Exod. 22. 28. Gal. 10 20 Rom. 13. 1 2 3. 1 Pet. 2. 13. which teach me that we must hold our tongues much more our hands yea and that we must take heed to our thoughts and that they are not to be resisted because they are God's Ordinance and so a resisting of them is a resisting of God I know they are called the Ordinance of man and so they are subjectively the power being executed by man objectively being about the society of man finally because for the singular good of man and instrumentally they may be of man in places where they are elective yet is the power Gods originally they are of God who appoints that some should govern some obey and it is the Lord who maintains and upholds this Order I know that some cavilling are ready to say As some such are good so some are bad and are bad ones of God or how can bad ones be of God not considering that God gives the Kingdom of heaven only to the good but the Kingdoms of the earth to good and bad and that the power of the bad is of God and to be obeyed although the abuse of the power where it is abused is of themselves Their power therefore causally is from God his Ordinance they are Gods Ministers and resisters resist Oâ—dinances so him Also because such who resist are to receive greater loss than of goods than of life it self even damnation I have seen some answers to Dr. Fearn The reasons of some to justifie their taking up of arms I have them by me and the Anticaveliarism to that purpose being willing to see what could be said and their Arguments to justifie their doings that I might joyn if the course was warrantable But alas I found much said little proved from Scripture The peoples rescuing Jonathan is pleaded whereas it is cleer that the 1 Sam. 14. 44 45. people drew not into arms of themselves but at Sauls command and by a loving importunity they did hinder the execution of a passionate unlawful command Here nothing is to be found but loyalty Davids being against Saul is to as little purpose David never resisted he alwayes fled 1 Sam. 24. 1 Sam. 26. from place to place he was never found fighting resisting nor hurting no not when Saul was in his hands Nor doth the Prophets wishing those with him to hold the messenger prove that Kings Officers therefore themselves may be resisted 2 King 6. 32. for it is one thing to hold a messenger fast another to strike to slay The holding is a delaying of the execution the other shews contempt of the power But Elisha who knew of the messengers coming knew also that the King was sorry for that command and was coming to withstand it as the Text expresly hath it He in so doing did the Kings will as if he had said Hold him but a while until the King come who will have no such thing done Besides it might be said that all the Kings of Israel the ten Tribes were themselves but rebels against the hause of David We never read in Scripture that good people did take up arms 2 Chron. 33. 5 c. against their Kings when bad as Saul Manasses nor that the Prophets ever perswaded them against such and it shews heavy judgments against those who have rebelled against even bad Kings as Amnon and others 2. My second ground is this Resisting of Kings is against the doctrine and practise of the primitive times of the ancient Fathers Martyrs and other holy men until of late the Jesuits began to flourish who turned Religion into policy and some disorderly reformers as also certain eminent of the Presbyterians as Grotius who wrote a Book de jure belli pacis which did much hurt in these late times but it is well answered in a Treatise called Observations concerning the Original of Government so few misled have defended and weakly resistance that Dr. Owen in his Herod and Pilate could find but two English Divines leaning that way when he wrote his Book which is not long And all along the primitive times they were for obedience and against resistance even of persecutors as Justin Martyr See for the Judgment of Antiquity in this point that excellent Book of the Lord Primate of Ireland Dr. Usher entituled The power of the Prince and obedience of Subjects published with a learned Preface by Dr. Sanderson late Bishop of Lincoln to Antonius the Emperor Theophilus Bishop of Antioch Athenagoras in his Apology to Aurelius do shew Tertullian in his Apology writes to this purpose In one night with a few fire-brands we could be revenged we want not number of men nor arms your houses your Countreys are full of us and we who take Martyrdom so gladly were we fewer what were we not able to do if it was more lawful by our Religâ—on to slay than be slain yea we could leave you and so your places desolate and subject to enemies To this purpose he To this I will add There was a Legion called the Theban Legion consisting of 6666 valiant Christian Soldiers for refusing to commit idolatry every tenth man was executed One Mauritius taking the rest aside encouraged them from Scripture to suffer not to resist they were decimated and executed the second time Then Exuperius taking into his hands the Ensigns of the Legion said to these arms I provoke you not but to suffer And to the Emperor We are thy Soldiers but Gods servants we owe thee our imployment to him our innocency we have our weapons yet resist not being willing to die innocent rather than to live Traitors our weapons we cast away so they were all slain not one resisting And all our strict Divines until our sad resistance Dr. Owens two excepted as Mr. Dod on Com. 5. Dr. Tayler on Titus Mr. Byfield on Peter Mr. Parre on Romans and others were against resistance 3. My third ground I found resistance to be against the Judge Jenkins Laws of our Nation which tell us That to seize the Kings Forâ—s and Magazines is high Treason so to remove his Councellors by arms likewise to levy War to alter Religion to levy War to alter the Law to counterfeit the great Seal to adhere to any State in the Kingdom but the Kings Majesty so to imprison the King until he agree to demands to imprison the King to destroy him and to depose the King by the Law are high Treasons 4. A fourth thing which confirmed me were the Writings of some men as Dr. Fearn and Mr. Symons who suffered loss of what was dear to him rather than take up arms against the King shewing twelve reasons why he durst not joyn in that way The sum in brief take thus 1. Then he should assist in many evils 2. The way was not of God 3. It destroys the whole Law of God breaking all the ten Commandements shewing how every one particularly 4. It is inconsistent with
unjustly hurt and vex the godly without cause and good men through love by discipline do justly correct others for their miscarriages The discipline of the Church being as Cyprian saith the preserver of hope the guide to salvation the retainer of faith and cherisher of godliness The correcting voice of discipline oft doth and may do good to such who will not be moved with the sweet voice of intreating St. Augustine saith He who binds a frantick man and awakes him who is in a Lethargy is troublesom to both yet he loveth and helpeth both So to bind men with the cords of justice that they may not wrong themselves and others is a great good it being also far better to weaken some by justice than suffer them to go on to weaken others by faction Object But if I will complain for neglecting Communions and Chatechising why not of swearers and drunkards Answ 1. I hear no oaths I see no drunkards I see absenters from God's Ordinances and I preach against the one and the other 2. Most speak against swearing and drunkenness as gross sins the other go under the notion of goodness 3. Swearers and drunkards deny not our Church to be a true Church they deny not the Ordinances and they might be better wrought upon and reformed was it not for our divisions The other do little less than seek the overthrow of the Church 4. I hope I am a friend to no vice and such an enemy to all that if any will bring me as good evidence and will stand to it that such and such are incorrigible swearers and drunkards as I have that such and such come not to Communions if I then endeavour not their amendment by Church-censures if I cannot by perswasions let me be blamed I intend not to create any just offence or real hurt to any mans person for truly I know not the man living or creature breathing to whom I do not heartily wish grace mercy and peace My desire is to endeavour in this place to stop the current of opinionists blown by the spirit of error over many parts of this Land to the dishonour of God and endangering of many a mans salvation and staggering well-meaning people and drawing them to disobedience Schism and Faction And whilst I am so doing when I have done I hope to make it appear that as I never yet did shew the least malice nor discontent to them who formerly sought to ruine me and mine so that now I bear not any ill will either to the party or any other but that I do what I do in love and that if they make tryal they may truly say of me as it became a Proverb concerning Arch-bishop Cranmer Do my Lord of Canterbury a shrewd turn and then you may be sure to have him your friend for your labour whilst you live Thus you and I being men are subject to err and it being dangerous to live in error according to my Office and duty I have declared wherein you err that I may not be guilty of the same by my silence If you can bring me convincing grounds that I thus differing from you in judgment and in thus discharging my duty do err you shall soon perceive and see that I will not be obstinate in error And if what I have said contain convincing arguments to make it clear that you do err then I desire the same of you that you may not obstinately persist in error that so both I and you may follow this blessed counsel of the holy Ghost by the Apostle Saint James speaking to you and me in these words Do not err my beloved brethren Preached October 6 13 20. Certain sayings of Mr. Baxter in his Infant-Church-membership THe main scope of their endeavours in publick and private is to propagate their opinions and if they preach any wholsom doctrine it is usually subservient to their great design that the truth may be as suger to sweeten their errors Pag. 144. that they may be easier swallowed They perswade the people that Ministers are seducers lyars c. judge therefore 16. what good may people expect from Ministers How hath it grieved my spirit to see and hear men professing to be more godly than others to make it the business of their lives to disgrace the Ministers of the Gospel When poor people hear those despise the Ministry that 16. once were constant hearers Sure these men having tryed see some evil in that way c. O how it stumbleth and drives off the poor ignorant people 145. from Religion when they see those that have seemed Religious prove such And when they see us at such difference one with another and when they see so many Sects and Parties that they know not which to turn to They think that all strictness doth tend to this and so that the godly are but a company of giddy proud unsettled singular persons that know not where to step till they are besides themselves O! how are the Papists hardened by this I have spoken with some of them that once began to be moderate who now upon the observation of these Sects are generally confirmed in their way and say Now you may see what it is to depart from the bosom of the Church to make the Scriptures common c. The Episcopal Party are more confirmed in their way by it and say You have mended the matter well c. yea those who were offended at the Prelates cruelty do now think they did well and that which was needful for the quenching of this fire whilst it When to whom was a spark And many who began to stagger at the Kings late Wars are now many thousands of them perswaded of the lawfulness of it from the miscarriages of these men And if report too probable do not lye thousands and And other grounds millions of Papists in all Countreys of Europe where they dwell are confirmed and hardened in their Religion by the odious reports that go of the miscarriages of these men in England These say they are your Reformers And this is your Reformation How many thousand Professors of Religion are quite ruined in their souls and turned into Monsters rather than Saints How many sad distracted divided Congregations What dividing and subdividing and subdividing 149. again and running from Church to Church and from opinion to opinion till some are at such a loss that they affirm Christ hath no Church c. How many distracted Families in England that were wont to worship God in unity and joyfulness One will pray and the other will not pray with him because he is unbaptized 16. and a third saith Family-duties are not commanded in Scripture One will sing praise to God another scorneth it as if it were singing of a Jig and a third will sing Psalms from the dictate of the Spirit only One will be of one Church and another of another Envying and strife hath taken place while
not fasting but after supper and must the deliverer wash the receivers feet 2. Christ did not make his example our pattern in such circumstances of time Communicants gesture c. but left his to be guided by his Church in all matters of comeliness and order We read of St. Pauls setting things in order yea seeming to cross the order of Christ forbidding the Corinthians to sup before 1 Cor. 11. 21. And the Church in St. Augustines time did receive the Communion fasting Epist 18. Chap. 6. he saith the whole Church the world over received it fasting that Christ left the manner of receiving to the Apostles that they appointed it to be received fasting and that the altering of the receiving of it after supper to take it fasting was the Ordinance of the holy Ghost for the honour of the Sacrament to have it enter before any external meat Object Christ did sit Mat. 26. 20. Answ Christ did not sit as we do but according to the custom of those Eastern Countreys did administer as the Passeover so his Supper lying on the floor upon couches Esth 1. 6. Mr. Beza from Josephus concludes that they did lye upon couches that one lay upon his next fellow with their feet laid outward And the Greek word shews as much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 26. 20. Macc. 14. 18. Joh. 13. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying to sit upon a bed to take meat after the ancient custom And in Luk. 22 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying to lye along to lye down The posture was therefore leaning or lying along not sitting besides the gesture was changed from God's appointment Exod. 12. 11. Obj. What Christ did not we must not do Christ did not kneel therefore we may not Answ Christ did not give it in the morning nor to Lay-men to no women not in a Church Christ did not give nor the Apostles receive it standing nor sitting as not kneeling therefore he left such particulars to the wisdom of the Church to order are agreed since what Christ did and commanded us to do we must do 2. What Christ did not we must not do what not baptize not communicate with women What Christ did we must do what take after Supper with a Lamb only with twelve 3 Some things Christ did as God some as Mediator some as man and as man he did many things necessary for us to follow him and he did some actions as man indifferent left free not for our imitaion 4. Churches who understand the duty and gestures used by Christ better than such objectors leave all Churches to their liberty not particular members in them to theirs and hence it is that some take it standing some kneeling and some as the Church of Poland either standing or kneeling but not allowing sitting because the wicked Arrians receive it sitting as implying their equality with Christ as man or at least derogatory from his divinity as God Our Rubrick shews there is no adoration of the Elements and it is manifest that adoration came not in amongst the Papists until after Transubstantiation which came in about 1215. and adoration about 1226. nor did Honorius appoint adoration to be used in the act of receiving but at the elevation and when carried about I pray suppose a Malefactor may have his pardon sealed with many priviledges to boot provided he will take it upon his knees not else and he will rather die than take it so because some take it on horse-back others sitting would not men condemn his stubbornneâ—s and say he justly perished Apply it I pray Oh my beloved brethren shall we deprive our selves of this sign to present this seal to confirm and this means to convey Christ and his benefits to us for we know not what for an harmless gesture savouring of humility in our selves and obedience to Governours which Mr. Beza calls a shewing Epist 12. opusc tom 3. pag. 2â—0 of holy Christian adoration Is this our thankfulness to God for planting us in the most flourishing Church in the world Is this our respect we bear to our first Reformers who sealed the Reformation with their blood and to such who have happily defended it Is this the care and love we have to our selves to quarrel at and deprive our selves of God's Ordinances for an harmless gesture Is the Communion a badge of Christianity and shall we be ashamed of Christianity so of Christ Is it a means to feed and nourish our souls spiritually and shall we slight it as not needing such nourishment Are we to receive to testifie our thankfulness for the death of Christ for which we can never be sufficiently thankful and shall we think much to do it Is our coming to the Lord's Table to testifie our Communion with God with Christ with his Spirit and Church and to increase the same that we may live more in unity love and concord and shall we neglect it 5. The Church enjoyns all to come to the prayers of the Church decently and in order And this is agreeable to all reformed Churches who have their forms To the ancient Church of the Jews meeting solemnly at their hours of prayers and to the directions of God Numb 6. 23. Deut. 26. 3 5. Mr. Calvin hath his reasons for set forms in publick an help for the weak to keep uniformity c. In Epist ad Protector Angliae yet alas we have with us who say they are abominable stumbling blocks walking with crutches c. yet such were appointed by God and our Saviour and used by the Prophets and Apostles Consider whether is better to pray with consideration or without whether he doth best who deliberates or he who doth not whether we can pray beter than Scripture prayers Although we may enlarge and vary them to make them more particular and pertinent to our personal occasions Whether he who prayes devoutly the Lord's prayer doth not pray with the Spirit since Christs Spirit taught it whether it is not as fit to offer ex tempore preaching to the people as ex tempore prayer to God See Mr. Durel pag. 64 184. And as for the prayers of our Church we have the approbation of the Reformed Churches And I have read that Gilbertus a German propounds ours for a sample of the forms of the ancient Chuâ—ch We have also the approbation of an Army of Martyrs Mr. Sanders in a Sermon affirms that the service set forth by King Edward was good because according to God's Word and the order of the primitive Church Dr. Tayler saith that that book was so fully perfected according to the Rules of Christian Religion that no Cristian conscience could be offended with any thing therein contained Bishop Ridley a little before his Martyrdom hearing that Mr. Knox did fault the Common-Prayer-Book said Alas that brother Knox could not bear with our Common-Prayer a man of parts and wit as he is may produce popular arguments against it yet I suppose