselfe paid tribute though he might Lawfully not have done it lest he should Scandalize where Even Maldonate observes that Christ in paying tribute to avoid Scandal shun'd a Scandal which was meerly passive because the exactors of Tribute ought not to have been Ignorant that Christ was free from any obligation to the payment of it whence he concludes that this is no sure Rule that Scandal only given and not Scandal taken is to be avoided 3ly The keeping of the Brazen Serpent as a monument of Divine mercy was a thing Lawful in it self and yet when Scandal arose out of it 't was necessary to remove it as being in it self a thing unnecessary Lastly If Scandal passive tends to Gods dishonour by ministring unto my Brothers sin if his Soul suffers by a passive as well as by an active Scandal surely the Love of God and of my Neighbours Soul should be sufficient motive to engage me to do all that Lawfully I can for the prevention of it provided that I know or have good reason to suspect that it will follow from my action tho through my Brothers fault For are we not obliged to preserve a Drunken Man from falling down a Precipice or into a River because he is made Drunk by his own fault Why therefore are we not obliged if Lawfully we can to preserve our Brothers Soul from perishing by his own fault I fear this will be found at the last day too true that he doth Criminally Scandalize who doth or who enjoyneth that which is unnecessary and which he knows will through the weakness of his Brother Minister occasion of his sin and ruine having no benefit from what he doth require or do equal unto the mischief which it doth to others 2ly It is said by Dr. Womack that Scandal is an action done with intent to ensnare Men in sin Melius Inquir p. 106. or set up as a Mouse-Trap on purpose to entrap them whence it will follow that no Man in the judgment of Charity can say that by the Ceremonies we Scandalize our weak Brother because they cannot Charitably judg that these Ceremonies are imposed with an intent to draw Men to sin But with submission to better judgments I humbly conceive that it will not excuse us from the guilt of Scandal that we do not designedly and actually intend to make our Brother sin provided that the action doth through our Brothers weakness Admister occasion to his sin and ruine and we do either by experience find it to be so or may if we be careful see that this is like to be the issue of it and yet when no necessity is laid upon us will proceed to do it For although Peter did not intend to cause the Gentiles to sin or to compel them to judaize by his withdrawing from them at the coming of the Jews from Jerusalem for the Text tells us he did it for another reason viz. Gal. 2.11 fearing those of the Circumcision yet was he to be blamed saith St. Paul Gal. 2.11 he was a Transgressor v. 18. and that because by his Authority and example tho not by his intention he compel'd the Gentiles to live as did the Jews v. 14. 2ly He who doth venture on that action whence he either doth
tho Accidentally and by Performing their own duty occasion to the Sin of Eli's Sons What therefore I may do for the procuring the Spiritual Good of others from whom I am commanded to withdraw may be more certainly performed for the procuring of my own Spiritual Good by my participation of the Ordinances of Christ from Persons authorized by him and his Vicegerents to administer them what may be done in order to their welfare who are unworthy of Communion with us that may much more be done in order to the Churches Good for the promotion of her Peace and Unity and the prevention of those Schisms by which she is so much endangered and if those words I will have mercy and not sacrifice will warrant our Communion with wicked persons with whom we are forbid to eat when it may be a means of their conversion why then may it not warrant our Communion with them in Sacred things when this Communion is a means of our salvation and of the Churches Peace which is one of the chiefest ends of Discipline If Christians were not call'd to separate on the account of those impure Gnosticks who did feast among them and eat at the Lords Table with them why should they separate from the same Ordinances on the account of some profane Professors who are mix'd with our Assemblies And lastly If the People did transgress who came not up to Shilo to offer their accustomed oblations there tho they to whom they were to be presented and by whom they were to be offered were Sons of Belial and they alone did sanctifie and offer the Peace-offerings of which the People were afterwards to eat I fear they also will transgress who upon less pretences will not come unto our Shilo's the places of our publick Worship It may be doubted whether all those men whose presence with us in our Church Assemblies doth so much offend Dissenters Prop. 9. deserve immediately to be secluded from Communion with us seeing they seem not to have been both privately and publickly admonish'd by the Church for how can it be said they will not hear the Church when they have never been admonished by her to reform or threatned with her censures if they will not do it they therefore cannot be esteemed contumacious or such as will not hear the Church and so they are not presently to be excluded by Excommunication from Communion with her Mr. Baxter having cited Principles of love p. 87.88.89 Matt. 18.15 16. Tit. 3.10 Saith thus Note here that no sin will warrant you to cast out the sinner unless it be seconded with impenitency it is not simply as a Drunkard or a Fornicator that any one is to be rejected but as an Impenitent Drunkard or Fornicator Note 2ly That it is not all impenitency which will warrant their rejection but only impenitency after the Churches admonition Note 3ly That no private person may expect that any Offender be cast out either because his sin is known to him or because he is commonly famed to to be guilty till the thing be proved by sufficient witnesses Note 4ly That the admonition given him must be proved as well as the fault which he committed Yea lastly If all The town do know him to be guilty and witness prove that he hath been privately admonished he may not be rejected till he be heard speak for himself and till he refuse also the publick admonition This is Christs order whose wisdom mercy and authority are such as may well cause us to take his way as best Now were this doctrine true without exception it would 1. Answer the Objection by shewing that Dissenters do unreasonably separate for the Non-execution of the Churches Censures upon them who at the present are not the proper objects of them And 2. It would in a great measure cast the blame of this neglect of Discipline on the Complainants for if they know of any such why do they not first privately admonish them and if they cannot by so doing gain their Brother why do they not then tell it to the Church But if they do not know of any such nor ever told the Church of any such that she might know and knowing might admonish them and if they should refuse to Hear her might proceed to censure them why do they then complain But to confess the truth ingenuously this Doctrin contradicts the general practice of the Church of Christ whilst Discipline remained among them more especially the practice of the most Primitive and Purest Ages of the Church when all Notorious Offenders of what degree soever were without farther admonition immediately censured and separated from the faithful See Dr. Cave 's prim christian part 3. cap. 5. p. 367. till by long and strict penances of fasting and mortification by which they evidenced their sorrow for and their reformation of their crimes they were thought fit to be again admitted to the peace of God and of his Church This doctrine therefore must admit of some restriction to make it consonant to truth 1. Therefore if the crime be such as is consistent with Christianity and doth not prove the Author of it to be Carnal this admonition must precede the censures of the Church because in such a case 't is not so much the fact it self as the ensuing contumacy which deserves her censure 2ly If the crime committed be private and brings no infamy to the Church and the offender shew good signs of penitence the crime being not committed before many it seems not reasonable that it should be punished before many unless where such a publick censure may do good to many in which case that of the Apostle seemeth to take place them that sin rebuke before all that others also may fear 3ly 1 Tim. 5.20 If it be an act of injustice to some private person for which full satisfaction may be made and admonition may prevail upon him so to do which seems to be the case in which our Lord requires a threefold admonition adding that if our admonition do prevail our Brother is Gained and so the Church hath no occasion to proceed to censures Or 4ly If it be an offence of judgment and not of practice against judgment in which case the Apostles words are plain for a first and second admonition I say in all these cases this previous admonition seemeth reasonable But 2ly If the Crimes committed be of an heinous nature Tit. 3.10 and Christians cannot well be ignorant that they are so as in the cases of Apostasy Murther Incest Adultery c. Or if they be so publickly committed as to give scandal to the Church and the Crime be notorious or confessed then without farther admonition I suppose the Criminal should be excluded from the Communion of the Church till by repentance and mortification they have made satisfaction to the Church and have made reparation for the Scandal of their sin These Propositions do fully Answer this Objection even upon
the Firing of London the Thirtieth of January a Day of Humiliation for the Execrable Murder of our R. Martyr Charles the First And that none can have just cause to doubt if they consider Est 9.28 1 Macch. 4.59 Zech. 7.5 that the Feasts of Purim and of Dedication were lawfully appointed by the Jews for an Ordinance for ever and that they had their stated Fasts of the Fifth and the Seventh Month to humble themselves at the remembrance of the Judgments God then brought upon them 3. He adds that the Great Blessings of an Apostolick Ministry and of the stability of the Martyrs in their Sufferings for Christ being so rare and notable a Mercy to the Church I confess I know no reason why the Churches of all succeeding Ages may not keep an Anniversary Day of Thanksgiving to God for Peter or Paul or Stephen as well as for the Powder-Plot deliverance I know not where God hath forbidden it directly or indirectly if his instituting the Lord's-day were a virtual Prohibition for Man to separate any more or if the Prohibition of adding to God's Word were against it they would be against other Days of Humiliation or Thanksgiving especially Anniversary Days which we confess they are not if the Reason be Scandal lest men should have the Honour instead of God I answer 1. An honour is due to Apostles and Martyrs in their places in due subordination to God 2ly Where the Case of Scandal is notorious it may become by that accident unlawful Const Can. An. 1640. Can. 7. and yet not be so in other times and places 3ly Our Church expresly hath declared that she gives Religious Worship unto God alone and doth observe these Daies to God and in them celebrate his Praises for his Apostles and for the assistance of his Grace and Spirit vouchsafed to them and the Great things done through that assistance by them for the good of men and so can Minister no Ground for such a Scandal 4ly p. 150. He saith that in the lawful Observation of Days it is most orderly to do as the Churches do which we live among and are to join with Especially if they do only that which hath been done by all the Churches of Christ about Twelve hundred years and upward as we do in the Observation of all our publick Festivals or that which hath been done from the beginning as in the Observation of the Easter Festival 5ly p. 151. He saith That it is long ago decided by the Holy Ghost Rom. 14.15 That we must not be contentious contemptuous nor censorious against one another about things of no Greater Moment than the Jewish Days were though some observed them without just cause because the Kingdom of God consisteth not in Meats and Drinks and Days but in Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost and he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men we must follow therefore after the things which make for Peace and wherewith one may edify another which by submitting to the Constitutions of our Church concerning Festivals Dissenters certainly would do if they are capable of Edification by hearing and joining in Good Prayers and Praises by reading of the Word by hearing of good Sermons and by commemoration of the Mercies we then celebrate § 13 And whereas Mr. Baxter adds that the Controversy whether it be lawful to keep Days as Holy in celebrating the Memorial of Christ's Nativity Circumcision Ascension c. p. 151 152. Disp 5. of Cer. Cap. 2. § 46. is the hardest part of this Question which he is not sufficient to determine I shall first lay down some few Arguments to justifie the Observation of these and other Holy-days prescribed by the Church of England And consider the Scruples he and others have against them And 1. I argue for the expedience of these Holy-days from the consideration of the end for which they have been instituted by the Wisdom of the Church for those things saith St. Austin are celebrated by the Churches Anniversaries which were very excelelnt when done Contra Faustum ManichauÌ„ Lib. 32. Cap. 12. and by their excellency have signalized certain Days that so the celebration of the Festival may preserve the whole some remembrance of them in our Hearts Now even Reason teacheth that the Day on which these things were done tends to excite the mind to more intent consideration of and so to effectual remembrance of the Mercies which we have received upon that Day Whence God himself requires his People to Remember that day in which they came out from Egypt out of the Land of Bondage Exod. 13.3 And of that very Night he saith It is a Night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out of Egypt this is that Night to be observed of all the Children of Israel in their Generations Exod. 12.42 Now if for the Remembrance of that Mercy God did not only order his People Israel to be continually meditating and discoursing of it Exod. 12.26 13 14. but also to observe the very Day for a Memorial Exod. 12.14 if he appointed the Feast of Pentecost to be observed in Memory of the Law then given from Mount Sinai to them the Feast of Tabernacles in remembrance of their sustentation Forty years in the Wilderness why may not Christians though obliged daily to have these things in their remembrance observean Annual Festivity for the more full Commemoration of the Mercies they enjoy by virtue of our Lord's Nativity Ascension c. Again these Feasts have been instituted and observed by the Wisdom of the Church to give thanks to God for the benefits vouchsafed to us at those times and by such Persons now publick benefits are publickly to be acknowledged and celebrated with publick thanks which cannot better be performed than by prescribing stated Days for publickly Assembling to these ends And as St. Paul declares that the great liberality of the Corinthians would Glorifie God by causing many thanksgivings to him for that Grace 2 Cor. 9.12 so wil the Institution of such Festivals tend to his Glory by causing many thanksgivings for the Grace vouchsafed to us upon these Days both to us and to those Martyrs and Apostles whose Memories we celebrate Moreover no Man can deny buâ— the benefits flowing from the great actions of ouâ— Saviour and the advantages accruing to us froâ— the Apostles and Evangelists by their faithful preaching the Gospel of Christ and giving testimony by their Sufferings to the Truth of the samâ— Doctrine is to us more valuable and advantageous than any temporal benefit whatsoever If then 〈◊〉 be esteemed highly convenient to celebrate oâ—â— deliverance from the Gun-powder-Plot thâ— happy Restoration of our Prince our Laws anâ— Liberties with constant Anniversaries have wâ— not equal reason to celebrate the Memory oâ— those great Spiritual Mercies by like Anniversaries 2ly This may be further argued from thâ— utility and benefit which
Christian sort and by a disuse of any other to incapacitate our own and our admirers devotions for the other and make both our selves and them uncharitably censorious of all Forms of Prayer and those who use them that is of the whole Catholick Church except a new and inconsiderable party CHAP. XI The Contents The Proposition That there is nothing in the Liturgy prescribed by the Church of England to which her Lay Communicants may not yield obedience The general Objections against it Answered are 1. That the phrase throughout the several Offices is such as presumes all persons in the Communion of the Church to be regenerate and in an actual state of Grace § 1. The falseness of which suggestion is shewed in ten instances and the phrase of the Liturgy is justified from like expressions of the Holy Scripture ibid. 2. Obj. That the people do not only say Amen but bear a part in the Prayers Answ This is justified from the practice of the Jews and Primitive Christians and the benefit of so doing § 2. 3. That the same Prayers are oft repeated which seems to be the vain Repetition forbidden by Christ Matth. 6.7 8. Answ These Repetitions are justified from Scripture-Examples and the practice of Christ § 3. Objections against several parts or expressions of the Liturgy Answered As 1. That in several parts of the Liturgy all profess to put their trust in God whereas it is to be feared that many in our Congregations do not so § 4. 2. That we all profess to Repent and be heartily sorry for our sins We all say on Sexagesima Sunday that God seeth that we put no trust in any thing that we do after the Communion we all give thanks to God that he hath assured us of his favour and goodness to us And in the Third Collect after Trinity we all profess that God hath given us an hearty desire to pray which professions cannot be thus generally made in truth § 5.3 That we pray that God would give to all Nations Unity Peace and Concord that he would save among the remnant of true Israelites all Jews Turks Infidels and Hereticks that he would have mercy upon all men which petitions cannot be put up in Faith there being no promise of so large extent in Scripture § 6.4 That we pray to God to succour help and comfort all that are in danger necessity and tribulation to preserve all that travail by land or by water all Women labouring of child all Prisoners and Captives and so we pray for Robbers Pyrats Whores c. § 7. Some passages in the Liturgy which seem obscure or Metaphorical explained As 1. There is no health in us 2. Give peace in our time O Lord Because there is no other that fighteth for us but only thou O God 3. Lighten our darkness 4. From Fornication and all other deadly sins 5. From sudden Death Good Lord deliver us 6. By the Mystery of thy Holy Incarnation by thy Holy Nativity and Circumcision and by the coming of the Holy Ghost Good Lord deliver us 7. That our bodies may be made clean by his Body and our souls washed by his most precious blood 8. That God by the Baptism of his Well-beloved Son did sanctifie water to the mystical washing away of Sin 9. The Prayer after the Fourth Commandment Lord have mercy upon us and encline our hearts to keep this Law 10. With this Ring I the Wed with my body I thee worship and with all my worldly Goods I thee endow § 8. The Conclusion THAT there is nothing in the stinted Liturgy prescribed by the Church of England to which her Lay Communicants may not yield obedience or which can render their Communion with her sinful or unlawful to them As will be evident by answering the scruples Dissenters do suggest against the whole or any portion of that Service in which they are obliged to join with us And to begin with the Objections which respect the whole body of the Liturgy § 1 1. It is Objected That in the whole Common Prayer there is not any Petition or Confession which imports any doubt Dr. Chambers paper of unaffected scruples or fear that any of those who join in that Service are in a state of unregeneration or enmity to God whereas there are many in our Congregations of whom the Lord hath cause to complain as of the Jews that they hold fast deceit and refuse to return Jer. 3.5.11.15 To this effect runs the Objection of the Commissioners at the Savoy viz. P. 7. That throughout the several Offices the phrase is such as presumes all persons within the Communion of the Church to be regenerated converted and in an actual state of Grace which had Ecclesiastical discipline been truly and vigorously executed in the exclusion of scandalous and obstinate sinners might be better supposed but there having been and still being a confessed want of that as in the Liturgy is acknowledged it cannot rationally be admitted in the outmost latitude of Charity Answer This plainly seems to be a great mistake or false suggestion against the frame and constitution of our Liturgy For 1. The Sentences of Scripture appointed to be read at the beginning of Morning and Evening Prayer are fitted to the state of unregenerate and wicked persons and call upon them to turn from their wickedness that they have committed Ezek. 18.27 and do that which is lawful and right that they may save their souls alive To rent their hearts Joel 2.13 Dan. 9.9 10. and turn unto the Lord their God To acknowledge that they have rebelled against the Lord their God And have not obeyed the voice of the Lord to walk in his ways which he set before them Luke 15 18 19. And that they have sinned against their heavenly Father so as to be no more worthy to be called his servants 2. The Exhortation calls upon them to confess their manifold sins and wickednesses and not to dissemble or cloak them but confess them with an humble lowly penitent and obedient heart to the end that they may obtain forgiveness of the same through Gods infinite goodness and mercy and so it manifestly doth suppose that many of them who are thus exhorted have not yet obtained forgiveness of their sins 3. The General Confession doth acknowledge that we are miserable offenders and that there is no health in us and prays that God would restore them that are penitent according to his promises declared to mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord and so suggests that they have need of Repentance to interest them in those promises 4. The Absolution begins with a declaration that God desires not the death of a sinner but rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live adding that God will pardon and absolve all those that truly repent and therefore calls upon us to beseech him to grant us true repentance and his Holy Spirit and doth suppose that many present want
the grace of true Repentance and the sanctifying operations of the Spirit 5. The Venite or Psalm first read unto the people exhorts them not to harden their hearts lest God should swear in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest 6. The Litany prays for mercy upon us miserable sinners for deliverance from Hypocrisie and all other deadly sins from hardness of heart and contempt of Gods word and Commandments and begs that God would give us true Repentance 7. There is a Prayer appointed to be used before the two final Prayers of Morning and Evening Service desiring that though we be tyed and bound with the chain of our sins we may be loosed from them by Gods mercy 8. The Prayer to be said during the time of Advent is that we may cast away the works of darkness and put upon us the armor of light the Prayer to be said every day in Lent begs that God would create and make in us new and contrite hearts 9. The Exhortation to the Communion supposeth that many of the Congregation to which it is read are grievous sinners who have need to repent and amend before they come unto the table that many of them may be Blasphemers of God or hinderers and slanderers of his word Adulterers or such as live in malice envy or other grievous sins And therefore they are charged not to come unto that Table till they have repented of them Lastly The Church hath appointed her Office of Commination on purpose to awaken such notorious Sinners to Repentance Let therefore any reasonable person judge whether there be no Petition or Confession in the Common Prayer which imports any doubt or fear that any who join in our Service may be unregenerate whether there be no Prayer made to the Lord with special relation to such persons or whether the whole phrase of all our Offices be such as presumes all persons within the Communion of the Church to be regenerate as is suggested and whether it be not matter of just admiration that such exceptions as are so grosly and manifoldly false should with such confidence be made against our Liturgy Add to this that all our Congregations being mixt of good and bad it seemeth to have been great wisdom in our Church that she hath so composed her Confessions and Petitions as that they may be applicable in some good sense to both and therefore they betray their ignorance and folly who upon this account do blame her 2. N. 15. To this Objection it is Answered by our Commissioners That the Church in her Prayers useth no more offensive phrase than St. Paul useth when he writes Rom. 1.7 to all that are in Rome beloved of God Saints called Giving thanks to God for them all vers 8. telling them that they were grafted into the good Olive tree 17. and were partakers of its root and fatness that they stood by Faith Rom. 11.17 vers 20. that they had obtained mercy vers 30. To the Church of God in Corinth the sanctifyed in Christ Jesus 1 Cor. 1.2 the Saints called giving thanks to God who had enriched them in all wisdom and knowledge So that they came behind in no gift V. 5 7 waiting for the revelation of Jesus Christ and saith unto them all are yours and you are Christs Chap. 3.22 23. V. 16. Chap. 6.15 1 Cor. 3.13 Chap. 4.6 Chap. 6.8 that they were the Temple of God and that the spirit of God dwelled in them that their bodies were the members of Christ of some of whom he notwithstanding saith that they were carnal that they were puffed up one against another that they did wrong and defrauded even their brethren that they walked not charitably chap. 8. that some of them were guilty of Idolatry and partaking of the table of Devils chap. 10. that they came together to the Lords Table for the worse not for the better that some of them were drunken did eat and drink unworthily not discerning the Lords Body and that for this cause many were weak and many sick among them and many fallen asleep chap. 11. 1 Cor. 15.12 that some of them said there was no resurrection of the dead that some of them did look on the Apostles as men who walked after the flesh that he was afraid of them 2 Cor. 10.2 lest that as the serpent had deceived Eve so their minds should be corrupted from the simplicity of Christ Chap. 11.3 Chap. 12.20 21. that he was afraid lest when he came unto them he should find them such as he would not lest there should be among them wrath contentions c. To the Saints in Ephesus Eph. 1.1 4 5.13 and the faithful in Christ Jesus elected before the world predetermined to sonship sealed with the spirit of promise with many other things of a like nature which he without distinction speaketh of them To the Saints in Coloss Coloss 1.2 5 8.3 12. and to the faithful brethren in Christ Jesus And notwithstanding there were many who by their known sins declared themselves to be otherwise yet he gives the denomination to the whole from the greater part to whom in charity it was due and puts the rest in mind what they have by their Baptism undertaken to be and what they profess themselves to be and our Prayers and the phrase of them surely suppose no more than that they are Saints by calling sanctifyed in Christ Jesus by their Baptism admitted into Christs congregation and so to be reckoned members of that society till either they shall separate themselves by wilful schism or be separated by legal excommunication Now to this it is replyed That there is a great difference between the titles given to the whole Church from the better part Reply Reply to the Comiss p. 45. and the titles given to individual members where there is no such reason that a field may be called a corn-field though there be tares in it but none of these tares may be called by the name of corn that they will not perswade the people that every notorious drunkard fornicator worldling c. that is buried is a Brother of whose resurrection to life eternal we have sure and certain hope Answer I am humbly confident that no one instance of this nature can be produced where any individual member of our Church Dr. Combers Comp. part 4. p. 474 475. who is notoriously wicked is represented as a Saint or a regenerate person We bury those who do depart this life in sure and certain hope of the resurrection in the general not of the resurrection of the deceased person in particular to life eternal and though the common use of the word eternal life apply it to the better part yet the word strictly considered signifies both the state of the good and evil after the Resurrection and so it is expounded by those who consider it in the Creed and therefore may be used
or at the least we understand not how they can be said with any certainty of truth And Q 1 What say they is the meaning of that Metaphor in the Confession There is no health in us Answer The meaning is That we have no power to help or save our selves out of the misery which by our sins we have deserved that there is nothing in our selves which can preserve us from perishing under the guilt of our iniquities this is the frequent import of the word health in Scripture So Psal 42.11.43.1 God is the health of my countenance i. e. the help of my countenance Psal 42.5 Salvation is far from the wicked Psal 119.155 N. Transl Health is far from them saith the Old And again Trust not in Princes or in any sons of men for there is no help in them Psal 146.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is no health or no Salvation in them say the Seventy Q 2 What is the meaning or at least the appositeness of that Respons Give Peace in our time O Lord. Resp Because there is none other that fighteth for us but only thou O God Answer To lay the foundation of a perspicuous Answer to this Question consider 1. Vide Comber part 1. p. 363 364. 1 Chron. 22.9 Isai 39.8 That it was one of Gods gracious Promises to his pious Servants of old that he would give peace in their days and so this is fit matter of our Prayer 2. Consider That God is in the Scripture stiled the God of Peace that it is He who makes peace in our borders and by his providence preserveth peace among Nations Psal 46.9 breaking the Bow and knapping the Spear asunder Consider 3. That this God is our only sure defence against our Enemies and that our Armies and Navies will be unsuccessful to defend us without his good providence or to procure peace for us And therefore it behoves us to apply our selves unto him for these mercies Conlider 4. That the end of all just War is Peace men therefore sighting in their own defence that they may oblige their neighbours to live peaceably by them This being so what is more proper than this Prayer Give peace in our time O Lord thou God of Peace either by keeping us from War or rendring our Arms so happy and successful that they may procure us a lasting peace This do we beg of thee because there is none other who can keep us from War or save us in it or make our fighting tend unto our lasting future peace but only thou O Lord. Q 3 What is the meaning of that Metaphor Lighten our darkness O Lord Answ I Answer It is a Scripture phrase used Psal 18.28 Job 29.3 importing our desire that by the goodness of our God we may be kept in a joyful comfortable prosperous state which state in Scripture is usually signified by the word light being preserved still from all calamities and miseries if we at present are free from them or else delivered from them by his power and mercy if we labour under any kinds or degrees of them and the ensuing clause is but an explication and application of it to the then present night Q. 4 What mean you by your Prayer for deliverance from Fornication and all other deadly sins Do you not by it seem to approve that Popish Doctrine which holds that some sins in their nature are venial that is do not deserve Eternal Death Answer This cannot rationally be suspected of that Church whose Doctrine it is That all sin is in its own nature deadly though all in the event do not and according to the tenor of the Covenant of Grace will not prove deadly to the Christian. For that New Covenant declares God will accept of our sincere obedience that is of such obedience as is consistent with sins of ignorance and weakness and that such sins will not exclude us from Gods favour but will be pardoned upon our general Repentance and our desire to be cleansed from our secret sins The import therefore of this phrase is this That God would graciously deliver us from-all those sins which are therefore deadly 1. Because they do declare him who commits them to be unregenerate or dead in trespasses and sins And thus it is declared concerning Fornicators Eph. 5.5 For no Fornicator hath any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ but is a son of disobedience vers 6. He is yoked with the prophane Heb. 12.16 and doth commit that sin which is contrary to his cleaving to Christ and which permiteth not his body to be the Temple of the Holy Ghost And 2. 1 Cor. 6.16 19. Because they leave us under the sentence of death so that whosoever dies without particular Repentance for and reformation of them will be obnoxious to Eternal Death they being sins for which the wrath of God comes upon the Children of disobedience So is it said of Fornication Coloss 3.6 and to all Fornicators it is threatned That they shall have their portion in the lake of fire and brimstone which is the second death Rev. 21.8 and St Paul plainly saith Fornicators and Adulterers God will damn Heb. 13.4 And 3. Because they usually end in death few ever escaping from them or being renewed to Repentance such is too frequently the fate of him who goeth to the Harlots House For none that goeth to her house saith Solomon Prov. 2.19 returns again or takes hold of the paths of life The mouth of a strange Woman being a deep pit Prov. 22.14 into which he that is abhorred of the Lord doth fall Now these sins being too many to be named particularly and being difficult to be exactly stated and enumerated are comprehended under this general appellation To humble the bold committers of them by minding them that if they be not speedily repented of which is but rarely done they will end in their Damnation or Eternal Death Q. 5 Why pray you for deliverance from sudden death which if it happen to the prepared Christian seems to be no evil Answer Though some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euchol p. 776. who it seems think that they are always sit to dye do inconsiderately blame this petition of our Liturgy as unbecoming Christians and thereby blame the Church of God which for a long time hath made use of this petition yet I suppose that none of them would wish or if they well considered be as much contented to dye by the immediate suddain hand of God as to have time to recollect themselves before death to dye as did Jobs children or they on whom the Tower of Siloam fell but rather would conceive it were a mercy worthy of their thanks to be delivered from such a death And that 1. Comber part 2. p. 61 62. Because this suddain death affords no time to settle our Estates but leaves our temporal concerns entangled and involves our Relations in Law-suits and contests 2.