ENGLISH PVRITANISME CONTAINING The maine Opinions of the rigidest sort of those that are called Puritans in the Realme of ENGLAND Written by WILLIAM AMES D. of Divinity ACTS 24. 14. But this I confesse unto thee that after the way which they call Heresie so worship I the God of my Fathers beleeving all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets ACTS 28. 22. But we will heare of thee what thou thinkest for as concerning this Sect we know that every where it is spoken against Printed in the yeare 1641. To the Indifferent Reader IT cannot be unknowne unto them that know any thing that those Chistians in this Realme which are called by the odious and vile name of Puritans are accused by the Prelates to the Kings Majestie and the State to maintaine many absurd erronious Schismaticall and Hereticall opinions concerning Religion Church-government and the Civill Magistracie Which hath moved me to collect as neare as I could the chiefest of them and to send them naked to the view of all men that they may see what is the worst that the worst of them hold It is not my part to prove and justifie them Those that accuse and condemne them must in all reason and equity prove their accusation or else beare the name of unchristian slanderers I am not ignorant that they lay other opinions yea some cleane contradictory to these to the charge of these men the falshood whereof we shall it is to be doubted have more and more occasion to detect In the meane time all Enemies of Divine Truth shall finde That to obscure the same with Calumniation and untruthes is but to hide a Fire with dry Straw or Towe upon it But thou mayest herein observe what a terrible Popedome and Primacy these riged Presbyterians desire And with what painted Bug-beares and Scar-Crowes the Prelates goe about to fright the States of the Kingdome with all Who will no doubt one day see how their wisedomes are abused Farewell ENGLISH PVRITANISME CHAP. I. Concerning Religion or the worship of God in generall IMPRIMIS They hold and maintaine that the Word of God contained in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles is of absolute perfection given by CHRIST the head of the Church to be unto the same the sole Canon and rule of all matters of Religion and the worship and service of God whatsoever And that whatsoever done in the same service and worship cannot be justified by the said Word is unlawfull And therefore that it is a sin to force any Christian to doe any act of Religion or Divine Service that cannot evidently be warranted by the same 2 They hold that all Ecclesiasticall actions invented and devised by man are utterly to be excluded out of the exercises of Religion Especially such actions as are famous and notorious Mysteries of an Idolatrous Religion and in doing whereof the true Religion is conformed whether in whole or in part to Idolatry and Superstition 3 They hold that all outward meanes instituted and set apart to expresse and set forth the inward worship of God are parts of Divine worship and that not onely all morall actions but all typicall Rites and Figures ordained to shadow forth in the solemne worship and service of God any Spirituall or religious Act or habit in the minde of man are speciall parts of the same and therefore that every such Act ought evidently to be prescribed by the Word of God or else ought not to be done it being a sinne to performe any other worship to God whether Externall or Internall Morall or Ceremoniall in whole or in part then that which God himselfe requires in his Word 4 They hold it to be grosse Superstition for any mortall man to institute and ordaine as parts of Divine worship any mysticall Rite and Ceremony of Religion whatsoever and to mingle the same with the Divine Rites and Mysteries of Gods Ordinance But they hold it to be high presumption to institute and bring into Divine worship such Rites and Ceremonies of Religion as are acknowledged to be no part of Divine worship at all but onely of civill worship and honour For they that shall require to have prformed unto themselves a ceremoniall obedience service and worship consisting in Rites of Religion to be done at that very instant that God is solemnely served and worshipped and even in the same worship make both themselves and God so an Idoll So that they judge it a farre more fearefull sinne to adde unto and to use in the worship and service of God or any part thereof such mysticall Rites and Ceremonies as they esteeme to be no parts or parcels of Gods worship at all then such as in a vaine and ignorant Superstition they imagine and conceive to be parts thereof 5 They hold that every Act or action appropriated and set apart to Divine Service and Worship whether Morall or Ceremoniall reall or typicall ought to bring speciall honour unto God and therfore that every such Act ought to be apparently commanded in the Word of God either expresly or by necessary consepuent 6 They hold that all actions whether Morall or Ceremoniall appropriated to Religious or Spirituall persons Functions or Actions either are or ought to be Religious and Spirituall And therefore either are or ought to be instituted immediately by God who alone is the Author and Institutor of all Religious and Spirituall actions and things whether Internall or Externall Morall or Ceremoniall CHAP. II. Concerning the Church 1 THey hold and maintaine that every Company Congregation or Assembly of true beleevers joyning together according to the order of the Gospell in the true Worship of God is a true visible Church of Christ and that the same Title is improperly attributed to any other Congregations Synods Societies Combinations or Assemblies whatsoever 2 They hold that all such Churches or Congregations communicating after that manner together in Divine worship are in all Ecclesiasticall matters equall and of the same power and authority and that by the Word and Will of God they ought to have the same Spirituall Priviledges Prerogatives Officers Administrations Orders and Formes of Divine worship 3 They hold that Christ Jesus hath not objected any Church or Congregation of his to any other Superiour Ecclesiasticall Jurisdiction then unto that which is within it selfe So that if a whole Church or Congregation shall erre in any matter of Faith or Religion no other Churches or Spirituall Church-Officers have by any warrant from the Word of God power to censure punish or controule the same but are onely to counsell or advise the same and so to leave their Soules to the immediate judgement of Christ and their bodies to the sword and power of the Civill Magistrate who alone upon earth hath power to punish a whole Church or Congregation 4 They hold that every established Church or Congregation ought to have her owne Spirituall Officers and Ministers resident with her and these such as are joyned
admitted to be Pastors and Teachers of a Congregation And if it be apparent that God who alwayes blessed his owne Ordinances doth often even in the eyes of Kings and Nobles make honourable the Ministers and Pastors of his Churches upon which he hath bestowed Spirituall gifts and graces though for birth education presence outward state and maintenance they be most base and contemptible so he will as well in the eyes of holy men make this Office which is many degrees inferiour to the other precious and honourable even for the Divine calling and Ordinance sake CHAP. V. Concerning the censures of the Church 1 THey hold that the spirituall keies of the Church are by Christ committed to the aforesaid spirituall Officers and Governours and unto none other which keyes they hold that they are not to be put to this use to locke up the crownes swotds or scepters of Princes and civill States or the civill rights prerogatives and immunities of civill subjects in the things of this life or to use them as picklocks to open withall mens treasuries coffers or as keys of prisons to shut up the bodies of men for they thinke that such a power and authority Ecclesiasticall is fit onely for the Antechrist of Rome and the consecrated governours of his Synagogues who having no Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit to defend his and their usurped jurisdiction over the Christian world doth unlawfully usurpe the lawfull civill sword and power of the Monarches and Princes of the earth thereby forcing men to subject themselves to his spirituall vassaladge and service and abusing thereby the spiritull keyes and jurisdiction of the Church 2 They hold that by vertue of these keyes they are not to make any curious Inquisitions into the secret or hidden vices or crimes of men extorting from them a confession of those faults that are concealed from themselves and others or to proceed to molest any man upon secret suggestions private suspition or uncertaine fame or for such crimes as are in question whether they be crimes or no But they are to proceed onely against evident and apparent crimes such as are either granted to be such of all civill honest men or of all true Christians or at least such as they are able by evidence of the word of God to convince to be sinnes to the conscience of the offender As also such as have beene either publickly committed or having been committed in secret are by some good means brought to light which the delinquent denying they are able by honest and sufficient testimony to prove against him 3 They hold that when he that hath commited a scandalous crime commeth before them and is convinced of the same they ought not after the manner of our Ecclesiasticall Courts scorne deride and taunt and revile him with odious and contumelious speeches eye him with big and sterne lookes procure Proctors to to make personall invectives against him make him dance attendance from Court day to Court day and from terme to terme frowning at him in presence and laughting at him behind his back but they are though he be never so obstinate and perverse to use him brotherly not giving the least personall reproaches or threats but laying open unto him the nature of his sinne by the light of Gods Word are onely by denouncing the judgements of God against him to terrifie him and so to move him to repentance 4 They hold that if the party offending be their civill superiour that then they are to use ever throughut the whole carriage of their censure all civill complements offices and reverence due unto him that they are not to presume to convent him before the but are themselves to goe in all civill and humble manner unto him to stand bare before him to bowe unto him to give him all civill titles belonging unto him And if hee bee a King and supreame ruler they are to kneele downe before him and in the humblest manner to censure his faults so that he may see apparently that they are not carried with the least spice of malice against his Person but onely with zeale of the health and salvation of his soule 5 They hold that the Ecclesiasticall Officers laying to the charge of any man any errour heresie or false opinion whatsoever do stand bound themselves first to prove that he holdeth such an errour or heresie and secondly to prove directly unto him that it is an errour by the word of God and that it deserveth such a censure before they doe proceed against him 6 They hold that the governours of the Church ought with all patience and quietnesse heare what every offender can possibly say for himself either for qualification defence apology or justification of any supposed crime or errour whatsoever and they ought not to proceed to censure the grossest offence that is untill the offender have said as much for himselfe in his defence as he possible is able And they hold it an evident character of a corrupt ecclesiasticall government where the parties convented may not have ful liberty to speak for themselves considering that the more liberty is granted to speak in a bad cause especially before those that are in authority and of judgement the more the iniquity of it will appeare and the more the Justice of their sentence will shine 7 They hold that the oath ex Officio whereby Popish and English Ecclesiasticall Governours either upon some secret informations or suggestions or private supitions goe about to binde mens consciences to accuse themselves and their friends of such crimes or imputations as cannot by any direct course of Law bee proved against them and wherby they are drawne to bee instruments of many heavy crosses upon themselves and their friends and that often for those actions that they are perswaded in their consciences are good and holy I say that they hold that such an Oath on the urgers part is most damnable and Tyrannous against the very law of Nature devised by Antichrist through the inspiration of the Devill That by meanes thereof the Professors and Practisers of the true Religion might either in their weaknesse by perjury damne their owne soules or bee drawne to reveale to the enemies of Christianity those secret Religious Acts and Deeds that being in the perswasion of their consciences for the advancement of the Gospell will be a meanes of heavy sentences of condemnation against themselves and their dearest friends 8 They hold that Ecclesiasticall Officers have no power to proceed in censure against any crime of any person after that he shall freely acknowledge the same and professe his hearty penitency for it And that they may not for any crime whatsoever lay any bodily or pecuniary mulct upon them or impose upon them any ceremoniall marke or note of shame such as is the white sheet or any such like or take fees for any cause whatsoever but are to accept of as a sufficient satisfaction a private
submission and acknowledgement if the crime be private and a publicke if the crime be publike and notorious 9 They hold that if a member of the Church be obstinate and shew no signes and tokens of repentance of that Crime that if they by evidence of Scripture have coevinced it to be a crime that then by their Ecclesiasticall authority they are to denounce him to be as yet no member of the Kingdome of Heaven nor of that Congregation and so are to leave him to God and the King And this is all the Ecclesiasticall Authority and jurisdiction that any Spirituall Officers of the Church are to use against any man for greatest crime that can be committed 10 They hold that the Officers of the Church are not to proceed unto excommunication against against any man without the consent of the whole Congregation it selfe first called for in publike Assembly 11 They hold that the Minister or any other particular Officer offending is as subject to the censures as any other of the Congregation 12 They hold that if any member of the Congregation having committed a srandalous sinne shall of selfe forsake the worship of GOD and the Spirituall Communion with the Church that the Church shall then send for the said person and if hee refuse to come they shall after much seeking and long patience openly declare that he hath no part nor portion in the holy things of God among them that then the Ecclesiasticall Officers hove no authority or jurisdiction over him but onely the Civill Magistrate and those unto whom he oweth civill subjection as Parents Masters Landlords c. CHAP. VI Concerning the Civill Magistrate 1 THey hold that the civill Magistrate as he is a civill Magistrate hath and ought to have supreame power over all the Churches within his dominions in all causes whatsoever And yet they hold that as he is a Christian he is a member of some one particular Congregation and ought to be as subject to the spirituall regiment thereof prescribed by Christ in his word as the meanest subject in the kingdome and they hold that this subjection is no more derogatory to his supremacy then the subjection of his body in his body in sicknesse to Physitians can be said to be said to be derogatory thereunto 2 They hold that these civill Magistrates are the greatest enemies to their own supremacy that in whole or in part communicate the vertute and power therof to any ecclesiasticall officers And that there cannot be imagined by the wit of man a more direct meanes to check-mate the same then to make them Lords and Princes upon earth to invist them with civill jurisdiction and authority and to conforme the State and limits of their jurisdiction to the state of Kings and bounds of Kingdomes 3 They hold that there should be no ecclesiasticall officer in the Church so high but that he ought to be subject unto and punishable by the meanest civill officer in a kingdome city or town not onely for common crimes but even for the abuse of the ecclesiasticall offices yea they hold that they ought to be more punishable then any other subject whatsoever if they shall offend against either civill or Ecclesiasticall Lawes 4 They hold that the Pope is that Antichrist and therefore that Antichrist because being but an Ecclesiasticall officer he doth in the hight of the pride of his heart make claime unto and usurp the Supremacy of the Kings and civill Rulers of the Earth And they hold that all defenders of the Popish Faith all indeverours of reconcilement with that Church all plotters for toleration of the Popish Religion all countenancers and maintainers of Seminary Priests and professed Catholicks and all denyers that the Pope is that Antichrist are secret enemies to the Kings Supremacy 5 They hold that all Arch-Bishops Bishops Deans Officials c. have their Offices and Functions onely by will and pleasure of the king and civill States of this Realme and they hould that whosoever holdeth that the King may not without sin remove these Officers out of the Church and dispose of their Temporalities and maintenance according to his owne pleasure or that these Offices are jure divinâ— and not onely or meerely jure humanâ— That all such deny a principle part of the Kings Supremacy 6 They hold that not one of these opinions can be proved to be contrary to the word of God and that if they might have leave that they are able to answer all that hath been written against any one of them FINIS