highest perfection of Religion Besides the weakenesse of their understanding is such that they were not capable either of Arguments or answers but transported with the opponents sighes groanes lifting up of his eyes spreading out of his hands being the best Arguments which ever these zelots learned in the Schooles And indeed of no small waight with the common people As the Orator well knew when being in a certaine defence prevented of his usuall and lamentable conclusion by the teares and more lamentable conclusion of Horsensius he cryed out as one halfe undone Surripuisti mihi ornamenta Orationis meae Is it then any wonder that my conference which was only begun and so rather intended then acted had not the desired successe yet I dare say that censure which Erasmus past upon that conference betwixt S. Augustin and the Manichee may be as truly applyed unto ours Which is this and not impertinent to the present purpose In his actis nescio quid potissimum admirer Aug. Tom. 6. de act cum Foel fol 363. edit Basil Foelicisnè impudentiam qui provocârit ad publicam disputationem ad quam adeo non fuit instructus ut vix Asinus possit insulsius argumentari An populi tolerantiaw quae delirantem beluam citra tumultum auscultârit An Augustini stomachum invincibilem qui tam indoctis ineptijs tamdiu tantâ lenitate responderit In these Acts I know not what cheifly to admire the impudency of Foelix who did appeale to a publicke disputation for which he was so unpraepared as no Asse could have spoken more absurdly Or the lenitie of the people who without tumult heard that raving doting beast or the invincible patience of S. Augustin who with much mildenesse did so long answer to such unlearned fooleries Though I could not come neere that eminent Bishop in learning yet I laboured to imitate him in patience whereof I will yet give a further proofe by revising that Libell and making a full answer to those objections which the Disputer being instructed by the rest of his brethren what weapons to use made against the Orders of our Church at lest as many of them as keepe off the people from Conformitie And yet I finde the Libellers relation so voyd of sense that I should blush to set downe his owne words lest the Eccho might bee taken for the voyce But I hope the reader shall finde that albeit I set not downe all his words yet I have neglected nothing therein materiall And by this my hafty answer Quam non meditor sed effundo all men may receive satisfaction who are capable of instruction And wherein if my style be homely nay abject I desire the reader to remember what sort of people I have to doe with how I apply my selfe to their capacitie And perhaps the very reading of that Libell hath infected my pen with barbarisme At first our Disputer did onely dally with our Translation of the Psalmes Apocryphall Lessons and Collect for Christmasse day wherein he intended onely Velitationem quandam tanquam levis armaturae sending forth his light horsemen rather to view the advantages of the ground then to fight whom I shall not need to encounter in regard the Auditory was generally wearie of these peevish and poore exceptions And the Disputer himselfe hath confess'd as I am credibly informed that it was against his will he did moove those first scruples even in his owne judgement so apparently frivolous but that he was wrought and in a manner enforced thereunto by one of his brethren who praesumed much upon his skill in the Hebrew Besides those exceptions all that was objected for orders sake I shall reduce unto three heads for in the Libell there is neither method nor sense First he desired a warrant from Scripture to justifie our Ceremonies whereunto my answer was That if they meant a particular and expresse commaundement for every Ceremony and Church-constitution I had sufficiently proved in my Sermon that it could not be expected neither are they themselves able to produce such a warrant for such orders as they themselves injoyne and practise in their owne Congregations But if they meant a generall warrant our Church hath as much as they or any other Church yet ever had for their constitutions Even that warrant of the Apostle Let all things be done decently and in order 1. Cor. XIV 40. Which is that great Apostolicall Canon Calvin in locum by which all other Canons must be squared the true Touch-stone to try Ceremonies and the Ballance wherein all Church-Orders should bee weighed And whereas some Ceremonies seeme decent unto some which unto others seeme otherwise Those whom God hath made Governours of his Church and not any private man are to judge of their decencie If private men appoint orders to be used in the publicke worship of GOD as these men doe in their Congregations they must shew their Commission otherwise we must take that for decent in things indifferent which seemeth decent in the eye of publicke authority And those things which they were required to practise were in themselves things indifferent no wayes repugnant unto the Word of GOD had beene esteemed by the Church in all ages to be not onely decent but of singular good use And are now injoyned by lawfull authoritie And therefore they were bound in Conscience to submit themselves thereunto having for the same a warrant in Scripture in all those places which require obedience to be given unto our Superiours Rom. XIII 1. Let every soule be subject unto Superiour powers I. Pet. II. 13. Snbus it your selves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake Hebr. XIII 17. Obey them that have the rule over you Now what sayth the Libeller to this he struggles like a fish on the hooke and uttereth such pittiful stuffe that I am ashamed to relate it Hee tells us that the meaning of the Apostles words is Let all things ordayned by God be done decentlie and in order Bee it so The Sacrament is ordayned by God and therefore to be received decently Now I have fully proved in my Sermon that God hath not in Scripture either by precept or by example determined what particular gesture should bee used in the Sacrament And therefore the same is left to bee appointed at the discretion of the Church The Church hath appointed kneeling which is a decent gesture as afterwards I shall shew I have also declared that Kneeling is no humane invention but a naturall gesture and so ordayned by God which hath been and may bee applyed to every part of Gods worship He further sayes That rule must abide the tryall of other rules of Gods word This is strange Divinitie Will he question a rule of Gods Word call it to the barre and try it by a surie of its fellowes But I thinke his intent was if hee could have written sense to say that Kneeling at the Communion must abide the tryall of other rules And so it
humane inventions but Gods Ordìnance because they bee naturall circumstances of Worship II. They could not well be expressed in the Scripture and that first because they are so numerous Ioh. XXI 25. All things that Iesus did are not recorded because our Bible should not grow too big for us and was it fitt then the Scripture should record all things that are or may be lawfully incident to the particular service of God So it should have swolne in quantity above the Popes Decretalls whereas the Canon of our fayth should be briefe that all may peruse it III. Because they are so chaungeable and diverse according to the diverse conditions of the Church they could not be commaunded by an unchangeable Law but were to be taken up by occasion Therefore the Apostle having instructed the Corinthians in matters of fayth and godlinesse puts off these other matters till his owne comming that he might see what was most expedient 1. Cor. 1◠34 Other things will I set in order when I come In which words he promiseth to appoint things belonging to outward Order and Politie Aug 1. epist ad Ianuar. chrysost in Loc. Muscul in Loc. Calvin in Loc Baeda Aretius Beza Whitaker de perfect Script Quaest VI. c. 6. 10. Moulin Buckler of faith p. 46.47 or as St Austin calls it ordinem agendi as I proved unto you at large at our last meeting both from the notation of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and from consent of all writers Now we know that he never came unto the Corinthians after that who then thinke you did order those other things but the governors of the Church And yet the Church of Corinth being a particular Church and so to be governed by one Law one would thinke that the Apostle might have prescribed unto them a compleat forme for outward Order and Politie But he foresaw in his wisedome that the Church would not alwayes be in the same condition and that those Orders that were agreeable for her Infancie would not suite so well with her afterward when she was growne unto ripe yeeres Therefore hee puts off these other things till his comming which being prevented the Governours of the Church had power to determine of these things Now sect 22 if the same Orders will not serve one Church at all times * Tert. de cor mil. Basil de S. sanct cap. 27. Con. Toll IV. c. 5. how was it possible for the Scripture to expresse all matters of Order belonging to the Catholicke Church Wee know that which is fit for the Church in one Nation is not so fit for another And that which is fit at one time is not so fit at another The Church is sometimes in prosperitie sometimes in adversitie sometimes hath to doe with Pagans sometimes with Heretickes and those diverse by reason whereof the Church hath beene occasioned to chaunge her Rites as namely dipping in Baptisme which she hath chaunged from thrise to once and againe from once to thrise So hath shee chaunged many other Ceremonies laying some downe and taking others up And how could she otherwise doe for who can imagine that one and the same fashion can accord unto the Church in her Infancie and fuller growth persecuted and in Peace flying into the wildernesse and resting as the Dove in the Arke at one time dwelling in Hierusalem a Citty built at unitie within it selfe at another diffused over the whole world You may as well shape a coat for the Moone to fit her both in her waxing and in her waning in the full and in the want as to set downe one manner of Discipline for all Churches at all times The internall beauty of the Church is alwayes the same Ps XLV 13. but her outward garment is of diverse colours And requisite it is it should be so for if in these things there were no alteration Ceremonies would be taken to be matters of substance As Calvin hath well observed saying As concerning rites in particular let the sentence of Augustin take place which leaveth it free unto all Churches understand Nationall Respons ad medias not Parochiall Churches to receive their owne Customes yea sometimes it profiteth and is expedient that there bee difference lest men should thinke that Religion is tyed to outward Ceremonies Tertullian's rule therefore is infallible Lib. de Virgin veland◠Regula sidei immobilis irreformabilis caetera disciplinae conversationis admittunt novitatem correctionis Thus it is cleare that these things are not expressed in Scripture but are to be ordered by the Church My II. sect 23 Argument is taken from the consent of all learned Orthodoxe Divines auncient moderne who doe acknowledge that the Church hath authoritie to make Lawes for matters of Order and outward Politie and to appoint Rites and Ceremonies to bee observed in the worship of God that al men who are within the Cōmunion of that Church are bound to give obedience unto these Lawes Neither was there ever any learned Divine of the Reformed Churches who did deny Ceremoniall Traditions or indeed any Traditions but such as doe crosse either the verity or the perfection of the sacred Scripture Here it were easie for me to hold you till night onely in delivering the suffrages of Divines for confirmation of this point but I will content my selfe with a few The reformed Church of France in her Confession published in the yeare 1562. sayth Wee confesse Fatemur tum omnes tum etiam singulas Ecclesias hoc jus habere ut Leges Statuta sibi condant ad Politiam communem inter suos constituendam Ejusmodi porto statutis obedientiam deferendam esse Qui hoc detrectant cerebrosi pervicaces apud nos habentur Apud Calvin in opusc that all and every Church hath this power to make Lawes for establishing Common Politie amongst her own members And that obedience is to be given to these Lawes and those who refuse to obey are accounted with us obstinate and brain-sick And so they are indeed M. Calvin whose judgment you professe to honour and follow hath most judiciously determined this Question of the power of the Church in appointing of Ceremonies and outward Orders to bee observed in the worship of God whose judgement I will deliver in these propositions following I. a In externâ disciplinâ ceremonijs nonvoluit sigillatim praescribere quid sequi debeamus quod istud pendere à temporum conditione praevideret neque judicavitunam saeculis omnibus formam convenire Lib. IV. Instit c. X. §. 30. In externall Discipline and Ceremonies Christ would not particularly prescribe what we should follow because he fore-saw that would depend upon the conditions of the times and he thought that one forme would not bee agreeable unto all ages II. b Si enim velut in medio positae singulorum arbitrio relictae fucrint quoniam nunquam futurum est ut omnibus idem placeat brevi futura
in the service of God without any speciall warrant but when I considered that this is the very Diana for which you strive and the wall of separation between you the Church I thought fit to inlarge my selfe upon this point to manifest unto all those who love the trueth that sitting hath no more ground in Christ's Institution then kneeling And now to proceed Sect. 36. I will shew you other Ceremonies used by you in Gods worship without any speciall warrant The next to sitting at the Communion is sprinkling in Baptisme for which there is no warrant but the custome of the present Church for the auncient Ceremonie in Baptisme was not aspersion but immersion which Ceremonie was sanctified by the Baptisme of our Saviour Matth. III. 16. Mark I. 10. for the Evangelists say When he was baptized he came out of the water and therefore he went in into the water The same was used by the Apostles and thereunto the Apostle alludeth shewing that the mortification of sinne the increase of that mortification and the vivification of the new man are signified by the Ceremonie of Baptisme for the dipping in Baptisme had three parts their going down into the water their continuance in the water and their comming up out of the water The going downe into the water figureth the mortification of sinne by the power of Christs death for all wee sayeth the Apostle which have beene baptized into Iesus Christ have been baptized into his death The continuance in the water noteth the increase of that mortification by the power of Christs death and buryall We are buryed with him by Baptisme into his death The comming up out of the water ratifieth our rising againe unto newnesse of life Like as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the Father so wee also should walke in newnesse of life Rom. VI. 3.4 This Ceremonie was continued in the Church for many hundred yeares and to that purpose in ancient times they had places in each Church for dipping called Baptisteria and Lotiones neither was sprinkling generally practised in the Church till 1300. yeares after Christ when to use your owne words Antichrist was in his full height Now can you shew me any reason why you may leave a Ceremonie which was certainly used by Christ by his Apostles and the whole auncient Church and was of singular use for fignification and in stead of it take another not so significant brought into the Church by Antichrist And that yet it shall not bee lawfull for the whole Church to lay downe another Ceremonie to wit sitting at the Communion whereof there is no certainty nor likely hood that ever it was used by Christ or his Apostles or any Church in the world and in place of it to use another which is a great deale more decent and comely Thirdly you use to injoyne pennance to receive penitents in a white sheet and I am sure that if a Surplice in Gods Service be a Ceremonie so is a white sheet in publick pennance and absolution and there is no more warrant for the one then for the other Fourthly you use a Ceremonie in Marriage by joyning of hands and pronouncing of words which are not commaunded Fiftly I could tell you that the time was in the dayes of the Presbyterie when that Church whose orders you so much approve did use a Ceremonie in Ordination and a very strange one It was not imposition of hands but shaking them by the hand to bid them welcome into their Societie because forsooth they were loath in any thing to have a conformitie with the auncient Apostolick Church Sixtly you professe to honour the Church of Geneva as a fit patterne unto all other Churches and yet they use the Ceremonie of godfathers in Baptisme and wafer Cakes in the Communion against which one Ceremonie I could say more then can be said against all the Ceremonies of our Church Finally the lifting up of the eyes to Heaven the spreading out of the hands the knocking of the breast sighing and groaning in Gods service are Ceremonies used by none so much as by your selves And yet I confesse that if they proceed from a sincere heart they are lawfull expressions of devotion By this time you doe all see that whereas you deny Ceremonies in Gods worship which are not commaunded you are evidently convinced by your owne practise I thinke that I have said enough Sect. 37. to overthrow that ground which you have laid that no Ceremonies ought to bee used in Gods service without a speciall warrant from the word Now for the conclusion of this poynt I will appeale unto the confessions of the reformed Churches and the suffrages of divines You professe to approve the Articles of the Church of England as contayning nothing but trueth though not so manie particulars as you account to be matters of faith and those Articles doe ascribe such a power to the Church to ordaine Ceremonies as you may see in the XX. Article The Church hath power to decree rites or Ceremonies and againe in the XXXIIII Article Every particular or Nationall Church hath authority to ordaine change and abolish Ceremonies The same you may reade in the Articles of Religion of the Church of Ireland which were printed in the dayes of Queene Elizabeth As for the Iudgement of other Reformed Churches I shall referre you to the Harmony of Confessions and the writings of their learned Divines where you may learne I. That it is not only lawfull but expedient and requisite to use Ceremonies in Gods worship II. That those Ceremonies should be significant III. That it is not necessary that the same Ceremonies bee observed in all Churches at all times IV. That we are not bound to observe all those Ceremonies which were used by the Apostles and the Primitive Church V. That we may retain some Ceremonies used by the Iewes namely Ceremonies of order not of prefiguration VI. That we may use some Ceremonies used by the Pagans VII That wee may retaine some Ceremonies of the Papists VIII That the governors of the Church have power to make choice of Ceremonies to change and abrogate some and to ordayne others as they shall see occasion Finally That wee are bound to observe all Ceremonies which are injoyned by lawfull authoritie provided that they bee qualified with these conditions following Instit lib. IV. c. 10. §. 14. Mr Calvin requireth three conditions That they have In numero paucitatem in observatione facilitatem in significatione dignitatem I. For number they should be few for when the Church is pestered with the multitude of them it makes the estate of Christians to be more intollerable then the condition of the Iewes as it is in the Church of Rome whose missalls are larger then the booke of Leviticus whereof Gerson Polydore Virgill and others did complaine in their time II. They should bee easie for observation III. For signification they should be grave decent and
and put your speculations in practise And as I heare some of you are about to follow them God knowes whither The Donatists had no true ground for their scparation but their own wills Their rule was Quod volamus sanctâ—m est Aug. cont ep Parmen lib. 2. cap 13. It is so with you for all your reasons hath beene answered to the full in so much that all wise men can discerne that it is not true reason that makes you stand out but will Passion a desire to please the people and as you are pleased to terme it your conscience August Pasim Optatus The Donatists did glory much in their sufferings challenge unto themselves the honour of Martyrs whereby they did confirme the hearts of simple people in their errors and rend the Church with schismes and divisions you have boasted as much of your sufferings as ever they did albeit very few of you have beene as yet touched and those that were questioned deserved a greater censure then was imposed I will say no more of your sufferings Qui resistit potestati Dei ordinationi resistit qui autem resistunt sibiipsi judicium acquirunt gravius perseâ— quitur siliuâ— patrem malè vivendo quà m Pater filium castiganâ—â—â— gravius â—n illa Saram persecuta est per iniquam superbiam quà m cam Saâ—a per debitam disciplinam c. De Vnitat Eccles Tract in Ioban Matth. V. 10. then S â— Augustin did unto the Donatists that they that resist draw punishment upon themselves for resisting the ordinance of God That the sonne persecutes the father more by his dissolute living then the father doth the sonne by chastising him That Agar the handmaid did persecute Sarah her mistresse more grievously by her proud disobedience then Sarah did her by just correction That Ismael was cast out of Abrahams house for Isaacs sake and yet the Apostle calls not Isaac but Ismael the persecuter And often he repeats this saâ—ing Non poena sed causa facit martyrem So it is onely the cause that puts a difference betweene a Martyr and Malefactor I shall therefore intreat you to looke before you leape and consider well the cause for which you suffer for as it is a blessed thing to suffer for righteousnesse sake so if ye suffer for evill doing you have no cause to rejoyce Esse Martyr non potest saith Cyprian qui in Ecclesia non est Adregnum pervenire non poterit qui eam quae regnatura est derelinquit It is a sinne to resist a lawfull ordinance to suffer for your disobedience is a greater sinne but the greatest of all is by suffering to confirme simple people in their errors intertaine faction and division and rend the bowels of the Church Here in the last place Sect. 42. I shall beseech you who professe to make a conscience of all sinne to consider how by your standing out against the orders of the Church you involve your selves into the guilt of many great and grievous crimes As I. Disobedience to lawfull authority for wee are bound in conscience to obey our superiours in all things that are notcontrary to the word of God This is the confession of the Church of Scotland printed in the beginning of their Psalme bookes and it is grounded upon Gods word Our Saviour commands us to heare the Church Matth. XVIII 17. Rom. XIII 1. Mebr. XIII 17. I. Pet. II. 13. The Apostle to bee subject to superiour powers and to obey them that have the over-sight of us S. Peter To submit our selves unto every humane Ordinance But to subsume these things you refuse to confent unto are commanded by lawfull authority and are not contrary to Gods Word but things in their owne nature meerely indifferent as hath beene not onely proved but even confessed by forraine Divines who live under another Church-governement insomuch that Bishop Hooper who was the first that I know who opposed the Ceremonies of the Church of England especially the Surplis and the Cope was convinced by the strong arguments of Bucer and Peter Martyr and advised by M. Calvin to conforme himselfe even for obedience sake for it ill becommeth those who should teach the people obedience to bee themselves examples of disobedience II. Perjurie for all of you have receaved both the Oath of the kings supremacie and of Canonicall obedience and there is nothing required of you but what the King may lawfully commaund nothing but what the Canons of the Church doe injoyne and what your selves when you entred into the ministery knew that all ministers of this kingdome were bound to observe Consider I pray you whether your proceedings bee correspondent to your oath And how you can excuse your selves from perjurie Did you sweare with a mentall reservation that is but the tricke of a Iesuite and will prove but a poore defence before Almightie God who is the Iudge and avenger of an Oath III. You cast a reproach upon the Church as if she did injoyne things unlawfull and Antichristian you disturbe her peace and rend her unitie shedding the blood of warre in peace and as it were dividing Christs seamlesse coat which is a sinne as great as worshipping of Idols for the time was when it was said Dionys Alexandr apud Niceph Euseb hist eccl lib. 6. cap. 38. Non minoris est laudis non scindere Ecclesiam quà m Idolo non sacrificare And againe Opâ—rtuerit etiam pati omnia ne scinderetur Ecclesia Deiâ— If you ought to suffer all things rather then the Church should be rent then certainly you ought to suffer your owne wills to be controlled by the Iudgement of the Church in matters of outward ordor and decencie IV. The losse of your ministerie which should be dearer unto you then your lives must bee in you a sinne What will you answere unto the Lord in that great day for suffering your selves to bee deprived of your ministery and drawing backe your hands from the plough only for wilfulnesse you may be sure that hee will not Iudge that you suffered for well doing but that you perished in the gain-saying of Core Wee know that the Apostles did become all unto all even practise themselves and advise others to practise Ceremonies as evill and inconvenient in number nature use and evill effects as ours are even in your judgement yea and such Ceremonies too as they had preached against and this they did for to avoyd a lesse evill then deprivation even to get a doore of utterance opened unto them in one place V. Behold and see how this your opposition brings a scandal upon the conformable Clergie as though we were all but time-servers And gives advantage to the Papists for our discord is there musicke The Scripture speaking of the debate betweene the servants of Abraham and Lot doth adde that the Canaanites dwelt in the land Gen. XIII 7. To signifie that though their contention was evill in it selfe yet it was worse because
from the hand of his Prince When David allowed Mâ—phiboshâ—th to eate bread at his table he bowed himselfe Behold Christ hath provided a better Table for us feeding us with that Bread of Life which came downe from Heaven and is it not fit that wee should humble our selves even unto the dust Gen. 17 in thankfull acknowledgement of so great a benefit When Abraham received the promise of the blessed Seed he fell on his face And shall we think it much to kâ—eel when wee receive the performance of that promise even the blessed Seed himselfe All these considerations may move us to put a difference between Christs Supper and a common supper even in our gesture and outward behaviour when we partake of that holy Banquet Againe if we confider what our selves are besides the respects arising unto us from the consideration of the Sacrament as namely That wee are in Gods presence worshipping him offering unto him receiving from him inestimable benefits We shall find that in the Sacrament we sustaine the persons of Poenitentiaries petitioners praysers First Poenitentiaries for we have before our eyes a lively representation of the bitter death and passion of our Blessed Saviour whereof our sinnes was the cause and we our selves as guilty as Iudas Pilate or the Iewes which must needs breed in us sorrow and bitter lamentation The Passeover was eaten with bitter herbes Exod. 12.8 2. Chron. 30.22 and with confession of their sinnes So ought wee to eate this New Passeover with the soure sauce of sorrow and contrition for sinne For if Christ for our sinnes did sweat water and blood yea shed his hearts blood should not wee our selves shed bitter teares should not our hearts bleed for them Chap. 12.20 This was foretold by the Prophet Zachary They shall looke upon him whom they have pierced as we must needs behold him in this Sacrament crucified before our eyes and they shall mourne for him as one mourneth for his only sonne Now nature it selfe and the common custome of all countreyes teach us that kneeling or prostration is the fittest gesture for Paenitentiaries who come to acknowledge their offence The Syrians came in before Achab with sackcloath upon their loynes and rapes about their neckes in token of their guiltinesse 1. Kings 20 3â— because that they heard that the Kings of Israel were mercifull Even so should we present our selves before the Lord in the Sacrament wherein we celebrate the remembrance of Christs death for our sinnes with all manner of submission Next In the Sacrament we are Petitioners it is a wonder unto me that they who stand so much upon a civill custome urge sitting at the Sacrament because it is the gesture used at civill meales will not remember that kneeling is the gesture used by petitioners if it be unto the King much more in our prayers unto God as is evideÌ„t by the practise of the godly throughout the whole Scripture And in the Sacrament we are petitioners praying unto Almighty God that we may have an Interest in that precious death the remembrance whereof we then celebrate The Disputer sayeth It is not our maine action to pray namely in the Sacrament but to meditate upon the passion of Christ As if these two were opposite whenas meditation is a mentall prayer and true prayer alwayes joyned with meditation Take away the intention from prayer it is no prayer but the sound of words and what is intention but meditation Meditation and prayer are of such asâ—inity that one Hebrew word comprehends them both Gen. 24.63 Isaac went out to the field to meditate Or as others render it To pray The Hebrew word Lashuach beares both Finally In the Sacrament we praise God for the worke of our redemption yea the whole action is a reall thanksgiving And kneeling is a gesture which hath beene commonly used by them who give solemne thanks In the 95. Psalme the Prophet calls us To sing unto the Lord to come before his preâ—ence with thankâ—giving And a litle after he shewes what should be our deportment O come let us worship and bow downe Let us kneele before the Lord our maker Abrahams servant worshâ—pped the Lord bowing himselfe to the earth Gen. 24 52. in thankfull acknowledgment of the good successe God gave him in his journey Exod. 4.31 The people When they heard that the Lord had visited thâ— children of Israel that he had looked on their affliction then they bowed their heads and worshipped And that was but upon the report of their approaching deliverance from corporall thraldome But in the Sacrament we receive a pledge of our spirituall deliverance from sinne Satan hell it selfe by the death of our blessed Saviour When Ezra blessed the Lord the great God Nehem. 8.6 All the people bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with heir faces to the ground Solomon kneeled downe upon his knees before all the Congregation 2. Chron 6.13 2. Chron. 7.3 and gave thanks unto God The children of Israel bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement and worshipped and praysed the Lord. â— Chron. 29.28 All the Congregation worshipped and the singers sang Luc. 17.16 And bowed themselves The Samarimne fell downe on his face at Iesus feete giving him thanks Revel 4.10 Ch. 5.8 Ch. 7.11 Ch. 11.16 Ch. 19.4 The foure and twentie Elders fall downe before the Throne singing prayse and Allelujahs unto him who sitteth on the Throne And never was there such an occasion of thanksgiving as is offered unto us in this Sacrament Now let us take all these considerations together That in the Sacrament are the signes of Gods presence That therin we worship God offer our service yea our selves unto him receive wonderfull benefites from him confesse our sinnes with poenitent hearts pray unto God for his grace and praise him for his wonderfull mercies And it will appeare that humility should be the maine affection of our soules It is Immility that praepares us to come to the Lords Table And humility must present us at his table Humility is required in all Christian actions but especially in receiving the holy Sacrament for at the Institution of that Sacrament Christ gave unto his disciples a lesson of humility by washing their feete And were it not strange If he would have us to expresse humility one towards another in the Sacrament and not also towards himselfe considering that he is represented unto us in this Sacrament as crucified for us And if ther should be humility of the soule why not also humiliation of the body Here I have alleadged many motives the least wherof were sufficient to perswade us to kneele though we were at our owne choyce what gesture to use in the receiving of the Sacrament But as the case stands ther is a necessity of kneeling if we will receive the Sacrament for the Church will not minister the same unto those who contumaciously despise her wholsome Orders And how can it stand with the peace of a mans conscience to spend and end his dayes without the comfort of the Sacrament Shall this be a good plea before the Tribunal of Christ at that great day Lord I did not ease at thy supper because I could not be permitted to receive it as I doe my ordinary meales Will not Christ answer them as Samnel to Saul Hath the Lord so great delight in civill fashions or gestures as in obeying the voyce and ordinance of the Lord We are commanded to eate and to drinke but ther is no Commandement for any gesture And will any man lose the substance for the Ceremony If he doe not only Gideons souldiers but even Abrahams camels shall condemne him Gen. 24.11 who kneeled downe for to drinke water And in the Sacrament is the water of life which some will rather never drinke then bow for it I beseech them to consider how to the disturbance of the Churches peace and great prejudice of their owne soule they contest about trifles Ther are other things wherein they may exercise their zeale Contending for the faith which was once given unto the saints striving to enter in at the strait gate to goe one before another in goodnesse fighting against the lusts which warre in their members beating downe the pride of their owne hearts and wrestling against principalities and powers This were a strife worthy of a Christian But as for Ceremony or no Ceremony kneeling or sitting a white garment or a black The kingdome of God consists not in these things Rom. 14.17 But in righteousnesse and peace and Ioy in the holy Ghost As many sayeth the Apostle as walke according to this rule Gal. 6.16 peace shall be upon them and mercy and upon the Israel of God And let us marke the rule even that Circumcision is nothing nor uncircumcision that is Ceremonie nor no Ceremonie But the substantiall a new creature Now The God of truth and peace open the eyes of them that are out of the way and restore peace to his disturbed Church that as there is one sheep heard so we may all become one sheâ—â—fold worshipping the only true God through his sonne Iesus Christ in the unity of the spirit and in the bond of peace AMEN ERRATA PAg. 36. in marg l. 4. contendi read contendendi p. 51. l. 24. this gesture read his p. 54. l. 29. he brake it read he blessed it p. 67. l. 6. in the Sacrament read in this p. 80. l. 7. Niddus reade Niddui p. 96. l. 21. far read fare p. 123. l. 9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and l. 34. were it not a strange reade were it not strange p. 133. l. 14. many forces read maine p. 144. l. 33. if ye should read if he c. p. 155. l. 11. est qui qui read est qui. p. 163. l. 24. to turne to the read to turne the. p. 173. l. 33. to Gods read to God p. 179. l. 25. would follow read will p. 182. l. 5. te read to
A TREATISE OF THE AVTHORITY OF THE CHVRCH The summe wherof was delivered in a Sermon preached at Belfast at the Visitation of the Diocese of Downe and Conner the tenth day of August 1636. BY HENRIE LESLIE Bishop of the Diocese Intended for the satisfaction of them who in those places oppose the Orders of our Church and since published upon occasion of a Libell sent abroad in writing wherin this Sermon and all his proceedings are most falsely traduced Together with an ANSWER to certaine Objections made against the Orders of our Church especially kneeling at the Communion 1. COR. XI 22. Doe yee despise the Church of God AVGVST Contraratiorem nemo sobrius contra scripturas nemo Christianus contra Ecclesiam nemo pacificus senserit CIC. lib. 2. De Nat. Deor. Vestra solùm legitis vestra amatis caeteres causâ incâ—gnitâ— condemnatis DVBLIN Printed by the Society of Stationers Printers to the Kings most Excellent Majesty Anno Dom. 1637. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THOMAS LORD VISCOUNT WENTWORTH Baron of Wentworth-Woodhouse Lord Newmarsh and Oversley Lord Deputy General of the Realme of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of the Countie of Yorke and Lord President of His Majesties right Honorable Councell established in the North of England and one of the Lords of His Majesties most Honorable Privy Councell RIGHT HONORABLE SOCRATES reports that there happening a terrible fire in Constantinople which consumed a great part of the city and fastened on the Church the Bishop went to the Altar and falling downe upon his knees would not rise from thence till the fire was quenched and the Church preserved So when I entered into my charge whereunto I was called by your Lordships gracious favour I found a great fire kindled in that Church which though it was but Ignis fatuus proceeding from inconsiderate zeale yet it threatned the destruction of our Church and the utter abolishing of all good order wherefor l indeavoured to bring diverse buckets of water out of the Sanctuary for quenching of that flamme albeit as yet I have not found either my paines or my prayers to be so effectuall At first the Apostles Quaere tooke a deepe impression in me â— Cor. 4.21 Shall I come unto you with a rod or in love and in the spirit of meekenesse And therefor I begun with gentle perswasions suspendens verbera and producens ubera 2. Tim. 2.25 as the fathers speake even in all meeknesse instructing them who are contrary minded as having such a charitable opinion of them as Salvian had of some Arian haeretickes in his time Salv. de Cubeâ—n l. 5. Errant sed bono animo errant and Euthymius of others Eâ—thym in Luc. 14. Quidam Pharisaei semi-mali But I found that I had to doe with men praeoccupyed with praejudice and partiality and so wedded to their own wills that they were resolved to receive no information making good the saying of Maxentius Ap. Bâ—gn in Biblioth T. 4â— Mens contentioni indulgens non sanari fed vincere cupiens aversa ab eis quae recte dicuntur tantum intenta est in hoc ut inveniat quod pro partibus suis loquatur A contentious mind desiring victory and not truth takes no notice of that which is truely spoken and deviseth only how to elude the same and find something to speake for his owne part VVhereupon I altered my course and finding by the symptomes of their disease that it is a head-paine or rather heady I remembred that when the Shunamites child cryed my head 2 Kings 4 1â— my head his father bid carry him to his mother So I thought it the best course to carry them unto their mother the Church and shew them both her authority to injoyne those orders which they oppose and her power to censure and correct such as are disobedient unto her constitutions But for all this They persist in their errors grow more resolute in their opposition and more diligent to draw disciples after them Revel 12.12 like unto him of whom it was said He is come downe unto you having great wrath because hee knoweth that he hath but a short time So that it may be said of them as the Prophet of the hard hearted Iewes Ierem. 5.3 Lord thou hast stricken them but they have not sorrowed thou hast consumed them but they have refused to receive correction they have made their faces harder then a stone and have refused to returne And this is no new thing for haeretickes to bee confirmed in their errors by their sufferings It was observed in ancient time that not only Christianitas but even haeresis mortibus crescit And surely I have many times wondered how those men who are none of the learnedest should be able to draw such a faction after them and bewitch the minds of the people for every one of these Presbyteriall Dictators is more esteemed then the whole Church of God they take upon them to teach their mother to give suck the people have plucked out their owne eyes and given to their teachers being now able to see nothing but through their spectacles unto whom they doe ascribe more then Papall Infallibility But I find that it hath beene so in former times that in a faction neither the learnedest men nor the best but the most factious are regarded Primianus and Maximianus were the heads of the two factions of the Donatists and sayeth S. Augustin It was well for them that faction fell out else Primianus might have beene Postremianus and Maximianus Minimianus But now in schisme either of them was a jolly fellow and the head of a party So faction gaines these men more esteeme then otherwise they could either have or deserve in Gods Church And besides their forwardnesse to lead a faction I have observed diverse other meanes wherby they have wonne the affection of the people unto a generall liking of their cause I. A great shew of holynesse like the Encratites of old who termed all other Christians that lived not in like austerity Psychicos that is carnall And yet even in this they come farre short of that mortification which was either in Pelagius of old or is at this day in the Socinians whom I may justly terme sentinam haereticorum the worst of haeretickes II. Their diligence in preaching which yet in them is rather the labour of the lungs then of the brain and I thanke God many of the conformable Clergie are as painefull as they III. To taxe the faults of men in chiefe place and the present government which the multitude being ever prone to innovation and dislike of the present Lawes are apt to approve as Nazianzen observed in his time he is thought the holiest man that can find most faults and the greatest zelot for the trueth who is pleased with nothing but what proceeds from his owne devising Are not these they whom S. Peter describes that should arise In populo II. Pet. 2. amongst the people despisers
of governement back-biters of them that are in dignity speaking evill of those things they know not who promise unto themselves liberty That is the thing at which they ayme liberty for howsoever they seeme to except only against our Lawes yet the thing they would have is a freedome from all Lawes and that it may be lawfull for every man to apparrell Gods worship in what fashion he pleaseth and to doe what seemeth good in his owne eyes as though there were no King in Israel wherby they doe wonderfully please the factious people Et hoc ipso placere cupiunt quod placere contemnunt They seeke to please the people by displeasing of authority IV. They give unto the people both by their doctrine and example incouragement to commit two sinnes whereunto of all others they are most inclined Vsury and Sacriledge VVherefore S. Iude describing those murmurers complainers whose mouths speake proud things sayeth ver 16. They have mens persons in admiration because of advantage And that we may all know whom he meaneth he addeth ver 19. These are they that separate themselves By whose divinity men as I sayd have these two advantages one that they may lend their money upon usury Another that they may safely robbe God of his tythes and devour all manner of holy things This last was the ayme of some Politicians in the kingdome of England they set on discontented men to cry out against the governement of the Church hoping by that meanes to prey upon Bishoprickes and Cathedrall Churches as they had done before upon the Abbeyes V. This their snow-ball of popularity hath gained no small accesse by their lying They traduce those who are not of their faction as men either of scandalous life or mainetayners of false doctrine and such as seeke to draw us backe agayne unto Popery They tell the people of their owne victories in disputations and conferences how they have put others to silence with the strength of their arguments when indeed they have not spoken one wise word They boast of the inward testimony of Gods spirit assuring their consciences of the trueth of their doctrine Ludov. Viv. de verit fid christ l. 4. pag. 178. And this as sayeth a learned writer is Tutissimum mentiendi genus The safest way of lying is for men to intitle God to their owne dreames Lastly But the spâ—ciall meanes wherby they have advanced their faction is by insinuating into the weaker sexe in whom there is least ability of Iudgment By this meanes the Serpent overcame mankind he first tempted the woman and by her seduced Adam By this meanes the Philistines overcame Sampson Iudg XIV 18. They ploughed with his heifer and so found out his riddle And this indeed hath beene the common practise of all haeretickes Act XIII 50. the Iewes stirred certaine devout honorable women to resist Paul These new Gospellers make use of such instruments to oppose the Church and for the most part their Proselytes are of that Sexe as if their generative vertue were so weake that they could beget none but daughters Now to search a litle into the cause of this Besides the weakenesse of their Iudgement to discerne betweene truth and error and the naturall inclination which is in women to pitty two things especially make them in love with that religion one It is naturall unto the daughters of Eve to desire knowledge and those men puff them up with an opinion of science inabling them to prattle of matters of divinity which they and their teachers understand much alike Insomuch that albeit S. Paul hath forbidden women to speake in the Church yet they speake of Church matters more then comes to their share The other is a desire of liberty and freedome from subjection for these teachers allow theÌ„ to be at least quarter-masters with their husbands insomuch that I have not observed that faction to praevaile but where husbands have learned to obey their wives and where will and affection weare the breeches There is a civill constitution in the authentickes against women Non percipientes sacrosanctam adorabilem communionem that would not receive the holy and adorable Communion that they should lose their douries or Ioyntures which if it were in force in this kingdome I thinke some of our Ladies would not be so stiff-kneed choosing rather to goe without that blessed Sacrament then receive it kneeling By these meanes have they assayed to batter the orders and whole fabrick of our Church which like Caesars bridge Caesâ—de bello Gall. lib. 4. the more it is oppugned the stronger it stands yet they themselves are not all agreed what forme of Policie they would have and I thinke if it were left to their owne choice and frame they would prove as wise as Hermogenes Apes in the fable who would build houses and live after the manner of men but when they went about it they had neither tooles nor skill to effect the worke In the meane time they labour to bring all men in dislike with the present governement like Platoes Euthyphro who accused his owne father and like that ungracious fellow Lamprocleus who slandered his mother Xenoph de dict fact Secrat The Romans did nourish in the Capitol certaine dogs and geese which by their barking and gagling should give warning in the night of theeves that entered in But if they cryed in the day time when men came in to worship then their leggs were broken because they cryed when there was no cause Those men have given a false Allarum crying barking gaggling against us against their mother their brethren as though we were all theeves when there is no other cause but that we desire to worship God reverently which they cannot endure It hath grieved my very soule to see my flocke thus straying in the praecipices of error and schisme and I have endeavoured by all meanes to reduce them unto the unity of the Church whereunto I was rouzed up by your Lordships commands and therefore I presume to offer unto your Lordship this small account of my labours The cause which I maintaine is just the thing which I plead for is order and whether should I then goe for Patronage but unto him who is the admired patterne of Iustice and Patron of order Besides If any thing could proceed from my meannesse worthy of your Lordship it is already deserved by your favours unto my selfe and by your kindnesse unto Gods Church which is such that we were all most unthankfull if we did not acknowledge that your Lordship is next under his sacred Majesty Instaurator Ecclesiae Hibernicae and so a lively Image of him who is the true Defender of the faith upon earth But I forbeare to give your Lordship your deserved prayses lest I be thought like Psapho his bird which sung the prayses of him who nourished her Besides as Alexander would be painted by none but Apelles graven by none but Lysippus one
our neighbour and to neglect the sinnes committed against the first Table But Christ mentioneth onely private injuries because hee is exhorting to Patience and Charitie And we are most sensible of those offences wherby we are hurt he therfore restrayneth us where wee are most forward knowing well that if wee can be kept from the violent prosecution of those wrongs which are done to our selves wee will be slow enough in taking notice of other sinnes committed against God and our neighbour And now having found out both the persons sect 6 and the offences spoken of In the next place let us consider the rule prescribed or the course that is to bee taken If thy brother shall trespasse against thee It is a Recipe for curing an offending brother wherin our Saviour will have us to deale like tender Physicians who first use to try gentle remedies and if that will not doe they minister stronger pills that are more offensive to Nature So should we doe for the Cure here prescribed is fourefold The I. Private admonition Tell him his fault betweene thee and him that is Correptio Amoris II. Reproofe before witnesses If hee will not heare thee take with thee one or two more that is Correptio pudoris III. Publicke accusation If he will not heare them tell it unto the Church that is Correptio timoris IIII. Separation If hee neglect to heare the Church let him bee unto thee as an heathen that is Correptio tremoris The first is mylde the second sharp the third bitter the fourth desperate The first is but a preparative the second a potion the third a Corrasive the fourth abscision or cutting off Now wee must not thinke that all these degrees can be observed at all occasions and as oft as our brother offendeth Sometimes the offence is so light that it is better to passe it by then to take notice of it Sometimes though the sinne be great yet it is committed so privatelie that it is to no purpose for thee to tell it unto the Church for if he deny it thou canst not prove it Sometimes the offence is so notorious and scandalous that the Church takes notice of it no private admonition going before â—â— Tim. V. 20. no accusation being made Concerning such sinnes the Apostle prescribeth a rule to Timothie Them that sinne Rebuke openly And so Paul reproved Peter publickly Gal. II. without any private admonition because his offence gave scandall unto many Sometimes it falleth out that he who offendeth is of so desperate a froward disposition that to admonish him of his fault is but to cast pearles before swyne In this case Solomon his rule is Prov. IX 8. Rebuke not a scorner Sometimes it may bee thou canst not use private admonition for want of opportunitie of tyme and place or by reason of the quality of the person offending Or it may bee that there is danger in delay and some great hurt like to happen if the matter bee not presently declared unto the Church Many such cases may happen wherein all these proceedings cannot be observed but the matter comes before the Church persaltum Wee must therefore remember that this being an affirmative precept doth not oblige at all times but only then when the observation of it is convenient for the end for which it was appointed which is the amendement of our brother And now sect 7 having made an Introduction into my Text I come to the words But if hee neglect to heare the Church c. Which being a conditionall proposition hath two parts a Supposition and an Inference There is a fault supposed If he neglect to heare the Church And a censure inferred Let him bee unto thee as an heathen man and a Publicane He supposeth the fault onely he sayth not There are who will not heare the Church but hee puts the case onely Si non audierit yet wee know by wofull experience there bee such Christ's If proves to be no If There are many here who account it the point of highest perfection to disobey the Church and despise her wholesome Lawes Vers 11. And so as S. Iude sayth perish in the gainsaying of Core Num. 16. Now Core's sinne was disobedience to the Church hee would have a paritie amongst the Levites and would not bee subject to Aaron appointed his Superiour by GOD And albeit hee with his Complices went down quick unto hell yet hee hath left his seed amongst us Many who will not bee subject unto Aaron who will not heare the Church Now that wee may know what sinne this is not to heare or obey the Church I will shew you first what is meant by the Church Secondly wherein the Church must be heard By the Church here sect 8 wee must not understand the whole multitude of Beleevers in one place for this Church hath power to binde and loose given them in the next words And the power of the Keyes was not given to the multitude but to the Pastors and Rulers in the Church Amongst the Iewes who were God's Church under the Old Testament sentence was never given by the Common people but by certaine Iudges appointed What doe I speake of the Iewes whose governement was alwayes Monarchicall or Aristocraticall Even amongst the Grecians where the governement was Democraticall as in Athens Iudgment was never given by the people but by certaine Iudges chosen by the people How much lesse in the Church whose governement no man in his right witts will say is Democraticall shall this power to judge be given to the people It is not likely that GOD who is not the Author of confusion but of order would give this power to the people who by reason of their ignorance multitude and varietie of affections would never agree upon a sentence neither were it possible for any Controversie to be composed if the voyces of all the people must bee expected for there would be nothing but faction distraction confusion division and endlesse delayes II. sect 9 Nor by the Church here are we to understand the Synedrium of the Iewes which was their Councell of LXX Elders as some men of great name haue conceived for our Saviour never honors that Court with the name of the Church Luc XXII 66. but it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Gospell he did not commit the power of the Keyes unto them but having instituted a governement in his Church he gaue them a bil of divorcement Neither is it likelie that Christ would send his disciples to complaine to those who were profest enemies to him his I. Cor. VI. contrary vnto S. Paul his rule who will haue us to be judged by Saints not by Infidels III. sect 10 Nor by the Church here are we to understand the Christian magistrate It is the conceit of Erastus but one so wilde as needs no Confutation for we know that the Church and the Civill Magistrate haue diverse Consistories God having established
is a speciall meanes to direct us in applying this rule Every man doth challenge some trust in the Art he professeth And is there any that hath studyed the Scripture so well as the Bishops Pastors Doctors of the Church in all ages Besides they have a calling to expound the Scripture are therfore called Guides Rulers Lights Spirituall Fathers Teachers Ambassadors of Christ and disposers of the secrets of God Finally they have not onely a calling but a promise of the assistance of the spirit Matth. XXVIII 20. Loe I am with you unto the end of the world By vertue of which promise it is certaine that all the Pastors of the Catholick Church in all ages did never erre dangerously and therefore their Iudgment to be preferred before the opinion of any private man for God hath commaunded us to heare and obey them II. Sect. 17. The Church is to judge of the abilities of men and who are fit for the Ministery to conferre Orders appoint them their Stations and direct them in the exercise of their Function This power was committed unto Timothie and Titus and must continue in the Church untill the end of the world For as now we are not to expect new revelations so neither extraordinary missions And therefore hee that will take upon him the Office of a Minister not being called by the Church Ioh. X. is an Intruder a Thief that commeth not in by the doore but climbeth up another way What will you say then to some Dominees heere amongst you who having no Ordination to our calling have taken upon them to preach and preach I know not what even the foolish visions of their owne heart As they runne when none hath sent them 11 Sam. XVIII 23.29 and runne very swiftly because like Ahimaaz they runne by the way of the plaine So like Ahimaaz when they are come they have no tydings to tell but dolefull newes They think by their puff of preaching to blowe downe the goodly Orders of our Church as the walls of Iericho were beaten downe with sheepes hornes Good God! is not this the sinne of Vzziah who intruded himselfe into the Office of the Priest-hood And was there ever the like heard amongst Christians except the Anabaptists whom some amongst you have matcht in all manner of disorder and confusion III. sect 18 It belongs unto the Church to decide controversies in religion The Apostle sayth Oportet haereses esse There must bee heresies So there must be a meanes to discover reprove condemne those herisies and pronounce out of the word of God for truth against heresie Deut. XVII 8.9.10 Under the Law the Priests assembled together had authority to give sentence in matters of Controversie The same authority did our Saviour give unto the governors of his Church when he gave them the power of the Keyes and commaunded others to heare them for that their sentence is the sentence of God Titus is commanded to reject an hereticke and so hee had power to Iudge him Doe we therfore make the Church an absolute Infallible Iudge of fayth No Onely God is the supreme Iudge of absolute Authority because he is the Law-giver And in all Common-wealths the supreme power of Iudgement belongs to the Law-giver Inferiour magistrates are but Interpreters of the Law Therefore in Scripture these two are joyned together Esay XXXIII 22. The Lord is our Iudge the Lord is our Law-giver And Iames IV. 10. There is one Law-giver able to save and destroy His throne is established in heaven but in earth we may heare his voice in the holy Scripture revealing his will to the sonnes of men whereby he speaketh to us for God now speaketh to us and teacheth his Church not by any extraordinary voyce from heauen not by Anabaptisticall Enthusiasmes but by the mouth of his holy Prophets and Apostles whose sentence is contayned in the holy Scripture Lib. V. that wee may say with Optatus Milevitanus De coelo quaerendus Iudex Sed ut quid pulsamus ad coelum cùm habeamus hic in euangelio testamentum The Iudge is in heaven But we need not goe so farre to know his sentence when we have his will expressed in the Gospell So Moses Deut. XXX v. 11.12.13.14 This commaundement which I commaund thee this day is not hidden from thee neyther is it farre off It is not in heaven neyther is it beyond the sea But the word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest doe it This word being lively and accompanied with the power of the Spirit doth illuminate the minds of men with the knowledge of the truth reprove convince and condemne error and therefore is said to accuse judge condemne Ioh. v. 45. VII 5. XII 4.8 by our Saviour himselfe And so though properlie the Scripture be not the Iudge but rule of faith yet we call it the Iudge by a Metonymie because God who is the Iudge speaketh in it and by it Poli◠lib. III. c. 16. So the Philosopher sayth The Law is the Vniversall Iudge that magistrates are but Ministers and Interpreters of the Law to apply it to particular causes and persons That which the Magistrates doe in Civill matters the chiefe Pastors of the Church are to doe in matter of Religion If a controversie arise they are to heare the reasons on both sides compare them try by the Touchstone of the word weigh them in the ballance of the Sanctuary And so that which the word hath defined in generall they are according to the rule of this word to apply unto the particular cause and controversie pronouncing for truth against error Yet so as they swarve not from the Rule whereunto God hath tyed them Esay VIII 20. To the Law to the Testimony if they speake not according to this word there is no light in them So that the Church doth Iudge and determine controversies not as an absolute infallible Iudge but as a publicke Minister and Interpreter by a subordinate power which yet is more to be esteemed then the Iudgement of any yea of a thousand private men Shee is not the Iudge but interpreter of Scripture Shee doth not Iudge of the verity of Gods Law but of the truth of private mens Iudgements And that especially if the matter in controversie bee of weight when the Bishops are assembled in Councell When there was a Controversie touching Circumcision the Apostles and Elders assembled at Ierusalem for composing the matter Act. XV. The godly Bishops in the primitive Church following their example did at all occasions assemble in Councells for determining Controversies condemning of hereticks and clearing the Truth by their joynt suffrages even in time of persecution under Pagan Emperours they did celebrate diverse Provinciall Synods as at Antioch at Casarea at Carthage And in that famous generall Councell of Nice wherein Arrius was condemned the Fathers saw such a necessitie of this Synodicall Iudgment
for preserving the peace of the Church that they ordayned that in every Province once every yeare the Bishops should assemble in Councell The same afterwards was injoyned by the Emperour Iustinian And so it was observed in the Church and by the sentence of Councells generall or particular all heresies arising were condemned Those Assemblies being lawfully called and proceeding orderly are great and awfull representations of the Church Catholick the highest externall Tribunall which the Church hath on Earth their authoritie is immediatly derived and delegated from Christ their decrees binde all persons within their Iurisdiction to externall obedience And it is not lawfull for any private man to oppose his judgement to the publicke He may offer his contrary opinion to be considered of so he doe it with evidence of Scripture and reason and very modestlie But if he doe factiously advance his own conceit and despise the Church so farre as to cast off her communion as many of you have done hee may bee justly branded and condemned for a Schismaticke In the IV. sect 19 place wee are to consider the Churches power for making of Lawes to direct us in the order that is to be observed in the outward administration of God's worship This is the thing which I must principally endeavour to prove for if the Church may make Lawes of things Indifferent and appoint matters of Order Decencie and Politie then are you bound even for Conscience sake to submit your selves unto the Orders of our Church which you now so violently oppose I will therefore joyne issue with you in this point and prove as I hope by arguments unanswerable that the Church hath such a power I. sect 20 All things lawfully incident to the outward worship of God are not expressed in the Scripture as sayth Tertullian Harum aliarum ejusmâ—di disciplinarum si legem expostules Scriptu rarum nullam invenies De Corona â—â—il If you looke for a Law in Scripture for these and such other like matters of discipline you will finde none And therefore certainly they are left to be ordered at the discretion of the Church Doe wee therefore derogate from the perfection and sufficiencie of Scripture God forbid You shall understand there is great difference betweene matters of Faith and matters of Order The Apostle hath distinguished them Col. II. 5. Beholding your Order and the stedfastnesse of your Faith T.C. first Reply p. 26. Your great master Cartwright compares matters of Faith unto garments which cover the Churches nakednesse matters of Order unto chaynes bracelets rings and other Iewells to adorne her and set her out which no man will say are of that necessitie as the former Now matters of Faith and whatsoever is essentiall in the worship of God are plentifully set downe in Scripture but besides there are other matters of Order concerning the circumstances of Time Place and Person the outward forme of Gods worship all which are not expressed in the Scripture for albeit these things be not altogether omitted in Scripture yet are they not taught so fully as the former Matters of Faith are so perfectly taught in holy Writ that nothing ever can neede to be added nothing ever cease to bee necessary But as for matters of Order and Politie both much of that which the Scripture teacheth is not alwayes needfull and much the Church of God shall alwayes neede which the Scripture teacheth not And this doth nothing derogate from the perfection of Scripture For we count those things perfect which want nothing requisite to the end for which they were ordayned Now the end for which God delivered the Scripture was to bee the Canon of our Faith and guide unto salvation within the compasse whereof those matters of Order Ceremonie and Circumstance doe not come for they respect not Credenda but Agenda or rather modum agendi Not points of doctrine but matters of practice or rather the manner of performing of outward duties And as it is no disgrace for Nature to have left it to the wit of Man to devise his owne attire no more is it any disgrace for Scripture to have left a number of such things free to be ordered at the discretion of the Church But indeed it is a great commendation to the Scripture to have omitted those things which neither needed nor could bee particularly expressed They needed not because they are so obvious And they could not both because they are so numerous and because so chaungeable I. They neded not sect 21 because they are so obvious for what need is there of any high consultation about such things as are easie and manifest to all men by common sense As a great councellour of state whose wisedome in weighty affaires is admired would take it in scorne to have his Councel solemnely asked about a toy which a poore plow-man could resolve So the meannesse of these things is such that to search the Scripture for ordering of them were to derogate from the reverend authority and dignity of the Scripture The Apostle speaking of a matter of this kind touching being bare or covered in Church assemblies using long haire or being shorne hee brings an Argument from Nature Doth not even Nature it selfe teach you II. Cor. XI 14. As nature that is Custome which is an other nature had taught the Corinthians that it is not comely for a man to have long haire So nature it selfe doth teach us that when a man commeth to present himselfe before the Lord by prayer he should doe it with al humility of mind and humiliation of body as the Psalmist sayth Ps XCV 6. Worship and fall downe kneele before the Lord our maker So likewise when wee make confession of our sayth or lift up our voyces to praise God that we should use a gesture sutable to expresse our resolution And diverse things of this kind hath the Church appointed ex ductamine rationis for albeit the substance of the service of God being above the pitch of naturall reason may not be invented by men as it is amongst the heathens but must be receaved from God himselfe yet in matters of lesser moment especially concerning outward behaviour in performance of Church-actions De Resur carnis Luminis naturalis ducatum repellere non modó stultum est sed impium Lib. IV. de Trin c. VI. wee may bee directed by naturall reason as saith Tertullian Wee may even in matters of God bee made wiser by reasons drawne from the publick perswasions which are grafted in mens minds And St Austin It is not onely foolish but impious to refuse the guydance of naturall light And if nature direct us in any thing then certainelie in this what gestures are fittest for Gods worship for gestures are naturall in so much that one of your owne Authors speaking of gestures Treatise of Divine worship p. 30. sayes that Nature stands sn stead of a direction and that they are not to be esteemed
est rerum omnium confusio Ibid. § 23. That yet these rites must not be left free for every man to use what fashion he pleaseth but must be established by Law otherwise for asmuch as the same orders will never please all men there will follow great confusion in the Church III. c Prout Ecclesiae utilitas requirit tam usitatas mutare abrogare quam novas instituere conveniet Ibid. §. 30. That it is lawfull for the Church when she findes it convenient to chaunge and abrogate old Ceremonies and to institute new in their roome IV. d Christiani populi officium est quae secundum hunc canonem fuerint instituta liberâ quidem conscientiâ nullâque superstitione piâ tamen facili ad obsequium propensione servare non contemptim habere non supinâ negli entiâ praeterire tantuÌ„ abest ut per fastum contumaciam violare apertè debeat Quód siquis obstrepat plus sapere hic velit quà m oportet videat ipse quâ morositatem suam ratione Domino approbet Nobis tamen illud Pauli satisfacere debet nos contendi morem non habere neque Ecclesias Dei §. 31. That it is the dutie of every Christian not to contemne or neglect such constitutions but to keep them without superstition with a free conscience and with a pious and facile propension to obedience And if any will oppose them and be more wise then is needfull let him looke to it which way he will approve his morositie unto God for that of S. Paul should satisfie us that we have no custome to contend namely about such matters nor the Churches of God V. e Neque tamen permisit Dominus vagam effraenamque licentiam sed cancellos ut ita loquar circumdidit And aâ—gaine Confugere hic oportet ad generales quas dedit regulas See §. 10. That God hath not given his Church unlimited power to establish what Ceremonies shee lists but hath bounded her within certaine rules So that here wee must have recourse unto the generall rules layde downe in the Scripture Now the generall rules bee especially these Let all things be done decently and in Order I. Cor. XIV 40. Doe all things to the glory of God I. Cor. X. 31. Let all things be done to edifying I. Cor. XIV 26. follow those things which concerne Peace Rom. XIV 19. Of which kinde many more might be gathered out of Scripture which are the very Rules and Canons of the Law of Nature written in all mens hearts which wee are bound to observe though the Apostle had not mentioned them for they were not delivered in the Law of Moses and yet the Iewes observed them unwritten as being edicts of Nature and thereby framed such Church-Orders as in their Law was not prescribed So the Christian Church in all ages having respect unto those generall rules hath established Lawes for the outward forme and administration of God's worship See harmony of the confess Sect. 17. Zarich in 4. ptaecept Martyr epist ad Hooperum and a Cloud of witnesses alleadged by Archdishop Whitg ft in the defence of his Answer and Oâ— Forbesse in his Irenicum as I will shew in the next place I will not trouble you any more with quotations but referre you to the confessions of all the reformed Churches and to the Bookes of all learned Protestants who have written of Traditions Rites and Ecclesiasticall constitutions Thirdly this hath beene the practice of all Churches to make Lawes of things indifferent and to appoint certaine Rites in the administration of God's worship The Apostles did it They appointed some which we reade of and yet holde not our selves bound to observe as abstinence from blood and strangled the kisse of Charitie sect 24 and Widowes to bee imployed in the service of the Church And many more which are not recorded as is confessed by the learned Whitaker Deperfect Script q. VI. c. 6. The Apostles sayth he did in every Church institute and ordayne some Rites and Customes serving for the seemlinesse of Church-regiment which they have not committed to writing The Primitive Church did both institute new Rites and abrogate some used by the Apostles as I thinke you will confesse Yea even the Church of the Iewes did institute many things without any speciall warrant Foure set Fasts whereof you may reade in the Prophecie of Zacharie Zach. VIII and by the authority of Iudas Maccabaeus the Feast of Dedication which our Saviour sanctified with his blessed presence The Musicke of the Temple that David brought in wee reade it approved wee never read it commaunded The appointment of the houres for day lie sacrifice the building of Synagogues throughout the Land See T. C. Reply p 35. the erecting of Pulpits and Chaires to teach in the order of Buriall The Rites of Marriage are not prescribed in the Law but taken up by themselves So I may say for the forme of administration of the Sacraments it was not prescribed who should be the Minister of Circumcision in what place it should be ministred with what kind of knife after what manner the Child should be presented what gesture should bee used either by the Minister or the people what words should be used As for the Passeover though the forme of it be more particularly prescribed yet it is certaine that the Church after changed some things and added many things to the first institution The gesture used in the first Passeover may appeare by many circumstances in the Text to have been standing and yet I thinke you will confesse that they changed it afterwards into sitting or lying And they added many things which were not commaunded as washing of their feete after they had eaten the Lambe and after that a second course of Sallets in which the soppe given to Iudas was dipped The dividing of the Bread into two parts the reserving of the one part for a while under a napkin and at the end of the Supper dividing it into so many parts as there were persons and delivering it unto them The forme of blessing which was used all which are set downe particularly by Beza Beza in Matth. XXVI 20. who professeth that he collected the same out of Paulus Burgensis Tremellius and Sâ—aliger And for all these they had no direction in the Word but they were appointed by the Churches discretion Now if the Church of the Iewes had such power much more the Christian Church for Agar was in bondage Gal. IV. 25.26 with her children but Hierusalem which is above is free For in God's worship they were bound unto many circumstances of Time Place and Person which no man will say wee are under the Gospell And indeed they being a Nationall Church onely were to be governed by one Law and all things incident to the worship of God amongst them might bee expressed in that Law But the Christian Church being spread farre and wide over the face of the
Earth doth require Lawes for governement so diverse as could not be expressed in the Gospell So that Churches both under the Law and the Gospell have exercised this power And I hope you are so charitable that you will not condemne all Churches that ever have beene IV. But say sect 25 you should condemne all Churches and account nothing pure but what is used in your Conventicles I dare joyne issue even upon that and appeale unto your owne practise Doe you not practise and appoint many things in your owne Congregations which are in themselves free as not being expressely commaunded in the Word What warrant have you for Pulpits Pewes Bells What for the outward forme administration of the Sacraments What for the forme of Excommunication and receiving of Penitents Finally what particular direction have yee for the order of God's service as when you are assembled whether the Minister should begin with praying or preaching with reading or singing of Psalmes whether the Celebration of Baptisme and Marriage should be before or after Sermon All these things are ordered by your owne discretion and that diversly in diverse Congregations according to the humor of the Minister And will you not allow so much power to the Church as every one of your selves doth usurpe as a Pope in his owne Parish V. sect 26 Let us consider the priviledges of all other societies of men whether Citties Families or other Corporate Bodies and wee shall finde that they have power to make Lawes to binde all persons within their Communion that those Lawes are to be observed though they be of matters injoyned to be performed in God's service As if a Master of a Family should direct his children and servants how to demeane themselves in the Church commaunding them strictly to kneele at prayer especially at their comming in to crave God's blessing upon themselves and to stand in time of Sermon that they may heare more attentively and to turne to their Bible as oft as any place is alleadged by the Preacher for the confirmation of his doctrine they were bound to obey him and he would call them to account if they did not observe his directions How much more hath the Church power to make such Lawes binding all that are within her Communion to obedience Surely as the Lord convinceth the disobedience of his people Ier. XXXV by the obedience of the Rechabites to the commaundement of Ionadab their father so may I justly accuse your disobedience to the lawfull Orders of the Church by the obedience of your children and servants unto you For shall the housholder commaund in his house and be obeyed and not the Rulers in the Church Shal the Mayor make Lawes in a Towne and not the King in his Kingdome Or were it not strange that God himselfe should allow so much authoritie to every poore Family for the ordering of all which are in it and yet the Church which is the Citty of the great King the House of the living God the Spouse of Christ the New Hierusalem have no authoritie to commaund any thing which the meanest of her children shall in respect of her constitution be bound to obey Finally sect 27 whosoever hath power to repeale Lawes hath also power to make Lawes but the Church hath lawfully repealed Lawes made of things indifferent as the Law of abstinence from blood and strangled enacted by the Apostles II. Cor. XIII 14. II. Tim. V. without any limitation of time The same might bee said of the kisse of Charitie commaunded by the Apostle And of the Widowes who were appointed to bee entertained by the Church for the service of the Saints As also of the Love-feasts used in the dayes of the Apostles All these were abrogated by Ecclesiasticall authority Therefore the Church hath power to make Lawes of such matters And these Lawes being made are to be observed Yea if there be no law to direct us in these things then ought wee to follow the custome of the Church wherein wee are In ijs rebus de quibus nihil certi siatuit serij tara mos populi Dei instituta majorum pro lege tenenda sunt Epist 86. according to that golden rule of S. Austin In these things which the Scripture hath not determined the custome of Gods people should be unto us a Law He shewes that this was his owne practice touching fasting and the like observations when he was in Rome he followed the fashion of Rome And when hee was in another place he conformed himselfe to the custome of that place And he sayth he learned this from S. Ambrose who when he had asked his Councell touching fasting on the Sabbaoth day returned him this answer When I come to Rome Cum Romam venio jejuno Sabbato cùm hic sum non jeiuno sic etiam tu ad quam fortè ecclesiam veneris ejus morem serva si cuiquam non vis esse scandalo nec quenquam tibi Ego â—crâ— de hâc sententiâ etiam atque etiam cogitans ita semper habui tanquam eam coelestioraculo susceperim sensi perturbationes fieri per quorundam fratrum contentiosam obstinationem superstitiosam timiditatem tam litigiosas excitant quaestiones nisi quod ipsi faciunt nihil rectum existiment Epist 118. ad Ianuar. I fast the Sabbaoth when I am here namely in Millain I fast not So also thou keepe the custome of the Church whereunto thou commest if thou would neither offend nor be offended And he sayth he never thought upon this advice but he esteemed it as an Oracle from Heaven And this same advice he giveth to every man touching his carriage in matters of this kind Eo modo agat quo agere viderit Ecclesiam ad quam devenerit And those that doe otherwise hee chargeth them with contentious obstinacie and superstitious feare raising strife because they account nothing right but what themselves doe Now would to God that you who came out of Scotland had followed this advice and so conformed your selves unto the Orders of this Church and not sought factiously to bring in amongst us the customes of the place from whence you came and such customes too as even the Church of that Kingdome hath most wisely repudiated Wee finde that the Apostle himselfe did deferre much unto the custome of the Church when there was a question in Corinth touching the behaviour of men in publicke assemblies as whether men should pray bare women covered or contrary he resolves the whole matter into the Churches custome hee doth not leave every man free to doe what he will but will have the Churches custome to be observed If any man be contentious we have no such custome nor the Churches of God The Apostle had used sundry reasons to prove that men should pray bare women vailed As I. from the signification vers 3. The man is the womans head I. cor XI 16. Whence followeth that wives should be subject
to their husbands and testifie their subjection by this significant Ceremonie in comming alwayes to Church with their heads covered II. From Comelinesse vers 4. 5. 6. for it is even one very thing namely for a woman to bee bare-headed as though she were shaven And if it be shame for a woman to be shaven let her be covered and vers 13. Iudge in your selves Is it comely that a woman pray uncovered III. From nature vers 14. Doth not nature it selfe teach you But he saw the nature of the question would affoard no Arguments but such as a contentious spirit would elude Therefore to make short worke he finally resolves all into the Churches custome If any man be Contentious we have no such custome nor the Churches of God As if he should say If any man be so contentious that he will not be satisfied with these reasons Let him know that the Churches custome is otherwise We have no such custome c. Whence wee may inferre first that the Church hath her customes and had them even in the Apostles dayes for this Negative Wee have no such custome includes an affirmative A Custome they had but no such Custome as that men should be covered women bare but the contrary II. That the Church may alledge her Customes to stop the mouthes of the contentious III. That custome is warrant enough for a Rite as whether to be covered or bare whether to sit or to kneele whether to weare a blacke garment or a white in the administration of God's service IV. That whosoever opposeth the Churches customes in matters of Order are to be reputed contentious as hazarding the Churches peace for matters of no more weight Thus have I proved at large sect 28 that the Church hath power in things Indifferent to make Lawes and appoint Orders to be observed in the administration of Gods worship And that obedience is due unto such Lawes or if there be no certaine constitution that the received custome of the Church hath the force of a Law But here I know what you will say that the Church may appoint Circumstances not Ceremonies This was your Plea at the last visitation and a very strange one For this distinctioÌ„ is unknown vnto the Schooles not used by any Protestant divines except some late Libellers against the government whose unsavory bookes I never thought worthy of my reading Sure I am that your chiefe advocate Not that we say as you charge vs that no Ceremonie may be in the Church except the same be expressed in the word of God but that in making Orders and Ceremonies of the Church it is not lawful to doe what men list T. c. Reply p. 27. Mr Cartwright the only learned man who ever lifted up his hand against the Orders of our Church did not deny all Ceremonies but excepted against ours that they are not agreeable to the simplicity of the Gospell and to the practice of the Apostles that they are borrowed from the Papists give scandall to the weake and are different from the Orders of other reformed Churches And when these silly exceptions have been answered to the full his wise followers have devised a way to cut the Gordian knotte to-deny all Ceremonies except the Sacraments which are of Christs Institution And since that is the maine ground of your opposition I wil take some paines to discover unto the world the weakenesse of it And first I thinke it will puzle you all sect 29 to shew the difference betweene Circumstances Determinatio divini cultus pertinet ad ceremoniaâ— Aquin. 1â— 2ae q. 103. Art 1. â—on and Ceremonies If you say that a Ceremonie determines the manner of Gods worship a Circumstance onely the time place and person to be used in Gods service which are of absolute necessity in regard that his service must be performed at some time in some place by some person This distinction will not hold for it falleth out often that in the choyce of one time rather then another and of one person too there is something Ceremoniall I am sure that some of the Reformed Churches See harmon of confess Sect. 17. amongst the Ceremonies which they retaine and approve reckon festivall dayes set Lessons which are circumstances but Ceremoniall circumstances Secondly as it is necessary that there be some place and time appointed for Gods Service So also it is necessary that there be some outward forme besides what is expressely commaunded used in the Service of God And albeit the substance of religious actions be prescribed by God himselfe yet the outward forme required to the decent administration of the same and for the greater solemnity of the action is not expressed in the Scripture As for example Christ hath commaunded us to baptize with water in the name of the Father Sonne and holy Ghost here is both the matter and the forme wherein the essence of baptisme consists but what other words and actions we should use in the administration thereof we have no direction And yet if one should doe no more but sprinkle water upon a childe and pronounce the words of baptisme howsoever the baptisme were good yet the action would seeme bare and the Sacrament quickely grow into contempt Therefore the Church hath appointed prayers Lessons interrogatories exhortations and some visible signes also to bee used in the administration of that Sacrament These outward expressions of Gods worship whether by words or actions which are not essentiall unto the duty as not being expressely commaunded we call Ceremonies without which no publicke action can be rightly performed for as the flesh covereth the hollow deformity of the bones and beautifieth the body with naturall graces So Ceremonies cover the nakednesse of publicke actions both civill and religious and procure reverence and esteeme unto them in so much that no nation in the world did ever suffer publick actions which are of weight whether civill or sacred to passe without some visible solemnity So that there is a ground in nature for Ceremonies in generall for all nations by naturall instinct have observed them and for some Ceremonies in particular for Nature doth teach us that God is to be worshipped not only with the inward devotion of the heart but also with the outward reverence of the body And therefore all men by the inditement of reason have used to bow themselves to the ground in token of reverence at the sensible signes of Gods presence or when they have received any message from the Lord. It is therefore an error to thinke Ceremonies in the generall to be things merely indifferent for howsoever every particular Ceremony be indifferent and alterable yet that there should be some Ceremonies is absolutely necessary forasmuch as no outward worke in God's worship can bee performed without Ceremoniall Circumstances some or other more then a body can be without dimensions And since some Ceremonies must be used it is also necessary for preserving serving of Order and uniformity
owne eyes without controll God is dishonoured and his Name blasphemed amongst the Gentiles Whence it comes to passe that sometimes for the sinne of one man God is angrie with the whole Church because of her connivence But when the Offender is exemplary punished then is God glorified and his wrath turned away from Israel II. The amendement of the party even that he being destitute of the societie of the faithfull may be ashamed and so confesse his sinne and desire reconciliation I. Thess III. 4. If any man obey not our saying note him and have no companie with him that he may be ashamed III. The preservation of others from his infection For sayeth the Apostle speaking of the Incestuous Corinthian A little leaven leaveneth the whole lumpe purge out therefore the old leaven I. Cor. V. 6-7 Wee know that a member of the body being putrified and gangrened must bee cut off presently else it will infect the whole body so must all irregular persons especially teachers of false doctrine and disturbers of publick order bee cut off from the body of the Church Deviâ—â— contempl lib. II. c. 7. that the infection spread no farther as Prosper sayeth Qui corrigi nolunt tanquamputres corporis partes ferro excommunicationis sunt abscindendi They that will not amend as rotten members of the body must be cut off by the sword of excommunication It is true a good Chirurgeon will try all other meanes before he cut off a legg or an arme from a man but if there bee no other remedie Then Immedicabile vulnus Ense resecandum est So weehave tryed all manner of faire meanes to reduce you to the unitie of the Church by admonition exhortation conference instruction Our first comming was in love and in the spirit of meeknesse but now I must come unto you with a rod yea with a Sword to cut off all that trouble the Churches peace for Melius est ut pereat unus quà m unitas It is not the life of any man nor of many men that is to bee compared with the peace of the Church Besides the generall censure of Excommunication sect 39 whereunto all the members of the Church are subject both the Pastors and the Flock there is an other censure for restrayning of turbulent teachers called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a removing of them from the exercise of their function by deprivation suspension or otherwise that their word fret not as a canker II. Tim. II. 17. This power was given to Timothie Bishop of Ephesus he is not onely to charge the Clergie under his jurisdiction that they doe not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I. Tim. I. 3. but also to discharge them that doe it I. Tim. V I. 3.5 If any man teach otherwise from such separate thy selfe Hee must stay prophane and vaine bablings II. Tim. II. 16. Put away sâ—â—lish questions which ingender strife II. Tim. II. 23. Hee had authority to receave an accusation against an Elder as his Iudge to rebuke openly to put him in feare I. Tim. V. 19.20 The like authority was committed to Titus Bishop of Crete He must redresse things amisse Tit. I. 5. If there bee any disobedient vaine talkers and deceivers of mindes he must put them to silence Tit. I. 10.11 Reprove them sharpely Tit. I. 13. Convince with all authority Tit. II. 15. Reject him that is an hereticke Tit. III. 10. This hath beene the practise of the Church in all ages to remove turbulent teachers who did oppose the decrees and constitutions of Councells And this is that censure which I feare some of you by your opposition to the lawfull orders of our Church will draw upon your selves The Apostle sayth They that resist shall receive Rom. XIII 2. or acquire condemnation It is not our desire to proceed to censure against any of you but you will acquire it unto your selves and so receive thereward of your folly Our Church hath borne with you a long time with all patience and long suffering opening her lap to receive you into her Communion but you have made no other use of this forbearance then to confirme your selves in your errors proceeding from evill to worse from timorous scrupolositie to resolute opposition II. Sam. XX. 1. drawing a number of Disciples after you and like Sheba the sonne of Bichri blowing a trumpet to sedition whereby a fearefull rent is made in this Church and greater dangers like to ensue if they be not prevented The Anabaptists at first for the great humility zeale and devotion which seemed to be in them were onely pittied in their error and not much witestood by any Luther made request to the Duke of Saxonie that within his dominions they might bee spared for that their errors excepted they seemed otherwise very good men by meanes of which mercifull toleration they gathered such strength in few yeares that they were like to overthrow the state both of Church and Common-wealth in Germanie Your proceedings hath beene very like to theirs we have reason therefore to suspect them and to give a checke to your madnesse before you goe any further Surely as the Lord taxeth the Angel of the Church of Thyatira for suffering the woman Iezabel to teach and deceive Gods servants So may hee reprove the governors of our Church for suffering this feminine heresie so long they of that sexe being the greatest zealots and chiefe abbetters of the sect by whom many simple people are deceived led from the wholsome pastures of the Church to wander in the precipices of error and schisme This must not be suffered any longer But you will say the differences is onely about small matters and it is a pitty to deprive ministers who are painefull and laborious for a Ceremony For answer I shall desire you to consider I. That they doe not onely oppose the Ceremonies but the whole Liturgie of the Church wherein the soule of Gods publicke worship doth consist Besides their doctrine is not sound for they have taught that the Order of Bishops is Antichristian which we know to be Apostolicke That our Ceremonies are damnable which wee can prove to bee both lawfull and decent That our Service-booke is a heap of errors which wee can justifie to be the most absolute Liturgie that any Church in the world hath That the signe of the Crosse in Baptisme and kneeling in the act of receiving the Communion is plaine idolatry then which hell it selfe could not have devised a more shamelesse calumnie That the Eucharist being a Supper a Feast no gesture should be used at it but a table gesture to expresse our coheirship and equality with Christ which if it smell not strong of Arrianisme I have lost my sent That all festivall dayes besides the Lords day and all set fasts are Iewish and contrary to our Christian liberty which is the condemned heresie of Aërius Epiphan haer 75. They have cryed downe the most wholsome orders of the Church as Popish superstitions
namely Confirmation of children absolution of penitents private baptisme of children in case of necessity the Communion of the sicke and almost whatsoever hath any conformity with the Ancient Church If I were not weary to dig in this dung-hill I could shew you many such portenta opinionum which these new masters have vented to the great scandall of the Church and hinderance of Religion that I may complaine with the Prophet Iet XII 10. Pastores multi yea and Stulti Many Pastors have destroyed my Vineyard There is crying out against dumbe dogges of the Cleargie who cannot preach for whom I thinke no man will plead but that lawlesse fellow called necessity Yet I know not whether it be more hurtfull for the Church to have Canes non latrantes or Catulos oblatrantes The ones silence or the others untimely barking In teaching is not so much good as there is hurt in teaching such doctrine when with the good seed of the word the tares of error and schisme are sowen and the children of the Church brought in dislike with their mother Prov. XXX 17. Solomon sayes The eye that mocketh his Father and despiseth the instruction of his Mother The Ravens of the valley shall picke it out and the young Eagles shall eate it What then shall become of his tongue who slandereth his Mother shall not Davids imprecation against Doeg fall upon him Psal LII 4.5 O thou deceitfull tongue God shall destroy thee for ever If you have slandered your neighbour you are bound in conscience to make him satisfaction what satisfaction then can you make unto the Church your Mother whom you have slandered with no lesse then whoredome Whereas even strangers have given her this testimony that shee is of all Churches this day for doctrine most pure for discipline most conforme unto the primitive and Apostolicke Churches for learning most eminent for good workes most fruitfull for Martyrs most glorious II. Albeit their strife were only about Ceremonies yet were it nor safe for the Church to winke at such persons though they contend but for trifles for if the contentious humour be not let out it will fester and spread like a gangrene Contention will grow a schisme and a schisme will prove an heresie So it was with the Corinthians I. Cor. XI Where the Apostle complaines first of their unreverent behaviour in the Church v. 16. Then of schismes v. 18. After that of heresies vers 19. If men be suffered to disgrace Ceremonies they wil proceed further to contemne and profane the Sacraments as in Corinth when they had sit covered at prayer they grew as unreverent and bold with the Sacrament eate and drunke as if they had beene in their owne houses vers 22. It is therefore good to quench the sparke when it is first kindled lest it increase unto a great flame and burne up Church Religion and all III. Consider that alâ—eit in Churches of diverse kingdomes the unity of faith may subsist with diversitie of Ceremonies and orders according to that saying of Gregory In unâ fide nil officit Ecclesiae sanctae consuetudo diversa yet in the same nationall Church we must labour not only for unity in faith but also for uniformity in discipline otherwise order can not bee maintayned peace cannot be preserved when every man hath a fashion by himselfe there will follow infinite distraction and confusion Therefore sayth the Synod of the Belgick Churches Articuli hi mutari augeri minui postulante ecclesiarum utilitate possunt debent non erit tamen privatae alicuius Ecclesiae id facere sed dabunt oâ—â—nes operam ut illos observent donec Synodo aliter constituatur These Articles namely concerning outward order and Politie may be changed augmented or diminished yet it belongeth not unto any private Church to doe that but they must all labour to observe them untill the Synod shall otherwayes appâ—ynt Finally I pray you to remember that when those men had the government in their hands there was never any Church more zealous to vindicate her orders from contempt nor more forward to inflict severe censures for small offences then they were And so much they did professe The Church of Scotland in their constitutions which were printed with their Psalme Bookes say A small offence may justly deserve excommunication because of the offenders contempt and contumacy And againe Any sinne may be pardoned rather then contempt of wholsome admonitions and lawfull constitutions of the Church Now shall they inforce others to the observation of their orders and punish the disobedient with the severest censures And shall not the Kings Majesty and the governours of our Church inforce them to the observatioÌ„ of our orders which have beene established by the whole Church in a lawfull Synod and confirmed by Act of Parliament and by his Majesties Royall authority Oh my brethreÌ„ deceive not your selves think not that the Church the King the State the Law and all will stoope to your fancies No if you will not obey the constitutions of the Church you must feele the weight of her censures If you will not submit your selves unto the Church as to your Mother shee will not owne you for her children but cast you out as Hagar and Ismael were cast out of Abrahams house for their mocking and proud disobedience Thus have I spoken at large of the Churches power for instruction for Ordination for determination for direction or making of Lawes and finallie for Correction or censuring offenders In all which the Church is to be heard for if hee neglect to heare the Church Let him be unto thee c. And so I am come to the second part of my Text the inference sect 40 Let him bee unto thee as a heathen man and a Publicane In which words one thing is implyed and another thing expressed The censure of the Church is implyed for if wee must account such men as Heathens and Publicanes then the Church by her publicke sentence must declare them to be such else how shall we know that they refuse to heare the Church Againe obedience to the Churches sentence is expressely commaunded for in these words all the members of the Church are injoyned to take notice of her sentence accounting no otherwise of all those who despise her admonitions then as Heathen men and Publicanes For sit tibi is a worde of commaund you must hold them for such And that you may the better conceive the meaning of this phrase you must understand that our Saviour alludeth unto the custome of his owne time and the practise of the Iewes as St Paul borroweth a phrase from the Iewish Church â— Cor. XVI 22. when he useth that fearefull imprecation If any man love not the Lord Iesus Let him be Anathema Maranatha So our Saviour here borroweth a speech from the custome of the Iewes to expresse the condition of those who should bee excommunicated by the Christian Church Let him be unto
When a King of a heathen becomes a Christian he loses not that temporall right which hee had but acquires a new right in the spirituall goods of the Church so if afterwards of Christian he become Heathen he loseth the new right which he had acquired in the benefites and priviledges of the Church but not the old temporall right which hee had unto his Crowne So Bernard told the Pope In criminibus non possessionibus potestas vestra The Church hath power to censure offences namely with the sentence of excommunication not to take away possessions But I might have spared this labour Sect. 41. for you are not the men who ascribe too much to the censures of the Church but indeed too little and set them all at naught If a man for his faction disobedience be cast out of the Church you thinke him so much the neerer heaven as one who hath witnessed a good confession and is very zealous for the truth then you account him most worthy of your company as if our Saviour had said If hee refuse to heare the Church Let him be unto thee as a faithfull brother So little doe you regard the sentence of the Church which our Saviour hath commaunded you to obey saying sit tibi Let him bee unto thee as a Heathen man and a Publicane for which he gives a reason in the words following saying Verily I say unto you What soever yee bind on earth shall be bound in heaven that is the sentence pronounced by the Church is ratified by God himselfe Here I cannot dissemble the injury that is done unto the Church by you in those parts for her Instructions are not received her Ordinations are neglected her determinations despised her orders contemned her lawes trodden under foote her censures derided In nothing shee is heard And these who refuse to heare her yee are so farre from accounting them As Heathens and Publicanes that you esteeme them as Saints and Martyrs and account us no better then Heathens Publicanes and persecuters you open heaven only to those that are of your faction damne all that approve not your fantasies and so condemne all Churches that are or have beene except your owne Conventicles That it is a wonder to me how you can professe to beleeve The holy Catholicke Church for never any ancient Church observed these orders which you seeke to obtrude upon the world as the discipline of Christ and the seepter of his kingdome And never any Church since the Apostles dayes wanted our orders which you reject as unlawfull and Antichristian So that that which you account the true Church is not Catholicke and that Church which is Catholick is not holy Thus have you lost one article of your Creed It was so with the Donatists in ancient times and almost in every thing their courses were so like unto yours that as oft as I consider your opinions and practise I doe remember them and thinke it is Vetus fabula pernovos histriones as though by a Pythagorean transmigration their soules had taken up their mansion in your bodies Which I will instance in some particulars The Donatists did not only separate from the Catholicke Church but most arrogantly esteemed their owne faction to bee the only true Christians in whose assemblies salvation was to be found a Beelesia una est eam tu frater Parmeniane apud â—os solos esse dixisti Optat lib. 2. post Nitimini suadere hominibus apud vos sotos esse Ecclesiam So have you appropriated unto your selves the styles of Brethren Good men Professors As if all others who favour not your faction had no brotherhood in Christ no interest in goodnesse made no true profession of the Gospell The Catholickes acknowledged the Donatists to be their brethren loved pittyed and prayed for them b Velint nolint fratres nostri sunt Aug in Psal 32. Concordate nobiscum flatres diligimus vos hoc vobis volumus quod nobis Id. Ep. 68. But the peevish schismatickes requited their love with hatred esteemed them no better then Pagans and disdayned to salute them c Isti qui dicunt non esâ—is fratres nostri Paganos nos dicunt Aug in Ps 32. Vos odio noâ— habetis fratres utique vestros auditorum animis infunditis odia docentes ne Ave dicant cuiquam nostrum Optat. lib. 4. So albeit we have reached foorth unto you the right hand of fellowship yet have you answered us with disdaine terming us formalists time-servers worldlings Papists Arminians limmes of Antichrist and no better then reprobates But for my owne part I passe very little to be judged of you for all your malice you shall have my pitty and my prayers The Donatists thought all things polluted by the touch of Catholickes and so washed their Church walls and their vestiments broke their chalices scraped their Altars d d Rasistis Altaria fregistis calices lavastis pallas parieâ—es inclusa spatia salsa aqua spargi praecepistis Optat. lib. 6. So these men thinke that our service-booke our Ceremonies our Churches and all are polluted with the Papists though they descended unto them from the ancient Church and we have better right unto them then they had And therefore where they had power they did not wash the Churches but in a sacrilegious furie pull them downe to the ground burnt the vestiments broke the chalices or converted them to private uses and razed the Altars esteeming a beggerly cottage fitter for Gods service then a magnificent Temple much like the officers of Iulian who when they saw the holy vessells of the Church cryed out En qualibus vasis ministratur Mariae filio What stately plate is this for the Carpenters sonne The Donatists taught that the efficacie of Sacraments depends on the dignity of the Minister and so would not receive the Sacrament from any but such as they esteemed just men that is to say men of their owne faction e De Baptismo dicere solent tune esse verum baptismum Christi com ab homine Iusto datur Aug. Ep 167. And are not some of you of the same minde who refuse the Sacrament though they might have it after their owne fashion onely because the minister hath conformed himselfe unto the orders of the Church The Donatists taught that the Church ought not to tollerate evill persons in her Communion that Communion with such persons polluteth and profaneth the Church And that therefore all the Churches of the world were perished because they communicated with Caecilianus f Donatistae pertinaci dissensione in heresin schisma verterunt tanquam Ecclesia Christi propter crimina Caeciliani de toto terrarum â—â— be perierit Aug. cont â—pist Parmen l. 3. Id. de haeres ad quod vult cap. 69. And was it not upon the very same ground that your brethren the Brounists did run both out of the Church and out of their witts they built their conclusions upon your premisses
our disobedience Finally amongst the Romanes some were offended at the eating of those meates but I doe not reade that any was offended at the not eating of them It is otherwayes with us where one is offended at our Ceremonies ten wiser then they would be offended if we did not use them And farre more if we did follow their fashion in the manner of Gods worship The case being cleere that the Orders which our Church injoynes are neyther contrary to Christian libertie nor to that care wee should have for to avoyd offence In the next place I will labour to finde out the cause of this grosse mistake in the brethren which certainely is this that they doe not rightly consider the nature of Christian liberty whilst they set it upon tenter-hookes and stretch it further then the nature thereof will beare seeking not only a liberty of minde and conscience in things indifferent but a freedome also in their outward actions which is not Christian libertie Calv. Inst lib. III. cap. 19. Sect. 10. but licentious immunity contrary to the doctrine of the Gospell for S. Peter exhorting all men to be obedient unto Magistrates I. Pet. II. 16. he warnes them not to use their libertie as a cloake of maliciousnesse Namely In casting off the bridle of governement It is proper to the libertie of the Creator alone to be unlimited but all lawfull libertie of the creature is and must be bounded not onely by the Law of charitie which these men will acknowledge but also by the law of loyaltie for if all restraint of the outward man were contrary to Christian liberty then were it not lawfull to obey the Magistrate in any thing Then if the King should be pleased to confirme the Orders or as they terme them the circumstances of worship which have beene used in their congregations They were bound to forsake them for the zeale of their Christian libertie And what is this else but to bring flat Anabaptisme and Anarchie into the Church to overthrow all Governement and dissolve the bonds of subjection and obedience to lawfull authority You shall therefore understand that the Magistrate by his Lawes may moderate or restraine the outward actions wherein the externall use of our liberty consisteth The inward liberty of conscience before God notwithstanding remayning intyre He may injoyne any action which in Gods worship may be used lawfully So that no opinion be put upon the conscience which taketh away the full respect of its indifferency And this is that which St Peter sayes We must obey the Magistrates as free that is as being perswaded that the thing commanded in it selfe and to God-ward as Calvin speakes is indifferent and whether we doe it or not doe it in it selfe it commends us not unto God otherwise then that by obeying of the Magistrate we doe also obey God who hath commanded us to be subject unto him Which will better appeare if we consider that Christian liberty is inward and spirituall which may stand with the outward servitude of slaves as the Apostle shewes I. Cor. VII 22. much more with the obedience of free subjects It is seated in the minde and conscience and respecteth nothing but what is betweene God and us It contenteth it selfe if there be no opinion put upon the conscience of the necessity of these things which God hath left indifferent if they be not obtruded as divine Lawes if no Religion be plac't in them nor they pressed as immediate parts of Gods worship It is only the subjecting of the conscience unto a thing indifferent I. Cor. VI. 12. which the Apostle calls The bringing us under the power of a thing which overthrowes our Christian liberty not the necessity of obedience unto lawfull authority but the doctrine or opinion of the absolute necessity of the thing it selfe In a word Christian libertie is not taken away by the necessity of doing a thing indifferent or not doing but only by that necessity which taketh away the opinion or perswasion of the indifferency of it As may appeare by this whensoever the Apostle condemnes the practise of Iewish Geremonies at that time when there was some dispensation and indulgence granted unto Christians till the Synagogue should be buried with honour It is manifest that he condemnes not so much the use as the doctrine and opinion which they had of them because they were urged and used not as things indifferent but as necessary unto salvation For we know that he himselfe many times did use them which he would not have done if they had beene then simplie evill he circumcised Timothie and many Christians who gave their lives for the Testimony of Iesus Christ were circumcised at that time even after their conversion unto the faith And yet when the false Apostles did urge the necessity of Circumcision he said If ye be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing Gal. V. 2 That is If you bee circumcised with an opinion of the necessity of that Ceremony as if it did avayle unto justification so he expounds himselfe ver 4. Whosoever are justified by the Law that is seeke for Iustification by the Law are fallen from Grace That it was only the doctrine opinion they had of Circumcision at that time which he condemnes may appeare further by this that those Ceremonies were not praescribed by a Civill Magistrate who hath power to commaund the outward man in the use of a thing indifferent but only by seducing teachers who had no power of bringing a necessity in the outward practise but by perswading and possessing mens mindes with an opinion of the necessity of these things After the like manner doth the Church of Rome at this day tyrannize over the consciences of men equalling her constitutions unto the Word of God Concil Trid. fess IV. placing Religion in them and ascribing unto them a divine necessity effectuall holynesse But our Church is farre from such an usurpation she doth place no Religion in them ascribe no holynesse unto them nor obtrude them upon the conscience as things necessary in themselves like Gods Commaundements but only requires obedience unto her constitutions thereby to reduce all her Children to an orderly Uniformity in the outward worship of God And to this purpose she hath sufficiently declared the innocencie of her meaning in the Articles of Religion Artic. XX. The Church ought not to enforce any thing besides the holy Writ to be beleeved of necessity for salvation And in the Pre face before the Booke of Common Prayer The Ceremonies that remaine are retayned for a discipline and order which upon just causes may bee altered and changed and therefore are not to bee esteemed equall with Gods Law So that I can not but wonder at the impudencie of the Libeller who changes our Church as Christ doth the Pharisees that she makes the commandements of God of none effect by her traditions Whereas the Pharisees did equall and preferre their owne traditions
unto the commandements of God which is the thing for which they are condemned as shall appeare unto any that reades the Text But our Church is farre from such presumption as may appeare by her doctrine published which I have alleadged as also by that which followeth in the same preface In these our doings wee condemne no other nations nor prescribe any thing but to our owne people only For we thinke it convenient that every Countrey should use such Ceremonies as they shall thinke best to the setting forth of Gods honour and glory and to the reducing of the people to a most perfect and godly living without error or superstition Now I have proved in my Sermon by Arguments unanswerable that the Church hath such a power to ordaine Ceremonies and to make Lawes of things indifferent for decencie and orders sake And that obedience ought to be given unto her constitutions Especially considering that therein our Church was not only assisted but authorized by the Kings most excellent Majesty as the supreme Governor upon Earth In all causes within his highnesse dominions And therefore I shall intreat my good brethren if they will neyther deceive others nor be deceived themselves that in this point of Christian liberty they would have alwayes one eye fixed upon the nature of things indifferent and the other upon the duty of a subject to his Soveraigne And now having vindicated our Church from those aspersions cast upon her of infringing Christian liberty and giving offence by her constitutions I will in the last place turne the Disputers weapon against himselfe and cut off the head of that Philistine with his owne sword shewing that he and his fellowes of all others are most injurious unto Christian liberty Rem XIV 16. which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it were the common good of Christians And also that they are scandalous to all sorts of persons And first Christian liberty as it respecteth things indifferent is not only a freedome from the yoke of bondage but also a right or power to doe many things which they could not doe who were under the Paâ—dagogie of the Law which by the Apostle is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I. Cor. VIII 9. This power or liberty is extended both to Magistrates and to subjects The Magistrate hath this liberty that he is not tyed to any particular Lawes which determine all things incident unto the outward form of Gods worship not mentioned in Scripture But as the Iudiciall Law being-abrogate it is lawfull for him to ordaine civill Lawes so the Ceremoniall Law being abolished to establish ecclesiasticall constitutions such as are not repugnant unto the word of God These men deprive him of this libertie they will not allow him to appoint any thing to be used in the outward forme and administration of Gods worship And if by the consent of the whole Church he doe establish a forme though never so decent they are resolved not to observe it Agayne the liberty of the subject is that being freed from the Moâ—aicall Law he may with a free conscience observe all other Lawes which are established by lawfull authority and are not repugnant unto the word of God I. Cor. VI. 12. Tit. I. 15. I. Pet. II. 13. 16. as knowing that All things are lawfull and To the pure all things are pure This freedome S. Peter magnifies when he exhorts us To submit our selves to all manner ordinance of man As free that is knowing that we are not bound to those particulars as things in themselves necessary but using them with free consciences as being indifferent and therefore such as whereunto our Christian liberty extendeth And is not this a goodly freedome that a Christian having liberty of many things he can make use thereof in one thing rather then in another to please and â—atiâ—fie him unto whose power God hath subjected him without offence to his conscience These men deprive us of this liberty likewise for they will not allow men to obey Magistrates civill or Ecclesiasticall in any constitution established touching the decent administration of Gods worship And as though they were Iudges at Law they have sent foorth a prohibition against all the Canons of our Church Now a negative precept is a restraint of Christian liberty as well as a Positive the false Apostles who laboured to subvert Christian liberty col II 21. did it by forbidding things in themselves lawfull saying Touch not â—aste not handle not And our brethren speake almost the same language Kneele not Crosse not weare not And indeed the Church hath not more positive precepts then they have negative But this is the difference The Church hath authority to command they have none to forbid The Church commands only the use of these things and layes no obligation upon the conscience by pressing them as simply necessary in themselves but they make their negative restraints absolutely necessary place religion in them binding their followers in conscience not only to refuse but also to despise our Ceremonies Whereby they doe not only overthrow Christian liberty but also are guiltie of the breach of the second Commandement by will-worship Lastly As they take both from the Lawgiver and the subject that free power which God hath granted unto them So they deprive themselves of all true liberty while they cherish in their owne minds doubts and scrupulous opinions of the lawfulnesse of these things which are commanded and alleadge their unresolved conscience as an excuse for their disobedience So our Disputer as he is acted in the Libell God alloweth every man to be fully perswaded in his owne minde of what he doeth Rom. XIV 5. Which priviledge I crave to my selfe and all others doubting of kneeling I have shewed before that the Apostle in that chapter as also I. Cor. 8. Speaketh of things left to our owne choyce and not determined by any Law civill or Ecclesiasticall In which case this is a safe rule for the conscience Let every man stand fully perswaded in his owne minde that he may doe or not doe that which hee intends without the offence of God or his neighbour But when the Magistrate doth interpose his authority to command or forbid the use of a thing in it selfe indifferent If any man shall plead that he can not obey because he is not perswaded in his owne minde of the lawfulnesse of the thing commanded he doth but excuse one sinne by another which S. Peter calls having the liberty for a cloake of maliciousnesse for as he ought nor to disobey so he ought not to doubt I. Pet. II. 13. 16. But as I sayd before submit himselfe unto all manner ordinance of man As free that is as being perswaded of the indifferency of the thing before God and so that he may lawfully therein obey his superiours And indeed if a mans doubts and feares were a sufficient excuse for disobedience the Magistrate should be obeyed in nothing for there
of time and place comes within the compasse of that prohibition as for a man to kneele downe and pray in the market place And for the brethren to keepe their exercises in private conventicles and at unseasonable houres This is not only an appearance of evill but evill because it is contrary to that discretion which God requireth appointing every thing to be done in due season and in lawfull manner But what is this to kneeling at the Sacrament It cannot come within the compasse of the Apostles prohibition for it is not evill in it selfe and it appeares not evil to us we being fully perswaded in our conscience both of the lawfulnesse and expediency of it Neither doth it seeme evill unto any Iudicious men but only unto humorous fooles whose heads are crazed in the principles of understanding for whose sakes we ought not nor can not abstaine from it considering first that the publicke doctrine cleeres our practise from all evill and appearance of evill And if it were not for the doctrine of the Church there is no gesture we could use in Gods worship but it would carry a shew both of heathenish and Popish Idolatry forasmuch as all gestures have beene abused by them Againe we have a lawfull calling for to use it The Commandement of authority And it is not a shew of evill in a thing indifferent that can make it unlawfull to him who hath an honest calling to use it Finally if we should refuse this gesture for the pretended shew of evill what other gesture can we use which hath not a greater appearance of evill If we use sitting it hath a manifest appearance of unreverence prophanenesse contempt of the holy Sacrament And refusing to kneele being commanded hath more then a shew of arrogance pride presumption of faction and disobedience But for any to refuse so farre as rather then kneele to lose their ministery and the comfort of the Sacrament is not only an appearance but a pregnant evidence of vile hypocrisie while they straine at a gnat and swallow a Camell refusing the greatest good for avoyding of that which is but by misconstruction a shew of evill to some few people only whom they themselves have deluded But the Disputer will prove our kneeling at the Sacrament to bee an appearance of Idolatry And how He tells us The body goes as farte as it can goe if it would commit Bread worship pardon me good Reader for presenting thee such non-sense And againe that When we kneele our outward behaviour is as like the Idolatrous kneeler as can be so that none can tell whether we worship God or the bread And that A Magistrate can doe no more for his heart when he would suppresse Idolatry then curb the outward expressions of it for the heart no man can know whether it be committing Idolatry or not but by the outward acts This miserable man is so blinded that hee is a fitter object of pitty then subject of instruction for hee will not consider that all gestures are common to true worshippers and false That kneeling did first belong unto Gods service and albeit it bee now used by Idolaters by unjust alienation yet it is fit that we should give unto God that which is his owne he having sayd Vnto me every knee shall bow That unlesse we use these gestures in the worship of God which are used by Idolaters And so our behaviour be as like theirs as can be we shall use none at all And take away all gestures then take away the whole outward worship of God That it is not the outward gesture which distinguisheth betwixt a true worshipper and an Idolater but their Doctrine and Profession I will now further tell him that our kneeling at the Sacrament is no liker the Papists kneeling then their sitting is like unto the Popes except only that they have not so great a shew of devotion And as a Magistrate can doe no more when he would suppresse Idolatry then restraine the outward act So our Kings Majesty when he would bring these men to an orderly forme in Gods worship he can doe no more but injoyne the outward expression thereof by a decent and reverent kneeling hee can not roote out of their harts unreverence prophanenesse arrogancy pride praesumption and hypocrisie which are the only true cause of their opposition Now as to his other aspersion that kneeling is an appearance of Will-worship I shall need to say no more then I have already when I treated of Christian liberty namely that we doe not place either Worship or Religion in that gesture nor lay any opinion upon the consciences of people of the necessity thereof But such is his ignorance that hee can not distinguish between these things Quae spectant ad cultum which belong unto the worship of God and wherein it consists And those things Quae conducunt ad cultum which only conduce unto Gods worship as the changeable circumstances of time and place and the outward forme and order of Administration of which sort is our kneeling at the Communion but a changeable circumstance albeit of all other gestures the most decent expression of worship And so not being esteemed by us to be worship it can not be called Will-worship Besides we have a warrant from the Word both by precept and president to kneele in Gods service But as for them who make sitting necessary and essentiall unto the Sacrament as a part of Christs Institution without any warrant from the Word And who bind the consciences of their people by their negative precepts to refuse our Ceremonies I have proved both in my Sermon and in this discourse that they are guilty of will-worship in the highest degree So that the Disputer alleadged that place Col. II. 23. against will worship in an ill houre to his owne head for these men whom the Apostle charges with will worship did not urge the necessity of doing any thing which God had not commaunded but the necessity of abstayning from some things which God had not prohibited as may appeare by the words going before Touch not Taste not Handle not So that there may be will-worship in making conscience of abstayning from a thing that is indifferent as if it were in it selfe unlawfull as well as in placing Religion in the observation of it This is indeed the brethrens case They bind the consciences of men under paine of sinne not to kneele not to crosse not to weare a surplice and in a word not to observe any thing injoyned in our Church whereby they are as guilty of will-worship as the false Apostles were And besides their will-worship they are guilty of disobedience which the false Apostles were not for there was no commandement to injoyne Touching Tasting Handling But they were things left unto their owne power whereas our Ceremonies are injoyned by lawfull authority And now to turne his weapon against himselfe That which carryes a greater appearance of unreverence prophanenesse contempt of the