Isaac and of Jacob onely we trust in him not by Moses nor according to the law but by Christ and according to the gospel for the law which was given in Horeb is now antiquated for it was given onely to you Jews but the law which we serve God by is a law given to all nations of the world and is to abide to the worlds end for Christ is given unto us as the law and as an everlasting law his Testament as a faithfull Testament to remain for ever after which no law no commandment is to be expected or may be received Thus far Justin Martyr to the Jew because thus far the Apostle had stated the question to the Martyr and indeed to all Christians in the epistle to the Hebrews the sum whereof is briefly this that Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God coequal and coessential with the Father and the holy Ghost is perfect God and perfect man in the unity of the same person and is that onely eternal King Priest and Prophet which God in the fulness of time gave unto his Church to govern instruct and sanctifie it for ever and this he proves by the promises before the law by the types and figures under the law and by the general consent of all the prophets And therefore in this same Christ the Christian Church hath already a perfect knowledge of God in this world and shall have a perfect enjoyment of him in the world to come and therefore may expect no other Doctrine either for sanctification here or for salvation hereafter Now in that the old Testament is alledged to prove and confirm the New it is evident that the substance of Religion is one and the same in both Testaments unless we will suppose the Spirit of God to have made use of unfit and unproper proofs a thing not agreeable with the spirit of a prudent man who gains his knowledge by succession of time and much less agreeable with the Spirit of the omniscient and onely wise God who seeth all things at once in the looking-glass of eternity and if the Spirit of God confirm the new Testament by the old and hath left both the old and the new Testament to confirm us then it is evident that no Christian can seek to weaken or diminish the authority of either Testament but he must be an enemy to his own confirmation in the Christian faith Wherefore among all the contestations contentions that have been in the Church of Christ that controversie doth least become Christians and doth most shake the foundation of Christianity which doth seek to undervalue the authority of the word of Christ for if there be no infallible certainty in the word of Chrst it is impossible there should be any infallible certainty in the Christian Religion therefore they are the greatest enemies to the certainty of the Christian Religion who seek to add to the Church by detracting from the Scripture for if the Scripture hath not a most undoubted authority the Church can have none at all for sure we are the Scripture was delivered to the Church without any faults or corruptions and therefore we are bound not onely in common charity but also in common prudence and justice to beleeve that the Church hath so kept it because all the faults of the Text are to be layed upon the Church to whose care and trust God did commit the keeping of the text for God requireth two things of his Church first to be a faithfull keeper then to be a faithfull interpreter of his word and if we will needs say she hath not been faithfull in the keeping how can we choose but say she may be as unfaithfull in the interpreting of the word of God So that they are the greatest schismaticks that ever were who under pretence of extolling the authoritie of the Church do question nay debase the authoritie of the Scriptures for these men have begun an everlasting schisme which must needs last as long in the Church as there shall be any Christians so well perswaded of Gods truth as to think it was worth the registring and of the books wherein it was registred as to think them worth the keeping And Cassander himself seems to be of this opinion in his consultation of Religion in the chapter of the Church I cannot deny but the chiefest cause of this calamitie and distraction of the Church is to be ascribed to them who being puffed up with an empty kinde of pride of ecclesiastical power did contemn and repel those who rightly and modestly admonished them wherefore I think there is no firm peace to be hoped for unless they begin the reconciliation who began the distraction that is unless they who are set over the ecclesiastical government do remit somewhat of their excessive rigour and do yield somewhat to the peace of the Church and hearkening to the instruction and advice of many pious men do correct some manifest abuses according to the rule of Gods word and of the ancient Church from whence they have lately swerved I will set down the words in Latine for their sakes who do understand the Authour as well as I have the sense of them in English for their sakes who do desire to understand their Religion Non negarim praecipuam causam hujus calamitatis distractionis Ecclesiae illis assignandam qui inani quodam fastu ecclesiasticae potestatis inflati rectè modestè admonentes superbè fastidiosè contempserunt ac repulerunt Quare nullam firmam pacem sperandam puto nisi ab iis initium fiat qui distractionis causam dederunt hoc est nisi ii qui ecclesiasticae gubernationi praesunt de nimio illo rigore aliquid remittant Ecclesiae paci aliquid concedant multorum piorum votis monitis obsequentes manifestos abusus ad regulam divinarum literarum veteris Ecclesiae à quâ deflexerunt corrigant Cassander in consult de Rel. ad Ferdin 1. Max. 2. Imp. cap. de Ecclesiâ His judgment is plainly this that the Scripture is to rule and govern the Church and that to advance the authority of the Church against the authority of the Scripture much more above it is to give the occasion of a calamitous if not of a remediless schisme and distraction a distraction not possibly to be remedied till this irreligious tenent which is the cause of it be renounced and it is high time though the tenent it self be yet scarce one hundred years old for all good Christians that wish better to Christs interest then their own to renounce it and leave raising objections against the holy Scripture thinking to set up the Church by pulling down the word of God for besides that both Scripture and Church by their joynt authorities can never make us too sure of our Religion it is not possible for the Church to stand if the Scripture fall but they must needs both fall together Whereas let the Church not be
questioned as a faithfull keeper of the Text which she must be if the Text hath not been faithfully kept no sober man will question her as a faithfull interpreter thereof and so the Church will have authority sufficient to confute all Heresies and to compose all schisms but to deny the Text to have been preserved inviolable and incorrupt especially in the sense and Doctrine if not in the very words and titles of it is to deny the Churches faithfulness in preserving it and the Churches veracity in deriving it and consequently to deny the Churches authority in expounding it for if she hath given us a false Text how can we think she will give us a true gloss wherefore we must abhor this tenent not onely because it fills the mouth with blasphemies but also because it fills the heart with uncertainties a thing as dreadfull in Religion as detestable in common sense for every true Christian is bound to beleeve an absolute certainty of the Christian Religion and consequently that neither the authority of the Scripture may be doubted which hath given the rule of Religion nor the authority of the Catholick Church which hath derived that rule to us and is intrusted by our blessed Saviour to continue and derive the same rule to all mankinde to the worlds end Saint Luke justifies both in the preface to his Gospel where he professeth that he therefore put the Gospel in writing that Theophilus might know the certainly of those things wherein he had been instructed S. Luke 1. 4. Whence naturally follow these two inferences First that writing is a more sure way of instruction then preaching there is the authority of the Scripture Secondly That the word being written is supposed to be preserved as it was written unless we will say that Saint Luke writ his Gospel onely to instruct Theophilus but not Christians of after ages there is the authority of the Church Saint Luke makes the Gospel thus written and thus preserved the rule of certainty and how shall our ungodly or uncharitable scruples make it the rule of uncertainty CHAP. IV. That though the substance and exercise of Religion be different in themselves yet they ought not to be accounted so now in our profession and much less made so in our practice for that whosoever is not sure of the exercise of his Religion will not much regard the certainty that is in the substance of it IT is not enough for a man to set his heart to seek the Lord that he may confirm himself in the true Religion but he must also set his face to seek the Lord that others may be confirmed by him tu conversus confirma fratres it concerns not onely every true minister but also every true member of Christ and thou being converted strengthen thy brethren S. Luke 22. 32. And how could he strengthen them but by having a profession agreeable to his faith and a practise agreeable to his profession for they could not b◠strengthened by Saint Peters faith as it was internally in his heart but as it was externally in his communication and in his conversation and indeed this was the ready way for Saint Peter and is for every Christian not onely to strengthen his brethren but also to strengthen himself For though the substance of Religion is written in Gods book yet is it not written in that mans heart who hath not a tongue to profess it and a hand to practise it wherefore it nearly concerns every good Christian to be ready to say with Saint Paul be his accusers never so importunate and his judges never so unjust Acts 24. 14. But this I confess 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 in the prophets A Text that joyns the substance and the exercise of Religion both together and consequently must teach us so to joyn them for as we cannot have better words for our profession so we cannot have a better example for our practise I will therefore accordingly enlarge my self upon them that our Religion may be the same with Saint Pauls not onely in substance but also in profession and in practise And I hope the Divinity will not be the worse because it is like to be propounded by way of Sermon upon a Text for ministers may now adays speak Gods truth more plainly in the apostles names then in their own and this is a truth that would be plainly spoken because it so nearly concerns the glory of Christ and the salvation of Christian souls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Saint Cyril ep ad Celestinum papam in actis concilii Ephes. pars prima If Christ be evil spoken of how shall we that are his ministers hold our peace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and if we hold our peace now what shall we be able to say in the day of Judgment and clearly our Saviour Christ is now evil spoken of not onely in the holy circumstances of Religion as times places and persons consecrated to his name but also in the very substance of it in his holy word and Sacraments nay in his own most holy prayer by some men that would be thought to promote Religion in its substance whiles they discountenance and baffle it in its exercise that is to say both in its profession and in its practise both in the profession of the apostolical Christian faith and in the practise of the immediate worship of Christ. Wherefore let us consider what Saint Paul if he were present would say to these men for I will say no more then his words do warrant me and by consequent shall under my unpolished writing but onely produce his sayings as that prophet did to Iehoram king of Judah who gave him a letter from Eliah after he was assumed into heaven for Eliah was taken up into heaven in the time of Iehoshaphat as appears 2 Kin. 2. 11. and Elisha had in that kings reign succeeded Eliah as appears 2 Kin. 3. 14. where for Iehoshaphats sake Elisha regardeth the request of the king of Israel to procure water for his perishing army but this writing came from Eliah to Iehoram the son of Iehoshaphat reigning in his fathers stead after he had committed that horrid massacre upon his brethren 2 Chr. 21. 4 12. and Iunius in his notes gives this reason for it sic oportuit impium regem ab absentibus reprehendi qui praesentes non fuisset passurus Thus was it fit that the wicked king should be reproved by one that was absent who would not endure the reproofs of those that were present And R. David is of the same opinion as indeed Iunius in his Notes doth frequently borrow many expositions from the Jewish D◠not the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the allegorical but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the literal interpreters whereof Kimchi is judged the very best he gives us this gloss this writing from
therefore they revile reproach that as if it were impious against God fitter to infect souls then to save them seditious against the State fitter to make factions then to compose them and ignominious in it self fitter for Nazareth then for Jerusalem and rather to be called a Sect then a Religion but he knows it to be the onely way of sanctification of peace of glory and will not be discountenanced in it by their reproaches and much less driven from it by their menacies which is the resolution of every one that desires to be a man after Gods own heart and the performance of every one that is so Psal. 119. 61. the bands or the companies Hebr. the ropes the cables that are so twisted together as not to be unravelled and much less to be broken the bands of wicked men have robbed me have made a prey of me but I have not forgotten thy law If neither fear could drive Saint Paul nor shame could keep him from the profession of his Religion it is evident that he thought it necessary by a double necessity the necessity of command and the necessity of means conducing to the end necessitate praecepti necessitate sinis First the profession of our Religion is necessary in regard of the precept for we have the command of Christ for it S. Mat. 10. 32. whosoever therefore shall confess me before men him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven But you will say this onely concerns his person and who is such a reprobate as to deny his Saviour therefore see S. Mar. 8. 38. you will finde it doth also concern his doctrine whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinfull generation of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels If godly and devout and efficacious forms of prayer be not Christs words shame upon his Church for obtruding them if they be Christs words shame upon schismaticks for rejecting them if the apostles Creed be not Christs word how came it to be universally received and professed in Christs Church if it be how may it be disused or despised by any Christians Lastly if Christs own most holy prayer be not his words let us leave it out of the text if it be how can we leave it out of our prayers nay how dare we multiply cavils and blasphemies in stead of arguments or objections against the use of it for all pretence of excuse is here taken away let the adulterous and sinfull generation be ashamed of it but let not the righteous and the faithfull servants of Christ be so Though the whole generation adulterate the truth in corrupting the doctrine of it yet we must keep it undefiled though the whole generation bid defiance to the truth by neglecting and reviling the practise of it yet we must continue in our uprightness though the whole generation be adulterous and sinfull going a whoring after their own inventions and turning away from Christ yet that is not ground enough for us to bear them company For it is equally necessary for every Christian to profess the true Religion when he is thereunto called and to abandon idolatry and superstition that idolatrous decree might no more be obeyed which forbad Daniel to pray to the true God then that which commanded the three children to worship a false god In this case the omission is dangerous as well as the commission for the omission denies God whom it doth not worship as the commission blasphemes God by false worshipping and therefore we ought not to be terrified from the true Religion for fear of the lions ready to devour and break us in pieces no more then we ought to be terrified into the false Religion for fear of the fiery furnace ready to burn us to ashes And this Divinity we may learn not onely from the prophet Daniel in the captivity but also from the prophet Jeremy before it who of purpose to forewarn and forearm the Jews against the temptations of their bondage did put down that verse in Syriack Jer. 10. 11. whereby they were to reprove the Babylonians for their idolatry whereas all the rest of his prophecy is in Hebrew so little were the Iews to be ashamed or afraid of owning their Religion and their God in Babylon that they were to reprehend the Babylonians for their idolatry even in their own language and in their own territories and dominions and we that look upon the Scripture as a perfect rule of Faith and Life must look upon these prophets as teaching us how to behave our selves in persecution or adversity no less then we look upon the rest as teaching us how to behave our selves in peace or prosperity For so Kimchi himself tells us upon the fore-named verse of the prophet Ieremy that it was writ in Syriack to the intent the Iews might be ready to answer the Babylonians in their own language if in their captivity they should tempt them either to serve false gods or to deny the true for saith he this saying of God did the prophet Ieremy send to the children of the captivity that they might have it ready to answer the Chaldeans Secondly the profession of our Religion is necessary in regard of the end not onely in regard of Gods command but also in regard of our own salvation for we cannot have Christ without it so saith the Apostle Heb. 4. 14. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest that is passed into the heavens Iesus the Son of God let us hold fast our profession The inference must be this if we hold not fast our profession it is because we have not yet this High Priest to make intercession for us and without his intercession we cannot come boldly to the throne of grace the same exhortation he repeats again Heb. 10. 21 22 23. and reenforceth it with the same reason not for want of variety to express himself for he was called Mercury because he was the chief speaker Act. 14. 12. but to keep us from variety or rather inconstancy in our profession wherefore thus he argueth we cannot draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith unless we hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering for the words are spoken consequenter by way of consequence and from the eversion of the consequent the argument is undeniable to the eversion of the antecedent Therefore they who are not true to themselves holding fast the profession of their faith cannot easily be true to their Saviour by drawing near to him with a true heart in full assurance of faith and accordingly he saith not Let us hold fast our faith which is onely internal but Let us hold fast the profession of our faith which is external It is not enough to say that we keep the one unless we also can shew that we keep the other And what then can be
chapters I will touch upon the chiefest of them either to fill our hearts with charity and compassion if we will be Christians or to fill our faces with shame if we will at the same time be both unchristian and uncharitable The Topick of his first argument is ab exemplo the example of the Macedonians cap. 8. ver 2. That their deep poverty abounded to the riches of their liberality their poverty hath made them rich in good works shall our riches make us poor in them v. 3. Beyond their power they were willing of themselves and shall no exhortation make our willingness answerable to our power v. 4. Praying us with much entreaty to receive the gift in the Greek it is to receive the grace they accounted it as a grace or favour to relieve others and shall we account it as a burden they did beseech Saint Paul to receive and shall not he beseech us to give they looked on this charity as a ministring to the Saints and a professing themselves to be of their communion shall we neglect it yet be thought either to regard or beleeve the Communion of Saints And v. 5 He sets down the reason that moved them to this bountifulness They had given themselves to the Lord and could not stick at giving of their estates to his members and consequently may it not justly be inferred He that will not give of his estate to his poor brother hath not yet given himself unto the Lord again v. 7. Ye cannot shew saith he that you abound in faith and other spiritual gifts unless you abound in this grace also and v. 8. This is the onely way to prove the sincerity of your love v. 9. The onely way to follow the footsteps of Christ and to shew our thankfulness to him for emptying himself that he might fill us v. 10. 'T is expedient for you more profitable for you then for them v. 12. 'T is acceptable to God v. 14. 'T is agreeable to justice which loves equalitie among Christians that as your liberalitie supplyes their temporal so their prayers may supply your spiritual wants Again in the ninth chapter he insisteth altogether upon the same exhortation as v. 5. That he had sent Titus of purpose to make up before-hand their bounty so we translate it because it was so in respect of their distressed brethren but the Greek saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your blessing and so it was in respect of themselves and accordingly the Apostle quotes a verse out of the 112 Psalm which beginneth with a blessing upon him that practiseth this duty as the onely man that fears God and 't is such a blessing as shall never come to an end for he saith His righteousness remaineth for ever and well it may for it is nothing else but a sowing seed to immortality such a sowing of seed as shall return an infinite increase first to themselves Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness secondly to their poor brethren It supplieth the want of the saints thirdly to God but is abundant also by many thanks givings to God whence Beza most excellently Piis hominibus beneficentia est pro omnibus latifundiis A true godly man looks upon his liberality as his best patrimony for keeping his wealth makes him rich onely towards himself but giving it to others makes him rich also towards God I should here ask pardon for this digression though consisting of the most needfull doctrine for this hard-hearted and close-handed age but that S. Paul hath said Charity is the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 13. 10. and our Saviour Christ hath said That to fulfill the Law is to fulfill all righteousness S. Matth. 3. 15. so that charity alone is in effect all righteousness and that discourse may not be called a digression from religion which directly leads to righteousness But yet to return more closely to my present purpose I say Religion received no new essential perfection from the Gospel which before it had not in the Law for though faith is imperfect and did admit increase in several ages of the Church and may still admit increase till it come to vision and though charity is imperfect and must admit of increase till it come to fruition yet the rule both of faith and charity was not perfect from the first beginning so that the perfection of Religion is tota simul altogether at once righteousness being immortal and having that priviledge of immortality or eternity that it is always present to it self for there was nothing left out in the first institution of it what is substantially Religion now to us was so to our first father Adam but we need not go so far back 't is enough for Christians to look for the foundation of their Religion from Christ and his Apostles I say therefore more particularly That what is actually Religion now was so in the Apostles times what was then potentially Religion is so still notwithstanding any declaration of the Church and all those additional doctrines which Pope Pius the I V hath annexed to the Niceno-Constantinopolitane Creed and which the Clergy of Rome is still sworn to maintain and propagate as the Catholick faith without which none can be saved are no more articles of faith now then they were in the Apostles days as Traditions Seven Sacraments The sacrifice of the Mass for quick and dead Transubstantiation Purgatory The invocation of Saints The worshipping of images The use of Indulgences and that the Church of Rome is the mother and mistress of all Churches vide Cherubinum in Bullario Bulla 88. Pii Quarti These and the like tenents of the present Church of Rome either were articles of faith to the Apostles or cannot be so to us unless we will divide the Catholick from the Apostolick faith and accordingly Baronius makes it his master-piece to perswade the world that what ever is now in the belief or practise of the present Romane Church and is rejected by the Protestants was all beleeved and practised by the Church in or near the Apostles times and this makes him drain in all the chief controversies of the Protestants and Papists into the first hundred years of his History and that makes him so bitter against the Protestants in the first Tome of his Annals though their name was unknown to the Church above 1400 years after laying aside the Historian that he may put on the Dogmatist And so much for the Simplicity of Religion wherein it partakes of the first of Gods incommunicable properties The second incommunicable propertie of God is his Immensity or Infinity whereby he is Omnipresent and Incomprehensible and it is nothing else but as it were an excess of spirituality or immateriality For all material substances are in their own natures circumscriptible and boundable not so the spiritual and immaterial substances they are not to be circumscribed or confined terminis localibus sed terminis essentialibus no spirit can be confined to
kingdoms was taken for a good debt and a sufficient title to the land of Canaan which was from thence called The land of promise wherefore we may say safely with great confidence with greater comfort that Gods promise obligeth him not less but rather more then our promises can oblige us for we may promise in materia indebita or modo indebito in an unwarrantable matter or after an unwarrantable manner so that either he that hath made the promise may be bound to recall his word or he to whom it is made may be bound not to claim it either of which is enough to disannul the justice of a debt but we are sure God cannot promise any thing not really and compleatly good in the matter and in the manner and therefore his promise must needs be laid hold on as a debt worth claiming and more worth the having so that we cannot but look upon him as obliged to a most substantial and real performance of all his promises And yet still here is nothing but mere Grace not so much as merit of congruity for though a promise becomes a debt in God no less then in man yet that debt is a debt onely of favour not of justice and God is obliged to pay it onely in faithfulness which he oweth to his own truth not in justice which he oweth to our works or to our deservings Wherefore let a promise of Grace go for a debt but let it go for a debt of Grace not for a debt of justice that God may be bound onely to himself and not to us for as it was onely his own mere grace that first made him give us bond so it is onely the same grace that at last makes him keep it a grace that ought rather to supply us with arguments for devotion then for disputation for since it is evident that being enemies we could never have reconciled our selves it cannot be obscure that now we are friends we ow to him more then to our selves both the enjoyment and the continuance of our reconciliation And this is the most comfortable doctrine that can be preached to those who have rather wounded hearts then itching ears that would rather hear sound then pleasing divinity for such men must needs be desirous to have God more magnified then themselves and are contented to expect their salvation from him as well as with him for seeing themselves unable to make satisfaction for the least of their sins they dare not hazard their salvation upon the greatest of their righteousness but are willing to say with S. Paul For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Rom. 5. 10. It was the death of his Son that wrought our reconciliation and it is the life of his Son that worketh our salvation by grace we are saved and this grace is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ because purchased by him derived from him and continued through him but yet this grace cannot so well be known by it self for so it is like God the authour of it altogether invisible as by its effects and they are five according to Aquinas Sunt autem quinque effectus gratiae in nobis quorum primus est ut anima sanetur secundus ut bonum velit tertius ut bonum quod vult essicaciter operetur quartus est ut in bono perseveret quintus est ut ad gloriam perveniat 12ae q. 111. art 3. There are five effects of grace in us the first is that it heals the soul of its natural maladie or distemper whereby it is prone onely to evil the second that it makes us will what is good the third that it makes us do the good which we have willed the fourth that it makes us persevere in doing that good the fifth that it brings us to glory to enjoy God the fountain of goodness so that in short where we finde most goodness both in the will and in the deed there we may be sure is most grace and where least goodness least grace and where no goodness no grace And this is also the truest touchstone of Religion whereby we may discern gold from dross which oftentimes glitters as much in the shew but yet stil comes far short in the value the glory may be alike in both but the goodness is far different That Religion which makes the best men will upon this account be found the best Religion and that made S. Augustine so zealous to describe the manners of the true Church as himself professeth lib. 1. Retract cap. 7. Jam baptizatus cùm Romae essem Manichaei jactarent de falsa fallaci continentia vel abstinentia quâ se ad imperitos decipiendos veris Christianis praeferunt scripsi duos libros unum de moribus verae Ecclesiae alterum de moribus Manichaeorum When the Manichees did brag of their false and fallacious continence or abstinence and upon that pretence did much deceive the ignorant people as if they forsooth had been the onely true Christians I thought it high time to write two books one of the manners of the true Church the other of the manners of the Manicheans his drift was from the good manners to finde out the good Religion whether it were in the Manichees or in the Church and he tells us that the Manichees did extoll themselves among the ignorant multitude chiefly by these two dâ—vices by crying down the Scriptures and by crying up themselves and their own great continencie Their first device was to cry down the Scriptures as if they had found a more perfect way of Religion then the word of God had taught them and concerning this the Father gives his definitive sentence lib. de moribus Eccl. Cathol cap. 9. Convictorum hominum ultima vox That this is the last plea of men that are convinced but will not be converted And again he saith the same in effect by way of interrogation which before he had said by way of definition Nescitis quantâ imperitiâ lacessitis libros quos soli reprehendunt qui non intelligunt soli intelligere nequeunt qui reprehendunt Are you indeed so ignorant as not to see what a madness it is to revile those books which onely they reprehend who do not understand and onely they cannot understand who will needs reprehend them August lib. de moribus Eccl. cath cap. 25. Their second device was to cry up themselves and particularly their own continency that though their auditores their common sort had wives yet their electi their choice ones had none and concerning this the same Father answers thus lib. de mor. Manichaeorum cap. 19. Vidi ipse plures quam tres Electos simul post transeuntes nescio quas foeminas tam petulanti gestu adhinnire ut omnium trivialium impudicitiam impudentiamque superarent that even their elect ones did pretend to much more
courage in regard of Gods goodness who hath promised salvation to those that sanctifie him in their hearts by good resolutions and in their mouthes by good professions and in their lives by a good conversation and it fills them with constancy in regard of Gods truth and faithfulness who cannot but perform his promise This is the Tenure of a true Catholick he holds both his Religion and Salvation upon certainty not upon conjecture his Religion he holds upon the certainty of Gods most holy word for nothing else can furnish his mouth with a satisfactory answer to silence much less with a sufficient reason to convince his adversary and his Salvation he holds upon the certainty of Gods most faithfull promise for nothing else can furnish his heart with comfort or establish it with courage to satisfie and content himself and agreeable to this as far as concerns the certainty of Religion upon which alone is founded the certainty of salvation is Vincentius Lirinensis his description of a true Catholick Ille verus germanus Catholicus est qui divinae Religioni Catholicae sidei nihil praeponit non hominis cujusquam Autoritatem non Amorem non Ingenium non Philosophiam non Eloquentiam sed haec cuncta despiciens in fide stans permanens amplectitur quicquid universaliter Antiquitas Ecclesiam Catholicam tenuisse cognoverit He is a true and genuine Catholick who prefers nothing above divine Religion and the Catholick faith not the Authority of any man not Love not Wit not Philosophy not Eloquence but despising all these and standing fast in the faith doth embrace whatever he knows was universally and anciently held by the Catholick Church From this description it is easie to gather who are the true Catholicks viz. those Christians First Who in their Religion prefer causes above persons who pretend not to infallible Doctours but make sure of an infallible doctrine who look after Gods not mans Authority as the foundation of their faith for else they cannot stand so fast in it as to despise the Authority Love Wit Philosophy Eloquence of man in comparison of the Oracles of God Secondly Who in their communion prefer persons above themselves that is Gods Trustees above their own humours regard not any novelty or singularity but make much of antiquity and universality or in a word those who are immoveable in the Catholick Truth that they may persist in the true Christian Religion and who are obedient to the Catholick Church that they may persist in the true Christian communion Accordingly my business in this Treatise shall be to shew First The certainty of Religion in its substance that notwithstanding all our present impieties on all hands men may know when they have the true Christian Religion Secondly The certainty of Religion in its exercise that notwithstanding all our present inconstancies men may know when they have the true Christian Communion and when this Certainty of Religion both in its substance and exercise is compassed and atchieved which is the work then the certainty of salvation will be an undeniable consequent which is the reward of good Christians But till I come to my preaching I think it needfull to give my self to praying for though we may get the knowledge of Religion by preaching yet we cannot get the certainty much less the comfort of that knowledge but by praying so ill a course have those Divines taken of late to make this people gain the certainty of their Religion who have turned all praying into preaching for he that prays what the congregation knows not doth rather preach then pray as â—o his congregation for they can onely hear â—s judges they cannot joyn as Communicants in his prayer well he may teach them to pray after him but he cannot cause them to pray with him for though they may wish yet they cannot pray but in the assurance of faith and they cannot have the assurance of faith upon uncertainty and there is nothing but uncertainty in ignorance the ignorance of intention disposition and an erring direction of him that prays and the ignorance not onely of the substance and nature but also of the scope and drifts of his prayer If any faith can be exercised here it must needs be wholly implicite such a faith as we justly blame in the Papists and therefore most unjustly force upon Protestants a faith that hath no particular evidence of what it is to do and therefore can have no particular assurance of what it doth But whilest I have fallen upon others prayers I have almost forgot mine own God of his infinite mercy look upon us once more shew us the light of his countenance that we seeing our new building is upon the sand which is never the surer for being cemented with bloud may return again unto the Rock our Saviour Christ the onely foundation of our souls that is the onely way to make atonement for our impieties and finding the want of the Master builders or most artificial workmen may return also to his Church which also is built on that foundation for that is the best if not the onely way to get a remedy for our uncertainties that so coming to the infallible certainty of our Religion both in its substance and in its exercise we may also come to the most comfortable certainty of our salvation and from the certainty pass to the enjoyment from the assurance pass to the inheritance thereof through the Authour and Finisher both of our Religion and of our salvation our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This being the main scope of this small treatise ought to be the fervent prayer of its Authour who knoweth this lesson is not to be learned by recommending his book to you but by recommending your souls to God for 't is not all the preaching in the world though the whole world should turn preachers not onely with swords in their hands but also with Authority in their mouthes and with grace in their hearts I say it is not all the preaching in the world can bring you to this saving knowledge of Christ and of your self but onely praying and since you will not abide your Church to pray you may be the better contented to let his reviled Ministers continue and increase their prayers for you because you have the greater need though the lesser ability and power to pray truly and heartily for your self as either praying without Christs intercession or praying against his word but sure praying without Christs Communion because praying without if not against his Church 'T is hard to be a wilfull Separarist from your Church and not to be thus peccant in your prayers but you are all for preaching Christ whilest I am rather for praying him that is for such sound and set prayers as by their matter assure me of his intercession and by their form assure me of his communion and I am sure that with Mary I have chosen the better part though
foundations because they joyn the soul to him which cannot be properly said of any man whatsoever nor of all the congregations of men in the world not of S. Peter himself and much less of his successours and if it be said cannot be justified by any good Logick or good Divinity much less by that distinction of Fundamentum primarium and secundarium of a primary and a secondary foundation which distinguisheth a numerical identity from it self with too much subtilty and too little truth calling that a secondary foundation which is indeed a piece of the building and therefore they that teach Post Christum fundamentum est Petrus nisi per Petrum non pervenitur ad Christum Bellarm. in praefat in libros de summo Pontifice do mistake a pillar for the foundation to be a pillar in Gods house is a more glorious title then is given to any angel and carries with it a burden too heavy for any man who hath not the extraordinary assistance of the Spirit of God and therefore the Holy Ghost thinks it enough to call S. Peter a pillar leaves it for Christ alone to be the foundation James Cephas that is Peter and John who seemed to be pillars Gal. 2. 9. Cephas was a pillar and Iames and Iohn were no less pillars then Cephas or Peter and consequently their successours no less pillars then his successours but neither of them was a foundation properly so called vide Field pag. 478 479. that is too high an attribute for any man since he cannot work upon the soul by his own power and virtue to unite that immediately unto Christ for he is the onely foundation that sustains the whole building and faith and repentance are called foundations by S. Paul onely as settling and establishing us in Christ which is not possible for any man or angel to do who can work onely instrumentally towards these by instructing the understanding and exciting the will but cannot do the work of them and therefore cannot so much as reductively or instrumentally be called foundations And this is agreeable with Bonaventure's distinction in lib. 4. sent dist 22. qu. 1. Fundamentum dicitur dupliciter uno modo locus in quo aedificium stabilitur alio modo dicitur fundamentum illud secundùm quod res locatur in suo sustentaculo A thing may be called a foundation in two respects either that it self sustains the building so Christ is the onely foundation or that it causeth us to be sustained by the foundation and that is done three ways either by removing the impediments that keep us from it or by placing and settling us on it or by confirming and strengthening us in it In the first consideration Repentance is a foundation because it removes away our sins that keep us from Christ in the second consideration Faith is a foundation because it placeth fixeth our souls on Christ that is to say A faith working by love whence the Apostle saith That we are rooted and grounded in Christ through love as well as through faith Eph. 3. 17. for a faith that is without love is a faith of devils which will nor invite Christ to come to us much less to dwell with us and least of all to dwell in us The Solifidian as he will have his faith to dwell without love so he must be contented himself to dwell without Christ. And lastly in the third consideration the Word and sacraments may be called foundations because they are the means to confirm and strengthen us in Christ All these may in several respects be called Foundations for all these have an immediate influence upon the soul of man by reason of the grace which accompanies them which influence no man possibly can have and therefore no man justly can claim But all these which are called Foundations have as I said an immediate influence upon our souls to make us rise with Christ our Foundation and seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God Col. 3. 1 2. for as all the material building tendeth downwards because the foundation is below so all the spiritual building tendeth upwards saith the same Seraphical Doctour because the Foundation thereof is above even on the right hand of the Majesty on high Heb. 1. 3. Wherefore we have need of a strong repentance to raise us up from earth that we may detest and forsake our own unrighteousness and we have need of a strong faith to raise us up to heaven that we may lay hold on our Saviours righteousness not onely in our confidences but also in our consciences not onely in our applications but also in our affections not onely by our persuasion but also by our imitation A thing that is easily said but not so easily done for he that will make sure of a true faith must make sure of beleeving at least in the preparation of his minde all the truths that God hath revealed as well as all the mercies that God hath promised or Christ hath purchased And he that will make sure of a true repentance must make sure of bewailing at least in the preparation of his minde and the desire of his soul all those sins which he hath committed and of so bewailing the sins he hath committed as not wilfully to commit the sins he hath bewailed he that hath made sure of this faith and of this repentance hath taken the right way to make sure of his religion to serve God not our of custom but out of conscience not of hypocrisie but out of integrity not onely in the communion of men but also in the communion of saints and this man alone can come to make sure of his salvation We take now a contrary course every man makes sure of his salvation but no man makes sure of his Religion is not Christ Jesus the same yesterday and to day and for ever as it is said Heb. 13. 8. how is it then that we are not the same Christians yesterday and to day and for ever and yet we talk of nothing more then of going to Christ whiles we do nothing less then draw neer him Had we looked after Christ in Christs own Church we should certainly have found him and had we once found him we should not so willingly have left him Had we seen Christ in the exercise of our Christian Religion we would certainly have communicated with him and had we once communicated with him we would not for the advantages or disadvantages of this world have so easily forsaken his communion It is to be feared that either we professed our Christianity as hypocrites and so were not sure of our Religion or that we are fallen from our profession as apostates and cannot make sure of our salvation I speak this out of the love of truth and their souls who are my brethren and therefore hope it will offend none that either love the truth or the brotherhood and must not be affrighted if it do
was alwaies thus from the beginning and must be to the end so that the Apostles did many things by way of Condescention to the Iews which they would not have drawn to the countenancing of Iudaisine for that they intended no Galemofry of Religion no mixture of Iudaisme and Christianity but an utter abolition of Iudaisme and an absolute establishment of Christianity though the abolition of Iudaisme was to be brought to pass not in an instant but by degrees Ut cum honore mater Synagoga sepeliretur as S. Augustine speaks that their mother Synagogue might be laid in her grave with honour and without offence And thus was the Christian Religion justified against the mixture of Judaisme which afforded the third Controversie The state of the fourth Controversie which che Apostles had with the Christians converted but withal partly perverted consisted of as many questions as there were present errours against the truth or abuses against the purity of Christian Religion the errous were confuted by the Apostles and the abuses were rectified And thus was the Christian Religion justified against Heresie and against Profaneness First it was justified against all other false professsions and afterwards against its own false professours For it had been absurd to perswade men to a Religion that was not able to justifie it self against all Religions and men whatsoever because a Religion that cannot justifie it self is much less able to justifie those that profess it a Religion that cannot justifie cannot save a Religion that cannot save is a Religion but in word onely not in power for what man would ever torment his body were it not to save his soul Who would ever forsake the pleasures of the flesh were it not to enjoy the comforts of the Spirit therefore must the Christian Religion be looked on as the way to salvation that men may be carefull to walk in it and as the onely way that men may be fearfull to walk out of it For what they have of Religion that they have of salvation whether really or phantastically and what they do want of the one that they do also want of the other Accordingly S. Peter adviseth us all to make our calling and Election sure 2 Pet. 1. 10. For though our Election be firm in it self we may bless God it is so especially since we are fallen under such strong delusions as might deceive if it were possible even the very Elect I say though our Election be firm in it self as being grounded on Gods immutable purpose yet is it daily more and more to be confirmed in us by making more and more sure of our calling that is to say of our calling to righteousness or of our Religion in daily bringing forth more and more the fruits of righteousness for we cannot make sure of Glory but by making sure of Grace nor can we be sure of Grace but from the fruits and effects of Grace which are the remission of sins and the purgation from sin according to that excellent gloss of Oecumenius upon the Apostles benediction to the Hebrews in his last words of that Epistle Grace be with you all Amen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Grace be with you that is The Remission of sins and the purgation from sin be with you or to speak more to our present custome and capacity the blessings of Justification and of Sanctification be with you for Justification is the Remission of sins and Sanctification is the purgation from sin and the work of Grace is to expel sin by justification and by sanctification to expel sin in its guiltiness or obligation to punishment by justification and to expel sin in its pollution or obligation to more sinfulness by sanctification for sin hath a two fold obligation upon the sinner it obligeth him to punishment by its guiltiness it obligeth him to more sins by its pollution and the work of Grace is to oppose sin in both these respects and the means whereby Grace effecteth this great work is the Christian Religion which is truly and properly our calling as we are Christians and callethus to the forgiveness of our sins by faith in Christ there is the justification and calleth us to the amendment of our sinfull lives by repentance from dead works there is thesanctification Wherefore to make sure of our Calling is to make sure of Grace and to make sure of Grace is to to make sure of our Christian Religion which alone produceth the works of Grace and how we may do this the same Authour teacheth us in the same place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If we do not wrong Gods goodness by sinning or by neglecting that is by Commission or by Omission by sinning against the light of Grace or by neglecting the power and means of Grace which two have without doubt occasioned all the grand mistakes and miscarriages of several Christian Churches in point of Religion They either sin by Commission against the light of Grace or by Omission against the power and means of Grace and at last come to make a new Religion by turning their old sins into new Tenents This is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To sin against God and to neglect him to sin against him by Commissions and to neglect him by Omissions to do either is to wrong his grace and goodness much more to do both which as it may serve for a good caveat to all Christian Churches in general so also to every Christian man in particular for our Commissions are the great impediments of our justification because though the sons of men will yet the Son of God will not justifie a sinner that continueth in his sins our Omissions are the great impediments of our sanctification because though the spirit of errour may call him a Saint yet the Spirit of Grace will not sanctifie him or make a Saint of that sinner who neglects and contemns the means of Grace and these Commissions and those Omissions commonly go both together in the loss of Religion but the Omissions go generally before the Commissions As S. Paul saith of the Apostate Christians in his time Rom. 1. 21. and the same doctrine will hold true of all Apostates to the worlds end That when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankfull there 's their Omissions But became vain in their imaginations and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image c. There 's their Commissions And upon these follows the loss of their Religion ver 28. As they did not like to retain God in their knowledge God gave them over to a reprobate minde 't is first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they did not approve then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they were given over to such a minde as could not approve that which came from God this is a reprobate minde a minde void of judgement an undiscerning understanding which is sure to have sin with it and damnation after it for so saith the prophet Wo unto them
that call evil good and good evil Isa. 5. 19. here is truly the reprobate minde in its sin for it calls evil good and good evil and in its punishment for it is under a curse Wo unto them So again Prov. 17. 15. He that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just whether Person or Thing or Action for the adjunct is put without any one of these particular subjects to shew it belongs alike to all even they both are an abomination to the Lord Their sin is in their own false judgement their punishment in Gods true judgement who judgeth them as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a thing profane unclean abominable not to be endured by God or man Let me then pray that I may cordially and sincerely study not onely the knowledge but also and much rather the practise and exercise of the true Christian Religion lest the neglect of the practise and exercise bring me to the dislike and contempt of my Religion and I begin to finde fault with my Church when I should finde fault with my self all men being apt to condemn that which they do neglect that they may justifie their own neglects for to finde fault with the true and laudable exercise of Religion is to call good evil which was all we did at first and then it will be just with God to deliver me over to so much Irreligion as to call evil good which is that we do now CHAP. 2. The certainty of Religion may be without the assurance of it by reason of our Hypocrisie profaneness and perversness though scarce by reason of our ignorance and that perversness is the way to the worst kinde of Irreligion or Atheisme REligion may be sure in it self and yet may not be sure to us It is in it self the certainty of all certainties yet it is often in too too many men the more is the pity if against their will the more is the shame if with their will one of the greatest uncertainties in the world For there may be a certainty of the object or of the thing when there is little or no certainty of the subject or of the person that is in plain English the certainty may be great yet the assurance little or none at all and so it is in this case for Religion hath without doubt the greatest certainty of the object or or of the thing because that wholly depends upon Gods immutabilitie or unchangeableness there is the greatest certainty but it hath ofttimes the least certaintie of the subject or of the person because of mans great hypocrisie and greater inconstancy there is the least assurance for this is the common bane of Religion that men do profess it hypocritically and therefore cannot profess it constantly they seek a Religion that will rather save their estates then save their souls and consequently will more settle their conditions then their consciences thus they are first hypocrites and then they cannot stick to be apostates for there is in hypocrisie Simulatio sanctitatis defectus sanctitatis saith Aquinas first the pretence of Religion and then also the defect or want of it for what is meerly in pretence is certainly not in being and Religion could not be pretended were it not wanting onely in hypocrites the pretence appears first but at last also the want or defect of godliness so that were their Religion unfeigned it would not be inconstant but because they have hypocrisie so far as to profess religion out of custome they cannot have constancy so far as to persist in their profession out of conscience we have the pattern of both kinds of professours real and formal in the first chapter of Ruth The one in Ruth the other in Orpah For the pleasure the delight of this world saith unto us all as Naomi said to her two daughters in law Go and return each to her mothers house and the formal professours do as Orpah did leave their mother the Church the onely true Naomi because she is Gods delight when she is in distress Orpah non Religione sed humanitate socrum secuta est saith Iunius Orphah followed her mother not out of Religion but meerly out of common courtesie therefore she turns back again so do all those that are of any Christian Church rather for good manners then for a good perswasion rather for custom then for conscience but the real professours who have followed Religion out of conscience and therefore have their consciences established in Religion are ready to say to their Church as Ruth said to her mother Naomi Whither thou goest I will go and where thou lodgest I will lodge thy people shall be my people and thy God my God As if she had said I will never leave the land of Israel nor the communion of the God Israel for so Aben Ezra glosseth her words Thus she resolves verse 16. and she strengtheneth her self in this resolution verse 18. for so it is in the Hebrew she strengthened her self which we fitly translate she was stedfastly minded for they who most strengthen themselves in good resolutions are most stedfastly minded and will not be guilty of unstedfastness and thus do all they strengthen themselves who have not onely a speculative but also an affective knowledge of Religion who do not onely know what they do in the worship of God but also love what they know They taste and see that the Lord is good Ps. 34. 8. and by that spiritual gust know themselves to be in the way of blessedness and consequently will not be diverted or turned out of that way Thus we see there may be a certainty of Religion without an assurance thereof but if there be so the fault is our own that we are Hypocrites or formal professours looking after the outside rather then the inside of Religion that is looking more after the form then after the power of godliness for the form of godliness may happily direct us to a conformity with men which is like to be as changeable as their humours but it is the power of godliness alone that directs us to a conformitie with Christ and makes us as it were unchangeable conforming us with our Saviour and confirming us in our selves that is to say in our own consciences wherefore from the form we must go to the power and that will make us pass from conformity to conscience not so as to loose the conformity but so as to keep the conscience for which cause the school Divines do teach that divinity is not onely a speculative science in teaching the knowledge of God there 's for the conscience but also a practical science in commanding and ordering the actions of men there 's for the conformity and as it is a science so it hath in it self that certainty which belongs to sciences nay it hath a greater certainty saith Alensis then any other science whatsoever for asking this question An modus sciendi in Theologiâ sit certior quà m in
is nothing else but that doctrine and practise which is made up of these two integral parts the knowledge and the worship of God in Christ the one uniting our understanding to the first truth the other uniting our will to the chiefest good both together perfecting the communion of the soul with God so that of these two parts consists het substance of Religion But because Religion in the general doctrine of it may onely fill the head with empty speculations all tending to fancy and to curiosity not the heart with holy affections and heavenly desires which may tend to the sanctification of our sinfull souls here and the salvation of our sanctified souls hereafter It is most necessary that all Christians make sure of a profession of Religion agreeable to their doctrine and of a practise agreeable to their profession and these two will compleat the exercise of Religion which is no other but the application or accommodation of the substance thereof to Time Place and Person that is to say the profession of the knowledge and the practise of the worship of God And this difference we may observe between the substance and the exercise of Religion First the substance of Religion is all immediately from God but the exercise of Religion in many things depends upon the authority of man Sacrificare est de lege naturae determinatio sacrificiorum ex institutione saith Aquinas that men should offer sacrifice to God is of the law of nature but that they should offer these kinds of sacrifices or in these places or in these set times or after this set form and manner depends wholly upon institution either Divine as among the Jews or Humane as among the Gentiles But we may not shoot at Rovers in so narrow a compass the law of nature is not sufficient to teach us the substance of Religion but we must learn that from the law of God For though it be the dictate of natural reason that men should exhibit worship to God as their first beginning and last end yet the true determinate worship that God accepts depends wholly upon Gods own institution and revelation So Aquinas 22 ae q. 81. art 2 Cultum aliquem Deo exhibere est de dictamine rationis at determinatum verum exhibere pendet ab institutione divini juris That man should worship God is the dictate of natural Reason but that he should worship him rightly and truely depends wholly upon supernatural revelation the one is matter of Instinct the other is wholly matter of divine Institution And surely though many men now adays make very bold with God yet there is scarce any petty master of a private family amongst us who would not take it in high disdain that any but himself should teach his family how to serve him Let us then not think but the great Lord of Heaven and earth alone teacheth his servants to do unto him true and acceptable service for fear we fall under the sentence of that condemnation S. Mat. 15. 9. But in vain do they worship me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men If the Saviour of the world reject thy Religion how canst thou hope to be saved by it and surely he rejects that Religion as altogether vain and unprofitable which takes mans institutions and inventions for any part of Gods worship or he would never have added that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in vain to the words of the Prophet for whereas Isaiah saith Their fear towards me is taught by the precept of men Isa. 29. 13. our Saviour thus explains his saying by way of addition In vain do they worship me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men And truly although in the exercise of Religion the outward order and decency depends much upon the constitutions of men yet is that outward order and decency no substantial part of the Religion nor may it so be taken unless we will profess and say that we have a Religion of our own making and then what remains but that if we have made our Religion we should also make our God It is to be confessed that great is the liberty of Christian Churches in matter of ceremony but those who will make ceremonies matter of Religion do in effect take away that liberty by turning it into a necessity and do change the nature of indifferency by supposing it indispensable if not making it so But herein Aquinas his observation is very judicious In lege novâ quae est lex amoris vel libertatis dari tantum praecepta de operibus quae cum gratiâ necessariam habent convenientiam vel repugnantiam caetera verò quae non habent relicta esse determinationi humanae arbitrio superiorum si ad communem utilitatem pertinent c. That in the Gospel which is the law of love liberty God hath given precepts only concerning those works which have a necessary conveniency or repugnancy with grace that is works which immediately concern either sin or righteousness but other things that do not immediately concern either sin or righteousness are left to the determination and disposition of man for if they be of publique interest they are left to the judgement of our superiours either Ecclesiastical or Civil if they be of private interest they are left to the judgement of every mans own private reason Itaquè non ut de Sacramentis it a de Sacramentalibus hoc est de dispositionibus ad Sacramenta vel conficienda vel suscipienda lex nova habet praecepta divina sed determinatio ipsorum est Ecclesiae relicta à Christo. Therefore though we have in the Gospel explicit and direct commands about the Sacraments themselves yet have we not so about the Sacramentals that is about those Rites and dispositions which are necessary either to the giving or receiving of them but the determination of such Rites and Ceremonies is left by Christ unto his Church The Iew indeed was confined by the text in the manner of exercising his duty towards God by the Ceremonial Law and towards his neighbour by the Iudicial Law but the Christian is not so he hath documents only concerning the substance or matter not concerning the form or manner of his duty either to God or man for such determinations hath Christ left wholly to his Church as not belonging in themselves to Vertue and Religion but onely to Decency and Order Non enim ad orationem prout est actus virtutis Religionis de se pertinet ut fiat tali certo loco vel tempore aut cum illâ certâ corporis dispositione neque ad restitutionem quae est actus virtutis justitiae pertinet ut fiat in duplum vel in quadruplum sic de similibus As for example It belongs not to prayer as it is an act of Vertue and Religion that it be performed in such a certain place or time or with such or such a posture of the body and it belongs not
Eliah saith he was delivered after Eliah was ascended but the meaning is that the thing had been revealed by Eliah to one of the prophets who commanded him to write it in a book and give it to Iehoram tell him that it was a writing sent to him from Eliah that so Iehoram thinking the writing sent to him from heaven might humble his heart So will I here present our back-sliding age with a reproof from S. Paul that hath been so many years dead because I see that back-sliders do not regard the reproofs of their ministers who are now living and I cannot but hope if I have not willingly mistaken the Apostle that no cōsciencious godly man such as we all pretend to be will willingly mistake me We must then look on S. Pauls profession in this place as a true Christians profession because it is a profession of his Christian Religion consisting of two parts of his worship of his faith which are the two essential or substantial parts of Religion sides cultus faith in God and the worship of God though the faith be put last in the order of the words yet is it first in the order of nature for because S. Paul beleeved all things which were written in the law and in the prophets therefore did he worship the God of his fathers But before our Apostle shews the substance of his profession what it is he doth shew the necessity of it why it is for the necessity of his Christian profession is imported in these words But this I confess unto thee that after the way which they call heresie as well as the substance of it in these words so worship I the God of my fathers beleeving all things which are written in the law and in the prophets And indeed as it is the great duty so it should be the great labour of every Christian to keep his heart true unto his Saviour to keep his tongue true unto his heart to keep his heart true to Christ that he may be unmoveable in the love of his Religion and to keep his tongue true unto his heart that he may be unmoveable in the profession of that love and for both these we have here an excellent president So worship I the God of my fathers beleeving all things which are written in the law and in the prophets There his heart is true to his Saviour in the substance of Religion and before that but this I confess unto thee that after the way which they call heresie so worship I There his tongue is true to his heart in the profession of it for he looks upon the profession of his Religion as a necessary duty not to be omitted for fear not to be dissembled for shame I unto thee hints both these I a prisoner at the bar to thee a iudge upon the bench for Saint Paul was here arraigned as a felon for his Religion which hath been allways the portion of the godly for the wicked presidents and princes could not but say we shall not finde any occasion against this Daniel except we finde it against him concerning the law of his God Dan. 6. 5. I say Saint Paul had been indicted and was here arraigned as a felon or a delinquent that in the midst of a general refusal or denial of Christ he durst own to be a Christian and would be constant in the profession of his Christianity and he shews that notwithstanding all the affronts offered him and the aspersions cast upon him yet his profession being truly Christian was such as he might not be afraid would not be ashamed of I unto thee is enough against the fear which they call heresie is enough against the shame Let us put on the armour of proof against the fear and we shall need of no mask or vizard against the shame And surely this Ego in the Text Saint Pauls example is warrant enough not to be afraid for so saith the holy Ghost by his mouth Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ 1 Cor. 11. 1. Every man is bound to follow his Church where that follows his Saviour but because this refractory age thinks it the nearest cut to go to Christ to run away from his Church it will not be amiss to shew how our blessed Saviours example did move Saint Paul that so both examples together may the more forcibly move us not to be afraid to make profession of our Religion For so it is recorded of our blessed Saviour that before Pontius Pilate he witnessed a good confession or a good profession 1 Tim. 6. 13. can we be called before worse tyrants then Felix and Pilate Can we look for better examples then Saint Paul and our blessed Saviour the one the teacher the other the King of Saints lo Saint Paul professed his Religion before Felix our blessed Saviour before Pilate and both them professed it when there was the greatest danger of that profession when they were in danger of their lives not onely of their livelyhoods for professing it if the tyranny cannot be greater why should the profession be less for so Saint Chrysostome sets down the profession of Christ before Pontius Pilate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I came to be a witness to the truth or a martyr for it a witness to the truth in times of peace and prosperity a martyr for the truth in times of opposition and apostasie so should every Christian think and say that he was not born as a man much less new-born as a Christian for himself but for his Saviour to be a witness to he truth For if this principle of Religion were doctrinal in our hearts to beleeve it it would also be practical in our lives to perform it but we beleeve not the doctrine and therefore regard not the practise the faith is first dead then the work so saith the prophet He that beleeveth in him shall not make haste Isa. 28. 16. id est ex impatientiâ infidelitate ad res praesentes non confugiet saith Junius He that beleeveth in him shall not make such haste as out of impatience and infidelity to comply with the present occasions or opportunities more to keep his estate then to keep his conscience as those miscreants did v. 15. who said we have made a covenant with death and with hell are we at agreement when the overflowing scourge shall pass through it shall not come unto us for we have made lies our refuge and under falshood have we hid our selves Iunius thus rightly explaineth their wicked meaning we are as secure as if we had made a covenant with death we have done as much as wise men can do and more then honest men will do to preserve our selves to make an agreement with those that are too strong for us we have cast up our banks against the overflowing scourge and though you call it lies and falshood which we have done yet we know it
the reason that so many men daily fall from the profession of the faith but meerly a twofold ignorance though they pretend to knowledge one of themselves another of their Saviour They are ignorant of themselves know not their spiritual state or condition know not when they are on the mount when they are called to the state of grace and therefore say not with Saint Peter Lord it is good for us to be here And they are ignorant of their Saviour acknowledge him not as the Captain of their salvation or they would never forsake his colours they look no further then the outworks of Religion look not into the foundation of it for if they did they would be unmoveable the foundation moves not no more can he be moved that sticks and cleaves to the foundation O thou which art the way the truth and the life the way wherein we should walk the truth to direct our goings and the life to reward us at our journeys end Forgive us our strayings and straglings out of thy way direct us in thy truth and never leave directing us till thou bring us to everlasting life to bless praise thee our most mercifull Redeemer with the Father and the holy Ghost world without end Amen Thus we see the necessity of being constant in our Christian profession if we will either hear St. Pauls doctrine or follow his example Let us in the next place observe the substance of that profession that we may be unshaken and unmoveable in our constancy For Religion is best when it comes nearest God as having holiness from his purity and peace from his unity so also having duration and perseverance from his enternity Accordingly St. Pauls Religion depends altogether on God and therefore in the profession and practice of his Religion we are sure to meet with nothing but with unquestionable true godliness for the substance of his profession is twofold professio cultûs professio fidei a profession of worship so worship I a profession of faith beleeving all things c. Concerning his worship it is evident he had the true Religion for he worshipped God and he had also the ancient Religion for he worshipped the God of his fathers His Religion was the true Religion in modo colendi in objecto cultûs in the manner of his worshipping and in the object of his worship First in the manner of his worshipping for it was with great fear and reverence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he which is a word derived from much trembling but whether it be so in the word or no is not material it must be so in the thing for it is the very nature of true Religion to fear God and therefore the one is expressed and explained by the other Deut. 6. 13. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and serve him if there be no fear there can be no service if there be no reverence there can be no Religion Unless the Centurion and they that were with him had feared greatly they had never honoured Christ by saying truly this was the Son of God S. Mat. 27. 54. A Religion without fear cannot pierce the heart to make room for God much less open the mouth to glorify him and therefore the prophet Jeremy calling upon the Jews to return to their Religion labours to fill their hearts with the fear of God Jer. 5. 22. Fear ye not me saith the Lord will ye not tremble at my presence Secondly St. Pauls Religion was also the true Religion in objecto cultûs in the object of his worship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I worship God Divineiy S. Aug. Quod colit summus angelus id colendum ab homine insimo what is worshipped by the highest angel that is to be worshipped by the lowest man angels then are fellow-worshippers with men not objects of their worship And as it is with Adoration so also with Invocation for they both alike tend to the acknowledgement of the Supremest excellency the one by Deed the other by Word the one by bowing to his Majesty the other by calling upon his Mercy And Bellarmine himselfe confesseth That the Invocation of Saints was no part of the Old Religion in the Old Testament because saith he the Patriarchs and Prophets before Christs death were not admitted immediately into glory In carceribus inferni detinebantur But is it not safer to say that Invocation being the highest honour we can give may not be given save onely to the most Highest by the Religion either of the old or of the new Testament for there is neither precept nor example nor promise for the Invocation of any but of God alone in all the book of God so that we cannot Invocate either Saint or Angel in Faith and whatsoever is not of Faith is sin Rom. 14. 23. And if our Prayers be turned into sin which was a curse prophetically intended onely against the person of Iudas for betraying our blessed Saviour Psa. 109. v. 7. nor can we have share in the curse unless we have a share in the treachery I say if our prayers be turned into sin what shall we do to pray for the forgiveness of our sins if so be that we still sin in praying So neerly doth it concern all Christians to be sure that their Religion be as St. Pauls was true in the Object of their worship And by the same reason that his Religion was the true it was also the ancient Religion Doceant Adamum Sabbatizâsse was an excellent challenge against those who maintained the morality of the Jewish Sabbath Let them shew it was a part of Adams Religion or they will never be able to prove it ought to be a part of ours for the same religion that saved him must save us if it be the truest it will appear to the first so is it here with S. Pauls religion as it was the true so was it also the ancient Religion for he worshipped the God of his fathers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Patrio Deo meo saith the vulgar Lat. My Fathers God and my God whereby he had both the credit and the comfort of his Religion First S. Paul had the credit of his Religion that it had been tryed by so long experience for so many years together and had justified it self in that tryal Religion like an aged-man requiring our esteem by being gray-headed and that practice of godliness being most venerable which is likest God in being the Ancient of dayes Dan. 7. 9. And we of this Church of England can have no better plea for our selves and ought not to use a worse then to say that our Religion is the same Religion with our Fathers though not the same Superstition with it wherein they had left their first Fathers the Apostles and the Primitive Christians therein onely have we left them for we profess with those Holy men Ezra 5. 11. We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth and build the house that
or by the bounds of any place though all spirits are confined to and by the limited bounds of their own essence save onely one which is the God of spirits He acknowledgeth not any bounds of essence cannot confine himself much less doth he acknowledge any bounds of place to be confined by another And this boundless Infinity of God appears in three respects for God may be said to be infinite or incomprehensible three manner of ways Cogitatione nostrâ Essentiâ suâ Communicatione essentiae in our apprehension in his own essence in the communication of his essence 1. Cogitatione nostrâ God may be said to be infinite and incomprehensible in our apprehensions as 1 Cor. 2. 9. Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him From whence we cannot but argue thus Si non Divina multò minùs ipse Deus If not the things God hath prepared have entred into the heart of man much less God himself that prepared them Hence Aquinas denies that any created understanding can see the essence of God by a vision of comprehension 1. par qu. 12. ar 1. the reason is because his Infinity makes him incomprehensible and truly for our parts we must confess that we rather know of God what he is not then what he is so far are we from fully knowing him And so is it also with Religion we cannot know it at all till God hath enlarged our souls and after that enlargement we cannot know it perfectly for if we could admirabilis amoris excitaret sui we should be so in love with it as to love and desire nothing else for so it is with the Saints and Angels in heaven who fully knowing the excellency of loving and praising God can do nothing else but love and praise him 2. Essentiâ suâ God may be said to be infinite in his own essence and being and this Infinity of God is evidenced in his Omnipresence or Ubiquity whereby he is so present here as to be present every where and this belongs not to Angels no nor yet to the glorified body of Christ though united to his Deity for a bodie cannot lose its property which is to be in a place but it must also lose it self and no longer remain a body But this doth in some sort belong to Religion for what is spoken of Christs coming to judgement may also be fitly spoken of his coming into the soul of man S. Matth. 24. 27. As the lightning cometh out of the East and shineth even unto the West so shall also the coming of the Son of man be And indeed this alone is it which both makes proves the Church to be Universal or Catholick because the Spirit whereby it is quickened governed hath this ubiquity S. John 3. 8. The winde bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth so is every one that is born of the Spirit Spiritus spirat ubi vult The Spirit breatheth where it listeth is not confined to a corner in Africa as said the Donatists nor to a chair at Rome as saith the Papist nor to a Family of Love as saith the Catharist and this argument alone is able to evince That Religion is of God not of man because of its Universal presence for such have been the distempers of men that there is now scarce any one visible Church in the Christian world which will allow any true Religion out of its own communion and what men do not easily allow they do easily wish so that not to allow it to be so is in effect to wish it were not so and consequently If Religion did depend upon the will of man for its enlargement it would in short time be confined to a very narrow compass of the world But blessed be God it is far otherwise and we may say of Religion as the Schole hath said of God the Authour of it it is every where by its essence and by its power and by its presence by its essence to fill the soul and to enlarge the heart by its power to over-rule the affections and by its presence to overlook and guide the actions and as Religion is thus always present to us though few take notice of it so the Religious man is always present to himself the good Christian imitating his Saviour Christ who is the same yesterday and to day and for ever Semper eadem may be the Motto of the soul that is truly Religious though not as to its action for even our prayers are not always the same though our necessities are but sometimes with greater sometimes with lesser fervency yet as to its resolution a sanctified man always resolves for the best though he doth not always perform what he resolves and he is always ready to give an answer of the hope that is in him if you look upon him in his resolution though if you look upon him in his action he may sometimes scarce seem to have any hope of eternity or if he have may seem not to regard that hope Wherefore it is best for us to believe that Religion is always present to it self and always present with us calling upon us to fear God and to keep his commandments for this belief will make God himself always present with us to sanctifie us here and to save us hereafter and will make us delight in the presence of his grace till we come to enjoy the presence of his glory Thus the Apostle saith that our blessed Saviour hath undertaken to present us holy unblameable and unreprovable in the sight of God Col. 1. 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make us stand by in a readiness and Saint Iude recommends all faithfull souls to him that is able to present them faultless v. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make them stand in his presence he will not make them stand there who do not care to appear there what we most love we most willingly fancy as present with us so he that truly loves God most wishes his presence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is a great reverence which belongs to the presence of a man that overlooks us much more to the watchfull eye of eternity the Sun of righteousness and his overlooking countenance and over-spreading light if shame will not let us offend against a man on whom we can have but an accidental dependance for a temporal and momentany being how much more will it keep us from offending against God on whom we have an essential dependance both of our being and of our well being for ever 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eye-service to men is forbidden Eph. 6. 6. because our masters on earth cannot be always present with us so that eye-service to man is but meer hypocrisie and dissimulation but it is not so towards God our master in heaven who is always present
or work of men hath in every age of the Church come to nought and so will to the worlds end but the counsel and work of God in the Christian Religion never yet was never shall be overthrown for the gates of hell might prevail against the Church of Christ could they prevail against the Christian Religion that upholds the Church But since chopping and changing in the profession and practise of Religion is now the great sin of many that would be thought the best Christians I will endeavour to shew that it should be also their shame no less then it is their sin for in vain is the pretence of Godliness in changing that which God hath ordained should partake of his own unchangeableness indeed in every respect that God himself is unchangeable Religion is so too now God is unchangeable in three respects essentiâ voluntate loco in his essence in his will in his place and Religion would fain also have this immutability First God is immutable in his essence Rev. 1. 4. Grace be unto you and peace from him which is and which was and which is to come from him who always was always will be the same that he now is as if he had said From him that is wholly immutable in his essence that is from God for no man is the same either that he was or that he shall be and no Angel is the same that he was for there was a time when he was not and the first Council of Nice thought it a sufficient proof of the judgement of the Catholick Church concerning the Divinity of Christ in that they said she anathematized those who said There was a time when he was not which is all one as if they had said concerning him That he was God who was and is and is to come for God alone may be said to have an unchangeable Being who hath his Being from himself all creatures whatsoever have once changed from a not-Being to a Being and would again change from a Being to a not-Being did not the same hand which at first made them still preserve them for it is proper onely to the Creatour who alone is of himself to be alone unchangeable in himself and so is Religion unchangeable in its essence for being the service of God it must be like its master since by the rule of Relatives Change in the service cannot but proceeed from change in the master at lest from some change in his will if not in his nature and therefore the argument rather pleads against the worship of Angels which is alledged by Bel. l. ◠de beat can San. c. 14. then for it where he thus argues the Angels were worshipped before Christs incarnation by Abraham and Lot Gen. 18 and 19. but the Angel forbad St. John to worship him Rev. 19. 10. and 22. 9. ob reverentiam humanitatis Christi for the reverence he did bear to Christ now in the nature of man I answer That reason is more forcible against invocation which humbles the soul then it is against adoration which humbles the body since Christ took upon him as well the soul of man as his body and consequently if we may not adore the Angels without disparaging the humane nature in Christ much less may we invocate them without fear of that disparagement But because this answer doth not satisfie the argument but rather invert it if not retort it I answer secondly That therefore the worshipping of Angels cannot be made good Religion because it was not as good Religion in S. John as it is supposed to have been in Abraham For if it had been once good Religion it would have been so still and must needs be so for ever since it concerns the very object of worship which must be unchangeable and not the manner of it which may in some respects be capable of change For Religion is Gods service and knows no more how to change it self then how to change its master else serving the time would come to be good Divinity instead of serving the Lord which now is taken for a false reading of the text Rom. 12. 11. occasioned by short writing of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which being enlarged by vowels might easily be turned into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore we must say that the same religious worship is commanded in Genesis and in the Revelation in the first and in the last book of Gods word and if the Angel might not lawfully be worshipped by S. Iohn he might not lawfully be worshipped by Abraham or by Lot that is to say not with a religious worship and therefore we must confess that their worship if religious was directed onely to the Son of God who then frequently appeared with the Angels as it were preluding to his own incarnation If not religious but either a civil or a moral reverence in acknowledgment either of the Angels government or of their excellency 't is improperly alledged as an act of Religion for if worshipping of Angels had been a duty of Religion either to Abraham or to Lot it must also have been so to S. Iohn and then the Angel would not have said See thou do it not but See thou do it And this is proof enough That worshipping of Angels is no part of Religion because it self is confessed to be a changeable worship but Religion cannot be denied to be an unchangeable service in its own nature and essence even as the God is whom it serves Secondly God is immutable or unchangeable in his will Vult mutationem non mutat voluntatem as saith Aquinas par 1. qu. 19. He wills a change but changeth not his will and accordingly God threatning destruction to the Ninivites and yet not destroying them may not be said to have changed his own will but to have willed their change For though in Promises and in Precepts Gods revealed will is a declaration of his secret will yet 't is not so in Threats or comminations of vengeance there God doth not so much declare what himself wills as what we deserve therefore threats may not be fulfilled and yet Gods will still be the same not so Promises or Precepts for God would not promise if he did not intend to perform nor would he command if he did not intend we should obey from his Promise we have an interest in his mercy for all good is clamable from his Precepts his Justice hath an interest in us for all evil is punishable and all transgression is evil so that God cannot promise or command what is not according to his will unless he should dispence either with his mercy or with his justice but in predictions of vengeance the case is otherwise God doth often threaten what he doth not will and therefore may change his threats and yet not change his will fór his threats shew not so much his will or his intent as our deservings that mischief is
already towards us in its causes and will befall us in effect if by speedy repentance we prevent it not Wherefore though all promises of mercy that have not a condition specified are to be understood absolutely because they give an undeniable and universal right and all precepts of justice are to be understood absolutely because they have the nature of a rule or law to which the subject may not give an exception but must yield his obedience yet prophecies of vengeance are to be understood onely conditionally because they are not declarations of Gods will but onely of mans present state and condition that in the condition he now is he deservs destruction but if he repent and change his condition Gods will is still fulfilled though his threat be not for he therefore threatened destruction because he was willing to save not to destroy so that God is still unchangeable in his will and the change is onely in man who changeth his condition And so also the true Religion would have us change but will not change it self and consequently remains unchangeable in the wills of those that truly love and practise it for they do not desire that any thing of Religion should be otherwise then it is by Gods appointment they would not have it lawfull to transgress a commandment or disbeleeve an article and much less can they think it lawfull to corrupt or expunge either they cannot away with nice distinctions or quarrelsome disputations in Gods service to mispend that zeal in words which was given for actions conceiving them more willing to disclaim then to obey the rule who are desirous to distinguish or to dispute upon the command they cannot rely upon unwritten traditions as the ground of Religion they can as the ground of decency and order because they have altered and may alter after the will of men besides that some of them do directly oppose the revealed will of God for what tradition ever found such general reception as that which the Jews called the prophecie of Elias That the world should last 2000 years before the Law 2000 years under the Law and 2000 years under the Gospel yet very many and good Divines do not think this tradition of sufficient authority for any one to beleeve not onely because the computation of the time past confutes it but also because it directly opposeth that saying of Christ S. Mark 13. 32. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man no not the Angels which are in heaven neither the Son of man but the Father onely to which it is a vain reply That though the day hour be uncertain yet the time and the year may be known for the reason wherefore God will not have his coming to judgement revealed unto men is that being sure of the thing but not sure of the time they should be always prepared for his coming which reason is as forcible against the knowing of the year as it is against the knowing of the day or hour nor would our Saviour Christ so readily have owned the ignorance of that day if the year had been revealed before by one of his Prophets for S. Augustines answer is here most true Nescivit adrevelandum Christ said he knew it not because he would not have it revealed or known to us agreeable to which is Epiphanius his distinction of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Haer. Arian Christ had a twofold knowledge one of Speculation another of Use his knowledge of Speculation concerned himself and by that he knew the day of judgement his knowledge of Use concerned us and by that he said he knew not the day of judgement because he would not have us to know it which distinction Melancthon hath turned into this rule of Theologie Dicta alialoquuntur de Officio Christi alia de essentia sic hoc dictum loquitur de Officio Officium Filii Dei est in hoc ministerio cohortatari ad vigilantiam non definire tempus horam nè homines reddantur securi Some sayings are verified of the office of Christ some of his essence this saying That he knew not that day and hour is verified of his office for it was the office of Christ in his ministery to exhort men to watchfulnes not to define times or hours which was in effect to invite them to security Thus we see this famous tradition so generally cried up by the Jews as the prophecie of Elias is upon examination found to be very uncertain which makes very sober men infer that there is or may be the same uncertainty in other traditions and therefore they that will be sure to serve God in faith must and will appeal to the written word which alone abideth one and the same for ever for Religion being Gods cause loves to be tried by Gods undoubted word and where she cannot say How readest thou she cannot but say Why beleevest thou that our Faith should not stand in the wisdome much less in the devices of men but in the power of God 1 Cor. 2. 5. for that faith which stands in the wisdome of men stands like a house built upon the sand tottering and shaking at every violent blast or storm but that faith which stands in the power of God stands firm and immoveable by vertue of that power Thirdly God is immutable in place whither shall I go from thy Spirit or whither shall I flee from thy presence Psal. 139. 7. for by reason of his Immensity being in all places at once so as to fill them he cannot possibly change his place And so also is Religion immutable in place that is to say in its proper place the faithfull soul though not in its common place that is the Church or Congregation of believers or Religion is immutable in the Catholick Church though not in particular Churches that are members of it for the proper place of Religion where it may be found and where it is preserved is the holy Catholick Church which we believe in our Creed and that consists onely of the Elect for none are joyned in Communion with Christ but those that have the Spirit of Christ and they though never so far asunder have one Lord one Faith one Baptisme Eph. 4. 5. It is admirable to consider the great mutations that have befallen both Eastern and Western Churches how that in several ages they have more or less changed their Liturgies though in no age abolished them yet it is more properly said that these Churches have changed their Profession or Exercise of Religion then that they have changed their Religion for that still remains the same Christian Religion in all Churches that still remain Christian though under diverse and different professions The fourth incommunicable property of God is his Eternity which is a branch of Immutability as time is of motion for Eternity is a duration or continuance which hath neither beginning nor ending so Psal. 91. 2. Even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God
Thou art God from everlasting that is without beginning and thou art God to everlasting that is without end And so also is Religion Eternal both from everlasting and to everlasting from everlasting in the reason of it because it is a service or reverence due to God by vertue of his excellent Majesty and consequently that due is Eternal with his very Being but onely to everlasting in the practise of it because there was no creature from everlasting to practise it how then should we exceedingly desire to know Religion how to love it how to practise it whereby alone our souls are prepared to believe Eternity and to enjoy it and to employ it an irreligious soul could it possibly get to heaven would not know what to do there for there is nothing but the practise of Religion or praising God Rev. 19. 1 5 7. Again as God in that he is Eternal oweth his Beginning and Continuance to none but onely to himself and as Eternity because it is from it self is therefore without a Beginning and because it is of it self is therefore without an end so true Religiō hath in some sort its Being from it self for it is bonum in se it is good in and by it self and therefore hath its subsistence in and by it self let the whole world turn Atheist as it is turning apace yet the true Religion will still be the true Religion there may be in the practise of Religion many things good because they are commanded but in the substance of Religion the internal goodness is the reason of the external command so that Religion is indeed a beam of that light which proceedeth from the Father of Lights shewing unto Angels men what they are to know love and do and so leading them both to the Light everlasting for as God himself is so is his service and therefore I could not better explain the properties of Religion then from the properties of God Onely God hath his properties immediately flowing from his own essence but Religion partakes of these mediately from God as it is his service God hath these properties not onely Formally in himself but also Originally from himself Religion hath them Formally in it self but Originally from God Thus hath Religion all those properties of God which are incommunicable to the Creature and thereby appears to have in it self more of Divinity then any Creature whatsoever either in Heaven or in Earth for these being the properties of the true Religion in it self shew it to be spiritual far above the nature of all created spirits whereby themselves draw nearer to the God of Spirits in their affections then in their natures If therefore thou O man desire to be truly Religious thou must desire to be spiritually minded and the way to be so is to have a kinde of Simplicity or Incomposition that is a sincerity of the soul in the love of God To have a kinde of Immutability that is a Constancy to have an Immensity that is a servent Zeal and Alacritie which will not endure to be straitned or confined and to have an Eternity that is an unwearied perseverance in the Faith and Fear and Love of God Nay indeed these same properties are already in thy soul if thou be truly Religious for then thou art spiritually minded and thou canst not but have an uncompounded soul by sincerity of its service not dividing thy affection betwixt God and Baal betwixt Christ and Belial Thou canst not but have a constancy in his service which will let thee be no Changeling a thing as monstrous and abominable in the second as in the first birth thou canst not but have an alacrity and fervency of spirit which will not be circumscribed or confined either to or by time or place neither to a Conclave at Rome nor to a Consistory at Geneva nor to a Conventicle in England for as Christianity it self is not confined so neither the soul as 't is Christian but joyns in Communion with all Christians that ever were or that are or that shall be in the honour and love of Christ thy house is too little thou wilt to the Church nay the Church is too little thou wilt to the Catholick Church the whole Church Militant thy spirit shall be with theirs when theirs is with Christ nay the Catholick Church is too little here on Earth thou wilt up to that part of it which is triumphant in Heaven for Christian duties as they are practised here will cease with our lives therefore the Christian soul will look after such duties as she may practise in Heaven and at least in habit if not in act will even here be eternally Religious as we are divinely taught by our own Church saying with a most Catholick spirit It is very meet right and our bounden duty that we should at all times and in all places give thanks unto thee O Lord holy Father Almighty everlasting God thereby shewing us the Immensity of Religion That it is not to be circumscribed to or by any place for it is meet that we give thanks in all places and also the eternity of Religion that it is not to be confined to or by any time for it is meet that we give thanks at all times Eternity being the blessedness we look for the means whereby we compass it must needs be eternal not onely in the efficient cause God himself but also in the instrumental cause that is Religion And since Omnipotency All sufficiency and Omnisciency are but three branches of Eternity It is necessary before I come to the Communicable Properties that I speak of them for God in that he is Eternal is Omnipotent since there could be no other fountain of power unless we would make two Eternals and the same God as he is Eternal is All-sufficient for having his being of himself he must needs also have it perfectly in himself and lastly the same God as he is Eternal is also Omniscient for it is the Property of Eternity to have all things present to it as to be always present to it self wherefore it will be worth our while briefly to consider these Properties as they are in God and as they are also in Religion the service of God and first of the Omnipotency Gods Omnipotency or Almighty Power appears especially in two things First that he hath power to do all that he will Secondly that he hath power over all when he will had he not the First he could not be Almighty in himself had he not the second he could not be Almighty in our esteem the first tends to the Execution the second to the Declaration of his Almighty power The text doth ordinarily prove them both together as 1 Tim 6. 15. the Son of God is called the blessed and onely Potentate the King of kings and Lord of lords The onely Potentate that hath power to do all that he will and hath also power to do all when he will as King of kings
labour that they may be strengthened by piety and godliness yet will I not enter upon a particular enumeration of Gods communicable Properties I have been too long already upon this argument much less upon a particular explication of them for it will be sufficient for my purpose which is the advancement of the true Religion in the hearts and lives of men if I briefly insist onely upon these three to which all the rest may be reduced and they are Truth in his Understanding Goodness in his Will and Purity in his Action for we cannot better consider Gods Activity then in the Purity of his Action unto which we must also annex a short discourse of Liberty as belonging to all three that is to say to Understanding and Will and Action And these three Properties of Truth Goodness Purity as they are eminently in God and evidences of his perfection so are they also eminent in Religion the service of God And first of the Truth of God and of Religion God is true by a metaphysical and by a moral Truth First By a metaphysical Truth as having the true knowledge of all things Psa. 139. 2. thou understandest my thoughts long before God understandeth our thoughts before they are the angels not when they are and therefore they are defective in truth because defective in understanding for Truth metaphysically is a conformity of the thing with the understanding and accordingly our blessed Saviour is particularly called the Truth as being the Omniscient Wisdome of God and the eternal Understanding of the Father even as the holy Ghost is the eternal Love both of Father and Son Secondly God is True by a moral Truth as having his Affection Expression Action agreeable to his knowledge and that in three respects 1. As Truth is opposed to Falshood for God neither wills nor speaks an untruth 2. As Truth is opposed to Dissimulation for God neither dissembleth nor deceiveth 3. As Truth is opposed to Inconstancy for God changeth not his judgement in truths declared or determined he changeth not the event in truths foretold or prophesied for in promises he keeps his word and his truth if man perform the conditions in threats he may not keep his word and yet keep his truth because they are but conditional And as for deceiving the Prophets Ezek. 14. 9. and 1 King 22. 23. we generally and truly answer Tradit diabolo decipiendos he delivereth them over to the devil to be deceived by him so saith the Text Because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should beleeve a lie that they all might be damned who beleeved not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes. 2. 10 11 12. a text that gives us a fearful but yet a full account of all those strong delusions among men which led directly to the Father of lies the first step was a voluntary unrighteousness in not loving the truth the second step is a strong delusion in beleeving a lie the third step God keep them from treading in that who have trodden in the two former is a necessary damnation both for not loving the truth and for having pleasure in lies but still God is true though every man be a liar for God deceiveth the Prophet Ez◠14. 9. as he hardeneth the heart Exod. 10. 1. permissivè non efficienter permissively no◠efficaciously by not inhibiting or not purging those ill qualities that are already is the heart not by infusing any ill qualities into it and therefore though he saith I have hardened Pharaohs heart yet he saith unto us Harden not your own hearts and accordingly he threatneth in Ezekiel to destroy such a prophet from the midst of his people whose heart was hardned so fa◠as to deceive himself and others whereas he could not in justice destroy him onely for being that which himself had made him nay this permission is most plainly set forth in that parable of 1 Kin. 22. for all that God doth there is onely to let the evil spirit go forth that is not to inhibite him from going and deceiving not to send him down from heaven For it is evident that the evil spirit never did and never can come into heaven again since he was first thrown down from thence And thus briefly God is True Metaphysically and Morally Metaphysical truth consisting in the right apprehension of things as they are in themselves Moral truth in the right affection and profession of things as they are apprehended and this profession is either in word by veracity or in action by sincerity or in continuance of action by constancy so that moral truth is opposed to falshood because 't is the same with reality to dissimulation because 't is the same with sincerity and to wavering and floating because 't is the same with certainty And this same metaphysical and moral truth is also in Religion passing from the Master into his service for the Father seeketh such to worship him who worship him as he is that is who worship him in spirit because he is a Spirit and who worship him in truth because he is the Truth S. John 4. 23 24. The worship in spirit points at the metaphysical truth of Religion which requires a true apprehension of God the worship in truth points at the moral truth of Religion which requires an Affection Profession Action agreeable to that true apprehension and for both these hath our own Church taught us to pray Collect 7th Sunday after Tri. Graff in our hearts the love of thy Name Increase in us true Religion nourish us with all goodness and of thy great mercy keep us in the same Do you look for the metaphysical Truth of Religion 'T is in the knowledge of Gods Name which must be presupposed before the love of it since no man can love what he doth not know that you know God by his true Name such as himself hath proclaimed Exod. 32. 5 6 7. or that you apprehend God as he is not set up to your self an idol in stead of God as do all those who worship not the Father by the Son in the unity of the Spirit Again do you look for the moral truth of Religion 'T is in the love of Gods Name that you love him according to your knowledge or that you have your affection agreeable to your apprehension for to know God and not to love him is in effect to proclaim you do not truly know him since the same God is the first Truth and ground of our knowledge and also the last good and cause of our love and you may here likewise finde this moral truth of Religion in all respects First in its Reality for it is the very true Religion opposed to falshood or superstition 't is indeed Gods Name Secondly in its Sincerity or Fidelity for it is all Goodness not onely in the tongue but also in the heart
drunkard or unclean or profane person doth in effect deny the Forgiveness of sins and the Resurrection of the body Wherefore when Almighty God requireth every Christian to be true or faithfull unto the death that he may receive a crown of life Revel 2. 10. he requires of him a double truth or faithfulness not onely that he be true and faithfull in his Belief but also and much rather that he be true and faithfull in his life First God requires a faithfulness in our Belief by a right apprehension of Gods word not adding thereto nor diminishing therefrom for that is forbidden from the beginning of the Law as Deut. 4. 2. to the end of the Gospel as Revel 22. 18 19. not adding thereto by Superstition nor diminishing therefrom by Faction for as the superstitious seeks to flatter his God Religiosi sunt Deorum amici Superstitiosi Deorum adulatores so the factious seeks to flatter himself do thou thy duty and let alone thy flattery for it is not safe for thee to flatter thy God and much less to flatter thy self Secondly God requires faithfulness in our affection life and conversation that we may be saithfull professours of his truth and as faithfull witnesses to it for a man may be Gods witness by speaking by living by dying and he that is commanded to be faithfull unto the death that is to be faithfull in dying if God call him to it is already supposed to be faithfull in speaking and in living for he that bids thee be fathfull unto thy death doth surely suppose thee already faithfull in thy life and commands thee to continue so and this faithfulness is shewed by thy words in confessing and that 's veracity by thy deed in professing or practising and that 's fidelity and by thy perseverance unto the death both in words and deeds and that 's constancie This is the truth of Religion both formally and efficiently formally in regard of it self and efficiently in regard of us that as it is true in it self so it also makes us true and faithfull at all times and in all respects and if you further desire to know how far any Christian Church hath followed or doth follow this truth you may try it by this touch-stone which being infallible in reason cannot be erroneous in Religion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Aristotle lib. 4. Eth. cap. 13. Greece is not so happy as to afford us a name for this moral truth and may justly own to be Graecia mendax upon that account but he that hath that vertue is called by Aristotle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A true man both in life and word and is to be known by these three properties that he is full of equity will do no man wrong is full of authoriey will ask no mans leave whereas the hypocrite is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 himself for all others but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all others for himself and lastly is full of modesty will ask no mans praise and therefore will set forth himself though in true colours yet with the least varnish so also is the true Religion first it is full of justice and equity for it looks onely after Gods glory not after this worlds advantages and therefore declares things as they are not as they conduce to mens interests secondly it is full of authority in all words and deeds still like it self neither dissembling what is nor pretending what is not that it may please men rather then God but saith with S. Paul For if I yet pleased men I should not be the servant of Christ Gal. 1. 10. thirdly 't is full of modesty rather delighting in extenuations of its own worth then in amplifications of it for though hypocrisie be a great talker a greater boaster yet Religion doth very much abhor all vain babbling and much more all vain boasting Not walking in crastiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of the truth commending it self in every mans conscience in the sight of God 2 Cor. 4. 2. and therefore any Christian Church whatsoever that either turns Religion into State policy making Christs interest subservient to its own or that changes its Doctrine to please its new lords and masters or that boasts too much of its own Purity and Perfection as if none could be Christians but in outward communion with it none good Christians in comparison of it must in these respects be said not to be 〈◊〉 true Church for though it be Metaphysically a true Church yet is not so morally not according to moral truth for that it wants either equity or authority or modestie or all three that is to say it wants some necessary attendant of moral truth And here I had rather bewail then examine rather deplore then detect the present condition of many Christian Churches It is enough that the now so much despised and persecuted Church of England cannot have it justly laid to her charge that either she laboured to inter-weave her own with Christs interest much less to advance her own interest above his for want of equity or did not deal plainly with those Churches that did so for want of authorite or did revile other Reformed Churches which surely had not been infallible could not be impeccable for want of modesty and my hope is that a Church so full of Moral truth no less then of Metaphysical as it hath the God of Truth to own it so it will in due time finde the God of Power to vindicate to restore and to defend it however I doubt not but many good Christians had rather suffer in her afflicted communion then reign in the prosperity and glory of those who either do cause or do not regard her affliction In the mean time I cannot but pass this for a general animadversion That since onely the true Catholick is the true Christian and he hath two oposites the pseudo-catholick who is peccant in excess and the anti-catholick who is peccant in defect it fares with these two opposites as it fares with those two extreams that oppose the moral truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The proud boaster loves to make shew of more then is so doth the pseudo-catholick who obtrudes more for Religion then can be proved Religion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but the dissembler is quite contrary for he denies things that are and dimininishes what he doth not deny so doth the anti-catholick who denies that to be Religion which God hath made so and diminisheth what he cannot deny 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the same Authour the boaster and the dissembler both are to be blamed because neither is so true a man as he ought to be yet more the boaster then the dissembler So also in Religion the pseudo-catholick seems farther from the truth for his superadditions then the anti-catholick for his diminutions for he that avoweth uncertainties for certainties brings a suspicion upon his faith even in most undoubted truths whereas he
that is wary and timorous in the choice of his tenents though he may be thought an enemy to his own knowledge yet he cannot be thought an enemy to Gods truth for though he may stick a while at the embracing of some divine truths till they appear to him to be so yet he cannot easily obtrude any untruths for truths and God will sooner pardon the infirmity of a man in sticking at a truth then the presumption of a man in obtruding an untruth for the first shews himself as a man subject to doubtings not able to command his own faith but the other would fain be accounted little less then a God in making himself not the Interpreter but the Authour of truths and so challenging a dominion over the faith of others which however ought not to dishearten us from knowing the doctrine of any Christian Church for as of old it derogated nothing from the truth of God that some Prophets did tell lies in his Name so neither doth it now derogate from the truth of Religion that there is so much mixture of mens inventions or surmises with that truth But we must say of all these tares that an enemy hath sowed them whilest men slept and yet we may not think Gods Providence over his Church either careless in not looking after it or defective in looking after it to little purpose as if he that is the keeper of Israel did sleep when Israel most needed keeping for the Apostle hath said Oportet haereses esse inter vos 1 Cor. 11. 19. there must be sects or heresies amongst you that they which are approved may be made manifest as if he had said That must be for which there is a good reason why it should be and there is a good reason why there should be heresies amongst you nay indeed two good reasons the one on your parts that you may be tried or proved the other on Gods part that they which are approved may be made manifest to set forth the power and glory of Gods truth which like the Sun shines the more gloriously when it hath broken through some great cloud that opposed it for so much is true even of that wicked objection Rom. 3. 7. If the truth of God hath more abounded through my lye unto his glory why yet am I also judged as a sinner 't is most certain the Truth of God doth often more abound through our lies to his glory and yet the Objection is so ungodly and unreasonable why am I judged as a sinner that the Apostle doth not think it worth the answering but onely silenceth such a desperate and prophane Disputant with a damnabitur that he is like to be damned for his pains v. 8. whose damnation is just for no argument so fit to confute him as damnation who will needs plead or dispute for the devil Will ye plead for Baal will ye save him he that will plead for him let him be put to death Jud. 6. 31. what a shame is it for us Christians that Baal should have so many to plead for him and God so few that Superstition and Faction should so much outstrip true Religion the professours of the one for they both meet in the same Baal though they are so far asunder in themselves going as much beyond the professours of the other in zeal as they come short of them in truth and yet still since superstition and faction must needs be judged as sins why should they not be judged as sinners that maintain them for neither should we finde a Disputant to defend it if both be sins neither should we find an advocate to plead for it if both alike uphold the worship of Baal and yet there are and will be swarms of such Advocates multitudes of such Disputants notwithstanding Joash hath said Let them be put to death that so plead and S. Paul hath moreover said their damnation is just that so dispute for neither death nor damnation can silence the perverse disputings of men of corrupt mindes and destitute of the truth supposing that gain is godliness wherefore St. Pauls advice to Timothy is from such withdraw thy self 1 Tim. 6. 5. and we are little beholding to the Latine Translation for taking no notice of this so necessary a text yet God forbid we should therefore think it ought to be expunged out of the Greek Copies wherein both Latine and Greek Church so joyntly agree or else out of our own practise and observation S. Pauls advice in controversies or rather corruptions of this nature is From such withdraw thy self not against such oppose thy self he adviseth us rather to have no communion with them then to maintain disputations against them for as in carnal uncleanness the onely way for a man to have a clean body and a chaste soul is to flee fornication 1 Cor. 6. 18. not to resist it so is it also in this spiritual uncleanness which makes men go a whoring after their own inventions we must rather avoid the temptation then think to overcome it rather shun the Disputants then think to answer their disputations for men whose faction is above their Religion will never be silenced by arguments of Religion and men whose Interest is above their conscience will never give any ear to the plea of Conscience and this reason is in effect given by S. Paul himself why in such a case it is better to withdraw then to withstand v. 3. For saith he if any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholsome words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godliness he is proud knowing nothing but doting about questions and strifes of words as if he had said There is little hopes of doing good upon such a man for if he would have hearkned to any wholsome words and not onely to flattering speeches he would have hearkned to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ we may say to those words which Christ spake in his person S. Matth. 22. 21. Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and unto God the things that are Gods for those words alone if rightly followed would suffer no man to be a Pharisee that is a Separatist either in Church or State for if men did give Caesar his due there could be no sedition in the state if they did give God his due there could be no schism nor heresie in the Church but we must say to those words which Christ spake in his doctrine whether immediately by himself or mediately by his Apostles if such a Pharisee would have hearkned to wholsome more then to pleasing words he would have hearkned to the words of Christ which he delivered both in his person and in his doctrine and if he would have received any doctrine but that which complied with his worldly interest he would have received the doctrine which is according to godliness but since he will neither hear the one nor receive the other 't is
unto you more then unto God judge ye Act. 4. 19. there is no obligation of man that can reach to the altar of God to make us either neglect it or defile it usque ad aras did stint the heathen and much more the Christian in his obedience he that obeys the Magistrare to the altar gives him his right he that obeys him beyond or above the altar doth him wrong loading his authority with that sin which cannot help to hold it up but may help to pull it down it is much to be observed that among all the high Priests of the Jewish Temple none hath that signal character of recommendation in the Text that is given to Azariah because he withstood Uzziah the king when he invaded the Priests office 2 Chr. 26. 17. therefore saith the holy Ghost concerning him he it is that executed the Priests office in the Temple that Solomon built at Jerusalem 1 Chron. 6. 10. as if none had been high Priest but he who had so zealously so magnanimously vindicated the honour and the authority of the Priesthood for this is Rabbi Davids gloss upon the place he was not the first Priest of Solomons temple for that was Zadok nor was he the onely high Priest for there were many others but our Rabbies say this was Azariah in the days of Uzziah who gave his minde to the holiness of the Temple and would not let Uzziah offer Incense therefore it is said of him this is he that was the high Priest because he was zealous for the glory of the Priesthood and accepted not the person of Uzziah so Kimchi And it appears again that this Azariah was not to be named without some special note or title of honour for in the ninth Chapter and the eleventh verse after the reciting of his Ancestors though some of them had executed the same office as well as himself yet he alone is called the Ruler of the house of God 1 Chro. 9. 11. none had kept so good rule and order in the house of God as he therefore none so fit to be called a ruler of it And if Thomas Becket did indeed stand meerly upon Gods interest in the controversie betwixt him and his Liege Soveraign the doctors of Paris did very ill in disputing eight and fourty years after his death whether he were damned or saved for no duty that he owed to his King could oblige him to be undutifull to his God and if he suffered death for not being undutifull to his Father in heaven there is no doubt but as a dutifull childe he received his inheritance yet in that the Doctours disputed it so long after it is evident that his Festival was not presently instituted in the Latine Church much less celebrated with this Preface Gaudeamus omnes in Domino diem festum celebrantes sub honore Thomae Martyris de cujus Passione gaudent Angeli collaudant Filium Dei Let us all rejoyce in the Lord celebrating a Festival for the honour of Thomas the Martyr for whose passion the Angels rejoyce and praise the Son of God by which Preface the Festival of this supposed Martyr is preferred before the Proto-martyrs in dignity though it follow the same three days after in time or else the Doctours of Paris did think it lawfull if not laudable to dispute against the solemnities of their own Church when they found so much done upon so little ground and did also themselves in effect declare that as no civil authority could so likewise no ecclesiastical authority can oblige equally with God much less either above him or against him Fourthly Religion is free from servitude the Church may be in bondage not so the Religion that makes a Church the Israelites asked liberty of Pharaoh for themselves to go and serve God they asked not liberty for Gods Service that had never been in durance nor in captivity and S. Paul very plainly determines this controversie for so profane men are willing to make it when Gods Church is under persecution though in it self it be an undoubted truth 2 Tim. 2. 9. I suffer trouble as an evil doer even unto bonds but the word of God is not bound the bonds that are upon the hands are far from the tongue and farther from the heart they cannot hinder an honest man from speaking Gods truth amidst the enemies thereof much less from loving it excellently Oecumenius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no bonds can fetter the tongue but onely fearfulness and unfaithfulness and those are ingredients of the worlds not of Gods Religion Fifthly and lastly Religion is free from Coaction there is no oblation so acceptable as that which is voluntary and there is no oblation so voluntary as that whereby a man offers himself to God therefore it is the doctrine of the Church that the children of Jews and other Infidels who never embraced the Christian faith ought not to be baptized without their Parents consent till they can give their own not onely because it is against the justice of nature to take the childe from his own Parents whilest he is yet as it were a limb or part of them which he must needs be till he can dispose of himself but also because it is against the nature of Religion to offer unto God an unvoluntary Sacrifice and for the same reason though the Church never thought she could be sufficiently zealous in propagating the Catholick Faith yet she never thought that Jews and Pagans were to be compelled to embrace it onely they were to be compelled not to hinder or to blaspheme it so Aquinas 22ae qu. 10. art 8. Utrum infideles compellendi sint ad sidem Whether Infidels are to be compelled to the Christian Faith he answers with a distinction those Infidels that never received the Faith are not to be compelled to it quia credere est voluntarium because to beleeve is to give a voluntary assent but those Infidels who once received the Faith and are since fallen from it as hereticks and apostates are to be compelled by corporal punishments to become regular and orderly Christians that they may be made to fullfil their promise and to retain what they did receive Nam sicut vovere est voluntatis sed reddere est necessitatis ita fidem accipere est voluntatis sed tenere eam acceptam est necessitatis For as it is voluntary to make a vow but necessary to keep it when it is made so it is voluntary to receive the faith but necessary to retain it when it is received And St. Augustine in the second Book of his Retractations ca. 5. doth most ingenuously recall his former opinion that schismaticks were not to be constrained and compelled to the communion of the Church I retract saith he that in my first Book against the party of Donatus I did say I was not pleased that the secular power should violently force schismaticks to the communion of the Church verè mihi tunc non placebat
her own 1 Cor. 13. 5. and therefore cannot be so cruel as to take away anothers due neither from the inferiour by oppression nor from the equal by pride and contempt nor from the superiour by disobedience Therefore let Religion towards God be taken for the ground and foundation of all justice towards men for it is evident that he who most loves God for his own sake most loves man for Gods sake and it is the property of love not to do but to suffer wrong and where is no doing of wrong there can be no injustice so that though that famous axiome be most true justitia primùm deinde charitas justice first and then charity yet is the truth thereof to be understood concerning the priority of nature and of obligation that a man is bound to be just before he can be charitable for he may not rob Peter to pay Paul he may not pillage a Church to build an Hospital not concerning the priority of time or of generation for so it is clear there can be no execution of justice but with and from charity and all charity comes from God and tends to him love being the affection that relates to good and all good relating to God the chiefest good But I must keep my self to the same method concerning the Iustice of Religion which I followed in discoursing of Gods Iustice and therefore say that Religion is just by universal and by particular Justice First Religion is just by universal justice in willing and doing generally what is just according to that excellent rule Fiat justitia pereat mundus let justice be done though the whole world be undone nor can that man be truly religious who is afraid that justice should take place lest the law should have its due the Church should have her due and the several orders of men should have their due for to fear this is in effect to fear lest God should have his due for none of these can have any due but what God hath given them and he that fears lest God should have his due in what he hath given unto others cannot but fear lest God should have his due in what he hath reserved to himself and such a fear as this must needs expell all true Religion which is nothing else but an obligation of giving God his due either mediately in his authority or immediately in himself Therefore no prayer can more truly proceed from the affection of Religion then that of our Church Prevent us O Lord in all our doings with thy most gracious favour and further us with thy continual help that in all our works begun continued and ended in thee we may glorifie thy holy Name he that heartily prayeth thus is sure not to be irreligious for he cordially desires to glorifie Gods Name and he that carefully doth this is sure not to be unjust for his works exactly follow the rule of universal justice as being just in the means no less then in the end in the means beginning and continuing with God no less then in the end determining and ending with him he that useth unjust means to compass a just end though he may be thought to end in God because of the justness of his end yet cannot be thought to begin or continue in God because of the unjustness of his means but Religion desires to be so compleatly just that she cannot allow any unjustness either in the means or in the end and this appears from those two special axiomes which are to be found in no other science but onely in Divinity not in state-policy but onely in Religion not in Machiavils but onely in Christs School 1º nolle malum propter bonum not to do evil that good may come 2º velle bonum benè not to do good so as that evil may come but as the thing must be good we do so it may not be made evil by our manner of doing these two being the general or rather the peculiar rules of Religion shew how much she disdains to be enthralled under the captivity of injustice how much she detests that base thraldome and those men that would so enthral her and by these two we may easily distinguish Religion both from faction and from superstition for faction is usually peccant against the first rule vult malum propter bonum it will not scruple to do evil that good may come it will not boggle at a Schism or a sedition for a Reformation Superstition is usually peccant against the second rule vult bonum non bene it will have that which is good suppose invocation adoration not after a good manner that is to say not according to Gods institution but according to mans invention Secondly Religion is just by particular justice retributing to every man according to his works which practise of Justice was eminent in the primitive Church wherein every notorious offender was put to an open shame some kept from the Sacrament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 others from the Church it self thrust out of doors 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and none at all fully received till condign satisfaction given to the whole Congregation by a long and a strict course of publick humiliation insomuch that from onely two Canons of the first Council of Nice can 11. 12. we may collect no less then four several Orders and ranks of Christians not distinguished from the doctrine but onely from the discipline of the Christian Religion for they all professed the same faith but they all enjoyed not the same priviledges but one was an order of hearers another of penitents a third of such as were admitted to the prayers a fourth of such as were not admitted to the oblation and accordingly these four orders had their four several times defined by the Council which are there called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a time of hearing their sins before they were admitted to penance a time of penance before they were admitted to the prayers of the Church a time of praying with the Church before they were admitted to the oblation or to the communion and a time of partaking in the oblation and rejoycing in the communion of Christ and of his members and all this after they had gotten to be admitted into the Church for some who had been forward in their apostasie but were still backward in their repentance were not so much as suffered to enter into the Church but were kept without doors as those who had no right to be accounted in the lowest and meanest order of Christians This practise hath of late been neglected if not opposed by some because it hath been abused by others and satisfaction is now a days rejected as a piece of penance in regard of the Church because it hath been cried up as a piece of penance in regard of God yet is this so necessary a practise of Religion that our Church cannot but wish it might be restored again and that wish though it be for the
continency then they did observe but concerning this the world would more willingly leave men to the judgement of their own consciences how to serve God with the most purity and with the least distraction if they did but answer to themselves this Question whether it is better that they which have wives be as though they had none 1 Cor. 7. 29. or that they which have no wives be as though they had them for what is best is doubtless in this as in other cases the determination of Religion for that labours to make men like God both in their bodies and in their souls in their bodies by sobriety temperance and chastity either virginal or vidual or conjugal in their souls by holy meditations and more holy affections and where men do most truly express this holiness in their lives and conversations 't is not to be doubted but there is the best and the purest Religion although it is often seen that where is the best and the purest Religion there men do not alwaies express the same in their lives and conversations which made the same S. Augustine declare this as a dogmatical sanction ex malorum Christianorum moribus non vituperandam esse Ecclesiam Aug. lib. de mor. Eccl. Cath. cap. 34. that the Church is not to be blamed for the misdemeanours of some men that live in her communion since she her self condemns those misdemeanours and labours to correct them The upshot of all may be this that not the practical but the doctrinal miscarriages of men are to be imputed to the Church and where are fewest of such miscarriages there is most of truth and goodness where is most of these there is most of the pure Religion for as manners make the man so Religion makes the manners and it is little other then the doctrine of devils that saith hell is full of moral honest men though it pretend to set up faith for S. Paul plainly shews that faith alone was the cause of all moral honesty in the Jews Heb. 11. so that 't is too much for any man to doubt much more to deny but that faith alone is the cause of all true moral honesty in the Christians whence our blessed Saviour preacheth onely moral duties S. Luk 21. 31. take heed lest your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of this life c. he bids them be temperate sober and content watch and pray and what is all this but moral honesty yet if this rightly done and 't is rightly done onely in true beleevers proceed not from faith we must infer that we may stand in judgement without faith for so it follows v. 36. that ye may stand before the Son of man nor would Christ have thus taught daily in the temple v. 37. had this not been the right way of preaching true faith in Christ and what he prescribes in his doctrine he performs in his practise for his nights were spent in praying as his days in preaching and therefore to say that hell is full of moral honest men is to say that hell is full of true beleevers and consequently to blaspheme that precious faith in Christ which could not sanctifie the hand in working did it not first sanctifie the heart in beleeving and we cannot but say that Noahs preparing the Ark and Abrahams offering his son was materially an act of obedience that moral honest vertue which this world cares not to profess much less to practise though it was formally an act of faith and so we may say concerning those other examples there cited by S Paul wherein some vertue that belongs to the catalogue of moral honesty will come in for the material part though faith alone may happily challenge the formal part of the performance and Aquina's distinction of actus virtutis imperatus câ—â—â—tus will reconcile the difference for all vertuous acts truly so called are the acts of faith imperativè as commanded by it whence S. Augustine stiled the best works of unbeleevers but gilded or glittering sins though onely the peculiar acts of beleeving and confessing be the acts of faith elicitive as immediately and directly flowing from it for faith is in the soul as the soul is in the body and as all motion in the body is by redundancy from the soul so all good motion in the soul is by redundancy from faith and hence it is there is so great an influence of our words upon our manners and of our manners upon our doctrine and consequently upon our faith for as evil words corrupt good manners so also evil manners corrupt good words it having been the fate of Religion first to decay in mens lives then in their doctrines first in their works then in their faith so that irreligion first gets into our conversations then into our catechismes and the miscarriages of Churches have first been practical and after that dogmatical men being generally more zealous for their credit in labouring to justifie their errours then for their innocency in confessing that they have erred The third and last Attribute we are now to consider in God is his Mercy whereby he freely forgives what is due unto himself For as the act of grace is most clearly evidenced in freely giving what was not due unto the creature so is the act of mercy most conspicuous in freely forgiving what is due from it Aquinas makes Gods Mercy the foundation of all his works of distributive justice even in rewarding the righteous then much more is it the foundation of his not working according to his vindicative justice in the punishment of our unrighteousness 'T is a heavenly contemplation of his and such heavenly contemplations are very frequent in the angelical doctour opus divinae justitiae semper praesupponit opus misericordiae in eo fundatur 1 Par. qu. 21. ar 4. the work of Gods Justice alwaies presupposeth the work of his Mercy and is founded in it for the creature can have nothing due to it but for some thing that is in it and the creature hath nothing in it which did not flow immediately from the goodness of the Creatour therefore that goodness alone must be looked upon as the ground and foundation of all that the creature is capable of which alone put the same into a capacity of any thing at all Et sic in quolibet opere Dei apparet misericordia quantum ad primam radicem ejus cujus virtus salvator in omnibus consequentibus etiam vehementius in eis operatur sicut causa primaria vehementius influit quam causa secunda words that deserve to be engraven with letters of gold and much more to be engraven in our hearts and this is the meaning of them there is no work of God but mercy is the ground and root of it and this ground is preserved in all the building this root is seen in all the fruits that grow from it nay it hath a great efficacy of working above them
this sin to their charge And I doubt not but that prayer of our own Church That it may please thee to forgive our enemies persecutours and slanderers and to turn their hearts will yet in Gods good time work the conversion of some of those men who now think they do God good service by denying others to serve him and God forbid that we should ever cease thus to pray even for those that most resist and oppose our prayers though thereby they do also resist and oppose their own conversion The Church of Christ may in times of persecution lose its power but may not lose its mercy for it can be no longer Christian then it is mercifull Mercifull in giving freely ye have received freely give S. Matth. 10. 8. Mercifull in forgiving not untill seven times but untill seventie times seven Saint Matth. 18. 22. Deus semper miseretur puniendo citra condignum praemiando ultra condignum saith the Schole God is always mercifull in punishing less in rewarding more then we deserve so is God Church always mercifull both in its rewards and in its punishments The dispensations of Baptismal and of Penitential grace both such acts of mercy that they fall under an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that no sufficient retribution no sufficient amends can be made for them yet both these acts of mercie are so proper to the Christian Church that among all the sects of the world we cannot find one which comes near the Christian Religion in the zeal of bringing those that are born in sin to Baptisme and of those that have lived in sin unto Repentance It was a question in S. Cyprians time whether infants might be admitted to baptism before the eighth day and Fidus the Presbyter thought not because the law of Circumcision required a stay till the eighth day and Baptism succeeded in the place of Circumcision but S. Cyprian and the orthodox Clergy of the Church of Carthage were of another opinion and the sixtie six good Bishops give this as the chiefest reason for it in their Epistle to Fidus the Presbyter Cypr. epist. 59. cum Pamel Universi poitùs judicavimus nulli bominum nato misericordiam Dei gratiam denegandam nam cùm Dominus in Evangelio suo dicat Filius hominis non venit animas hominum perdere sed salvare quantum in nobis est si fieri potest nulla anima perdenda est We all with one consent agreed that the mercy and grace of God was to be denied to none for since our Lord and Master himself hath professed in his Gospel that he came not to destroy mens souls we translate lives but the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 souls but to save them 't is our duty as much as lyes in us to keep all souls from the danger of destruction This was that Councils main argument why children should be baptized in case of necessity before they were eight days old though we have now a generation that will not baptize them till almost twice that number of years But Solomons judgement stands upon record whereby still to discern which is the true mother and which the false for she who hath the tender bowels is certainly the true mother not she who cares not what becomes of the childe 1 King 3. so is it still Faction is merciless and cruel fears not to see the sword drawn to be not onely bathed but also sheathed in bloud whereas the true Religion is of tender bowells would have none of her children perish or be in danger of perishing therefore since baptism is the onely ordinary means of saving children by taking away the guilt of their original sin and repentanee is the onely ordinary means of saving men by taking away their actual sins the true Christian Church never yet thought fit to delay the one nor to deny the other but even in the strictest discipline that ever was exercised against notorious offenders they that returned to the bosome of the Church were admitted to penance and those penitents that were in danger of death were also admitted to the holy Communion we have Presidents or rather precepts for both in the first Council of Nice the 11. Canon admitting the offenders to penance the 13. Canon admitting the penitents to the holy Communion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the 11. Canon those that under Licinius had denied the Christian faith being not compelled thereunto by the violence of persecution though they were unworthy of mercy yet they were not excluded from it but the Council admitted them to penance Again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the 13. Canon those that were under penance if they were in any imminent danger of death were presently permitted to receive the holy Communion as the provision necessary for their last journey though if they recovered of their sickness they were to be reduced back again to the order of penitents till they had fully accomplished their enjoyned penance and this relaxation or indulgence saith the same Canon was the ancient and Canonical Law of the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the like may be proved from the Epistle of the Clergy of Rome to S. Cyprian Cyp. cum Pamel Epist. 31. wherein they profess a relaxation of penance to those that by sickness were summoned to Gods Tribunal though they were resolved that the rest should stay till they had a new Bishop Thus we see it was the Law of the Church in the times of the severest discipline that mercy should be above justice and the holy communion administred in case of necessity even to those whom the ecclesiastical censures did still exclude from it against this Law of the Church Novatus was peccant in the defect for he would admit none to penance that had once fallen away but Novatianus was peccant in the excess for he would needs have all promiscuously admitted without any penance And S. Cyp. mightily opposed them both which may shew us the antiquity of this discipline for he lived within 230 years after the passion of our blessed Saviour as well Novatus his inhumanity in admitting none as Novatianus his facility in admitting all for Novatianus was so zealous of encreasing his party that what heretick or apostate soever would come to him and be rebaptized might be received into his Congregation without any recantation of his errour or of his apostasie but Novatus on the other side was so rigid and severe that he would not receive those that had recanted and made earnest suit to undergo their penance that they might be again fully reconciled to the Church S. Cyprian in many of his Tracts especially in his Epistles complaineth frequently of the petulancy of both these Sectaries and their Adherents advising all Christians that had a care of their souls to abstain from their company and much more from their communion and to keep themselves to the well grounded and well setled discipline of the Church which as it refused no penitents so it durst not
countenance any in sin and in impenitency and yet even this severe Bishop in his greatest strictness for Church discipline though he would not allow the Martyrs and Confessours to be too importunate for the over speedy reconciliation of notorious offenders in which he had also the approbation of the Clergy of Rome yet if an offender had been overhastily reconciled he would not by any means make void that act of mercy thus we read that when the Bishop Therapius had given the peace of the Church to Victor the Presbyter for the Bishops were in those dayes the governours in chief if not in whole of the Ecclesiastical Communion before he had made publick satisfaction for his offence though S. Cyprian and his collegues were much troubled that he had so hastily received him into the Communion of the Church nullâ infirmitate urgente when as no dangerous sickness of his had called for a dispensation of the Canon yet they would not revoke that act of grace that had been done by Therapius but let Victor still enjoy the benefit of it thereby shewing that the true Religion though it stand much upon the exactness of Justice yet is much more delighted in the exercise of Mercy the words of S. Cyprian and his fellow Collegues met together in a Synod meerly about Church-discipline are very remarkable Sed librato apud nos diu consilio satis fuit objurgare Therapium collegam nostrum quod temerè hoc fecerit instruxisse ne quid tale de caetero faciat pacem tamen quomodocunque a sacerdote Dei semel datam non putavimus au-ferendam Cyp. Ep. 59. cum Pam. after we had taken long and full advice about this business we thought it enough to reprove Therapius our Collegue that he had done this rashly and require him to do so no more but the peace which had been given by a Priest intrusted of God to give it though given after never so ill a manner we did not think fit to take away again and therefore declare that Victor shall still enjoy the communion of the Church But what do I speak of Mercy above Justice in the true Religion when she would not call for Justice at all were it not that she might shew Mercy for thus she proceeds to deliver a sinner to Satan that she may keep him from hell as faith the Apostle 1 Cor. 5. 5. to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus true Religion would not exercise that Justice which is for the destruction of the flesh were it not to make way for that Mercy which is for the salvation of the spirit therein resembling God himself who thrusts men away from him meerly out of the necessity of Justice but embraceth and receiveth them from his incessant desire and delight of shewing mercy CHAP. VIII The assurance we have of Religion in that it maketh us reverence and fear God ascribing the honour due unto his Name and of the ten proper Names of God collected by S. Hierome HE that is willing to expostulate with God can never be unwilling to offend him for it is impossible that man should ever be dashed out of countenance by the consideration of any sin who is resolved to justifie and maintain all his sins such a man is more fit for the School of the Peripateticks then for the School of the Prophets because he is made rather for disputation then for devotion and truly this is the chiefest reason that we can alledge for the continuance of all those grand miscarriages that are in the practise of Religion whether by way of superstition or of profaneness that men wedded to their own corrupt practises are in a manner resolved to expostulate with God rather then to comply with him 't is such a Clergy humour as this which the Prophet Malachi complaineth of Mal. 1. 6. saying unto you O Priests that despise my Name and ye say wherein have we despised thy Name they would needs be disputing when they should have been repenting for all this while they did neither honour God as a Father not fear him as a Master for so saith the Text a son honoureth his father and a servant his master if then I be a father where is mine honour if I be a master where is my fear saith the Lord of hosts unto you O Priests that despise my Name It is a foul shame for any to despise Gods Name but most especially for those who are most bound to glorifie it that is for his Priests who are peculiarly consecrated to serve God and therefore ought to be more particularly devoted to his service no man may securely contemn Religion but he least who is entrusted to teach it for what he is entrusted to teach he is much more commanded to practise and truly this is the proper work of Religion which the Prophet here cals for to glorifie the Name of God that is to honour God as a Father and to fear him as a Master for without this honour and this fear we cannot take God for God but it is the work of Religion to make man take God for God and how can that be but by acknowledging and professing his Verity Omnipotency Goodness and Excellency so that the work of Religion most especially consists in Faith Hope Charity and Reverence or holy Fear for by Faith we acknowledge Gods eternal truth or Verity by Hope his Omnipotency by Love his allsufficient Goodness and by Fear or reverence his Soveraign Majesty or supertranscendent excellency Thus he that beleeveth in God acknowledgeth God to be God because he acknowledgeth him to be the first Truth or chiefest Verity he that hopeth in God acknowledgeth God to be God because he relyeth on his Omnipotency he that loveth God with all his might acknowledgeth God to be God because he taketh him for the chiefest good being wholly satisfied with his allsufficiency and lastly he that feareth God with all his might acknowledgeth God to be God because he taketh him for the Soveraign Majesty or for the greatest excellency wherefore God is truly to be honoured as a Father by Faith Hope and Charity and to be honoured as a Master by Fear and Reverence and the true Religion reacheth us to honour God both as a Father and as a Master as a Father by beleeving in him for shall not a Son beleeve his Father though all others beleeve him no further then for his honesty yet his own Son is bound to beleeve him also for his authority again to honour him as a Father by hoping and expecting a blessing from him and more particularly our inheritance for as faith looks to the promise so hope looks to the thing promised and we can never look upon God too much and much less can we look for too much from him For if we being evil know how to give good gifts to our children how much more
of God was more to be magnified by reverence and adoration though we spake but little then by all the loud praises and hymns which we could utter whilest we continued guilty of irreverence and S. Paul setting forth the condition of a true convert makes him reverent in his behaviour as well as zealous in his thanksgivings for saith he falling down on his face he will worship God and report that God is in you of a truth he falls down and worships there 's his reverence he reports that God is in you of a truth there 's his thanks-giving and if either of these be wanting for ought we can see by the Text he is yet no true convert but is still in the same state of ignorance and of unbelief as when he first came into the Church to hear those that prophesied But the better to set forth the reverence that is not to be parted from the true Religion I will briefly run over those ten Names of God which S Hierome hath collected together in one of his Epistles to Marcellus ep 136. for there is not one of those Names but will strike a terrour into the soul of man when he comes to bow himself before the most High God which is the reason that not one of all these Names is once mentioned in the Book of the Canticles Quia in hoc spirituali Epithalamio merito ea nomina praetermittuntur quae ad incutiendum terrorem accommodata erant because that Song of Songs being made to express the marriage joy of the soul with Christ it was not thought fit to use any of those terrible names of God which might occasion the interruption of that joy The first Name of God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the LXX but by Aquila according to its Etymology 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the strong one this Name Exod. 20. 5. is joyned with Jealousie in that very Commandment wherein God requires our Religion to be with reverence as well as without Idolatry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a jealous God he is God and able to punish us he is jealous and will not let us scape unpunished no nor our children after us if we shew that we hate him by loving irreligion whether it be by superstition or by profaneness whether by idolatry or by irreverence for we may certainly bring a vengeance and a curse not onely upon our selves but also upon our posterity by our irreverence which is against the positive precept no less then by our Idolatry which is against the negative precept of the second Commandment The second Name of God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and this Name we finde Hab. 1. 12. in these words Art thou not from everlasting O Lord my God mine Holy One 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My God and mine Holy One are put as terms convertible for he is but my Idol not my God unless he be also mine Holy One that is one whom I conceive to be holy and rejoyce that he is so the profane person cannot deny God to be the Holy One though he rejoice not in his Holiness he would fain make a division betwixt these two properties of God Power and Holiness he would either have God a strong one without holiness to allow profaneness or he would have him a holy one without strength that he might not avenge it But we must look upon his strength as the fortress and bullwork of his holiness that if we will not learn to detest profaneness and irreverence because of his holiness yet we may learn to dread it because of his strength The third Name of God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we meet withall in the first words of the Bible Gen. 1. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dii creavit where is a noun of the plural number signifying God with a verb of the singular which strange Syntaxis hath one gloss among the Jews another among the Christians among the Jews it is taken for an argument of the greatness of Gods majesty for so saith Aben Ezra 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the holy tongue that is in the Hebrew it is a course or way of honour to speak of a great person in the plural number to wit thereby to intimate his greatness but among the Christians this same manner of speech is taken for an argument of the Holy Undivided Trinity The noun in the plural number signifying the plurality of Persons the verb in the singular number the Unity of essence we may accordingly make an excellent use of either gloss in our devotions for if we seriously consider the greatness of Gods majestie we will be sure to keep our distance in our prayers and not be guilty of that undecent and ungodly familiarity which begetteth a contempt of God if at lest it be not begotten of it for it will certainly end in a slighting of his majestie if it do not begin in it This ungodly familiarity with God teacheth us to offer that to God which doth cost us nothing contrary to his resolution who was a man after Gods own heart and therefore best acquainted with his liking 2 Sam. 24. 24. Nay but I will buy it of thee at a price neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing for indeed such offerings do but proclaim a contempt of God as appears Mal. 1. 7. They that offer polluted bread do in effect say The table of the Lord is contemptible and they are accordingly sent to Court to learn better manners and better language v. 8. Offer it now unto thy Governour will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person the Chalde Paraphrase saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to thy King but the Hebrew word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to thy under Governour and indeed the Jews had no other after their captivity offer such stuff as this but to the captain that is set over thee to thy Governour who is no King but himself under command and he will reject thy gift and scorn and disdain thee and how then darest thou offer it unto thy God who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords how darest thou offer the blind the lame the sick to him for a sacrifice which is thy bounden duty when as thou darest not offer it to thy Governour as a free and a voluntary gift we may offer unto God blind prayers for want of premeditation which is the souls fore-sight lame prayers for want of good affections which are the feet of the soul and sick prayers by reason of our undigested devotions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so I conceive it should be read in Hesâ—chius and not in two words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He is sick whose stomach is oppressed with crudities and inconcoctions so that he cares not for his meat and is besides clean out of temper and such are sick prayers which are crude indigested distempered prayers thus we may offer
Ipse omnibus major est dum solo Deo minor est 1 Sam. 26. 6. Fear God and Honour the King CAMBRIDGE Printed by John Field Printer to the University MDCLXII TO THE READER Whether Christian Un-Christian or Anti-Christian ALlegiance and Conscience are both joyned together in the Title of this Book because they are both joyned together in the true Christians heart nor is that man able to lay fast hold on conscience who is ready to shake hands with his allegiance whether he be a Jesuited Papist or a Jesuited Protestant it matters not if he hath bid farewell to his Allegiance he cannot keep company with his Conscience tell me not of your Communion with me against Anti-Christ if you will not keep my communion with Christ I desire not to be your fellow-Protestant in those things wherein I cannot be your Fellow-Christian If Rebellion be in your Reformation though it be never so pure in other things yet it still needs to be reformed in this that Rebellion is in it as therefore you say in that your Reformation hath Reformed Religion to the Creed you have a pure faith so I say must Religion reform your Reformation to the Commandments that you may have an unspotted life and give me leave to tell you that though in pretence you may be a brother of the second perhaps in time of the third or fourth Reformation yet in purity you come far short of the first as much as a Rebel comes short of a good Christian your Reformation hath thrown you out of your Religion you do not embrace the Gospel unless it be such a Gospel as the Cainites heretofore embraced 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epiphan haer 18. such a Gospel as was taught by Judas that betrayed his master that Christian Religion which was taught by all the rest of Christs Apostles teacheth Allegiance unto Kings Christ in his own example practised it and by paying tribute would rather part with his own right then seem to oppose or question theirs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith S. Athanasius de Incarn Christi most divinely how can you then look to be thought or called good Christians if you neither regard the word of Christ for your instruction nor the works of Christ for your imitation and the same Father in his Epistle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tels us what manner of Church-men they are which run this way saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are Spies to look into other mens livings and patrimonies and beleeve it many of them amongst us have in this kind used most exact prospectives not Bishops to look over their life and doctrine for they cared not saith he in their Ordinations to hear S. Pauls words to Timothy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Bishop must be blameless which words the Church still retaineth in ordination of Ministers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 onely think and speak high against Christ and no matter then for thy Christianity I know he speaks the words of Christ our Saviour and against the Arrians yet since the Lords anointed is rendred by the 70 Interpreters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Christ and that Translation is justified by the Apostles Act. 4. 26. 't is manifest that one who truly loves Christ cannot hate the Lords Anointed whether written in Text or in short-hand whether ruling in his Son or in his servant whether he be Christ in heaven or Christ on earth and therefore I may well take Athanasius his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Lords anointed on earth and say they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which poison mens souls with such venemous tenents against Kings they cannot be of the true Church whilest they belch out such impure blasphemies despising dominion and Speaking evil of dignities offering that defiance to their King which S. Michael would not offer to the devil and bringing railing accusations in stead of Arguments and yet S. Michael had not onely a fitter object but also a better ground for railing because his dispute was with the devil and it was about real Idolatry which he would have caused the people to commit in worshipping the body of Moses theirs with their King and Church onely about imaginary Idolatry which was and is not to be found but in their own fears and jealousies it stands not with a true Church no more then it stood with S. Paul since every true Church is but one grand Apostle or Doctor of the Gentiles of that Nation where it is to appeal to the people that 's a way to introduce though not a many-headed yet a many-hearted Religion not a many-headed Religion but rather a no-headed for such as would have no Bishops were anciently called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men without heads Niceph. l. 18. c. 45. and the Council of Ments c. 22. gives them monstrous heads if any at all saying they are Hippocentauris similes nec equi nec homines they have too much of the mans understanding to be horses and they have too much of the horses kicking and wincing to be men but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are either such as have no head or as bad as though they had none but surely 't is the way to introduce a many-hearted Religion witness our own late divisions which have produced as many Religions as men our Christian unity and verity being both banished together this is the excellent Divinity you have of late read to your disciples which is able to dash the very venome of Popery out of countenance and throw it in your own faces this is the new way you have taught the people to Truth and Peace by which they shall be sure never to come to either for if they may innovate in Forms of Religion without their King why not in forms of Law If they may change Law without him why not against him if against him why not against his life and consequently why not murther him with the sword of pretended Iustice whom God commands to honour See the High Court of Justice erected in your assembly this is your new way to truth and if the people may deal thus with their King where he is supreme why not with all other supremes whatsoever and consequently by succession and with success for ought we know why not rise against their Magistrates till the last Resurrection and put them to death till death it self shall be swallowed up But I return this placing dominion in the people for appealing to them is no less teacheth them to think they need not Christ in his Kings to rule and govern them they can govern themselves they need him not in his Priests to intercede for them they can pray for themselves they need him not in his Prophets to instruct them they can preach to themselves Was ever Christ so reviled and so opposed in all his three Offices together before Is not this fully to act Anti-Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Thes. 2. 4. to sit
not in but upon the Temple or Church of God non in Templo Dei sed in Templum Dei sedet tanquam ipse sit Templum Dei quod est Ecclesia as saith S. August l. 20. de Civ Dei c. 19. where also he expounds this Anti-Christ not of one single person but of a whole body of men or a mixt multitude and I pray why may not Anti-Christ reign rather in an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a Government of the many-headed then in any other kinde of Government since this alone is a Government not of Christs making Surely no one character of Anti-Christ but will more exactly befit this then any other Government and if we will suppose which is very probable that those Parables which do shew what Anti-Christ was in the Jew may also teach what he shall be in the Gentile then persecution of those who are sent unto the people much more of those who are set over them by Christ murder committed upon their persons and rapine upon their inheritance must be his chiefest qualities See S. Luk. 10 11 12 13 14. verses where we haue a perfect embleme of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when servants rule their Masters Subjects their King which is the pestilent spawn of that viperous doctrine Dominion is founded in the people and without all question 't is more immediately Anti-Christian to oppose Kingship then to oppose Kings since this may be onely against the persons who are men but that must be also against the authority which is Gods whence they are called his Kings his Anointed 2 Sam. 22. 51. or rather Christs authority for himself saith Mat. 28. 18. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth and is from him derived unto Kings whence 1 Tim. 6. 15. he is called the onely Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords for Kings are of Christs not of the peoples making the Text shews where Christ hath given his power to Kings but not where he hath given it to the people and consequently for them to assume it without his gift and against his command must needs be Anti-Christian so that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are in effect all one to sight against Monarchy is to sight against God who alone originally and against Christ who alone autoritatively is the onely Monarch but to return again to the Church doth not this appeal to the people let in the Rabble over all that 's called God and over all that 's called Christ the Anointedof God and over all that 's called Christian the service of God credenda speranda facienda must we not beleeve and pray and live as the rout will have us or have no outward profession of our faith no publick exercise of our prayers and no communion or Fellowship of our life see what strange calves this rebellious Jeroboam this striver for the people for so doth his Name import hath already set up in this our Bethel the house of God Prayer thrown out of its proper dwelling the publick worship of the Lord forbidden on the Lords own day and in the Lords own house and all because the people will have it so for 't is not the publick circumstances of time and place can make a publick worship when the persons that perform it are not publick because they are no Ministers and the substance of the worship performed is not publick but meerly private both for the matter because the supposed Minister prays onely for his own party and according to his own humour for the form because the people nay most times himself do not know his prayer Is not this truly to prophane the Sabbath in stead of sanctifying it to cry up the day but to beat down the duty of it as if Religion were more in days then in duties more in accidents then in substances more in circumstances which are but shadows then in realities I cannot perswade my self but our late throwing away the publick worship of God exercised in such an excellent Book of prayer as was publick both in its form for known unto and admired of all Christians and in its matter for of such Petitions onely as equally concerned all and introducing a meer priuate worship instead of it if I may call that a worship of God which hath so little reverence towards his Majesty and so few evidences of his authority was the most sacrilegious profanation that ever any Christian people hath yet been guilty of people I say not nation for neither with us is this Apostasie yet become National and God forbid it ever should and yet the reason of all this and much more then this is onely that which formerly was the plea of Comedians not of Divines populo ut placerent quas fecissent fabulas that they might please the people at least with some new invention since they were displeased for some base worldly ends with their old Religion and it makes many a Christian heart tremble to think that we are very near a Babylonian Captivity and the truth of God is breathing its last gasp amongst us because we are come to that desperate condition of the Jews and are as ready as they were to endungeon our Jeremies that tell us of it described by the Prophet Jer. 5. 30 31. a wonderfull and horrible thing is committed in the land the Prophets prophesie falsly and the Priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it so and what will you do in the end thereof there is a generation of false Prophets in the land and the Priests that bear rule by their means applaud their prophesying for so the 70 render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and my people love to have it so i. e. to have false Prophets in stead of Priests hoping thereby to save their tithes and what will you do in the end thereof as yet this horrible thing is beautifull in your eyes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Ezra but what will you do in the end when you shall know it will be bitter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 't is now a Naomi that is pleasant but it will then be Marah that is bitter and will say unto your souls Why call ye me Naomi seeing the Lord hath testified against me Ruth 1. 20 21. but I must leave this argument to some better head and more authentick hand I undertake to speak onely the heart of the true English Protestant who bids me tell you that Divinity alone makes him of the true Church which had its being before his Church not with it and much less from it Divinity of the new stamp if it may be called Divinity which hath man not God for its authour must needs on both sides turn faith into faction and Religion into Rebellion that man and the same reason holds in Christian Churches as in Christian men since a Church is but a Congregation of men I say that man
who will not shame his Religion here nor himself hereafter must with the Psalmist have respect unto all the Commandments Psal. 119. v. 6. then shall I not be a shamed when I have respect unto all thy Commandments or so shall I not be confounded neither internally in mine own conscience nor externally before the world nor eternally before the dreadfull tribunal of Christ and this threefold confusion cannot possibly be avoided by any Christian Church or man but by having respect unto all Gods Commandments To all 1. In toto universali in their full number 't is as Anti-Christian to leave out the fifth as to leave out the second Commandment as heretical to leave out the thirteenth as to leave out the ninth Chapter to the Romanes 2. In toto Essentiali in their full Obligation there is as great an obligation upon the fifth as upon the fourth though the one may chance be cryed up to pull down the other 3. In toto Integrali in the several particular duties that depend either upon their number or upon their vertue and obligation of which we must observe our Saviours Diuinity in the mouth of his Apostle S. James 2. 10. whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point i e. impenitently by not repenting of his sin or doctrinally and magisterially by justifying it is guilty of all the reason is because he keeps the rest for his convenience not for his Conscience his convenience the great cynosure of this new Reformation and it is no less an Evangelical then 't is an an Angelical Truth uttered by Aquinas 22 ae qu. 5. art 3. that 't is impossible for him who pertinaciously disbeleeves one Article of faith to beleeve any of the rest though with his mouth he may confess them all Nam caeteros omnes non tenet per sidem simpliciter veritati primae inhaerendo sed propriâ voluntate judicio 'T is so in the Decalogue as 't is in the Creed a willfull belief is no true faith a willfull Religion is no true Religion for true Religion depends wholly upon Gods not upon mans will but least some mens furious zeal should chance over-rule S. James his Epistle the same divinity hath also proceeded from our Saviours own mouth and his mouth must instruct us or his bloud will not save us S. Mat. 5. 19. Whosoever shall break one of these least Commandments and shall teach men so he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of heaven he that shall thrust a Commandment out of his life not onely personally but also doctrinally shall teach men so shall be thrust out of heaven for his pains he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven call your selves what you will the godly the faithfull the well-affected the Saints Christ will call you the least in his kingdom if you thrust Allegiance out of your Church which is not one of the least but one of the greatest Commandments the first of promise with God though the last of performance with you Allegiance that respects so many Commandments that 't is impossible but it should most nearly respect the Conscience Wherefore I must needs be most heartily sorry that I cannot say with S. Paul Act. 28. 19. I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar not that I had ought to accuse my Nation of for I have too much to accuse my Nation of in the High Court of Justice that I cannot appeal unto Caesar the poor Church of England in whose behalf I speak this was not long since calumniated to be a Mary Magdalene for her devils but now sure there is great reason she should be so for her tears having little else left her to do though yet more to suffer but to mourn and weep and if any say unto her Woman why weepest thou she is ready to answer as that Mary once did because they have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him S. Joh. 20. 13. I have been wholly excluded from all their consultations and actions both concerning his death and burial they have taken away my Lord my Lord the King a King that understood Divinity more exactly then the most learned expressed it more appositely then the most eloquent witness that heavenly piece which shews him to have been more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more truly golden in his mouth then in his Crown and practised it more strictly then the most conscientious amongst his best Divines a King which infinitely propagated the true Christian Faith by his life but much more justified it by his death for shew me all ye Christian Churches in the world since you have learned to mix man with God your own Interest with his in your Religion which of you all have had the happiness to have such a King live in your Religion I am sure none of you all have had the honour to have such a King if you have had a King to dye for it be his death never so much the sin and reproach of the Nation 't is such a sin such a reproach as not all the Ocean that surroundeth us can wash away yet 't is the Justification and glory of the Church that he confirmed that same true Protestant Faith by his death which he had ever professed and defended in his life as Christ did Christianity in its first plantation so did he in its best Reformation seal it with his bloud the greatest conquest the Church of England can ever get over its enemies so far is she from being conquered by them in contriving it for as that wrangling Disputant whom no arguments could convince was quite silenced by him that said though I cannot dispute for my Saviour yet I can dye for him So hath King Charles silenced all the enemies of this poor Church many indeed by disputing but many more by dying Reason enough why in common gratitude beside special duty we should not easily forget our Allegiance much less disclaim it least of all renounce it but there are yet more particular reasons which immediately concern the Conscience and those you may gather from the ensuing discourse which is a collection of diverse Sermons that were once truly a word in season though now they are not or may seem not to be at least in their opinions who will needs be too much judicious and too little consciencious but the Apostle will justifie the Authour in the press as well as in the Pulpit having his out of season for the one as well as his in season for the other 2 Tim. 4. 2. though he desire rather to justifie his Church then himself and condemn himself for all save onely for the integrity of his affection to God and his Church to the King and his People that the infatuated sons of the earth may no longer so scuffle to possess this world as ever to hazard the quiet possession of it and that they may no longer so
possess this world as to hazard their interest in the next it being S. Pauls express Maxime they that resist much more if they impenitently persist in that resistance shall receive to themselves damnation here then is a Looking-glass for the good Subject to see his duty the bad his guiltiness the one to receive the comfort of a good the other to feel the burden of a bad Conscience the expressions were at first plain and the method easie upon force because a Countrey-auditour may easier be posed then instructed and they ought to be no other now upon choice because a censorious Reader may sooner be instructed then ashamed The discourse was at first abruptly broken off with the Kings life but 't is since compleated in regard of length though in no other respect would the malice of bloud-guilty and bloud-thirsty men which is already compleat in all other respects were also compleat for the length and duration of it But O my soul come not thou into their secret and God keep them from coming into thine for in their anger they slew a man yea more then a man a King and in their self-will they digged down a wall enough to make an everlasting breach in this distracted Kingdom cursed be their anger for it was fierce and their wrath for it was cruel I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel Gen. 49. 6 7. when and where Simeon and Levi Laity and Clergy are partners in such a grand iniquity then and there this is Gods sentence against them and must be his Churches Prayer but I have nothing to say to them onely hope they will not be angry with me if I still pray for their conversion though I may not quietly preach for it This small Tractate speaks to and of those onely who still keep the old true Protestant Religion of the Church of England and with it their Allegiance and their Conscience and the spokes-man verily perswades himself that he is the meanest not of seven but of seventy seven thousands of Israel the true Sons of the Church that have not bowed their knees unto Baal Baal Berith that is Baal for a Covenant in his holy pretensions but since turned into Baal-Peor that is Baal for the mount Peor to over-top all through the pride of his spirit or Peor in the other sence to corrupt all through the Libertinism of his flesh in his unholy performances Baal Peor he is without question though beyond example for all that have joyned themselves to this Baal have not onely eat the offerings of the dead Psa. 106. 28. but also of the Living and 't is most notorious that those of that unhappy City which first began these troubles and that they might do it with some colourable pretence commonly called the most Orthodox Divines Baals Priests are now themselvs by the just judgement of God made Baals bondslaves and those of the Ministry who were most defamed with that ignominious and false aspersion are by the mercy of God the chiefest if not the onely men of their order who would rather lose all then be Baals Chaplains they were frightned with the consideration of that Text which once made Origen break out with tears and speak rather with his eyes then with his tongue in the Pulpit Psa. 50. 16 17. verses Lord how many dumb Sermons should we have now adays by those who would be thought the onely Preachers if they would as he did lay that Text unto their hearts but unto the ungodly saith God why dost thou preach my Laws and takest my Covenant in thy mouth whereas thou hatest to be reformed and hast cast my words behinde thee when thou sawest a thief thou consentedst unto him c. See who they were that most hated a Reformation amongst us even they who though they did cry it up yet did practise it down they who did see a thief yea such a thief as impudently answered the Prophets question Mal. 3. 8. will a man rob God and put it out of question and yet consented unto him no wonder if such men have let their mouth speak wickedness and with their tongue have set forth deceit no wonder if the next verse also concern many of them thou satest and spakest against thy brother yea and hast slandered thine own mothers son her truest her best her eldest Son and withall most of her true younger Sons but 't is not a slander can frighten them from their Religion who fear God rather then men Illi mors sibilus cui plausus vita they served not God as hypocrites and therefore have not fallen from his service as Apostates such men are still of the same Church though they cannot so publickly profess it and of the same Religion established in that Church and to them this Treatise belongs which though it be not elegant enough to be their Mothers the Churches Apology yet 't is true enough to be the Churches doctrine for that never taught other then true Allegiance to Gods on earth then true Conscience to God in heaven and never thought that the one could be without the other so that the true Church of England may still with Bishop Jewell in his Apology give solemn thanks to Almighty God Quòdin Angliâ Regia Majest as non minuitur but it must be with relation to its Religion not to the men that have pretended it the Religion of the Church of England is for Obedience and Faithfulness to Kings in the highest degree though some outward professours of that Religion have been as highly for disobedience and unfaithfulness much more then we could have imagined because much more then others ever practised but let not any man say that to be an Apostle hath Treason in it because one of the twelve was a Traitour especially since our Defender of the Faith hath also defended the true professours of our Church in that his Seraphical Book 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the most unquestionable image of himself of his Piety of his Patience and of his Charity a book infinitely above the spirit of any man but a King and as much above the Piety of any King but such a Christian King so throughly conversant with Christ not onely in his doings but also in his sufferings not onely in the innocency of his life but also in the persecutions of it Eâ—pectore mult is tribulationibus macerato prodiêre Psalmi saith Musculus The Psalms of David the sweetest of devotions flowed from the bitterest Marah the bitterness of his soul so our David could not have made such Cherubical ditties fitting the best of Angels had he not been persecuted and reviled by the worst of men this discord gave occasion to that heavenly Musick but I shew my defect of Allegiance whiles I thus labour to express it that book is above all the acknowledgements of Allegiance and can stoop no lower then the Conscience Come and see a Miracle here all ye whose eyes are so wide open to see
nothing but what no body else can see your own holiness Come and see a Dead King ruling in his true Subjects souls whom whilest he was living you would not suffer to rule over your bodies but now he is dead you must and God grant onely you may I say you must expiate his death either with your eyes or with your hearts wash away the guilt of it either with your tears or with your bloud beleeve it all annals and among the rest some Dypticks or Church-Calenders will speak of him as a most glorious Saint but I will not tell how they will speak of you and now if you can come and call this doctrine Court-flattery which was preached not when the King was on his Throne but when he was going to the Bar and published now he is in his Grave then perchance it might have been thought Flattery when there was a Scepter to adorn it and a Sword to defend it but now that 't is so generally decried so publickly discountenanced so resolvedly detested and opposed it can be thought no other then a most divine soul-saving truth which forceth consciencious Ministers to hazard their temporal safety by proclaiming it because they see you hazard your eternal salvation by resisting it and yet to speak but the plain truth it is flattery at no time to say of Kings Ye are Gods for the Text avows it But 't is most desperate flattery at any time to say of Subjects Ye are Kings for the Text denies it and 't is not to be doubted but those men who have already flattered Subjects into Kings to make us slaves will as easily flatter those their Kings into Tyrants to perpetuate our slavery For my part this I will say boldly in regard of my calling as a Minister of the Church of England not in regard of my person who am the unworthiest of all the Ministry and I am not afraid of saying it before men because I am not afraid of saying it before God If I am deceived in this Doctrine of Allegiance and Supremacy 't is my Church hath deceived me and I humbly conceive the Church will yet further say for her self If I am deceived God hath deceived me Domine si decipimur a te decepti sumus Lord if I the now distressed Church of England or the poor Ministers who are truly of my Communion be deceived in the points of Allegiance and Supremacy 't is thou hast deceived us for we are deceived by thy holy Word and now let 's hear that Word speak for it self Eccles. 8. 2 3 4. ECCLES 8. 2 3 4. I counsel thee to keep the Kings Commandment and that in regard of the Oath of God Be not hasty to go out of his sight stand not in an evil thing for he doth what soever pleaseth him Where the word of a King is there is power and who may say unto him what doest thou ALlegiance and Supremacy do belong to Kings by the appointment and from the authority of the King of Kings 't is from him they have the right to govern 't is from him they have the inseparable Rights of Government to be above and over all which we call Supremacy to be truly and faithfully loved served honoured and obeyed of all which we call Allegiance two doctrines upon which Christians did heretofore more severely insist then other men and the Reformed Churches have hitherto more insisted then other Christians So that we cannot fall from them but we must fall both from the glory of the true Christian Religion and from the present most glorious part of that the Reformation we must turn Papists nay the worst of Papists Jesuited Papists and renounce our Reformation Doctrines both of a heavenly descent for had they risen out of the earth they would have been more agreeable with the tempers of men who had their original from thence and still have their affections there but now they are so opposite so repugnant to flesh and bloud corrupt flesh and bloud which is too proud and rebellious to endure a Supremacy over-awing it too unfaithfull and licentious to endure an Allegiance bounding and confining it that the most powerfull Doctour of the Gentiles writing of this Argument is observed to labour exceedingly for variety of expression as if his adversaries who before calumniated the weakness of his presence would now also in this calumniate the want of Power in his writings and not so much as say his Letters are weighty and powerfull though his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible 2 Cor. 10. 10. for though that blessed Apostle write very fully and expresly of all points of Divinity yet doth he seek out for demonstrations chiefly in these three Justification by Faith in Christ Resurrection from the dead and Obedience to the Civil Magistrate and he is particularly urgent and pressing in this latter to shew us that we ought most carefully to lay it up in our Consciences and most conscionably to practise it in our lives and conversations preparing and fore-arming the Church of Christ against those wolves in sheeps clothing those Godly seditious men which should arise after his departing and speak perverse things to draw away disciples after them Act. 20. 30. the like method did God himself observe in the Old Testament and I hope that we Protestants who take the Word of God onely for the Rule of our Faith will not at one time reject both the New and the Old Testament for least men should at any time among the Jews as stiff-necked a people as our selves either for Apostasie refuse or for hypocrisie dissemble or for timorousness conceal this heavenly doctrine which is so necessary for the salvation of souls he which before with Abraham did provide himself a sacrifice doth here with his posterity provide himself a Priest sends such a Preacher as can neither be seduced with Apostasie nor corrupted with flattery nor silenced with fear even his own holy Spirit to preach it in these words I counsel thee to keep the Kings Commandment c. Which words are not a Text but a Sermon concerning Allegiance and Supremacy due to Kings wherein you have these three parts First The Preacher 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I. Secondly The manner of his Preaching I Counsell I counsel thee Thirdly The Doctrines of his Sermon and they are two 1. That of Allegiance to keep the Kings Commandment and that in regard of the Oath of God Be not hasty to go out of his sight v 2 3. 2. That of Supremacy where the word of a King is there is power and who may say unto him what doest thou v. 4. I will handle these in their order and First of the Preacher in this particle I and who this I is we may learn from the first words of the Book The words of the Preacher the Son of David King in Jerusalem that is the words of Solomon without question for no other Son of David was King in Jerusalem but
of the souls affection yet not so quick as at any time to go without its errand Secondly It is to honour them and that not cursorily or meerly for fashion sake but with the engagement of the soul to know them distinctly and to perform them diligently there is an outward honour in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in eye-service or the service of the man but there is moreover an inward honour in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in soul-service or the service of the minde the first is in all manner of serving and the second is peculiarly in observing Thirdly and lastly It is to obey them for observation is vain where it is not active and idle where it is ineffectual which makes our Saviour joyn observing and doing both together S. Mat. 23. 3. that observe and do and consequently the Preacher here bids us so observe the Kings Commands as to be sure not to leave them undone for then our observation will but make us guilty of the greater contempt the wise Historian sets those down for little better then a mutinous rabble of whom he saith Interpretari magìs quà m exequi they were more ready to interpret then to execute all commands truly to observe a command is to love honour and obey it and not onely so but also with the greatest patience as 't is serving with the greatest diligence as 't is observing with the greatest patience as 't is serving for what more tedious then wholly to attend upon anothers will and pleasure yet this you must do if you are bound to serve for that is to wait and with the greatest diligence as 't is observing for wherein can you be negligent if you may not once close much less turn away your eye yet this you may not do if you must observe for that 's to watch as then this word intimates waiting it requires all possible patience and as it intimates watching it requires all possible diligence and yet neither patience nor diligence can be so great as is the reason of them both in the next words and that in regard of the Oath of God where Aben-Ezra's gloss is most admirable a Jew writing to the admiration yet much more as the case now stands with us to the shame of Christians the Preacher saith he useth two such arguments as are both unresistable the one is the word of the Kings mouth the other is the word of thine own mouth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for what hath proceeded from the Kings mouth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for what hath proceeded from thine own mouth that is to say because he hath commanded and because thou hast covenanted so to do sc. to be true and faithfull to thy King and the same Doctour goes on as admirably 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a King among men will not acquit him that rejects his word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and much less will the King of truth the King of Kings hold him guiltless that taketh his Name in vain here is a probable conjecture that among the Jews there was some kinde of Oath made unto their Kings not unlike to our Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy there is mention made of a League or Covenant that King David made with the Elders of Israel in Hebron before the Lord when they came to anoint him King 2 Sam. 5. 3. which Covenant was reciprocal without question that David should not molest them for making Ishbosheth King for two years and after Sauls death yet staying five years longer before they came to anoint David King over them saith Kimchi and consequently that they should play no more such pranks with him be no more false to nor averse from his Soveraignty though mention is made onely of David in the Covenant as of the chiefest party yet the Elders did swear too by Kimchi's own confession though he record not the words of their part of the Oath and indeed it were strange if a Nation instructed in the Law of God should against that Law be forward to binde it self under an Oath not to do good to such or such a man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Philo of his own Countreymen and not be much more forward to swear homage and allegiance to their Kings which that Law did oblige them to but 't is sufficient for us that the Jews did think themselves bound without any peculiar Oath by vertue of their general Covenant with God To be true and faithfull to their Kings for that the fifth commandment was one of those ten to which they had vowed their obedience nay it was indeed the first commandment of promise and they looked by their obedience to inherit the promisedland and if that nation did think so religiously of the obligation of an Oath or Vow as to pretend that for an actual breaking of a commandment as it was answer enough for them why they did not relieve their father or mother to say they had sworn by Corban by the gift on the Altar not to do it Mat. 15. 5. what will become of us who have sworn to the keeping of this commandment to the honouring of our Father and rather then keep the commandment will break our Oath Jews Pharisees and Sadducees that deny the resurrection shall rise up in judgement against this generation and shall condemn it for they made the keeping of an Oath their pretence for breaking the fifth commandment but we have nothing save the breaking of an Oath or rather of many Oaths to alledge for our selves in that we have so shamefully broken it and can onely say we have made our selves guilty of perjury that we might be guilty of rebellion what have we not as great hopes as had the Jews have we not as great Promises as they had why then should we have a less obedience To be undutiful is not the way to obtain our inheritance in earth much less in heaven especially since God looks upon this grand undutifulness to kings as if it were unto himself And we may challenge all Christendom to shew us any nation or people that is not fully as defective in Conscience as it is in Allegiance Jannes and Jambres that first withstood Moses Gods immediate Vicegerent though not to them and then resisted the truth having left this unhappy legacie to all their followers that as they are men of corrupt minds for want of obedience so they are reprobate concerning the faith for want of a good Conscience God will not so far countenance rebellion as to let the true Religion long continue and much less thrive under it and 't is the general observation of all sound Divines that the Scripture doth most commonly joyn the fear of God with Obedience to Kings as 1 Pet 2. 17. Fear God Honour the King not supposing the one possible without the other and to shew it is not they are both joyned together in one act of Fear Prov. 24. 21. My son Fear God and the King and meddle not with them
will not throw away both justice modestie can pretend it to be a work of Religion and righteousness unless there be a Religion and Righteousness without or to speak more plainly and more truly both together against the Text. And as it was before Christs time so ever since till of late years there was the same Supreme in Church and Commonwealth where the Commonwealth was Christian according to that golden rule of Theodosius in the Acts of the first Ephesine Council sacrâ ad Cyrillum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 You must know that the Church and the Commonwealth are so knit together that both do make but one body and therefore can admit but one head and when the Donatists in S. Augustines time thought much that the Civil magistrate should interpose in matters of Religion the good Father Epist. 50. alledgeth the text against them Psal. 2. 10 11. Be wise now therefore O ye Kings serve the Lord with fear and gives this gloss upon it Aliter Rex Domino servit quia homo est Aliter quia etiam Rex est Quïa homo est ei servit vivendo sideliter quia verò etiam Rex est servit leges justa praecipientes contraria prohiben'es convenienti vigore sanciendo sic servivit Hezekias lucos templa idolorum excelsa destruendo c. A King serves God otherwise as he is a man and otherwise as he is a King as a man he serves him by living faithfully but as a King he serves him by making and executing pious laws to propagate and defend his service so did Hezekias so did Josias serve him nay so did the King of Nineveh serve him in commanding a fast upon Jonahs preaching so did Darius serve him in allowing Daniel to break the image and casting his enemies into the lions den so did Nabuchodonosor serve him forbidding his subjects to blaspheme his Name In hoc ergo serviunt Reges Domino in quantum sunt Reges quum ea faciunt ad serviendum illi quae non possunt facere nisi Reges Then do Kings serve God as Kings when they do those things for his service which none can lawfully do but Kings This saith he could not be in the Apostles times when the Kings of the earth did stand up and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and his Christ but now that text is fulfilled all the Kings of the earth shall worship him Quis mente sobrius Regibus dicit nolite curare in regno vestro c. Who but a mad man will say to Kings Do not you look after the Church what is it to you whether the people be Religious or sacrilegious and again Epist. 48. he answers the same objection concerning the Apostles times and since their times till some late centuries of years 'T is most evident that Christian Kings and Emperours did call all the general councils confirm their canons and order the chief matters of Religion Eusebius goes so far as to say that holidays were appointed by the Emperour Constantine Euseb. de vita Const. lib. 4. and that himself did once say to the Bishops when he had invited them to a feast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 You are appointed Bishops or Overseers of Gods service within the Church but without the Church God hath appointed me to be a Bishop you must perform the Divine Service but I must see it performed The like is evident concerning all the ancient Councils The first general Council was called by Constantine and he gives this reason for it because it much concerned him to see that truth and peace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should be preserved in the Church The second was called by Theodosius the first and the Fathers of that Council in their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Emperour do first make this profession that they were gathered together by his writ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and then make this petition that their decrees might be confirmed by his authority 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The third by Theodosius the second and Valentinian The Monks petition them not to neglect the Church of God adulterated by Hereticks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but to call a Council to suppress them and the Council it self professeth they were gathered together by the Emperours Edict 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 calling them for their pains Most Relgious Emperours Lovers of Christ and beloved of God Democratical frensie had not yet so poisoned Religion as to teach Church-men to speak irreverently of Kings much less to act disobediently against them and Pope Celestine in his Epistle to Theodosius tells him plainly Major vobis fidei causa debet esse quà m regni ampliúsque pro pace Ecclesiarum clementia vestra debet esse sollicita quà m pro omnium securitate terrarum You ought 't is not courtesie but duty You ought saith he to set a higher estimation upon your faith then upon your Crown and to be more sollicitous for the peace of the Church then for the peace of your kingdom and he gives an irresistible reason for this undeniable truth Pro vestri enim imperii salute geritur quicquid pro quiete Ecclesiae vel sanctae Religionis reverentiâ laboratur for the same consultations which establish peace and purity in the Church do establish peace and safetie in the Commonwealth The fourth general Council was called by the Emperour Martian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are the words of the Fathers in the second Action and in the sixth Action they call him plainly a Defender of the Faith a new Constantine a new David nay a new Paul too 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They thought a Religious King in some sort equal to an Apostle though not for preaching the Gospel yet for propagating it much like unto that gloss of Aben-Ezra upon Lam. 2. 6. The Priest is to teach the law and the King is to defend the law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the law is committed to them both The fifth general Council was called by Justinian and the Bishops with one acclamation say unto him Zizania tu ejecisti Ecclesias tu emendâsti in collat 4. ad sinem 't is you have thrown out the tares 't is you have reformed the Church and himself in his form sent to the Council to be read before they opened the Synod saith he called this Council as his Predecessours had the other before him Constantine that of Nice Theodosius the first that of Constantinople Theodosius the second that of Ephesus and Martian that of Chalcedon and saith that Constantine Theodosius and Martian did very much assist the Bishops in their several Councils for the recovering either of the veritie or unitie of the Church The sixth general Council was called by Constantinus Pogonatus his own Edict directed to Pope Domnus but by reason of his decease delivered to Agatho professeth as much wherein he requires him to send some of his Church not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
coalescere Unio Gentilium Iudaeorum insimul habitantium Iudaeis enim propter antiquam consuetudinem suffocatum sanguis erant abominabilia Comesti autem immolatorum simulachris poterat in Iudaeis suspicionem ingenerare circa Gentiles quod scilicet redituri erant ad Idololatriam ideo ista fuerunt prohibita pro tempore illo in quo de novo oportebat convenire in unum Gentiles Iudaeos procedente autem tempore cessante causâ cessat effectus manifestâ doctrinae Evangelicae veritate in quâ Dominu◠docet quòd nihil quod per os intrat coinquinat hominem Mat. 15. nihil est rejiciendum quod cum gratiarum actione percipitur 1 Tim. 4. Fornicatio autem prohibetur specialiter quia Gentiles non reputabant eam esse peccatum The Apostles forbad things strangled and bloud and meats offered to Idols not to oblige the Gentiles to the observation of the Ceremonial Law but to bring the Jews and Gentiles now living together into one peaceable Communion that the Gentile might not offend the Jew by eating bloud and things strangled which had been forbidden by their Law nor the Jew suspect the Gentile as relapsing to his former Idolatry if he should eat things offered unto Idols therefore those three things were forbidden for that time onely till there might be a right understanding and a firm agreement betwixt the Jew and the Gentile but in process of time when the Gospel came to be fully published the cause ceasing the effect likewise ceased with it for then both Jew and Gentile were taught that nothing that entreth into the mouth defileth the man S. Mat. 15. 11. and that every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanks-giving 1 Tim. 4. 4. But as concerning fornication that was especially forbidden meerly in relation to the Gentiles because though it were a sin in it self yet was it not so in their opinion Thus the Angelical Doctor determines concerning this decree of the Apostles and to shew it was the undoubted judgement of his Church which in some things clearly sways him against the strength of his own reasons he again in effect renews the same determination Fornicatio illic connumeratur non quia habeat eandem rationem culpae cum aliis sed quia poter at esse similiter causa dissidii quia apud Gentiles Fornicatio simplex non reputabatur illicita propter corruptionem naturalis rationis Iudaei autem ex Lege divinâ instructi eam illicitam reputabant Alia verò quae ibi ponuntur Iudaei abominabantur propter consuetudinem legalis conservationis unde Apostolica Gentilibus interdixerunt non quasi secundum se illicita sed quasi Iudaeis abominabilia 22. qu. 154. art 2. resp ad 1. Fornication is there reckoned up with those other things not that it had as little sin as they but because it might have produced as great a cause of contention for the Gentiles through the corruption of their natural reason accounted fornication as no sin which the Jews knew to be a sin having their reasons enlightned and rectified by the Law of God and as for the other things they were forbidden not as unlawful or abominable in themselves but only as abominable to the Iews And indeed we cannot put fornication into the same bed-role of indifferency with the rest if we do but consider that the Apostles intent was not to give to those new beleevers a rule of life but a rule of peace not directions for their conversation but for their communion not to set down what was fit for their action but what was fit for their Union not what was conducible in it self but what was conducible to their present agreement in the first respect their Decree had been a very imperfect catalogue of things unlawfull a very imperfect rule of abstinence but in the second respect we have great reason to suppose that neither as a catalogue nor as a rule it needed any greater perfection And this was the judgement of the Latine Church concerning this matter though the Greek Church in the Trullane Council can 67. seem to be of another opinion and forbid all manner of eating of bloud but the reason is evident those of that council looked upon this decree as a command of the text and not as a condescention of the Apostles which doubtless was a mistake the like to which had been in the Asiatick Church before concerning Easter whence in process of time sprang up the heresie of the Quartadecimans for whereas S. Iohn the Apostle and some other Apostolical men had out of compliance with the Iews in Asia whose Church was mainly fixed in those parts kept the fourteenth day of the first moneth according to the law of Moses for their Pass-over Polycrates afterwards and the Clergy of his Churches taking that for an example or president which was onely a compliance or condescention would have perswaded the whole Christian Church to keep 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Scaliger cals it to keep a Pass-over rather in remembrance of Christs Passion which was upon a week day then in Remembrance of his Resurrection which was upon a Sunday the Reason was the Churches of Asia had mistaken S. Iohns condescention to the Iews for an approbation to themselves as if what he allowed onely to the Iews he had also approved and by consequent established for the Christians The like mistake seems here to have been amongst the Fathers in Trullo concerning eating of bloud whereas the Greek Church had otherwise a right judgement concerning Apostolical condescention which is not to look upon it as a dogmatical sanction for so Theodoret in his argument upon the Epistle to the Galatians tels us that some Iews had perswaded the Galatians to stick to the Iewish ceremonies of Sabbaths new moons and circumcision saying they should not follow S. Paul who was of yesterday but rather S. Peter and S. Iames and S. Iohn which had been with Christ and did not forbid Circumcision nor those other Ceremonies whereupon Theodoret thus declares his judgement or rather the judgement of his Church for he was neither heretical nor schismatical 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And true it was that those Apostles did not then forbid Circumcision because they thought it requisite for that time to condescend unto the Iews but these men concealing the cause laid hold of the practise and endeavoured by that means to turn the Condescention into a Constitution The like was also the judgement of Oecumenius on Act. 3. 1. where he tels us that S. Peter and S. Iohn went up to the Temple at the hour of Prayer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. not that they did care to Iudaïze but that they might condescend to gain the Iews so that we may safely conclude notwithstanding the Canon of Trullo as well as the practice of the Asiatick Churches that the judgement of the Catholick Church