by that means to endear him and win upon him and on the other side he may applaud the Practice of the Conformist and encourage him in his Conformity to confirm him and make him the more stedfast But when the Dissenting Parties come together he is in the condition of a man that serves two Masters Mat. 6. 24. he will hold to the one and despise the other or Trimmer-like his moderation will be taken for Neutrality and perhaps both practices will take him for an Hypocrite and he will be equally scandalous to them both And this is commonly the Fate of unadvised Reconcilers For we must come to a point before we can come to any settlement whereupon as was observed by Dr. Womoch in his Verdict p. 114. Instead of a prudential expedient which in this case was impossible S. Paul withstood S. Peter to the Face c. But let us proceed with the Reconciler who calls upon us thus secondly observe c. p. 72. That this as well as other Scriptures being written for our learning in cases of like nature must oblige all other Pastors and Rulers of Christs Church as well as those of Rome for the arguments which the Apostle useth here are of a moral and perpetual obligation it being never lawful for the Christian of what degree or rank soever he may be to judge and to despise the Person Whom God hath received to walk uncharitably towards his Brother or to destroy him with his meat for whom Christ died or to put a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in his Brothers way But on the other hand 't is the perpetual Duty of the highest Christians to follow after the things which make for peace and whereby they may edifie one another Here we observe a second part to the same Tune judging and despising persons whom God hath received which we shall consider more fully presently walking uncharitably destroying him with our meat for whom Christ died as if he set himself up to be an Advocate for a Sect of Superstitious Jews who both killed the Lord their King of whom they have been both the betrayers and Murderers and their own Prophets and have persecuted and chased out us and they please not God and are contrary to all men 1 Thes 2. 15. For his stumbling-blocks which he is ever laying in our way and his charitably walking and his things that make for peace we shall fully consider them before we part In the interim we shall grant him that this as well as other Scriptures being written for our Leraning in cases of like nature if any such can happen must oblige all other Pastors and Rulers of Christs Church as well I will add yea and as much as those at Rome if there had been any such when S. Paul wrote this Epistle But if all Scriptures be written for our Learning in cases of like nature why do you not practise them equally all alike We have those two Tribes building their Altar a symbolical protestation of their Faith and Affiance in God of their Communion with his Church and their Interest in his publick Worship and Service you have also in these Scriptures the report of Daniels opening his Windows upon the same account and to the very same purpose and we find Lyserus Lavator Calvin our Synopsis and who not that have considered the thing among our Protestant Divines do make the sign of the Cross in use among all Christians a Parallel Case with those a symbolical protestation of our Christianity of our Faith and Affiance in Christ Crucified of Communion with Gods Holy Catholick Church and of our Interest in all the priviledges of his publick Worship and Service and this Symbolical Protestation is grounded upon the fundamental Article of Confession which is of moral and perpetual obligation why then is not this Reconciler as zealous a Champion for the use of that ancient Ceremony as he is for matters of meat and drink as he finds them in this present Scripture But I must observe 2. That the immediate Inference the Apostle makes from those words All Scripture is written for our Learning which have relation to Christs Condescension to redeem and save us Rom. 15. 3 4. is this ver 7. wherefore receive ye one another as Christ also received us to the Glory of God This saith Hemmingius is the general conclusion of all the matters or concernments which the Apostle disputed of from the beginning of the fourteenth Chapter And that we may understand our own and take some measure of our Governors Duty as far as modesty and scripture will allow us Let us seriously Consider 1. That Christ tho he dyed for all men yet he received none into actual Communion with him but such as were willing to be received 2. He received none but upon terms of his own and not of their proposing 3. He received none but upon condition of obedience to his Laws and Institutions whereof Government in Church and State is undoubtedly one 4. He received none but to the glory of God Now to all such the Arms of our Governors are opened and they are most ready to receive them But such as must make their own Conditions and come in only upon their own Terms and those terms of Division Christ never received such and we know the Jews were cut off upon that account and therefore the Church cannot receive them to the glory of God unless She should acknowledge him to be a God of Confusion and not of Peace and Order To this purpose Erasmus paraphraseth the Text. Rom. 15. 7. Receive Synopsis ad locum him so as it may redound to Gods Glory who is glorified among the Unbelievers by your Concord This Reconciler by the Scriptures written for our Learning understands the 14th and 15th Chapter to the Romans which he makes the subject of his discourse pag. 67. tho he takes no notice of several remarques which the Verdict has thereon and he should have done well to have taught the people what bitter animosities and sad confusions did arise amongst them for want of good Laws and Rules to direct the Professors of Christianity and of Authority and Governors to awe them into a due obedience For the Convert-Jews would by all means observe Moses his Laws and Institutions even such as were purely Ritual and Ceremonial and not content with an allowance to do it themselves they would impose the practice upon all others and because the Gentiles would not observe them tho reconciled to Christianity they would not admit them to their Communion On the other side the Gentil-Converts being very well assured of the Liberty which they had in Christ whereby they were exempted from the Yoak of Moses's Law which was never designed to be put upon the Christians neck they were no less earnest to exclude from their Communion such Jews as still addicted themselves to the Customs and Law of Moses Hereupon arose a wretched Schism which wonderfully obstructed
Suffragium Protestantium Wherein Our GOVERNOURS ARE Justifyed In Their Impositions and Proceedings Against Dissenters Meisner also and the Verdict rescued from the Cavils and Seditious Sophistry of the Protestant Reconciler By Dr. LAURENCE WOMOCK Arch-Deacon of Suffolk Col. 2. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hoc dico Ne quis vobis imponat Oratione speciosa Per falsas Ratiocinationes Sive ex malitia sive ex Inscitia Id Fiat London Printed for Robert Clavel at the Peacock in St. Pauls Church-yard 1683. A Special Verdict Against the PROTESTANT RECONCILER S. Paul foretold that after his departure grievous Wolves should enter in with a design and malice not to spare but to devour the Flock these were Wolves in Sheeps cloathing whose business was to steal to kill and to destroy but these were not all and perhaps not the most pernicious of the Churches Enemies He foretells further that also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw Disciples after them And this Prophecy is fulfilled in our Reconciler For among others he is risen up with his perverse Principles to make and engage a Party Had he intended the satisfaction or information of his Superiors his Duty would have prompted him to have presented his Papers humbly into their hands and with a modest submission to have expected the result of their wise Councils But a Noverint Vniversi was fitter to carry on his popular Design and to caress his dear Vain-glory. He should have come in the Spirit of Elias to turn the hearts of the Fathers unto the Children the Holy Fathers Mind and Principles their Faith and Affections into the Children and the Disobedient to the Wisdom of the Just That what the Fathers have believed and practised â— L. Brug ad â—uc 1. 17. Paul de Palatiâ— in Mal. 4. 6. the Children may also embrace and follow He could have told them that Christ having assured his Disciples that God who hears the Addresses of His Church he streightly commands them also to hear Her upon pain of forfeiting Her which is the same with His Blessing being deservedly for their contumacy in their Disobedience turned out of Her Communion as Publicans and Heathens He might have been pleased to take notice how Christ resolves the case of Conscience about the Tythe of Mint and Cummin and the weightier matters of the Law saying unto such as were concerned to be well informed These things Matth. 23. 23. ought ye to have done and not to have left the other undone How Christ observed not only the service solemnly established but such Customs and Festivals as had no divine Institution laying down this for a Rule of Conscience Thus it behoves us to fulfill all Righteousness He might have put them in mind as Matth. 3. 15. Tit. 3. 1. St. Paul exhorts to be subject to Principalities and Powers and to obey their Spiritual Guides in their Conduct and to submit to their Orders in regard that Heb. 13. 7. 17. 1 Cor. 14. the spirit of the very Prophets ought to be subject to the greater authority of the Prophets He knows very well that we ought not to be contentious about the Customs and Practices of the Church when they do not supersede the Commands of God nor interfere with them That the Governors of the Church have a great Authority from our Lord and are intrusted in his stead to set things in Order for Edification and Decency in Gods public Worship and Service And when they have done this with great prudence and deliberation that the subjects are to do their duty without murmuring or disputing and to honour such their Governors very highly for their work-sake If not he could have informed his Readers That Christ hath furnisht those Governors with the power of the Keys to shut the door as well as to open it with a Rod for Discipline Authority to mark and censure to admonish and rebuke sharply to stop their mouths who speak preverse things and to reject them from the Communion of Christ's Church if they will neither obey her commands nor regard her admonitions Are they not entrusted by our Lord to make Orders for Discipline and to take the measures of Decency by their own Judgment and Prudence and when they have estabished all things to God's Glory the Peace and Edification of the Church is it our Duty to follow our Guides or to controul them to confront our Governors or to obey them When a difference arose betwixt the Jews and Gentile Converts 't was thought the most prudent and likely Way to compose it to have recourse to Acts 15. Acts 16. 4. the Apostles and Elders about it and the Holy Ghost did assist them in the Decision and S. Paul himself carried about the Decrees to be kept But our Reconciler takes another course to buoy up a sinking Cause and Faction He Censures all the Governors of Church and State decrys their Impositions and directly quarrels their Authority Yet 't was the Resolution of the Brittish Acta Synod in jol De aequitate Decreti Synodici pag. 139. Divines at the Synod of Dort In adiaphoris Supremus Magistratus vice Dei ostendit quid expedit decet The Supreme Magistrate declares in God's stead what is decent and expedient in things indifferent This the whole Synod assented to and by this Rule they justified their Proceedings against the Remonstrants And if the pretence of Christian Liberty be allowed to retrench the Kings Prerogative in Church-matters 't will soon follow the Pope's Practice in Ordine ad Spiritualia and invade his Authority in Temporals All times have afforded examples of turbulent Spirits who thought their Christian Liberty could not consist without the downfall of the Civil Power That their Religion did exempt them from all the Laws and Ordinances of men and gave them a Priviledge to oppose and banish the very Office of the Magistrate from among Argument Ep. ad Rom. 6. Ad Rom. 13. them This Calvin as well as Bullinger has observed And Gualter tells us that the Jews elated with the conceit of their Ancient Dignity took it in great disdain that the Posterity of Abraham Eâ— ad Rom. 13. and the Elect people of God should be in Subjection to the Romans wherefore they made frequent Insurrections to recover their Ancient Liberty and 〈◊〉 had not quite cast off these Principles of Sedition when they embraced the 〈◊〉 of the Gospel Many also of the 〈◊〉 did with no less impaâ—â—â—â—e bear the Yoak of such as were the Professed Enemies of Christ and 〈◊〉 Gospel And 〈◊〉 these a sort of subtil 〈◊〉 did insinuate themselves and having 〈◊〉 the Grace of God into 〈◊〉 that they might enjoy 〈◊〉 câ—rnal satisfactions with the greater license and impunity as St. Jude ob 〈…〉 they made it their business to â—bolish Government By this means the Christian Religion 〈…〉 among such as were in Authority as the Parent and Breeder of Tumults
and Seditions as at this very day says Gualter many render our Religion suspected and odious to Princes upon the very same account For this reason the Apostle does so frequently extol Authority and so earnestly inculcate and press that Subjection and Obedience which is justly due to it Thus St. Peter commands the Jews 1 Pet. 2. 13. to 17. Tit. 3. 1. 1 Tim. 2. 1. to obey Kings and such as Governed by their Commission And St. Paul enjoyns Titus to admonish those under his charge to obey the higher Powers And Timothy to make publick Prayers for them And this he does with the greatest care and concern when he writes to the Christians at Rome because their Animosities and Disputes about their Christian Liberty were high and nothing could be acted by the Professors of the Gospel there that looked so like Sedition without the apparent hazard of the whole Church And this Doctrine saith he is no less needful now than heretofore to repress the rage and madness of those turbulent Spirits the Anabaptists and Libertines who abuse their Christian Liberty to overthrow the Power of the Civil Magistrate For they presume They are Abraham's Seed too not Semen Carnis but Semen Foederis The Spiritual Israel of God and his peculiar People and consequently intituled to all the Prerogatives which the Scripture attributes to those under that Character And being puft up with the conceit of their Spiritual Dignity they look upon all Princes as Gods Enemies and Usurpers of a Spiritual Jurisdiction which they think does not belong unto them Hereupon they are ever ready to mutiny and raise Sedition to shake off that Yoak which they falsly conceive to be Tyrannical and to assert that Lawless Liberty which they mistake for their Christian Priviledg Does not the Reconciler too much favour such Factions and encourage the like Anabaptistical Outrages and run into the same excess of Riot upon the like unjust account of Christian Liberty I am sure he has given the Alarm to awaken the Jealousie of Princes by abetting such peevish quarrels at their commendable Impositions For what is his Practice and the business of this Book He speaks faintly of the Subjects Duty but falls foul upon his Superiors whom he condemns for their care to keep out the Wolf and the little Foxes and attempts to overthrow their Authority by such weak and fallacious Arguments as have been baffled twenty times over or else they are nothing to the purpose or may be retorted with greater force upon the Party he takes upon him to plead for For 1. He supposes men to be weak and then he pleads stifly for a Toleration for them yea he supposes them to be such weak ones and under such circumstances as those were in S. Pauls time and then alledges S. Paul's Arguments on their behalf These are gratis dicta and false suppositions which he can find no ground for among all the Fathers he heaps together to countenance his Hypothesis for which of them did ever condemn the Customs and Ceremonies of the Church in their times upon the account of any thing delivered to the contrary in St. Paul's Epistles Yet 2. He supposes a Multitude of Rites and Ceremonies among us and such as have nothing in them of real goodness or of positive Order Decency and Reverence but such as are burdensome and scandalous and these unjustly imposed which would be true enough if he could prove them to be such and then as such he disputes against them And indeed his design is to destroy all Authority in matters of indifferency and to extend this false and Seditious Doctrine to the utmost to blind and harden such as have rashly I will not say maliciously kickt at their Governors and taken a vain occasion to stumble into Schism He reckons not only the symbolical protestation of Christianity by the sign of the Cross but the external worship of God by bowing and kneeling amongst things indifferent p. 39. 76 iii. We are therefore concerned to take into consideration 1. The Persons supposed to be weak and 2. the Things they take occasion to scruple at I. Men may be weak either in their Faith or in their Morals These last come not under our consideration in this Controversie Him that is weak in the Faith saith Rom. 14. 1. the Apostle Faith is here taken for knowlege of Divine matters especially Rom. 12. 3. 6. of our Christian Liberty that a man understands the difference of days and meats establish'd by the Ceremonial Law of Moses to be taken away by Christ under the dispensation of the Gospel Calixt ad Rom. 14. 1. The Apostles observation was that all men had not this Knowledge And these were the 1 Cor. 8. 7. Apostles weak ones For 1. they had been bred under another dispensation the Discipline of a Ceremonial Law which stood by Divine Right and being of Gods own appointment it had the greater force and tye upon the Conscience and prevailed the more by bearing the Image of a venerable Antiquity for Custom which had inured them to the practice of it had a Prepossession and made it little less than Natural 2. On the other side they were called off to another Dispensation which totally evacuated the force of that Law and rescinded all those Rites and Ceremonies to which they had been so long accustomed Now that an Institution established with so much Grandeur Dread and Majesty should quite lose its Authority and that they should have a power to shake off that Yoak which had been put upon the Necks of their Reverend and Holy Fathers by God himself this was the great stumbling-block and the Objection they scrupled at They were but Novices in Christianity but newly called to the Profession of the Gospel and they did not perfectly understand the Nature of the Christian Liberty this was their weakness and their persons are recommended to us under the title of little ones of Babes in Christ and of weak Brethren Such little ones tho their judgments were weak if their hearts were sound and their Faith unfeigned Christ had a great compassion for them Take heed ye offend not one of these little ones that believe in me And so S. Paul for his Babes in Christ Him that is weak Rom. 1â— 1. in the Faith receive into your Communion but not so as to encourage him in his own prejudices to quarrel with the course of other mens Conversation But did either St. Paul or Christ cocker them up in their childish weakness and indulge them to continue Babes always as our Reconciler does Did not our Blessed Lord chide his Disciples Duncery in his School O ye of little Faith How long shall I be with you how long shall I suffer you O fools and slow of heart to believe Luke 24. 25. And did not St. Paul check the dulness and non-proficiency of his Disciples And I brethren could not speak unto you as unto Spiritual but as unto Carnal
Severity was it because he loved them not this he refers to the searcher of hearts 2 Cor. 11. 11. to judge This was sound Doctrine and wholsom Discipline without question in the Apostles time But perhaps the case may be altered now no it was not we are sure in St. Austins time Quid igitur hic faciat Ecclesiae Ep. 167. medicina salutem omnium materna Charitate conquirens tanquam inter phreneticos Lethargicos aestuans nunquid contemnere nunquid desistere vel debet vel potest utriusque sit necesse est molesta quia neutris est inimica Nam Phrenetici nolunt ligari Lethargici nolunt excitari sed perseverat diligentia charitatis Phreneticum castigare Lethargicum stimulare ambos amare Ambo offenduntur sed ambo diliguntur ambo molestati quandiu aegri sunt indignantur sed ambo sanati gratulantur Now what remedy can the Church which with the tenderness of a Mother seeks the good of all her children apply in this case whilst she is embroiled in the contentions of the Frantick on the one hand and the Stupid and Sullen on the other She neither can well nor indeed ought she utterly to cast them off or cease admonishing them which course soever she takes it must needs trouble her because she has a kindness for both But so long as neither the Frantick and unruly will be restrained by her Laws nor will the sullen be provok'd to observe them she in charity to them both proceeds to chastise the one and rouze up the other and yet retains a love for them both Both take offence and yet what is done is in love to both both are apt to fret and murmur and are angry in their sickness as if they were wronged but upon recovery are glad to find the wholsom effects of those means applyed to them I shall trouble the Reader but with one praemonition more which concerns the Reconcilers dealing with Dr. Womock The Body of his discourse this Champion of Dissention found solid and of too high proof for the little strength of his Assault and Battery and therefore with great wisdom and forecast he never attempts it but yet to shew his good will to the cause and because some sort of men out of their great zeal must be medling he acts the part of the old Serpent and falls a nibling at the Heels of it But that verdict was drawn up with so much evidence of truth that the Dr. dares venture it before any Bench and present it to any that bears the Character and Title of a Judge except the Protestant Joyner or an Ignoramus Jury With the Readers Patience we will try how this Reconciler does attaque it He begins in reference to the fourteenth and fifteenth chapters of the Epistle to the Romans and at pag. 89. of the Verdict Where the Dr. laid down this Position That the Rules of Advice in those Chapters were directions for common use among private Christians and here I am afraid the Reconciler had no honest meaning in changing the Drs. words saying and not Decrees whereas the Dr. goes on thus but for Decrees and Orders of publick use and practice He the Apostle gave out none to this Church because as yet here was no Jurisdiction setled no Laws made no Governors appointed to put them in Execution To prove this the Dr. alledged four Arguments tho the Reconciler takes notice but of three 1. The first of those Arguments was taken from Grotius and it is built upon the Apostles command to those Romans which was only to mark such as caused Divisions and Scandals and not to excommunicate them From whence that Learned man collects that there was not then at Rome any Presbytery or setled Jurisdiction In answer to this Plea the Reconciler pag. 69. saith 1. That it is manifestly false 2. That were it true it alters not the case nor doth it take off from the strength of the present Argument But to mollifie the sharpness of his stile in saying 't is manifestly false he is pleased to be a little more civil and that is much in him and to say only 1. That it is not true For says he can any man imagine yes he knows Grotius and Aretius and others as well as Dr. Womock do imagine it that in such a Church whose Faith was spoken of throughout the World there should be no Ministers to Baptize to Preach the Word to administer the Sacrament of the Lords Supper to them and if there were such there must be a standing Order of Presbyters licensed by the Apostles or their Bishop or exercising their Ministerial Function without licence Before I return my Answer I must in Charity deliver the Reconciler out of his own snare or at least preserve the unwary Reader from it or exercising their Ministerial Function without Licence This is a fallacy which the Logicians call petitio principii whether there were such a Ministerial Function setled as yet at Rome is the thing in question but the Reconciler takes it for granted and so disputes upon it He should have proved it first and then he might very fairly have made his Inference In the mean while I shall tell the Reader for his satisfaction That Rome being the Imperial City and having Commerce with all the World 't was no wonder that all the world should soon have intelligence that the Gospel was brought and entertained amongst them But as a very learned and judicious person observes the Church or rather the Christians at Rome when S. Paul wrote his Epistle thither seems as that also at Antioch was for the most part to be made up of Foreigners both of Jews and Gentiles whom business Acts 28. 17. Rom. 1. 15. 16. drew thither from other converted Provinces as appears both from the Apostles salutations of former Acquaintance Anon. Paraphrase Annot on the Rom. in the preface chap. 16. and from his writing the Epistle in Greek Whether the Sacraments were as yet commonly administred there is not asserted in that Epistle for the mention of Baptism in the sixth Chapter will not evince it that it was but the Gospel of the Resurrection could not want Apostles and Evangelists in a large sense to publish it The good women who brought the glad tidings of our Saviours return from the Grave with life and glory are somewhere stiled Apostolorum Apostolae the Apostles of the Apostles After the death of S. Stephen the Disciples who were scattered abroad Acts 8. 4. went every where Preaching the Word But were all Apostles properly so called Had all power to Plant and Establish and Govern Churches This Reconciler Tit. 1. 5. knows the Gospel was Preached in Creete before any Discipline or Government was established The Schoolmen tell us with great truth and reason that Potestas Ordinis Potestas Jurisdictionis are too several things There are several parts of the holy Function I will recite them as they
are reckoned up by Dr. Sclater There is ad 2 Thes 3. 6. Potestas Ministerii at large Authority to Preach the Gospel and administer the Holy Sacraments Mat. 28. 19. 2. there is Potestas Ordinis a power to Ordein Ministers and make Laws for external Government 1 Tim. 5. 22. Tit. 1. 5. 3. there is Potestas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Censurae to administer Censures less or greater according to the quality of Offences Every mans zeal and knowledge where there is no Organical Church setled was licence enough for him to report what had been done at Jerusalem and what was the present Faith and Practice there If they had any Ministers to Preach with Authority amongst them no doubt they had their Holy Orders and a Divine Mission and were put in Office to that purpose but 't is most likely they had none because tho they had knowledge to admonish one another of the Doctrine they had received yet they had no Authority to teach as S. Ambrose has observed Rom. 15. 14. non dixit ut invicem se doceant sed admoneant and if there had been any such spiritual guides doubtless in such a case of difficulty and danger the Apostle would have referred the Christians to their Conduct as he did in other places And yet every man that hath a licence as well as ability to preach the Gospel has not presently the Authority of a Governor Philip was an Evangelist and Preached Christ to the City of Samaria Baptiz'd Converts and wrought Miracles amongst them yet he had no Jurisdiction there The Apostles sent Peter and John from Jerusalem to lay their hands upon them to Confirm them Acts 8. 14. to 17. Secondly saith our Reconciler The Apostle among many others whom he calls his Helpers in Christ approved in Christ labourers in Christ Rom. 16. 3 9 12. who may all rationally be deemed to be Church-Officers and as rationally deemed to be none Presbyters Deacons and Diaconesses makes mention of Andronicus and Junias of note amongst Christ's Apostles i. e. saith our Reconciler among the Preachers of the Gospel the Teachers of the Christian Faith If these be his Church-Governors then there was a woman got into the Chair at Rome before Pope Joan was heard of for Theophilact saith that Junias was the name of a woman and Grotius thinks she was wife to Andronicus But what is all this to a setled Jurisdiction to establisht Laws and Governors appointed to put them in execution which was the thing he was obliged to prove and now to pay him back a little of his own coin of the finer mettal who could imagine this Reconciler would have had the confidence to oppose a deliberate Verdict upon a Melius inquirendum and pretermitting all the solid Grounds of Truth Reason and Authority upon which it is established think to quash it by his own vain Imaginations All the Ancients that write of the Church of Rome do conclude that it was founded by those two great Apostles S. Peter and S. Paul and S. Paul being the Apostle of the Incircumcision and above all the rest adorned with the title of a chosen vessel to bear the name and Gospel of Christ among the Gentiles Acts 9. 15. in all reason we should allow him a good share in the establishment of that Church which was the most considerable in his whole Province but 't is evident when he wrote his Epistle he had never been at Rome to do it and tho he sent Phaebe with his Epistle I hope no man will be so ill advised as to think he gave her any Commission to Govern If there had been any such Governors there where should we look for them but among those persons of such excellent note whom S. Paul salutes and yet if the Reconciler will needs have them to be Church-Governors the first of the Catalogue is a Woman Rom. 16. 3. Priscilla so likewise 2 Tim. 4. 19. She is called Prisca and set before Aquila and 't is thought what e're the rest were that her Husband was her Convert Priscillam quidem priori loco ponit cujus ratio certa vix reddi potest Si tamen conjecturis locus est illustrior fortussis fuit uxor magis nota omnibus vel prior ad fidem conversa maritum postea instituit Gualt ad Rom. Homil. 93. in p. 225. 2. in fine He sets down Priscilla in the first place for which no certain Reason can be given but if we may conjecture probably the Wife might be of the more honourable extraction and so more publickly known or being first converted to the Faith her self afterwards instructed her Husband in the same That S. Peter was there to plant a Church and settle Governors so as to make a Coalition of Jew and Gentile into one united body before S. Paul wrote this Epistle if he can prove it solidly the present Church of Rome shall thank him for it but the generality of Protestant Writers are against it Take Gualterus instead of all the rest ad Rom 16. 7 16. Homil. 94. Non parum facit hic locus ad confutandum impudens Papistarum figmentum c. This place saith he makes strongly for the confutation of that impudent Fiction of the Papists who dream of S. Peters coming to Rome in the second year of Claudius and that he first constituted a Church there over which he himself did preside for five and twenty years together Now if they say true in this He must be at Rome when S. Paul wrought this Epistle Why then makes he no mention of him or what reason can be alledged why the name of Peter only should be left out of that long and honourable catalogue of those men who were famous in that Church at that time was it because he was ignorant of his being there But this cannot well be seeing that the Faith of Rome was published in most parts of the World and how could so great an Apostle escape S. Paul's knowledge who was acquainted with so many of far meaner quality or shall we think that he concealed S. Peter's name out of emulation But far be such a thing from the sincerity and uprightness of an Apostle and why should he envy Peter his honour who speaks so honourably of many others far inferior to him Therefore our Romanists will never be able to make good this fancy of theirs For what Answer will they give S. Luke who says that Peter was present at the Council of Jerusalem which as St. Paul witnesseth in his second Chapter to the Galathians was held in the eighteenth year after his Conversion which according to true computation falls on the ninth year of Claudius besides these men are not aware how great mischief they do S. Peter when they talk of his sitting as Bishop of Rome for full five and twenty years who according to Christs command ought to have travelled up and down and preached the Gospel in several places And truly
the Apostle alters his style to them 1 Thes 5. 12 13. after he had admonished the Disciples to have a special regard to those Spiritual Guides and a high value for them He treats them with great respect when he puts them in mind of their Duty Now we beseech you Brethren warn them that are disorderly But the Reconciler goes on with his exceptions and tells us The same Apostle writing to Timothy concerning such who had a Form of Godliness but denied the power of it writes certainly of Persons who did as much deserve the Churches Censures as those he mentioned Rom. 16. 17. This Reconciler always has a reserve of kindness for such as make Divisions and Dissentions in the Church and Timothy says he to whom he writes had power to inflict those Censures and yet he only saith unto him from such turn away The place is 2 Tim. 3. 5. But to this I reply 1. That no doubt Timothy after so long converse with this great Apostle very well understood the several parts of his Duty and the Apostle did not think fit to prescribe him particular Rules of Government having charged him in the General in his former Epistle chap. 5. 21. To proceed according to the merits of every cause that should be brought before him and to do nothing with Partiality 2. He speaks there of a dangerous sort of Impostors which crept into Houses and had cunning enough to lead Captive silly Women and such false Apostles as take sanctuary in great Families the Church-Censures cannot always reach them Timothy had not then the assistance of a Secular arm and perhaps they were not to be restrained without it 3. The Apostle forseaw the Reign of those Impostors would be but short and concluded it would be most prudent to let them alone to expose themselves to contempt and scorn to their own ruin and this is the importance of those words 2 Tim. 3. 9. They shall proceed no further for their folly shall be manifest unto all men as perhaps our Reconcilers misadventure may be ere he be few months older But this shall suffice for the vindication of Grotius his little Argument The next Argument was that of Catharinus it was but short indeed and the Reconciler was too short-sighted to discern the force of it 't was taken from the Apostles expostulation who art thou that judgest another mans Servant Cum non sis Pastor aut Dominus ejus as Catharinus very truly and judiciously makes the sense of the Apostle when thou art not his Lord or Bishop and hast no jurisdiction and command over him This Argument saith our Reconciler is extremely frivolous which argues he does not understand it for saith he if this be the import of the Apostles words why dost thou judge another mans Servant who art not his Pastor then his own Master to whom he stands or falls must be his Pastor and therefore he must have a Pastor But the Master there mentioned is so plainly God that it is but lost time to prove it Thus our Reconciler argues But under favour he has insnared himself in a Fallacy which is called Ignoratio Elenchi For the Assertion was this that those Rules were given to private Persons and the reason of that were because there was no Governors then setled among the Christians at Rome and the proof of this was taken from a hint in Catharinus why dost thou judge thy Brother cum non sis Pastor aut Dominus ejus He had no Bishop or Pastor to Govern him in Church-matters and therefore the Apostle refers him to God's Tribunal And now I hope the Argument will be clear to the understanding of our Reconciler for thus it is framed They that were accountable to none but God in matters of Religion They were under no Jurisdiction they who were under no Jurisdiction had no Governors and consequently these directions could not concern them who were not then in Being especially being a Provision for quietness design'd for want of them And here it will not be impertinent to take notice of Aquinas his observation in Prol. That S. Paul wrote fourteen Epistles whereof nine were to instruct the Church of the Gentiles four to direct the Prelates and Governors of the Church and one for the Instruction of the People of Israel For the whole Doctrine concerns the Grace of Christ which falls under a threefold consideration One way as it is in Christ the Head and so it is commended to us in the Epistle to the Hebrews Another way as it is in the Principal Members of the Body Mystical and so it is commended in those Epistles which are directed to the Prelates A third way as it is in the Mystical Body it self which is the Church and so it is commended in those Epistles which were sent to the Gentiles amongst which this to the Romans was one and not directed to the Prelates of the Church as Aquinas well observes And it is further observable That here are Rules given and particularly in the 14th and 15th Chapters which are inconsistent with the Governors Duty For 1. He passeth by the Bishops Office and applies himself to the Disciples and instead of giving order to the first to excommunicate the scandalous offenders He requires the other to avoid them 2. He forbids judging which had been an obstruction of Justice and Discipline if there had been any Officers to execute and perform it 3. As he had done by the Women in another sence so here he injoyns the Men silence to keep their Faith their Opinion and Knowledge to themselves which in Bishops and Pastors was an obstructing of Edification 'T is clear S. Paul sends them a Prohibition against Judging but this we may be sure S. Paul would not have done against such as had Authority to Judge whence it will follow That he sent not this prohibition to Church-Governors and from hence it will follow that there were none such amongst them which was the thing undrtaken to be proved as was hinted by Catharinus The Argument may be put into Form thus Such as have a Jurisdiction and Divine Authority to Judge of Scandals and Offences those Persons the Apostle did not forbid to judge the reason is because the holy Apostle doubtless would not supersede a Divine Authority and obstruct the course of Justice and Reformation But Governors where they were duly setled had a Jurisdiction and Divine Authority to judge of Scandals and Offences Therefore the Apostle did not forbid them to Judge Here are but two things to be made good to clear the Argument from all possible objection 1. That there were among those Christians at Rome many Misdemeanors Scandals and Offences matters fit for Inquisition and Censure 2. That Church-Governors had Authority where they were duly setled to inquire into them and Censure them The first is clearly proved from the Admonition of the Apostle Rom. 16. 17. Mark them which cause Divisions and Offences and avoid c.
but it must be done so as it may appear that his Judgment governs his Passion and direct it against the offence and not against the Person Governors may set in order what they find Defective or Irregular in Gods Church and prescribe such things as make for Decency in Gods Publick and solemn Worship and these things they may Impose For that they should do so is the Apostles Injunction and Gods Command And for such as will not obey they may use Sharpness after S. Pauls Example to reduce them to obedience For this Power the Lord hath given them to Edification without the word only which the Reconciler has foisted into the Text. 2 Cor. 13. 10. Indeed the Apostle adds and not unto Destruction because the power of the Gospel Ministry is properly of it self and its own nature for Edification 't is the power of God unto salvation Rom. 1. 16. But we are to take notice that Church-Governors have a Rod too a power to inflict punishment for the destruction of the flesh 1 Cor. 5. 5. and all the works of the flesh likewise amongst which are Heresie and a 1 Cor. 33. 4. Gal. 5. 19 20. Schism and so is Pride and Self-conceit which swell and puff men up against their Governors and the Law of Christ which the Apostolical Power was therefore designed to take down b 2 Cor. 10. 4. 5. There is Destruction in Order to Edification The rubbish of Error and false Principles must be removed to make way to lay in and build on better And this is the Bishops great business to take care that the Enemy steals not in to sow his Tares that well-meaning souls be not seduced by false Teachers into ill Principles But diligently built up in their most holy Faith and the Doctrine which is according to Godliness And the exercise of this power in the very severest part of it is designed for the Edification of the whole Church and ultimately tends to the salvation of the most profligate Delinquent that suffers under it Tanti sacit Apostolus aedificationem 1 Cor. 5. 4 5. ut omnia ad hanc tanquam scopum ad 2 Cor. 13. 10. verse 8. Gal. 2. 14. primarium dirigat saith Aretius The primary scope of all his Dispensations was Edification for we can do nothing against the truth but for the truth and the sincere truth of the Gospel that is the solid Edification But the Apostle had a twofold way to deal with sinners as that learned man observes some he reformed by instruction i. e. he laid open to them the Nature the Guilt and hainousness of their sin and reasoned them into a better course of life which they followed upon his admonition But others who were more obstinate the Apostle handled with more severity The incestuous person he did Excommunicate Elimas the Sorcerer he struck with blindness some he delivered up to Satan and some he restrained by other means of Discipline And that was the Apostolical severity which he threatens to use among the Corinthians where he tells them he will not spare e 2 Cor. 13. 2. unless they correct their manners And this course of Discipline ought to continue still saith he where the Ad 2 Cor. 13. 2. Church of Christ is well established For all the Members of the Church are not sick of the same disease Nor does a good Physician undertake to cure all Persons with the same Medicine but in some cases he uses more mild and gentle Remedies in others more sharp ones searing scarifying amputation because the Diseases are grievous and the Bodies of such Patients cannot be cured otherwise And Hemmingius upon Ad Cor. 13. 2. those words of the Apostle 2 Cor. 13. 2. If I come I will not spare makes this Comment Hoc severitatis exemplum Ministri verbi piè prudenter in aedificationem imitentur Let the Ministers of the Gospel imitate this example piously and prudently to edification And let it be observed saith he that the severer Jurisdiction or Church-Discipline concerns the Edification of the whole Church and of them who are particularly chastised And the Governors of the Church are armed with this Power tum ad puniendum tum ad salvandum as well to punish as to save and for punishment in order to their salvation And if any destruction happens besides that which ought to be destroyed in such as unruly est hoc ex accidente This is but by accident as Sclater hath ad 2 Cor 13. 8. 10. observed 2 Cor. 2. 16. And let us take this into consideration too that it is at the Governors discretion to use this Discipline according as he shall find the Temper and Disposition of the Subject 1 Cor. 4. 21. What will ye shall I come unto you with a Rod or in Love and in the spirit of meekness But you 'll say are not the Governors of the Church obliged to receive the weak in the Faith Rom. 14. 1. yes very highly obliged in S. Pauls sence as becomes their Place and Office Receive him that is weak that is instituite favete donec proficiat saith Bullinger take him into your tuition instruct and cherish him till he be a good proficicient in the School of Christ This is the Charity and Care of Church-Governors and ours are ready to perform it I dare say for them with all their heart if our weak Brethren would harken to it And being pious as well as strong They are willing also to bear their Infirmities and not only to bear with them which is the part of every private Christian but to heal them which is the part of every good Physician To bear them as our blessed Saviour bare our sins not so as to take them upon his shoulders only but to bear and carry them quite away and this is their Labour of Love and work of Charity But they cannot do this in effect no more could our Lord himself unless the People be willing to part with them But who art thou that judgest another mans Servant saith our Apostle and may a Church-Governor do this Why not He is in Authority and doubtless he may Judge where God hath called him to that Office and given him a jurisdiction for it Nay I say he must do it for what saith the Lord to his Prophet Jer. 15. 19. If thou take forth the precious from the vile thou shalt be as my mouth This is that the Lord requires of a good Governor Nempè ut condemnet libere quicquid vitiosum est fortiter defendat quod rectum est etiamsi totus mundus repugnet saith Calvin upon the place That he freely condemn whatsoever is vitious and as stoutly defend what is right and just tho the whole World should oppose it And what shall we say of S. Pauls Charge to Timothy 1 Tim. 5. 19 20. and to Titus Tit. 3. 9 10. and what shall we say to his own practice 1 Cor.
it would tell all the World that such Governors renounced their own Judgment and 't is probable many would say they went against their Conscience to humour a froward and unsteady Faction How dangerous such a practice would be we may learn from the experience and complaint of the Royal Martyr in an instance of a like nature I never met saith he with a more unhappy conjuncture of affairs than * That concerned the Destruction of an excellent man and this of an excellent Church when between my own unsatisfiedness in Conscience and a necessity as some told me of satisfying the importunity of some people I was perswaded by those that I think wish'd me well to choose rather what was safe than what seemed Just preferring the outward Peace of my Kingdoms with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Meditat. on the Earl of Straffords Death men before that inward exactness of Conscience before God He tells us He had confessed it with sorrow both to God and men as an act of so sinful frailty that it discovered more a fear of man than God whose name and place on Earth saith he no man is worthy to bear who will avoid inconveniencies of State by acts of so high injustice as no publick convenience can expiate or compensate And then he goes on profoundly thus I see it a bad exchange to wound a mans own Conscience thereby to salve State sores to calm the Storms of Popular discontents by stirring up a Tempest in a mans own Bosom Wherefore our Governors being very well satisfied that in the present settlement of Church affairs they have acted within the proper sphere of their own Office and have had an eye all along to Gods Glory therein tho all the Pharisees of the World should be offended yet let them strenuously assert their own Injunctions with alacrity under the attestation and comforts of a good Conscience 3. In abating those Impositions as this Reconciler requires they should betray the truth of the Gospel in things Indifferent and depretiate the solemn Worship of God which among us is determined to be most Decently and Reverently performed by our present establishment we say according to the sense of the Apostle He that has a jealousie he shall displease God in doing such or such a thing and yet will venture to do it he sins in it because he shews a want of Reverence to the Authority and Majesty of God In like manner should we change that Form of Worship which we think better for that which we think worse a more decent way and manner of Address in our holy Duties for one that is less decent in our own esteem this would argue and declare a want of Reverence towards the Majesty of God whom we pretend to Worship 4. Taking away of those Impositions would cause a greater Mischief than it would prevent For 1. instead of a Passive it would procure an Active Scandal to prevent a Scandal taken there would be a Scandal given A Scandal per se laid in our Neighbours way to remove a Scandal per Accidens For a Scandal by Accident does happen Quando nec operantis intentio nec operis natura aut circumstantia eò tendit ut alter ruat sed prava peccantis dispositione fit ut occasionem peccandi inde hauriat ubi non est When neither the intent of the Imposer nor the nature of the Imposition nor any circumstance thereof tends to that end that any man should fall by it but it comes to pass through the corrupt disposition of the Delinquent that he draws an occasion of sinning from thence where really there is none this is a Scandal by accident and a Scandal taken and this is all the Scandal that the Dissenters have to complain of in these Impositions Whereas the Repealing or ruffling of these Impositions would unsettle a well establish'd Church and rob her of that which is her Glory her good Order which keeps her stedfast in her Faith and Allegiance both to God and man This was so Conspicuous in the Church of Coloss that all men observed it and the Apostle takes notice of it at a distance with great satisfaction Tho I be absent in the Col. 2. 5. flesh yet am I with you in the spirit joying and beholding your Order and the stedfastness of your Faith in Christ Upon which words saith the learned Davenant Seeing Pastors have so great a joy from that good Order that flourisheth among a People it follows that they do unworthily afflict and vex the Prelates of the Church who do contemn and trample down the lawful Ordinances of the Heb. 13. 17. Church contrary to that of the Apostle Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit to them For Ordo est tanquam vallus seductoribus oppositus Order is a Bulwark opposed to prevent the incursions of Seducers They are therefore seldom precipitated into Errors who observe that order of Obedience which is due to their Governors but on the contrary where the Order of Commanding and Obeying is neglected ibi tanquam per disjectam aciem facilè perrumpitur there it is easie to break in upon them as upon a routed and scattered Army Hereupon Grynaeus Professor at 1585. A Col. 2. 5. Lect. 18. Heydelberge among those Gifts wherein a well constituted Church ought to excel he reckons these two Order and the solidity of Faith By Order he understands the whole Liturgie and Discipline of the Church where all things are to be done Decently and in Order 1 Cor. 14. 40. And such as walk Disorderly 2 Thes 3. 6. as far as is possible in ordinem Disciplinae Ecclesiasticae severitate adhibita redigendi sunt They are to be reduced to Order by the severity of Church-Discipline 2. A second Mischief that would arise from the Retrenching of those Impositions would be the Offence given to the weak and tender Members of the Church For we must not deny but we have those that are weak and tender and are not the worse for it and they may very well be jealous with a Godly Jealousie if they should see such a Change such an abolition of our establish'd Ordinances they might very well be Jealous of the truth of our Doctrine about things indifferent jealous of the lawfulness of our Practice herein or else Jealous of our sincerity in our profession of them both And this might prove so great a scandal that the Church of Rome might make a greater Harvest of it than they could of all the Plundering and Persecuting times of the late Rebellion when men of worth and honour did stedfastly adhere to the King and Church out of Conscience finding them so just and steadfast to their own well setled Principles And that of the Father is a known truth Ipsa mutatio consuetudinis etiam quae adjuvat utilitate novitate perturbat The Change of an old Custom gives more trouble and disturbance by the novelty than it can give
shall not do that which is right in your own eyes That is the common practice of such as have no Coercive Government And this is the attempt of such as would have none Wilt thou put out the eyes of these men Numb 16. 14. We will not come up They think they have lost their own eyes if they may not be allowed to do what they list Such an one was Corah and we are foretold there would spring up a Race of pretended Christians of the same stamp and that their doom was already paradigmatized and set forth in Effigie by his destruction Woe unto them for they have gone in the way of Cain who out Jude Ep. v. 1. of Malice and Envie slew his Brother Abel a figure of the true Church of God and ran greedily after the error of Balaam who Prophesied as ill things as he could Rev. 2. Hemmingius ad Ep. St. Jude and projected worse for the reward of Lucre and applause and perished in the gainsaying of Corah And in the description of Corah and his Company Hemmingius observes first that he was not content with that degree of honour to which he was advanced and then that he did blaspheme the Magistrate and endeavoured to take away all Degrees from among the Ministers of God And to effect this he made use of a specious Argument viz. That it was a very unworthy thing that the holy people of God should be subject to any Head on Earth The Papists he says follow this Example who will not suffer their Priests to be subject to the Civil Magistrate to have any Authority in the Church and Joannes Agricola has the Annot. In Tit. 3. 1. He lived about 1530. like charge against the Bishops of Rome who pull down Magistracy as if it were an injurious encroachment and not an Ordinance of God that upon the ruin of this they may establish their own Tyranny similes his fuerunt Prophetae Phanatici horum temporum And such were the Phanatick Prophets of these times whose folly saith he hath been wonderfully discovered And now the fury of the Anabaptists wish and aim at nothing more than the common destruction of all the Laws and honest Constitutions of the Magistrates And are not we leavened with this horrible Fanaticism To say that Church-Governors have not power to impose any thing for Decency and Order but what is necessary and commanded is in effect to charge the Vniversal Church for 1500 years together more or less with Vsurpation and Tyranny and contradicts the Judgment and Declarations of the most Learned Protestants of any credible Denomination See the Verdict pag. 24 c. There can be no publick Worship of See the Verdict p. 24. p. 35. p. 223. and the two Letters God solemnly performed unless some Rules be observed therein If every man were allowed to have his Psalm his Revelation his Interpretation to use the Apostles own instance if every 1 Cor. 14. 26. one were suffered to pick and choose his own time place gesture there could be no Decency no Order nothing but Confusion And the unlearned Ibid. v. 2 3. yea and the learned too that should come into our Assemblies would certainly say we were mad To prevent this Governors are set up in the Church to determin what is fit to be done and to restrain our vagrant Liberty to the use and Practice of what is so ordained 1 Cor. 14. 40. Let all things be done decently and in order This is an Apostolical Injunction and that is of great Authority and so sacred that no humane Liberty is allowed to dispute much less to affront it for indeed a greater that St. Paul is here these Injunctions touching matters of Decency and Order they are the Commandments of God and the Apostle would have the greatest pretenders to the Spirit to know it 1 Cor. 14. 34. so that we have an Apostolical we have a Divine Command for Governors and that lays a necessity upon them to make such Ordinances and consequently the things Ordeined are neither uncommanded nor unnecessary The evidence of truth is so strong in Pag. 340. this Case that the Dissenters are forced to allow that there be many Cases where somewhat in genere is necessary to be determined They also add that in all Cases truly such the Magistrate Civil or Sacred not only may but must determine and indeed saith the Reconciler no man in his wits can doubt that what is necessary to be determined must be determined and seeing Par in parem non habet potestatem it follows that they cannot be determined by any other but Superiors i. e. they cannot be obligingly determined by others Thus our Reconciler But it is a great mistake to think that Authority in this Case is restrained to things Necessary All things are Lawful for me saith the Apostle but all things are not expedient If he had restrained his or our Liberty to things Necessary he would have argued to that effect All things are Lawful for me but all things are not necessary and he would 1 Cor. 6. 12. 10. 23. have injoyned us to keep to things necessary but he argues otherwise All things are Lawful but all things are not Expedient Wherein he teacheth us to distinguish of things whereof some saith he are expedient and some are inexpedient Which are expedient is not left to every man to judge for then we should run again into Madness and Confusion as was observed even now When we speak of Necessary things Acts 15. 28 29. we had need be wary and speak with distinction otherwise the word has so many significations we may easily be insnared in a Fallacy upon that account The Decree of the Council at Jerusalem runs thus It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things That ye abstain from meats offered to Idols and from Blood and from things Strangled and from Fornication Some men I observe run into a great mistake in making the necessity here mentioned to be Antecedent to the Decree of the Council in respect of the Nature of the things forbidden except Fornication which is of doubtful interpretation too If those observed things were Antecedently necessary then they had some moral goodness in them and were commanded because they were good which is not affirmed of the Ceremonial Law Besides Acts 15. 23. this Decree was sent to the Gentiles and made for their use and observation and these things could not be necessary to them Antecedently to them because the Ceremonial Law of Moses did not oblige or concern them The necessity therefore which those things had I except Fornication in our common sense of the word was Consequent to that Decree of the Council Nor could the necessity there mentioned be absolute or simply such for such necessity has no Law but is a Law to it self but only a Hypothetical Necessity or a necessity
secundum quid or as some call it a Necessity of expedience of which necessity or expedience the Apostles and Elders that is the Governors of the Church were the sole and proper Judges But the Reconciler tells us the Dissenters do universally deny that it is necessary to determine any of these scrupled Ceremonies and they have perfect demonstration for the truth of that denyal for Necessarium est quod non potest aliter se habere that only is necessary to be done which cannot be left undone But will the Reconciler say that the things determined and imposed by that Council were necessary in this sense That implies a Physical necessity whereas here was no other necessity than a Moral one which is only when Prudence or the present reason of things does suggest That I be willing to do what I can when I am not able to do what I would In this sense the word Necessity is taken 1 Cor. 7. 37. He that standeth stedfast in his heart having no Necessity but has power over his own will i. e. he has no Moral consideration of force enough to draw him from his purpose The necessity was not absolute 't was not inevitable The thing of it self might have been otherwise and therefore the Reconciler thought fit to mince the matter thus That only is necessary to be determined in order to the performance of an Ibid. p. 340. Action without which the Action cannot be done or N. B. at the least not well done But Divine Service saith he may be celebrated Baptism may be administred the Sacrament may be received yea all these Actions may be performed well tho no determination should be made by our Superiors that all who do Officiate should wear a Surplice all that receive the Sacrament shall kneel and all that are Baptized shall receive the sign of the Cross upon their foreheads Here the Reconciler mistakes the question or begs it The question is concerning these Administrations and performances now our Superiors have made their determination And I say if these Duties be not done according to appointment they are not done decently according to the present Estimation of our Governors and it is their Estimate and Order not our own Will or Fancy that God commands us to obey and follow and the Reason is because according to the common sense and experience of the whole World They whose Prudence and Authority is intrusted by God himself to Rule and Govern in all Human Affairs are not only allowed to be the most competent Judges * The external Worship of God is taken from that which is esteemed the highest reverence among men See Psal 2. 12. 72. 9. Isa 49. 23. of what is Civil and Decent in their respective Countries but the Duties also appointed according to their Order at Gods Command are the more likely to obtain acceptance at Gods hands for their very Office-sake as Gods Vice-gerents And hence it is that as we are required to obey them for the Lords sake so we are encouraged to 1 Pet. 2. 13. hope that he will have respect unto us for theirs †Nam cum Deus proponere vellet exemplum orationis acceptissimae non aliam in medium adduxit quam Mosis Samuelis Orationem Greg. v. Psal 99. 6 Jer. 18. 1. 1 Sam. 12. 23. And then God having prescribed his Vice-gerents a General Rule if he leaves the particulars to their Discretion Who art thou O man that disputeth against God Rom. 9. 20. Certainly 't is our Duty to rely upon their Judgment where God himself is pleased to trust it We have no reason to be offended at the Laws of our Governors when God is not offended at them and we are sure God is not offended at what they do unless they do it against his will What they have done and established in his Church and Worship let us see the Will of God against it and we will all forth with turn Protestant Joyners and Reconcile our selves to the Dissenters upon the account Acts 4. 19 5. 29. of St. Peters Aphorism we must obey God rather than Man But where God has not put a check upon their power we must obey him in his Officers rather than follow our own Fancy or the Suggestions of any private Person or Persons who have no Authority over us and that is to obey God rather than man in a second and lower sense of that Rule For Governors have Authority to institute Rites and Observances for Order and Decency which we are bound to observe upon that account For there is a command to Governors 1 Cor. 14. 40. Let all things be done decently and in order And then there is a command to Subjects to perform what is established according to that Rule Obey your Prelates or those who have the Heb. 13. 7 17. Rule over you And concerning such Rites and Traditions St. Austins Rule is commended in all the Church of God In these things a prudent Christian Davenant ad Col. 2. 8. p. 185. can observe no better Order than this to do as the Church of God does whereever he comes For whatsoever is injoyned that is neither against the Faith nor against good manners is to be used indifferently according to the custom of the place All Ecclesiastical Laws concerning Fasts or Festivals concerning the difference of Habits and the whole external Order which is observed in the performance of all Sacred Offices will come under this Rule Whosoever rejects this kind of Rites and Traditions of men not repugnant to the word of God is a disturber of Publick Order and a Contemner of that Power and Authority which God has setled in his Church Thus the Learned Davenant 2. If a weak Brother scruples and acts unreasonably his weakness may call for our help and as S. Chrysostom saith he ought to have it But what is the help that can be afforded him in this case The disease 't is in his Mind and 't is â—â—t Reconcil 〈◊〉 78. only Want of Knowledg and particularly want of the Knowledge of that Liberty which was purchased to us by Christ Jesus And hence it is that the Apostle requires the strong to bear with such a Weak Brother and to instruct him Tantisper dum de Libertate partâ per Christum edoceatur as Hyperius Bullinger Hemmingius Beza and all the Learned Commentators among the Protestants do unanimously expound it till he has Learned what that Liberty is which was purchased for us by our blessed Saviour Those are to be esteemed little ones saith Amesius qui non sunt sufficienter instituti circa libertatem nostram 1 Cor. 8. 7. who are not sufficiently instructed Case Consc l. 5. c. 11. n. 14. 15. about our Liberty And he adds That all they are not sufficiently instructed to whom a just account of the matter of Fact is rendred For perhaps some are not capable to understand the account that is given them
so distant a Nature and Consideration that it is very reasonable to believe his Design was to amuse and not to instruct and edify his Reader 3. He seems to have a greater Kindness for the Papists than the Lutherans He can afford them the Title of Learned Papists But contemns the Lutherans all along as miserable and foolish Triflers Nay he has brought in St. Paul among the Jesuites formerly and here we shall find him again rankt among the Roman Adversaries so that in time he may possibly set up for a Papist Reconciler and I believe his common place Book is furnished with Materials for such a Work as well as for this which he has put out under another Title 4. In Reference to the several Parties he mentions Dr. Womock would say there has not been sufficient said to convince them of their Errours if others had not said more to the purpose to confute them than this Reconciler 5. If Con-substantiation be a foolish Doctrine yet 't is but a Metaphysical Speculation and so innocent of its own Nature it never brake the Peace in that Communion wherein 't is entertained 6. Tho this Reconciler would fain get into the Chair and pass his Sentence we pretend not to judge such as are not within our own Jurisdiction Let them Stand or Fall to their own respective Masters 't is enough when we have occasion to consider their Tenents to evince their Falsehood if we can and to discover their dangerous Consequence if they have any 7. Our Discourse relates to such as attempt to Subvert that Order and Government under which they have been bred and to which they owe Subjection 'T is true Contenders are ever stiff Judg. 8. 1. cap. 12. 1. 1 Sam. 19. 43. and confident and many times they are most fierce who have the worst Title But we know the Truth cannot lie on both sides nor can the Light of Evidence be equal to their Advantage Yet the Parties will not yield unless they be determin'd by Authority which is a clear Demonstration of the Necessity of Governours without whom now a dayes especially instead of being a Law unto himself every Man wou'd be a Gospel to himself and take what Liberty he list To prevent the Mischief of such Licentiousness we have these Commands upon us Obey them that Heb. 13. 17. Mat. 18. 17. have the Rule over you and he that will not hear the Church let him be unto thee as a Heathen Man and as a Publican And 't is Calvins own Doctrine That Men who are Contentious against the Custom and Practice of the Church in the Ad 1 Cor. 11. 16. use of Decent Rites are not to be treated with Disputations to gratify their itch of contending but to be bridled by Authority otherwise there could be no end of Strife and consequently no bounds set to the Exorbâ—tances of wicked Men For Jam. 3. ver 16. where envying and strife is there is confusion and every evil work But Authority should have some Rule to proceed by and Who shall give it Dr. Womock he sayes has borrowed a Rule from our Roman Adversaries Why Did Soto ever write against the Church of England He presented his Book de Naturâ and Gratiâ to the Council of Trent whereof he was a Member and it 's like he writes something therein against the Lutherans whose Doctrines this Reconciler contemns as foolish and trifling and so as for as we can see he is as much an Advocate for the Roman Party as their Adversary But What is his Quarrel to the Rule Will no Rule serve his turn but such a one as is without Exception Where shall we find it But let us give Soto's Rule fair Play and let it speak for it self He is supposed to Err through Malice who has been so far admonished that he cannot justly pretend Ignorance or may easily be convinced of it Can there be any thing said more rational If he cannot pretend ignorance or may easily be convinced of it and yet will persist in his errour Then his Fault proceeds not from the weakness of his Understanding but from the Pravity or corrupt Inclination of his Will which the School-Men call Malice For Passion and Surprize can have no place or pretence here where things are done with so much Deliberation and continued in against a Known Law and a just Authority as well as against frequent and publick Admonitions and when stubborness is added to the Opinion and Practice then of a matter of Choice and Knowledge it becomes Heresy But Why did the Reconciler single out Soto to the Combate when Perkins and St. Paul were in the same File on the Front and on the Rear of him and Verdict 100 101. no less concern'd in the Dispute than he Such Transgressions as our Reconciler undertakes to Excuse or Vindicate are hardly consistent with Mr. Perkins definition of weak Ones For these he saith are such as have turned to God and carry in their Hearts a Purpose in all things to please God and if they do amiss 't is out of simple Ignorance or bad Custom and 't will last no longer than till they be better inform'd but if after a sufficient Information they hold and practice bad things 't is then of willful Ignorance and of Malice and in that case He calls them Obstinate And for St. Paul his decretory Sentence is this A man that is an Heretick after Tit. 3. 10 11. the first and second admonition reject Knowing that he that is such is subverted and sinneth being condemned of himself This is a General Rule laid down by Apostolical Authority and prescribed to the Governours of the Church who are to take their measures from the Epistles to Timothy and Titus which were wrote on purpose for their Directions and not from the Epistles to the Romans where it does not appear that Church-Governours are concern'd at all much less directed in their Office And because that Rule of St. Paul is of so great importance I shall be the more large in giving the sence of it according to the exposition of the most learned Protestants By a Heretick the Apostle meanes Sectarium Hominem saith Aretius Sectarum Authorem the Author of Sects or a Sectary as Bullinger and Hyperius and others have it Calvin makes no distinction betwixt the Heretick and Schismatick in this place for he saith Ambitiosos omnes praefractos contentiosos qui Libidine impulsi turbant Ecclesiae pacem ac dissidia concitant hoc nomine comprehendit He comprehends under this Title all Ambitious Stubborn and Contentious Men who upon the impulse of their own lust stir up Discord and disturb the Peace of the Church In summa quisquis suâ proterviâ unitatem ecclesiae abrumpit is Haereticus vocatura Paulo Whosoever breaks the Peace of the Church by his frowardness St. Paul calls him an Heretick And yet further to reach such as set up Conventicles among us Quoties eo
approved of by their Governours But the Sin is Sedition and Schism and strikes at the Government both of Church and State 't is destructive to that Authority and Legislative Power which the Supreme Lord and Lawgiver has ordained to keep the World in Peace and Order and because God is pleased to Govern the World by such a Civil Magistracy in reference to Temporals and by such an Ecclesiastical Ministry in reference to Spirituals therefore the Insurrection that is made against these his Officers he interprets as made against himself Hence it is that those Seditious Schisinaticks who are set forth for a Sign and Example to them Num. 26. 10. Ep. Jude v. 10. that should follow their steps afterwards are said to be gathered together against the Lord and to have provoked Num. 16. 11 30. the Lord. This is a sin of no Ordinary dye of no Ordinary Malice So point blank against Authority and the Ordinance of God for the Seditious Schismatick falls into Apostacy from the Communion of the Church and many times into an hostile Hatred of it that it seems to be like the sin unto Death mentioned by St. John and what mercy soever God may have in store for such a sin the See Dr. Ham Note on 1 Joh. 5. 16. Hebr. 10. 25 to 29. Church seems to have no Warrant to pray for it Therefore the Church with great Prudence and Charity has thought fit to put such sins into her Litany by way of solemn Deprecation From all Sedition Privy Conspiracy and Rebellion From all false Doctrine Heresy and Schisme From Hardness of Heart and Contempt of thy Word and Comandment Good Lord Deliver us But St. Peter tells us that The Jewes Renounced and Crucified our Saviour out of Ignorance c. What a pittiful Reconciler have we here Sure the man would strain his Wit and Conscience to make an Apology for Judas and Pontius Pilate rather then his Dissenters should fall under a just and deserved Condemnation What if St. Peter Wot that they did it Ignorantly will the Reconciler infer from thence that they did it Innocently Has He embraced the Doctrine of Abaitardus Non Peccaverunt qui Christum ignoranter Crucifixerunt They sinned not who Crucified Christ Ignorantly This Proposition was condemned as Haeretical by Innocent the Second There is scarce a sin commited without Ignorance but 't is one thing to sin Ignorantly and another to sin out of Ignorance In that Case Ignorance does attend the sin in this it is the Cause of it For Knowledge to the contrary would have prevented it This Ignorance if it be involuntary both in it Self and in its Cause that is De Conscient l. 3. c. 19. q. 3. Non affectata nec procurata nec tollerata aut neglecta tum actum reddit mere fortuitum involuntarium atque adeo excusat a peccato saith Amesius If it be not affected nor procured nor tolerated or neglected then it renders the action merely fortuitous and involuntary and so excuses a man from sin Will the Reconciler say that the Ignorance of the Jews was of this Nature Then he falls under the same Condemnation with Abaitardus and seems to be of F. Baunius his opinion Nunquam peccatur nisi praevia peccati Cognitione animus illustretur eiusque vitandi desiderio extimi letur That a man can never sin unless his Mind be enlightned with a previous knowledge of the sin and be stirred up with a desire to avoid it This Doctrine has been Censur'd by the Theological Faculty of Paris and Lovain as false against the Common Principles of Christian Theologie and as that which excuseth innumerable of the most heinous sins to the destruction of Souls To make a man guilty of Sin it is not requisite that he has an express or actuall Consideration of the Moral Atrceity Malice or Danger of it or any express doubt or Scruple about it Otherwise it would follow that such as are blinded in their minds Athiests and those that know neither God nor Sin should be in such a state in which they should be free from sin For then without any knowledge or doubt of the Malice of the act they would let loose the Reins of their corrupt and depraved Nature to follow the lust of their own hearts And so the blinding of their minds their Excaecation which the Scripture represents as the greatest punishment of Sin should be no punishment at all but a priviledge and render them as it were impeccable According to the Common Principles of Divinity when the Cause is Voluntary the Effect is also Voluntary that follows from the Position of such a Cause and he that may and ought to to foresee the Malice of the act that is to follow and neglects to advert to it His actual Inconsideration is Voluntary and may as well aggravate the fault as extenuate it As gross and affected Ignorance is never without sin so it can never be altogether involuntary saith Argentina gent. l. 2. d. 40. 41. q. 1. or 4. because a man may prevent such ignorance if he will And if the Ignorance be affected t is a Sin in it self saith Amesius and therefore does not lessen but ubi Supra rather increase the guilt of other sins 2 Pet. 3. 5. Whether the ignorance of the Jews in this Case were alledged as an extenuating or an aggravating Circumstance is disputed among Divines That it was affected in some of them and so an aggravation of their Malice will easily appear from these Considerations 1. Our Saviours own Affirmation John 15. 22 23 24. If I had not come and spoken unto them they had not had sin but now they have no cloak for their sin He that hateth me hateth my Father also If I had not done among them the works which none other man did they had not had sin but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father His Doctrine declared him to be a Teacher sent from God and his Miracles did confirm it But we have more pregnant Evidence against their Elders Luk. 20. 14. When the Husbandmen saw him they reasoned among themselves saying This is the heir come let us kill him that the inheritance may be ours And St. Peter charges them home with a guilt of at least affected Ignorance and Malice Act. 2 22 23. Ye men of Israel hear these words Jesus of Nazareth a man approved of God among you by miracles wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you as ye your selves also know Him being delivered by the determinate Counsel and foreknowledge of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain Here he chargeth them that they imbrued their hands in Christs blood and that they did it Wittingly and Willingly And St. Stephen tells them plainly that they had been the Betrayers and Murderers of Him Act. 7. 52. For did they not hire Judas to betray him and Suborn false witness
name the Persons that are so censured let him repeat the Words and cite the Page or Pages where this Censure is to be found If he can produce none of these things I have Commission in Dr. Womock's Name to proclaim him a malicious and shameless Libeller But 't is a small matter with him to Judge and Libel Dr. Womock he has the forehead to do as much by his Prince and all that are in Authority in Church and State and is it possible for the Dissenters to escape his Lash Indeed P. 114. he concludes them a Pack of damned Villains who go astray out of Pride Malice Stubbornness and he saith p. 108 We have cause to fear the thing is too true that there be men of this Malicious Proud Stubborn Temper among the Body of Dissenters But alas Good man he would not Censure them for a World And yet at another time he thinks p. 58. 59. fit but it is in the Spirit of Meekness to ask them these few Questions Do they prefer Mercy before Sacrifice who will not submit to Rites or Circumstances or to the Use of things no where forbidden in the Word to prevent Schism and all the dreadful Consequences of it But rather will give cause to their Superiours to Judg them scandalous Resisters of Authority and pertinacious Disturbers of the Churches Peace Are they compassionate towards the Sheep according to our Lord's Example who rather will refuse to become Labourers in his Harvest and Teachers of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God than submit to these little Things in order to their regular Performance of this Blessed Work Do not they scandalize offend and contribute unto the Ruin of Christ's Little Ones who do involve them in a wretched Schism on the account of things which they may Lawfully submit to Do not they shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against Men who forbid them to enter when they may Do not they impose heavy Burthens also who say to their Disciples Hear not the Common-Prayer Receive not the Sacrament kneeling Suffer not your Children to be signed with the Cross Communicate not with that Minister who wears a Surplice or with that Church who imposeth any Ceremonies or any Constitutions But concerning the Time and Place of performing publick Worship If the Good Shepherd should lay down his Life for the Sheep should not they lay down their unnecessary Scruples for their sakes If nothing doth so scandalize Christ's Followers as to find their Teachers at Discord and divided can They act as becometh his Disciples who are not willing to procure Unity and Concord and to avoid this Scandal by their Submission to things indifferent in their own Nature and not forbidden in the Law of God Now whether this be not much more Magisterial and not a whit less Censorious than any thing that fell from the pen of Dr. Womock in his Verdict let the Reader Judge However Dr. Womock is not much concern'd at the Reproaches of his Prayers but thinks fit to return his Charity in the Exprobration and Command of our Common Judge which may concern Luc. Brug Significatur Curiositas intuendi in alienos errores Studio reprelendendi the Reconciler no less then Dr. Womock Mat. 7. 3. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy Brothers Eye but considerest not the beam that is in thine own Eye ver 5. Thou hypocrite first cast out beam out of thine own Eye and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy Brothers Eye And now we may take leave to reflect upon the other Mistakes and false Suggestions in this Paragraph 1. What dormant Warrant he may have to pass the Decretory or Final Sentence of Damnation upon any Person I cannot tell but I am sure there is no such Warrant to be found in Scripture nor any such Sentence to be pronounced by any man without the Spirit of Prophecy 2dly Whereas He saith the Dissenters differ only from us about Meats or Festivals or things Indifferent in which God's Kingdom does by no means consist We say otherwise The Difference is in matters of Obedience under the command of Righteousness and in matter of Uniformity under the command of Peace which with Joy in the Holy Ghost are the very Foundation and Pillars of God's Kingdom For he that in these things Rom. 14. 17. 18. serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of Men. 3dly For our Saviours Prohibition Judge not Mr. Calvin saith His Verbis praecise non prohibuit Christus a Judicando which is flatly opposite to the Reconciler Christ by these Words doth not precisely forbid Judging but would cure a disease which is commonly bred of Curiosity or Malevolence Calvin But to condemn all Sin is not only Lawful but Necessary unless we have a mind to Bark against God to abrogate his Laws to rescind his Judgments and to overthrow his Tribunal For he will have us be the Heraulds of that Sentence which he hath pronounced against the Wickedness of men though withal we are obliged to be so modest as to acknowledg him the only Judge and Law-giver who is able to save and to destroy The Publick Judgment of Prince Praelates Senates whose Office it is to condemn the Guilty and absolve the Innocent being no less necessary than beneficial to Civil Societies is by no means forbidden by our Saviour and why should Divines study Cases of Conscience but to Judge and satisfie such as are Scrupulous and Doubtful and a good man that values his Soul his Conscience his Interest in Christ in Grace and Heaven would be glad to receive some Satisfaction therein and if he be wise he will apply himself to some Ghostly Father to that Effect but how can He do him good if he doth not Judge for him The Judgment our Saviour forbids is Private and not all private Judgment neither but only what is Rash and Malicious To condemn Crimes Manifest and Notorious that is not to Judge but to follow God's Judgments who hath expresly condemned Them already in his Word We are forbidden to Judge of Others when their Actions are Doubtful but not when their Works are Manifest and the matter of Fact clear and out of Question as St. Augustine hath resolved it and our Lord before him in that Direction By their Fruits ye shall know them which is to be understood of such manifest Deeds as cannot be done of a Good mind such as Theft Whoredome and all matters of Fraternal Correction which cannot Irenaeus 2. 4. c. 49. be performed without a Proevious Judgment which therefore cannot be here forbidden They therefore abuse this Testimony saies Mr Calvin who under In Mat. 7. 1. pretence of that Moderation which Christ commends would take away all distinction of Good and Evil. 4thly But the Reconciler urgeth That those places of Scripture may Justly be suppos'd to forbid the Judging and Condemning of our Brother without sufficient cause To this I
the Fift Commandment now this the Dissenters have done first by their distinction that the King is Singulis Major but Universis Minor According to the last Branch of this Distinction who is the Father Not the Prince for he is Minor to the Body of the People Not the People For if they were above their Prince then They must be their own Father But because this is so grosly absur'd and so perfectly contradicted by the writings of the Primitive Fathers and Holy Scriptures therefore to gain a Right and Liberty to Resist their Prince John Goodwin has delivered it for a great Mr. Joh. Goodwin's Anti-Caval See Dr. Ham. of Resisting the lawful Magistrate c. Pag. 22. c. Truth that God did hide this Liberty of Resisting from the Primitive Christians lest the use of it should cause an Abortion in the Birth of Antichrist God caused a Dead sleep saies he to fall upon these Truths the hiding of them being necessary to help Antichrist up to his Throne Yea he saith that God by special Dispensation suffered him the said Antichrist to make such Truths his foot-stool till he had advanced himself to his highest Pitch in the World But now that this Antichrist is to be destroyed and cast out and the Commonalty of Christians as he pretended being the Men that must have the Principal hand in Executing God's Judgments upon the Whore For bringing this to pass Now saies he in These our times God hath given out this Revelation to us He hath manifested the Doctrine of Resistance and Christians may act contrary to the will of their Superiours This was the Doctrine of John Goodwin who tho he was a single Person yet he was a Leading-Man amongst the Party who generally followed his steps and acted according to his Pernicious Principles Thus have they made that Commandment of God of Non-Effect thro their Tradition How like these men were unto the Pharisees we may Collect from the Character which Josephus tho himself a Pharisee gives of them He saies They were a Crafty and Subtile Generation of men and so perverse even to Princes themselves that they would not fear many times openly to affront and oppose them And so far had they insinuated themselves into the affections and estimations of the Populacy that their good or ill word was enough to make or blast any one with the People who would implicitly believe them let their Report be never so false or Malicious Dr. Cave in the Life of St. Paul Sect. 1. N. 6. Pag. 47. I shall therefore conclude in contradiction to the Reconciler That seeing Obedience to the Impositions of our Superiours is neither a thing indifferent nor unnecessary we ought to practice it tho the Dissenters take offence at it And herein the Doctrine of our Saviour upon that occasion will bear us out which signifies that their Scandal is not so much to be esteem'd that we should therefore cease to Preach a needful Truth and that how much soever they may be offended yet 't is good to consult the welfare of the People Seduced by such blind Guides as lead them into the Pit by their Traditions The next Assault the Reconciler makes at Pag. 155. is upon a Pittiful Trifling Adversary one Meisner a Lutheran whom he slights with as much scorn and insolence as if he had not been worthy to carry his Books after him It was pleasantly said by Mr. Hales of a Friends Letter He sets up Tops and I must Whip them for Him But indeed I am concerned for Meisner I brought him upon the Stage and therefore am obliged in Justice to appear as a Second in his Quarrel 'T was declared in the Verdict Page 272. that no Church of any Creditable Denomination would change their Established Orders to gratify any Emergent Faction Instances were given both of the Lutherans and Calvinists How Rotarius was treated at Geneva for the Breach of a Novel-practice there was specified at Page 280. But that Foolery to say no worse the Reconciler passes over in deep silence which is a conviction of his Partiality For Meisners Arguments if they be not good yet they Evidence the Matter of Fact That the Lutherans would no more recede from their established Rules than the Calvinists which is all that Dr. Womock alledged them for But perhaps Meisners Arguments are not so Weak as his Prejudice would make them The first of which is drawn from the Nature of things Indifferent which is such as that they may be freely used or disused practised or abrogated But when the Use or Disuse the Practice or Abrogation is obtruded as of Necessity the nature of such Indifferent things is violated If he inquires what Meisner means by obtruding he had occasion no doubt as well as we to mean an Insurrection of Dissenters to Reform by force of Arms But the Reconciler has made a Meaning for him that is when men thro the weakness of their Judgment do believe a thing Indifferent to be sinful and having made this to be Meisners meaning he harrangues upon 't with little Judgment and great Bitterness But that he may not run away and think to carry the Cause as he uses to do by his false Surmises let him stop a little and tell me how the Dissenter believes a thing Indifferent to become finful for 't is no less then Oppositum in Apposito Does he believe it either with a Divine or Humane Faith If with a Divine Faith let him shew us some Divine Revelation for the Ground of it If with a Humane Faith that 's only his Opinion and that is to be Corrected by Instruction or some other course of Discipline that it proceeds not to an obstinate Superstition But were Meisner's meaning such as the Reconciler would have it yet common Civility should have taught him better manners than to Charge him that he gave St. Paul the Lye He had the Honour of a Learned Professor when he was alive at Wittengburge and for that Reason the Reconciler should have a little Veneration for his Ashes now he 's Dead especially because being Dead he yet speaketh in his Learned Writings Some body sure has ought this Reconciler a shame for his Factious Arrogance and has paid him home in betraying him to such gross delusions and mistakes What! Meisner give St. Paul the lye 'T is impossible He that gives another man the Lye must contradict him He that contradicts another man must speak Ad Idem in reference to the same Thing the same Time the same Place the same Persons as also to the same Respect and Purpose If there be any Variation in these Circumstances the Opposition will not amount to a Contradiction or a Lye 'T is possible both Partyes may speak the perfect Truth For example If I say the King forbad all Concourse of People and Horse-Racing meaning at such a Time and in such a Place And another man say the King did not forbid the Concourse of People or
Horse-Raceing meaning at another Time and Place Again if I say the King forbids that men should keep Grey-Hounds to Ride with Swords and Pistols c. meaning Persons of an Inferiour Rank and Quality and another say the King does not sorbid Men to keep Grey-Hounds or to Ride with Swords and Pistols meaning Persons of a Higher Rank and Quality here 's no Contradiction no giving of the Lye to one another And thus it is between St. Paul and Meisner for St. Paul speaks to private Persons whom he forbids to Usurp Power to give Law or to Judge and Censure where they have no Authority But Meisner speaks to Governours who are invested with Authority and Obliged to keep out Schisms and to preserve good Order within their Jurisdiction 2dly St. Paul speaks of a Church which was Inorganical that wanted a due Settlement of Laws and Governours but Meisner speakes of a Church that was Organized in all its Parts and Members having Rules of Decency and Order and a setled Discipline with Governours and Officers to execute the same And this among such as have a little skill to apply it will be sufficient to justify at least Meisners first and second Arguments without giving the Lye to the Apostle In his second Answer Pag. 156. and 157. the Reconciler would oblige our Governours to betray their own Consciences out of Commiseration and to betray the Dissenters too by a pitiful Gratification for he would have our Governours quitt the stedfast Perswasions of their own Minds in Favour to the Dissenters not to Correct the Errour of their Judgments but to Caresse them in their Superstition At Meisners third Objection Pag. 158 the Reconciler grows very Froward and somewhat Ruder again than becomes him towards such an Adversary but as 't was observed of the Cynick that he checkt the Pride of his great Visitant but with another Pride no less Insolent so may we truly say that this Reconciler checks those things which He 's pleased to call Fooleries in Meisner He Loves to Rhetoricate but is not very good at distinguishing which makes him at a Loss and Blunder in his Answers he was told in the Verdict Pag. 125. that a man has a Lock and Key in his own Bosom and there he may keep his Christian-Liberty safe enough from being plundred and there also he may Lock up his Private Opinion when the Broaching of it may Offend but cannot Edify But what 's this to a Publick Constitution When See 2 Mac. 6. 24. c. Multa sunt quae de se seu natura sua sunt Adiaphora licent quidem sed dedecent quia viro probo indigna quia viro sunt incongrua Christiano the Authority of Prudent and Careful Governours has established Rule and Order if it be in my Power I hold it my Duty to defend them In calling the denial of this Gospel Truth a Work of Darkness Meisner saies no more than Calvin doth whose words are these Necessitate servandae Legis obstringi piorum conscientias silentio sepeliri Libertatis Doctrinam haec erat indigna merces Unitatis Ad Galat. 2. 14. He has no Patience at his own Suspicion of Meisners Sawciness for here he charges him with giving the Lye unto the Fathers especially to St. Chrysostom who sayes that St. Pauls advice to the Romans was not Dissimulation but Condescention pag. 159. and Dispensation Her 's Ignoratio Elenchi the Reconciler snar'd in his own Fallacy for we are discoursing what is fit to be done under the State of Christianity where the Church is daily setled by Authority with Convenient Liturgy and Discipline but the Reconciler carries us back to reflect upon what was rather conniv'd at than Establish'd what was tollerated by Condescention and special Dispensation when the Church was in her Non-Age This is just as if upon an Enquiry what Orders were given out to be observed and what the Custom and Practice was when the Temple was Erected and God's Solemn Worship fetled and performed in Jerusalem I should run back and give him the History of what was Permitted in the Wilderness But it may be a Question whether the Rcconciler does perfectly understand what St. Chrysostom means by Condescention Chrysost ad Gal. 2. apud Massut in Vit. St. Paul Lib. â— Cap. 7. and Dispensation for St Peters dissembling at Antioch He calls a Dispensation as Massutius has observed of him Et duo inquit per Dispensationem agebat Petrus Alterum ne offenderet eos qui erant ex Circumcisione Alterum ut Paulo justam proeberet occasionem increpandi Unde et Paulus Objurgat et Petrus sustinet ut Dum Magister objurgatus obticescit facilius Discipuli mutarent Sententiam Two things saith he St. Peter did by Dispensation One that he might not offend those of the Circumcision The other that he might give St. Paul a just occasion to reprove him Hereupon St. Paul rebukes and St. Peter bears it that while the Master takes his chideing with a meek humble Silence the Disciples may the more easily be brought to change their Opinions By the Reconcilers Doctrine St Pauls Rebuke was a rash Affront for St. Peter was not Blame-Worthy the Dissimulation of his Belief was out of Condescention to the Jews Weakness his practice was a Dispensation and fit for his Successors and all worthy Governours to imitate And it would make good Hierom's Argument Cur damnasset in altero Paulus quod sibi laudi ducit nam gloriatur se Judaeis factum esse Judoeum 1 Cor. 9. 20. But Mr. Calvin Answers Longe aliud Petrum fecisse Neque enim aliter se accommodabat Judaeis Paulus quam salva Libertatis Doctrina Calvin ad Galat 2. 11. But whether Commiseration should out-weigh the peace of the Church and of a good Conscience as the Reconciler would have it whether the Bowels of Compassion towards such as call themselves Weak-brethren be sufficient to supersede all the obligations that lye upon Christian Governours to advance God's Glory in the Settlement of his publick Worship I shall leave them to consider who are so highly concern'd in it If we may believe the Assembly of Divines the Civil Magistrate hath Authority Confession of Faith cap. 23. Num. 3. and 't is his Duty to take Order that Unity and Peace be preserved in the Church that the Truth of God be kept pure and intire that all Blasphemies and Heresies which include Schisms too be suppress'd all Corruption and Abuses in Worship and Discipline prevented or reformed and all the Ordinances of God duly Setled Administred and Observed This is the Magistrates Duty according to the Faith of the Presbyterians who shall acquit them from it It is Mercy sayes Mr. Hales to pardon Serm. on Rom. 14. 1. in Fine wrong done against our selves but to deny the Course of Justice to him that calls for it Peccatum in Deum Vocatur quod imediate in Contumeliam Dei redund at P.
In Ezek. Homil 46. the Jesuites especially those two Miraculous Principles as Montaltius calls them which enables them to work such Wonders I mean the Doctrine of Probability without which his Book would be utterly useless and the Doctrine of Directing the Intention without which he durst never Attempt either to Justifie or Excuse the Practices of his Party 4. Let me intreat him to consider whether he has not taken up the very Methods which St. Paul tell us were Rom. 16. 17. 18. us'd by the False Apostles who caused Divisions and Offences Schisms and Scandals contrary to the Doctrine which had been taught And by good Words and Fair Speeches deceived the Hearts of the Simple In which last words the Apostle gives a double Character of the False Teacher or 〈◊〉 postor First He is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is one that 〈◊〉 much in Words but and end performerâ—◠〈◊〉 thing Again he is one whom if you Vide Bezam ad Locum heard him speak you would by ready to say that he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 much more Solicitous for 〈◊〉 and your Interest than for himself The Apostle sayes also that he does 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Applaud Commend and Flarier 〈◊〉 and Divine happy things to delude easy and wel meaning Souls with a preâ—â—nce of Piety He calls them Mentium â—â—ductores 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hi Summi Artifices sâ—â—â— in Fallendo qui nor 〈◊〉 etiam mentem ipsam a Vero alienare These are excellent Artists in deceiving and skilful to alienate the very mind it self from Truth saith Hyperius They have a double Art Hyperius ad Tit. cap. 1. 9. Mel. Ad. Rom 15. to deceive saith Melanchthon First to apply themselves to the Lusts and Humours of the People and by this means they deceive the Vulgar but they have another Art to impose upon the Wiser sort Quod adserunt Erudite Cogitata quae non abhorrent a judicio Rationis When they craftily suggest such Sentiments as seem not altogether unreasonable In short the Reconciler has put himself upon the Stage to shew his Tricks of Activity to play Hocus Pocus or Handy Dandy with the Church of God 〈◊〉 This Book he has Acted the part of 〈◊〉 a â—â—rrâ— Filius to gratify Dissenters and men of that Lower Levell In the next 't is expected he should entertain if not Caresse our Governours what a Name will he purchase to himself by this Achiâ—â—ment I know no such standing Officer as a Fraevaricater Theologirâ—â— but if he comes off cleverly for ought I know he may gain the Title by a Popular Creation and so I leave him to the Honour of his New Conquests I had some hopes that my task had now been at an end But while the Reconciler was in pursuit of Meisners miserable Tristes and Fooleries as he is pleased to call them it came into his mind to have another fling at Dr. Womock and that he might do it the more cleverly he reserves a part of Meisners discourse and concealing the true Author entitles Dr. Womock to it in his Margent and then falls in upon it as we shall observe presently The Argument of Meisner the Reconciler Prot. Recon p. 335. and Verdict 274. turns into an Objection and it runs thus All change is dangerous in Church and State no man can see what disturbance may follow upon an inconsiderate 〈…〉 such Christian Priviledges and publick Authority ought to be own'd and preserved in viâ—â—â—lable what doubts may arise upon such a change and what confusion may follow it who will take upon him to determine To this the Reconciler returns a fourfold Answer First he saith so call the Ceremonies inoffensive the variation of Here the Reconciler is kind to leave out Authority but 't is a Question whether he would have it preserved inviolable them inconsiderate to say that they are Christian Priviledges is to affirm what never can be prov'd To this I Reply 1. That our Christian Liberty in the Use or Forbearance of such things as were restrained by the Law of Moses is no doubt a part of our Christian Priviledge 2. The Verdict told the Reconciler three lines before Good Order is not kept in tumultuous Alterations and I hope he will allow such to be call'd Inconsiderate I shall now add that whatever alteration is made upon such Motives is no more Considerate then the Mariners â—asting his goods into the Sea in a time of Storm and Tempest 3. That the Ceremonies are Inoffensive is no hard matter to prove 1. Inoffensive in their own Nature and for this we have the Apostles Judgment and Determination and he quotes our Savioâ—r's Authority for it Rom. 14. 14. I know and am perswaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of it self i. e. on lawful therefore Inâ—ffensive 2. They are Inoffensive to the Juriâ—â—â—us and sound Christian This is sufficiently Psalm 119. 165. asserted by the same Apostle Rom. 14. â— One man â—eâ—â—eveth i. e. Novit perâ—â—â—sus est He knows and is perswaded that he may eat and use all Indifferent things without sin See also 1 Cor. 8. 7 11. Psal 119. 165. When we call the Ceremonies Inoffensive we mean that they give no just Occasion of Offence to discreet and sober Persons 4. If the Reconciler will needs understand it of Offence taken so the Law of God is a Scandal and Offensive because it is an Occasion of sin and yet 't is not Evil in it self for all that as the Apostle tells us Rom. 7. 7 to the 14. Scandal properly is Malae rei exemplum aedificans ad delictum 't is the example of an Evill thing which does encourage and build up to Sin Bone â—â—â—â—res Develand Virg. c. 3. saith Tertullian Neminem Scandalizant nisi malam mentem Good things offend none but an Evil mind Here I cannot but take notice how fiereely Mr. Baxter argues against the Prot Recon p. 327. 328. Laws of our Superiours and the Recoâ—ciler applauds him for it though it has at least an equal force against the Laws of God When saith Mr. Baxter they first make their laws they know that some will obey them some will not if then they think that many will incur the gut it of sin unto â—â—â—â—ation by their Disobedience they must have something of greater worth than the souls of those men to encourage them to make those Laws for had there been no such Laws there would have been none of that Transgression and consequently no Damnation for it This is Mr. Baxters Argument In like manner I can argue thus when God first gave the Law or Command Let every Soul be subject to the higher Powers for they that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation and again Rom. 13. 1 2. when he tells us that Strife Seditions Heresies are the Works of the Flesh and they that do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God and therefore
of them of themselves apt enough to be troublesome and a Question put into their Heads and a power of Judging into their hands is a putting it to their choice whether you shall be troubled by them this week or the next for much longer you cannot escape LVI Every Minister ought to be carefull that he never expound Scriptures in Publick contrary to the known sense of the Catholick Church and particularly How far the Reconciler has praevaricated herein let the Reader judge of the Churches of England and Ireland nor introduce any Doctrine against any of the four first General Councils For these as they are measures of Truth so also of Necessity LIV. In your Sermons and Discourses Of whom speaketh the Prophet this Our Reconciler pleads for a change of Gestures Habits and Expressions and these make up the Subject of his Plea of Religion use Primitive known and accustomed words and affect not new Phantastical or Schismatical terms Let the Sunday Festival be called the Lords day and pretend no fears from the Common use of words amongst Christians For they that make a business of the Words of Common use and Reform Religion by introducing a new Word intend to make a Change but no amendment they spend themselves in trifles like the barren Turf that sends forth no Medicinable herbs but store of Mushrooms and they give a demonstration that they are either impertinent people or else of a querulous nature and that they are ready to disturb the Church if they could find Occasion LXI Let every Preacher in his Parish Does our Reconciler doe this take care to explicate to his People the Mysteries of the Great Festivals as of Christmass Easter Ascention-day Whrt-Sunday Trinity-Sunday the Annuntiation of the Blessed Virgin Mary because these Feasts containing in them the great Fundamentals of our Faith will with most advantage convey the Mysteries to the People fix them in their Memories by the solemnity and circumstance of the day And Adv. 25. he tells them Men are to be permitted to their own Liberty to the Measures of the Laws and Conduct Let the Recon note this Dr. Jeremy Taylor Bishop of Down and Connor of their Governours To this let me add the Doctrine and Advice of that Plous and Learned Prelate to the Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons of Ireland Assembled in Parliament May the 8th 1661. In his Epistle Dedicatory he tells them thus Men pretend Conscience against They teach for Doctrine the Commands of men Obedience expresly against St. Pauls Doctrine teaching us to obey for Conscience sake but to disobey for Conscience in a thing Indifferent is never to be found in the Books of our Religion But Obedience is strong Meat and Nothing more easy then to obey will not down with weak Stomacks As if in the World any thing were easier than to obey For we see that the food of Children is Milk and Laws The Breast-Milk of their Nurses and the Commands of their Parents is all that Food and Government by which they are kept from Harm and Hunger and conducted to Life and Wisdom And therefore they that are weak Brethren of all things in the World have the least reason to pretend an excuse for Disobedience For nothing can secure them but the Wisdom of the Laws For they are like Children in Minority they cannot be trusted to their own conduct and therefore must live at the publick Charge and the wisdom of their Superiours is their Guide and their Security But saith he there are among us such tender Stomacks that cannot indure They strain at a Gnat and swallow a Camel Milk but can very well digest Iron Consciences so tender that a Ceremony is greatly offensive but Rebellion is not A Sarplice drives them away as a Bird affrighted with a Man of Clouts But their Consciences can suffer them to despise Government and speak evill of Dignities and curse all that are not of their Opinion and disturb the peace of Kingdoms and commit Sacriledge and account Schism the Tender Conscience the pretence of the vilest men Character of Saints For tender conscience I shall not need to say that every man can easily pretend it for we have seen the Vilest part of mankind men that have done things so Horrid worse than which the Sun never saw yet pretend tender Consciences against Ecclesiastical Laws But I will suppose that they are really such that they in the simplicity of their hearts follow Absolom and in weakness hide If really weak yet not to be dispensed but instructed their heads in little Conventicles and places of separation for a trifle what would they have done for themselves If you make a Law of Order and in the Sanction put a clause of Favour for tender Consciences do not you invite every Subject to disobedience by Impunity and teach him to make his own excuse Is not such a Law a Law without an Obligation May not every man choose whether he will obey or no And if he pretends to disobey out of Conscience is not he that disobeys equally innocent with the Obedient altogether as just as not having done any thing without leave and yet much more Religious and Consciencious Quicunque vult is but an ill Preface to a Law and 't is a strange Obligation that makes no difference between him that obeys and him that refuses to obey But what course must be taken with tender Consciences shall the Execution of the Law be suspended as to all such Persons that will be all one with the Former for if the Execution be commanded to be suspended then the obligation of the Law by Command is taken away and then 't were better there were no Law made And indeed that is the pretention that 's the secret of the business they suppose the best way to prevent Disobedience Where there are no Laws there 's no Government is to take away all Laws It is a short way indeed There shall then be no disobedience but at the same time there shall be no Government But the Remedy is worse than the Disease and to take away all Wine and Strong Drink to prevent Drunkness would not be half so great a folly To think of removing the Disease by feeding the humour I confess it is a strange Cure to our present distempers I desire him who is of No Church breaks her Orders to gratify a Faction that Opinion besides the calling to mind the late sad effects of Schism to remember that no Church in Christendome ever did it It is neither the way of Peace nor of Government nor yet a proper Remedy for the Cure of a weak Conscience For the matter of Giving Offences Governours are not to be offended whoever be and the Disobedient rather than the Dutiful what Scandal is greater than that which Scandalizes the Laws And who is so carefully to be observed least he be offended as
He leaves out the word men and adds even as unto Babes in Christ I have fed you with milk and not with meat For when 1 Cor. 3. 1 2. for the time ye ought to be teachers ye have need that one teach you again which he the first Principles of the Oracles of God and are become such as have need Heb. 5. 12. of milk and not of strong meat Did not he and the rest of the Apostles charge us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and to be always building up our selves in our most holy Faith and so Eph. 6. 10 2. Pet. 3. 18. Jude v. 20. 21. to keep our selves in the love of God But our Blessed Saviour knew there were and ever would be Wolves in Sheeps cloathing and a generation of men that would not be satisfied either full or fasting that would take offence at his own freedom as well as at the Mat. 11. 18 19. Baptists austerity Does he dandle these upon his lap for little ones No for such he has severer methods an exprobration O Generation of Vipers and Matth. 12. 34. 23. 13. an increpation Wo unto you Scribes Pharisees Hypocrites And does not S. Paul also mark them which cause Divisions and Offences And does he not tell us such Rom. 16. 17. are false Apostles deceitful workers transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ 2 Cor. 11. 13. and to inhance the mischief we are told farther that many shall follow their pernicious ways Does S. Paul flatter or connive at such as these no his pious zeal breaks out into a just indignation against such disturbers of the Churches peace and safety I would they were even 2 Pet. 2. 2. cut off which trouble you and he tells them plainly he that addicts himself to such a practice he shall bear his judgement and that a sad doom from the mouth of an Apostle whosoever he ibid. v. 10. be 'T is a very severe conclusion of Mr. Calvin and he takes it from Christs example in curing the blind man which gave so great a scandal to the Pharisees By this example saith he we are taught John 9. 14. that such as are enemies to the truth of the Gospel may be exasperated ac eos prorsus desipere and those Reconcilers do but play the fool who do attempt to coaks the World into a fellow-ship with Christ as to condemn all emergent Offences when Christ himself does rather wittingly and willingly nettle and provoke the wicked Tenenda ergo quam alibi praescribit regula we must therefore observe that Rule which He prescribes in another place that the blind leaders Mat. 15. 14. of the blind are to be neglected We must be very careful therefore to observe as Hemmingius doth ad Rom. 14. 1. that in this point of tenderness St. Paul speaks of such weak ones as had not yet fully learned the nature and use of their Christian Liberty non de praefractis and speaks not of the refractory who stubbornly set themselves in opposition to the truth And Bullinger observes that the Apostle speaks Ad Rom. 15. ◠And Beza ad Rom. 14. 2. ait Non eos qui malitiose praefractè resistunt Evangelicae libertati sed qui sola ignorantia peccanti hic infirmos vocari remarkably of regarding the infirmities of the weak nam malitiam nemo pius tulerit aut non oderit etiam for no good man will endure such a ones malice but rather hate it Add yet that learned Protestant makes a further observation Porro placent sibi hoc loco qui suo serviunt commodo quod agunt ad suum Hi scandalizantur quia veritatem nesciunt illi quia veritatem oderunt Hemming Syntag. de Scandalo trahunt compendium That they who study to serve their own ends and do nothing but what they can draw to their own advantage do wonderfully please themselves in that piece of Scripture and so doth our Reconciler But 2. willful and affected Ignorance does excommune us from the privilege of a weak Brother as well as malice and stubbornness We must not Chrysost ad Rom. 14. Homil 26. think saith St. Chrysostome that ignorance will be sufficient for our Defence for there will come a time when we shall be punish'd for our ignorance that is to say when ignorance it self shall find no pardon For the Jews were ignorant but they were ignorant of those things the ignorance whereof deserves or shall obtain no pardon the Greeks also were ignorant but they have no excuse For if thou art ignorant of such things as cannot be known thy ignorance is not culpable but if thou be'st ignorant of those things which are both possible and easie to be known thou do'st deservedly suffer extreme punishment Let us take heed therefore that we be not imposed upon by the vizor or fraud of pretended little ones These Dissenters would one while be accounted weak Brethren but upon what account can we esteem them so were they bred up as the Jews were under Moses under another Dispensation Were they taught another Gospel than what S. Paul Preached If they were I am sure they have not so learned Christ If they were nursed up in false Principles from their Childhood is it not high time for them to put away those childish things have they not had time enough and means enough to be better informed are they not of age and of capacity to understand the doctrine and practice of the Christian Liberty what it is in it self and the extent of its nature and what it is in its use when it is limited and determined by Authority But they study to contend and to build themselves up in Faction They give themselves up to vain jangling and perverse disputings instead of an humble and modest address unto their duty Phil. 2. 13. which they are obliged to perform without mumuring and disputing If these be S. Paul's Babes in Christ I am sure they are very froward ones But they assume the title of weak Brethren for other ends their weakness improves into Faction and therein they strengthen themselves and boast of their might against all Right and all Authority and Power nothing will serve their turn but Christ on his Throne and that must be one of their own make according to their own imagination and therefore 't is no wonder they think he can never ascend it without the help of their Sedition Just such weak ones were those Fanaticks which infested Germany in the infancy of the Reformation well esteemed they were at first for their presumptive well-meaning pitied for their simplicity and countenanced for their zeal and fair pretensions unto Godliness but when they began to set up themselves in their taking Arms for Jesus Christ and to oppose all establisht Order and Government but
their own the Princes thought it high time when they had unmasq'd their hypocrisie to lay aside their own compassion and kindness and to deal with them according to their deserts at the rate of head-strong and sturdy Rebels But from the Persons he pleads for under the feigned notion of weak Brethren whose pulse and temper we may be called upon to feel and examine a little more precisely hereafter let us pass on to consider the things he pleads against as things indifferent whihc he thinks to be no less imprudently than uncharitably imposed And here I must premise that this Reconciler is as like to be an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such a busie-body in matters which he has no concern to intermeddle in as any of those whom the Apostle tells us do deservedly suffer as 1 Pet. 3. 17. chap. 4. 1◠it is sit they should amongst evil doers For has he any order from his Superiours to undertake the part of a Reconciler did they furnish him with instructions and give him his Rules and Measures to guide him in a matter of this importance to Church and State or has he any Commission from the Dissenters to act and play the Advocate on their behalf have they made their last Will and Testament about things indifferent Does he know what they are content to bequeath to the Church or what they are resolved to take from it Can he tell what will fully satisfie their scrupulosity and bring them into so hearty a compliance with us as may settle a happy and a seasonable conformity amongst us if he can produce no delegation to this effect the design he goes upon running Counter to the Laws and Customs establisht his attempt will be ridiculous and appear to consist of as many and as impertinent fooleries as those he has so civilly charged the Learned Meisner with But let us proceed When Moses the great Law-giver was about to make the Tabernacle a Type of the Church he was admonished thus of God see that thou make Heb. 8. ◠all things according to the Pattern shewed to thee on the Mount But I do not find that ever he called the people to consult whether they approved of this or that part of the pattern nor do I find any attempt of theirs to question or dispute the decency of any particular piece of that pattern Now parallel to the Pattern on the Mount the Apostles had the mind of Christ after his frequent Sermons and private discourses And Acts 1. Gal. 1. S. Paul had it also by a special revelation And a prospect of this Pattern we have in those General Rules of the Apostles let all things be done decently and in order to publick edification and the Glory of God These were the Pattern on the Mount under the New Testament the Ritual Law of the Holy Gospel by which alone the Authority of Governors is limitted and directed And when matters of Ecclesiastical Discipline are established by their Prudence according to this Rule the subjects Duty is to submit and follow their steps and practice And if this were well observed it would presently free them from all their doubts and scruples as well as from their Schism which can never be excused unless they can prove that their Governors do act contrary to the divine Canon in which case only they may plead with S. Peter whether it be right c. But Acts 4. 19. the Reconciler can never make use of that Plea against our Governors in favour of the Dissenters if he reckons them amongst S. Pauls weak ones because he confesses p. 73. the Apostle has made as perfect and full a determination against them as words can make And 't is a little strange to observe the want of Ingenuity in this Reconciler according to the wonted practice of the Party he repeats their Cavils and Objections but never takes notice of the Answers that have been returned it seems they have been refuted with so much strength of reason that he thought himself not able enough to grapple with it But this is not all he makes a great cry against the imposition of unnecessary Ceremonies as if the Constitution of this Church were over-burthened and the good Seed of the Gospel choaked with the multitude of them when in truth upon a strict examination they will not amount unto a number For we may observe That he reckons some observances among things indifferent which really are not so He does instance in bowing and kneeling which are parts of Gods external Worship suggested by the light of nature and enjoyned by the second precept of the Moral Law which command binds always semper non ad semper but because this external Worship may be exhibited in several gestures of the Body which cannot be all performed at once therefore it is left to the wisdom of the Church to determine it pro hic nunc for place and season for which notwithstanding She wants not Her sufficient directions in holy Scripture 2. We may observe that all things are not alike indifferent As in those Heavenly bodies there is one Glory of the Sun another of the Moon another of the Stars and one Star differeth from another Star in Glory So a great disparity there was betwixt the State and Magnificence of the first and second Temple for even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect by reason of the glory that excelleth And to bring the discourse 2 Cor. 3. 10. more close to our concern a Surplice is generally a thing indifferent and yet when we come to specialties who sees not that there is a great difference betwixt one of Cambrick and one of Canvas and the richer it is in value according to common estimation the greater respect it shews to the person to whom we do therein administer And this is God's own account as well as mine when the people made the Table of the Lord contemptible by their lame and blind Sacrifices God upbraids them for their profane ingratitude Offer it now unto thy Governor will he be pleased with Mal. 1. 7. 8. thee or accept thy person saith the Lord of Hosts And we must remember that it was the Poverty of the Offerer which God condescended to when he accepted of a pair of Turtle-doves or two young Pigeons for an Oblation and this was only in case of a private person who was able to present no more and so must not be brought into example when we are concerned for publick Administrations And we may consider further that The estimate of Veneration and Reverence is taken from the customs of several Places and Countrys to put off our shooes in holy places among us would be undecent and so it would be thought to kiss the Kings hand upon our tails Whatever they do in other places our Governors have adjudged the Gestures and Observances in use among us to be the most Reverent and 't is left to their