mine § 29. Saith he I had at large proved the necessity of one Catholick Communion to make one Catholick Church and instead of answering the proef he asserts the contrary upon his own naked authority and that must pass for confutation Ans. Could a man have spoken more untruly that had studied it 1. While he tells us that by Communion he means Union did I ever deny it No nor ever met with a Christian that denied it 2. Yea I said more than he That besides Union some Communion in transient acts is necessary which he placeth not his Communion in Is not this an hardened Disputer Who can doubt but Union and Communion is necessary to one Church But the doubt is wherein it doth consist whether in Essentials Integrals or Accidents and what these be We are far more for Catholick Union and Communion than you We are for Communion with all true Christians even those that you represent odious and excommunicate and ruin and you are for Communion with a Sect that will honour you and obey your will We know that to have one God and Christ and Holy Spirit one Faith and Hope of Heaven one Baptism and a true Love to one another and to be all under one Law and Covenant of Christ and in our several Assemblies to read the same Scripture use the same Sacraments and the same Rule of Prayer the Lord's Prayer and Praise this is a most excellent Catholick Communion We believe that true Christian Unity is the Unity of the Spirit that is mental in Faith Hope and Love but that it must be held exercised and preserved in the bond of peace Eph. 4 3. And therefore if any Christian take it for a sin to joyn with us in the circumstances of Worship if we can we 'l alter them to satisfie them If we cannot we will gladly allow them to worship God together in their own circumstances and there we will love and pray for one another We will not cut men off from Christ or the Catholick Church and damn them for not swearing or saying that they will obey us and that there is nothing sinful in any of our Government Liturgies Forms or Ceremonies Our Union is in greater matters common to all Christians and not in wearing the same fashions and reading the same forms and obeying the usurpers of the power of the Keys that are Lay-men c. And as for having obligation and right to Communion with all other Churches which is all that I can gather he placeth it in save obeying the same Bishops and Canons we make no doubt of such right to be used in due order And therefore we condemn all Church Tyrants that deny men their right And we do not believe that our right is in the power of Prelates to take from us unless we forfeit it and cast it away And we grant obligation to due Communion as well as right and therefore will be no such Separatists as you are that refuse Communion with Dissenters in their Churches yea condemn all that do but call them Churches And seeing no man is obliged to sin we disown their crime that will not let men preach nor communicate unless they will make a solemn Covenant to sin The Catholick Communion that he seems to aim at is to receive and reject the same persons in every Church that are received in or rejected by any one We are for as much of this as is needful to the purity and peace of the Church But we do not believe that all the Christian World is bound to take all the godly persons for excommunicate who shall be excommunicated here according to the 5 th 6 th 7 th 8 th c. Canons of the Church of England nor to silence all Ministers that you silence When we were newly silenced 1662. some great men were imployed to affirm That if we would go and preach to the Americans it was an excellent work and they would bear our charges I told them that our lives would be spent e're we could learn their Languages as fit to preach to them But it seems if we had gone Catholick Communion would have silenced us there too and have obliged the Americans if we converted them to reject us What if Bishops excommunicate men for not paying the Civilians their Fees or for not repenting of a truth or silence us for not assenting and consenting to all in their book must all the World reject us in conformity to them It 's an heinous crime for any one man to draw a Nation to sin with him but much more to engage all the Christian World to sin with him yea and that on pretence of Catholick Communion Christ saith by his Spirit in his Apostle Him that is weak in the faith receive and receive one another as Christ received us If Bishops silence and excommunicate even them that ate strong in the Faith must all the World disobey Christ to obey them If you grant that clave errante they bind not must we take their bare words that claves non errant or must we become Tryers and Judges of all the World that they will judg And how shall all Churches receive the same that some receive when you know not whom you receive your selves Are all the score thousands that are in some of your great Parishes in your Church Must all the World take all the Sadduces Hobbists Infidels and Damners that dwell in your Parishes into their Communion No nor all that come to the Altar when the Priest knows not who they be and never saw them before Do you use to write Testimonial Letters for every one of your Communicants when he travelleth into other Parishes or Diocesses Any man save a Nonconformist that had rather take the Sacrament than lie in Goal is admitted unless some rare Minister stop a notorious scandalous man till the Court absolve him If you make a Prison of your Church and say to all men Chuse this or Newgate c. must all the World receive such because they chuse the Church-Prison rather than the other And if we cannot possibly know which of our Neighbours be of your Church and which not in the same Parish e. g. Martins Giles c. how shall we know who hath right to Communion all the World over You must needs cast us on believing the Bishops words when as 1. They use not to give the World such notice 2. If they did we know not forreign Bishops credibility in France Spain Italy Poland Germany c. they most separate from one another § 30. P. 50. He proceeds He takes that for granted which I can never grant him That the Churches which are divided from one another by separate and opposite Communions may yet be all united to Christ for Christ hath but one Body one Spouse one Flock one Church and if we be not Members of this one Church as no Schismâ—ticks are we are not united to Christ Ans. 1. The Lord have mercy then
the same place their neighbourhood maketh them capable of Personal presential Communion as men that may know and admonish each other and meet by turns and in presence manage their concerns which differenceth single Churches of the lowest order from associated Churches of men that have Communion only by others at distance XV. As Logicians say of other Relations the matter must be capable of the end or it is not capable of the name and form so is it here e. g. It is no Ship that is made of meer Sponge or Paper or that is no bigger than a Spoon it is no Spoon that is as big as a Ship One House is not a Village nor one Village a City nor a City a meer House So twenty or an hundred or a thousand Parishes associate cannot be a single Church of the first or lowest Order being not capable of mutual Knowledge Converse or personal present Communion Nor are two or three Lay-men capable to be such a Church for want of due matter But supposing them capable thô a full and rich Church have advantage for Honour and Strength yet a small and poor one is ejusdem ordinis as truely a Church and so is their Pastor as Hierom saith of Rome and Eugubium so Alexandria and Majuma c. Gregory Neocaesar was equally Bishop of nineteen at first as after of all save nineteen in the City XVI If the Apostles have Successours in their care and Superiority over many Churches it will prove that there should yet be men of eminent worth to take care of many Churches and to instruct and admonish the younger Ministers But it will neither prove 1. That they succeed the Apostles in the extraordinary parts of their Office 2. Nor that they have any forcing power by the Sword 3. Nor that one Church hath power over others by Divine right for the Apostles fixed not their power to any particular Churches but were general Visitors or Overseers of many Yet if the same Man who is fixed in a particular Church have also the visiting admonishing oversight of many as far as was an Ordinary part of the Apostles Office and be called an Archbishop I know no Reason to be against him XVII There be essential and Integral Acts of the Sacred Ministry instituted by Christ These none may take the Power of from any Ministers nor alter the species or integrity of the Office by setting up any such Superious as shall deprive them of that which Christ hath instituted or arrogating the like uncalled But as in worship so in Order and Church Government there are undetermined accidents As to choose the time and place of Synods to preside and moderate and such like And these the Churches by agreement or the Magistrate may assign to some above the rest And if the Magistrate affix Baronies Honours Revenues or his own due Civil forcing Power and make the same Men Magistrates and Ministers whether we think it prudent and well done or not we must honour and obey them XVIII Some call these humane Accidental Orders forms of Church Government and affirm as Bishop Reignolds did and Dr. Stillingfleet in his Irenicon and many excellent men by him cited that no form of Church Government is of Divine Command Which is true of all this second sort of Government which is but Accidental and humane but not at all of the first sort which is Divine and Essential to Christ himself first and to Pastors as such by his appointment so that the essential Government of the Universal Church by Christ and of each particular Church by Pastors specified by him if not of Supervisors of many as succeeding Apostles and Evangelists in their Ordinary work are of unalterable Divine right But the humane forms are alterable Such I account 1. The Presidency and Moderatorship and accidental Government of one Bishop in a single Church over the other Presbyters Deacons c. 2. The accidental Government of a Diocesan as an Archbishop over these lowest Bishops and Churches 3. And the Superiority of Metropolitans and Patriarchs over them so it be but in such Accidentals and within the same Empire not imposing a forreign Jurisdiction These tota specie differ from the Divine Offices XIX All these single Church being parts of the Universal are less noble than the whole and are to do all that they do as members in Union with the Whole and to do all as Acts of Communion with them XX. The General precepts of doing all to Edification Concord Peace Order c. oblige all the Churches to hold such correspondencies as are needful to these Ends And Synods are one special means which should be used as far and oft as the Ends require And if National Metropolitans and Patriarchs order such Synods I am not one that will disobey them But if on these pretences any would make Synods more necessary than they are and use them as Governours by Legislation and Judgement over the Particular Bishops by the use of the Church Keyes and will affixe to them or Metropolitans besides an Agreeing Power and the said Government in Accidentals a proper Church Government by making and unmaking Ministers or Christians excommunicating and absolving as Rulers by the said Keyes it may be a duty to disown such usurpations As the King would disown an Assembly of Princes any where met that would claim a Proper Government of him and his Kingdom Thô it were much to be wisht that all Christian Princes would hold such Assemblies for the Concord and Peace of Christendom XXI The Essentials of Faith Hope and Loving Pracâ—â—ce essentiate the Church objectively And these are all summarily contained in the Baptismal Covenant explained in the Creed Lords Prayer and Decalouge and all with much more even Integrals and needful Accidentals in the Sacred Scriptures which taking in the Law of Nature are Gods Universal Law XXII There is no Church on Earth so sound and Orthodox as to want no Integral part of Christian Religion Proved There is no man on Earth much less any multitude so sound as to want no Integral part But all Churches consist only of Men And therefore if all the Men be so far defective all the Churches are so It is not their Objective Religion Generally and implicitely received that I mean but their Subjective Religion and their explicite reception of the Objective The Scripture is our perfect Objective Religion in it self and as an Object proposed and in general and implicitely we all receive it But as a man may say I believe all that 's in the Scripture and yet be ignorant of the very Essentials in it so a man may explicitely know and believe all the Essentials and more and yet be ignorant of many Integrals All things in Scripture proposed to our Faith Hope and Practice are the Integrals of our Religion But no Christian understandeth all these proposals or words of Scripture Therefore no Christian explicitely believeth them all or practiceth all To hold the contrary
dilemmatically either by Peace and Union you mean inclusive Union with Christ and the Unity of the Spirit one Faith one hope and Union of Christian Love and by Communion a Communion in things necessary to salvation or you do not If you do then this is the true Paraphrase of your words They may have all the Essentials of a true Church except all the Essentials for those they have not If you do not include these then this is the Paraphrase They may be true Believers and penitent and love God and Man sincerely and be Members of Christ and have his Spirit and one Baptism and one true hope of Heaven and the pardon of sin and yet be Rebels and damned for want of somewhat ese which I call Unity Peace and Catholick Communion I think you mean subjection to such as you in all your Canonical Impositions In short the plain truth of this Case I before opened viz. When disobedience to true Church-â—astors proveth tâ— be as Adultery and Murder sins signifying such Predominance of the Flesh and absence of Divine Faith and Love as is inconsistent with 〈◊〉 then it is damning as other grâ—ss and reigning sin is But else it â—uts not off from Christ and if the Prelates pretend to cut off such they are liker to cut off themselves § 33 His rare distinction he fullier openeth which is Between the Visible Church and the one true Catholick Visible Church The Visible Church comprehends all Societies of professed Christians Hereticks Idolaters or whatever they be Tâ—e one true Catholick Church 〈◊〉 not Ans. I have answered this before It 's well the distinction is not commonly observed as the Coyner saith for it would be a common abuse Hitherto we have known but one Universal Church considered as Mystical in Believers or Visible in Prosessors of the same and not another Faith Profest Idolaters or Hereticks that deny the Essential are no Members of it as Visible But this Doctor hath forged an One true Catholick Church less than the Visible and yet Visible Could he have spoken sence he would but have said The Universal Visible Church hath some Members that are sound orderly and peaceable and some that are erroneous disorderly and unruly even as it hath some holy and some Adulterers Thieves and Persecutors In a great house are some Vessels of Earth to dishonour § 34. I fear if I should survey but half the confused passages of this book I should tire the Reader as well as my self I will be briefer with the rest P. 94 95 c. He giveth us an allay against the tenor of his Excommunications and Damnations to shew that he is not so uncharitable as he seems to be and that his Canon that maketh so great a noise hath but Powder without Bullet I look he should say I misunderstand him and therefore I will not tell you his meaning but the sum of his words viz. p. 87. to shew us why Those that believe in Christ repent of their sins and lead an holy life in all godliness and honesty may yet be excluded from all the ordinary means of salvation He first blames them that in these days have thought Holiness so sufficient and would cheat his Reader by citing Austin as of that mind who hath no mention in the words which he cites of Faith Holiness Love to God or to his Saints or Service but only a Catalogue of such Virtues as Heathens or â—nfidels plead for viz. Chastity Continence not coveâ—â—us not serving Idols not contentious patient quiet emulating and envying none sober frugal But yet an Heretick who is without the Christian Faith and Love so far is he from including these in his Description But no doubt he will have some Readers that will swallow all such Hooks as these Then supposing men have no Love that communicate not on his terms nor love the Peace and Unity of the Church unless they joyn in such Principles as his that would destroy it he tells us truly that Heaven is only the Gift of Christ as merited by him and therefore can be had only on his terms and that is only in Communion with his Church and by his Sacraments Ans. And what Christ's Terms are he hath told us Mark 16.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved John 3.16 Whoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life c. The Whole Gospel is a Charter of salvation to all that have true Faith Hope Love and Holiness And all such are in the Church of Christ. 2. And as ordinarily doth the Scripture tell us that the preaching of the Gospel is the means of faith and holiness by which God saveth them that believe and that by the hearing of faith preached the spirit is given Gal. 3.2 c. Rom. 10.14 17. John 5.24 Acts 18.8 Acts 10.44 The holy ghost fell on all them that heard the word before they were baptized even the miraculous gift of the Spirit Matth. 13.18 Mark 4.20 Luke 8.13 21. and 11.28 Christ himself preached but did not baptize He sent forth his Disciples to convert men by preaching Matth. 10.7 and 11.1 Mark 1.38 and 3.14 Luke 4.18 19 43. and 9.2 60. Acts 5.42 and 10.42 and 8.5 25 35 40. and 9.20 1 Tim. 3.16 1 Cor. 1.17 Paul saith he was not sent to baptize but to preach the Gospel John 15.3 Ye are clean through the word c. John 6.63 The words that I speak unto you they are spirit and life John 17. Sanctifie them through thy truth thy word is truth 6.68 and 8.30 2 Cor. 5.19 20. 1 Tim. 5.17 and 1.2 John 4.2 It is able to save souls James 1.21 1 Pet. 2.2 John 8.31 Heb. 4.12 It is able to make us wise to salvation It is by the word of God that men are born again as an incorruptible seed 1 Pet. 1.23 It is that abiding in us that is our continued life 1 Iohn 2.14 There is no mention in Scripture of any one that was converted and made a Believer by Baptism or the Lord's Supper The Adult were all to repent and believe before they were baptized and God promised them forgiveness thereupon He never bid men baptize Infidels nor graceless men Baptism was but the publick solemnizing of the Covenant which they consented to before and the solemn investing them in that relation to which they were before entered And entring them by Baptism stated them in the Universal Church before ever they were setled under any particular Pastor in a particular Church as the case of the Eunuch Acts 8. shews But that which I call his Allay is that he copiously tells us that Heaven is a supernatural state of happiness and not the natural reward of an eartly creature p. 92 93. It is but an earthly happiness that Nature was made for and was promised to Adam in Paradise an immortal life on Earth An immortal life after death cannot be the natural Reward Innocent flesh is flesh Were it not for Heaven
Worshipping him amounts to besides the Union of the Creature with the Creator in whom he liveth c. And no unregenerate ungodly Christian is united to him savingly 5. They are united among themselves 6. This is by a Covenant 7. And by a Covenant Divine as to command approbation and object It is God that they Covenant to own and obey The common Profession of the Mahometans is There is one God and Mahomet is his Prophet It is Divine in tantum as commanded For God Commandeth all men to Own him to believe that God is and that he is the Rewarder of them that diligently seek him And God so far approveth it St. Iames saith Thou dost well to him that believeth there is a God much more that is professedly devoted to him Let us by this examine the Jewish Church Iews now may be 1. A Body 2. Of Men 3. Separated from the rest of the World even in Religion and Church pretensions 4. United to God as Creatures as Men as the corporal seed of Abraham and as professing Belief Love and Obedience to God as their God 5. Strictly united among themselves 6. By a Covenant 7. Which God once commanded and still approveth so far as they own God Let us consider whether this description take not in those in every Nation that fear God and work Righteousness that never heard of Christ being thus combined And whether the Kingdom of God be not larger than his Church Joyn the Head and Tail of this mans book together and by the Head the description for ought I see Iews Mahometans if not almost all Heathens are the Church But at the End I think none on Earth is the Church At least none that separate from a pair of Organs or an ignorant Curate Nor can any man know who Page 2. § 2. He explaineth his Word Body as opposed to a confused Multitude A. But a Community of Equals that have no Governours may have order and â—e no confused Multitude And he himself after pleads over much for a necessity of Rulers P. 3. § 3. And in many places his Confusion and grand errour is repeated that the Christian Church is but one p. 7. We know no Church but what all Christians are members of by Baptsme which is the Vniversal Church p. 8. There is but one Church of which all Christians are members as there is but one Covenant p. 19. If there be but one Church and one Communion of which all true Christians are members c. p. 23. I am no otherwise a member of any particular Church than I am of the Vniversal p. 40. It 's a schismatical Notion of membership that divides the Christian Church into distinct memberships and therefore into the distinct Bodyes And p. 19. and often he saith those Churches which are not members of each other are separate Churches and Schismaticks A. I had hoped that no man but Mr. Cheny had talkt at this rate I. It 's agreed on that there is but one Universal Church The contrary is a Contradiction 2. It is agreed that there is no lawful particular Church which is not a part of the Universal 3. That whoever hath just Union and Communion with a true particular Church hath Union and Communion with the Universal 4. That all men in their Worship of God should accordingly perform it and do all that they do as Men in that Relation to the Universal Church None of this is controverted II. But I had hoped never to have heard any but Seekers say that there are not many lawful particular Churches distinct from the whole and from one another though not disjunct in the Common Essentials For the proof of the contrary 1. I begin with that which I expect should be most powerful The mans own after-Confessions to which he is oft brought Pag. 8. Distance of Place and the necessities and conveniences of Worship and Discipline has divided the Church into several parts and members and Particular Churches c. So pag. 14. pag. 19. All Christian Churches ought to be members of one More fully p. 20 21. This is ad hominem Yea and Nay is his Resolution 2. But I 'le bring other Arguments that prevail more with me The Sacred Scriptures oft tell us of many Churches therefore there are many Act. 9.31 The Churches had rest and 15.4 Confirming the Churches 16.5 So were the Churches established in the Faith Rom. 16.4 All the Churches of the Gentiles So ver 16. 1 Cor. 7.17 So ordain I in all Churches 11.16 Neither the Churches of God have such Custom 14.33 As in all the Churches of the Saints 34. Let your Women keep silence in the Churches So 16.1.19 2 Cor. 8.1 The Grace of God bestowed on the Churches of Macedonia 18. Whose Praise is in the Gospel through all the Churches So 19.23 24. and 11.8.28 The care of all the Churches 12.13 Inferior to the other Churches Gal. 1.2 22. 1 Thes. 2.14 2 Thes. 1.4 Rev. 1.4 To the seven Churches ver 11.20 Angels and Candlesticks of the seven Churches And 2.7 11 17 29. and 3.6 13 22 23. and 22.16 His Concordance might have shew'd him all these in order Phil. 4.15 No Church communicated with me concerning giving and receiving but ye only The dispute now must be whether the Apostles or this Resolver be to be believed They say there are many Churches parts of One he saith There is but one and it 's Schismatical to divide it into distinct memberships or Bodyes c. It 's no Schisme here to say I am for Paul and the Holy Scripture Let who will believe the contradictor 3. My next Argument is this Where there are many Political Societies consisting of Christian Pastors and People professedly associated for the ordinary Exercise of those Relations as such in holy Communion in Christian Doctrine Worship Order and Conversation for Edification in true Faith Hope Love and Obedience and the Glorifying of God therein There are many distinct true Churches parts of the Church Universal But on Earth there are many such Societyes c. Ergo c. Either the controversie is De re or de nomine for we called Separatists use to separate these 1. If de re Let the existence of the thing defined be tryed by Scripture Reason and common Experience 2. If de nomine Forma quae dat esse dat Nomen Here is the true specifick form which is found in many single Churches ergo the Name of such single or individual Churches is due to them 4. Again ad hominem from the consequences 1. If there be not many single Churches in the Universal then there are not many Patriarchal National Provincial Metropolitical Diocesan or Parochial Churches For non entium non datur numerus Many nothings is a contradiction Multae sunt ergo sunt Abest tertij adjecti ad est secundi valet argumentum But if there be not many then 1. All the Parish Churches in England being but one and not many
they cannot change their mindes 1. Whether they will be damned as Excommunicate and practical Atheists that give over all Church Worship 2. Or as damnable Schismaticks for worshipping God in Churches when they are excommunicate 3. Or as perfidious Lyars that will make false Confessions Profession and promises to get off an Excommunication When Mr. Dodwel numbers those with Schismaticks that suffer themselves to be excommunicate if they have no other means in their Power to hinder it it seems these great Enemies to absolute reprobation do think all Christians being unavoidably born to imperfection of Knowledg are as unavoidably born to damnation whenever Prelates or Priests please thus to precipitate them LXXXVI 2. Particularly 1. The first and second Canons ipso facto excommunicate all that say that any manner of Obedience and Subjection within his Majesties Realms and Dominions is due to any usurped and foreign Power By this all Papists and all pretended Protestants such as Dr. Barrow confuteth who hold any manner of Obedience and Subjection due to Pope or Foreign Councils are Excommunicate 2. Those that say that the Book of Common Prayer containeth any thing in it repugnant to the Scriptures are ipso facto excommunicate Which now by the new Laws are interpreted of the present Books 3. In this all are excommunicate who say the Mis-translations in Psalms Epistles or Gospels of which many instances have been given to be any thing repugnant in the Scripture 4. And all that say It is against the Scripture to deny Christendom to all Infants that have not such Vowers in their Names and for their Education as we call Godfathers and Godmothers thô the Parent who is forbidden it offer his Child by Sponsion 5. And all that say it is against Scripture to deny Christendom to all that refuse the Covenanting transient Images of a Cross. 6. And all that say that it is against Scripture for all Ministers to profess that it 's certain by Gods Word that baptized Infants without exception so dying are undoubtedly saved when no word of God is cited that saith it and adding to Gods word is dreadfully threatned and when it 's certain that all Ministers are not certain of any such thing and I think no one 7. All are ipso facto excommunicate that say It is against Gods Word to deny Church Communion in the Sacrament to all that dare not take it kneeling for fear thô mistaken of breaking the second Commandment by Symbolizing with Idolaters that are seeking to reduce the Nation to their Sin and that live round about us 8. All are excommunicate that say it is against Scripture to pronounce all saved that are buryed except the unbaptized self-murderers and the excommunicate while thousands of Sadducees Hobbists Infidels Papists Perjured Adulterers Drunkards c. dwell among us 9. By the fifth Canon all are ipso facto excommunicate that say Any of the Articles are in any part erroneous or such as they perhaps as doubters may not with a good Conscience subscribe to and consequently all the aforesaid Conformists that think the sence erroneous while they subscribe those words and shall affirm e. g. that Canons are made necessary to Salvation thô the matter cannot be proved by Scripture contrary to Art 6. Those that contrary to Art 8. say any thing in Athanasius Creed may not be subscribed Such as Bishop Taylour that against Art 9. deny Original Sin Those that say contrary to Art 10. that the Word no Power excludeth Common natural Power or maketh Nature to be Grace Those that write against our being accounted righteous only for Christs merits and say that another subordinate Righteousness is named many hundred times in Scripture contrary to Art 11. Those that contrary to Art 13. say that works done before the Inspiration of the Spirit may make men meet to receive Grace Those that with Dr. Hammond write for works that are not commanded but counselled and Free-will-offerings contrary to Art 14. All they that take Infants and new baptized Persons to have no sin contrary to Art 15. All that say that after we have received the H. Ghost we cannot depart from Grace given contrary to Art 16. Those that deny the Doctrine of Election in Art 17. Those that say any on Earth may be saved by diligent living according to the light of Nature without knowing the name of Christ contrary to Art 18. Those that contrary to Art 19. reject that Description of a visible Church which reacheth to such as our Resolver damneth All that contrary to Art 20. say that the Church may not enforce any thing to be believed for necessity to Salvation besides the Scripture even those that say it 's necessary to Salvation by avoiding Schism to believe that all imposed Tyths Covenants Practices and Ceremonies are not sin All that contrary to Art 21. say that General or other Councils may be gathered without the command and will of Princes and deny they may erre and things ordained by them as necessary to Salvation have neither Strength nor Authority unless it may be declared that they are taken out of Holy Scripture Those that deny Art 23. that those are lawfully called and sent into the Ministry who have publick Authority given them in the Congregation to call and send Ministers into the Lords Vineyard are chosen and called hereto for want of Canonical Succession Those that contrary to Art 24. would have Gods Worship performed to them that understand not the language to avoid the Schism of having many Churches in a City Those that take Confirmation or Penance or the other three for Sacraments of the Gospel contrary to Art 25. Those that contrary to Art 26. would not have it believed to be the Peoples duty who know the Offences of Bad Ministers to accuse them All that contrary to Art 27. are against Infant Baptism as agreeable to Christs Institution All that contrary to Art 28. say the Body of Christ is given and taken and eaten in the Sacrament otherwise than in a Spiritual manner by Faith All that say that in some wise the wicked are Partakers of Christ in the Sacrament contrary to Art 29. All that contrary to Art 30. say There is other satisfaction for Sin besides Christs Blood All that say that Men justly Excommunicate may be reconciled and received by the multitude without open penance which is ordinary contrary to Art 33. All that contrary to Art 34. think that a General Council may ordain such Traditions or Ceremonies as shall in all places be one or the like and that every Particular or National Church may not abolish those Ceremonies or Rites which the General Council or Colledge ordained Many things in the Book of Homilies especially against peril of Idolatry are blamed by many Conformists contrary to Art 35. All that contrary to Art 36. say that the Book of Ordination wants some things necessary All that contrary to Art 37. think that Pope or foreign Bishops have any
be Mr. Raphsons coming out I thought it my duty to Animadvert on that and to bear my Testimony against Schism on both Extreams lest I be guilty of Partiality and of the Sin and suffering of many that may be deceived by them If these Two be not overmuch discouraged the other Two against both the Extreams may come hereafter THE SECOND PART AGAINST SCHISM c. The Reasons of Mr. Raphson and such others against going to the Parish-Churches considered THE Matter of his Book as against Persecution is very considerable the Stile is very close and pungent His Doctrine against Communion with the Churches that use the Liturgy is that which I examine The sum of it is 1. That kneeling at the reception of the Sacrament and the use of the Liturgy are unlawful 2. That they are false Worship and Idolatry 3. That the places where they are used are Idol-Temples 4. That to joyn there in them is to partake in Idolatry 5. The proof of all this is by this Argument Worship not institute is not lawful but kneeling in receipt of Bread and Wine is Worship not instituted by Christ therefore not lawful therefore not pleasing p. 160 161. To which by way of Motive he addeth p. 275. How many once in the separation are returned back to the Vomit they once cast up and wallow in the mire of a worldly worship c. Is compliance in Idol-Temples going to Dan and Bethel bowing to Baal sitting or drinking with the supersâ—itious in acts of religious adoration a witness for or against defection Are you turned as silly sheep that once were called shepherds to bleat after other shepherds that Christ never sent nor bid you go after them c. Looks it not like a declining of the Camp of Christ the work of the Gospel and setting your face towards Babel c. Is scandal of no weight with you c. How dare you venture your souls to sit under Means that he says shall not profit you and which is worse lies under his curse Ier. 23.32 Mal. 1.14 with more such Either this Writer knoweth how ill he dealeth with his Reader or not If he do it 's a double fault if not which I think it 's a doleful case that every well-meaning man that can but be confident in his ignorance and error and father it on God should become such a snare to them that cannot see through his Pretences and should himself suffer for sinning and call it the Cause of God and condemn all that sin not as confidently as he and hereby harden his afflicters by shewing them his weakness and impenitently justifying his sin If he would not have ensnared his Reader he should first have opened the meaning of the words of his Question that they might know how much of the Dispute is material and how much only about words 2. And then he should have so proved his assertion and accusation as might satisfie a good Conscience in a matter wherein God the Church and Souls are so much concerned and not have poured out Accusations by way of Motives upon unproved and false suppositions I find but one Argument which I shall now answer plainly His Major is Worship not instituted is not lawful Ans. 1. The word Worship in general signifieth 1. Any thing done in honour to another and so all our obedience to God is Worship It is to his glory that we must do all I suppose that this he meaneth not 2. Any immediate act or expression of the honour and reverence of the heart If this be not it that he meaneth by Worship I know not what he meaneth This Worship as within is the secret act of the soul as exprest it is the act of the body Of such Worship there are two sorts One sort is made necessary statedly by God's commanding it in particular To this no man must add the like or from it diminish any thing so commanded either pretending God's authority or his own The other sort is but the subordinate ordering of the former and is but the manner of doing it This God doth not institute in particular but only give man a general Rule how to choose it himself which is That all be done in love and to edification decently and in order Either this latter sort is to be called Worship or not If it be then it falls under his opposition If not then 1. He must give us a definition of Worship which shall exclude it and so Worship must be somewhat else than the direct or immediate acting or expressing honour to God And then who knows what he meaneth by it 2. And then when we plead for mens making none but this he should to avoid deceit confess that the Controversie is only of the Name whether Modes and Circumstances of God's instituted Worship may be called Worship and not at all of the Thing whether it be lawful or not This had been like a Christian Teacher Now I answer 1. to his first Proposition 1. Worship which is neither instituted particularly nor in the general appointing man how to choose it is unlawful 2. And to invent worship without God's allowance contrary or of the same kind as if he had not done his part is unlawful 3. But for man to choose and use such worship as is but the right ordering of God's Institutions is commanded by him and a Duty and therefore not unlawful 2. As to his Minor or Second Proposition I answer Kneeling at the Sacrament and communicating with Parish Churches that have tollerable Ministers are not instituted of God in particular but the Genus of them is instituted and we commanded to choose our selves according to God's general Rules to the best of our understanding and so they are our Duty and not unlawful I give the Instances of these two sorts of worship First God hath Instituted that our Minds Worship him in believing and receiving all his Gospel Revelations and trusting them and in desiring all things Petitioned in the Lords Prayer and in consenting to all commanded in the Scriptures and in Dedicating our selves to him cordially in Baptism and renewing it in the Lords Supper in commemoration of Christ's Death till he comes He hath Instituted the Corporal Expresions of all these That we confess Christ in all the necessary Articles of Faith That we ask the Petitions of the Lords Prayer That we perform the Commands of the Decalogue towards God and all others in the Scripture These are the Instituted Worship which none must alter Secondly The Manner and Ordering which is the Second sort which I leave every one to call Worship or not when they have defined Worship which man may and must chuse himself without any Particular Institution of God contain such Acts as these 1. Undetermined gestures of Reverence and Honour in time of Publick Worship As to be uncovered or put off the Hat at Prayer or the Lord's Supper This we do directly in honour and reverence to God whom
thingt in their three Books that would not prove the Church of England no part of the Catholick Church If a Lay-man could prove it unlawful to trust other men with his Child in Baptismal Covenanting as far as the Church here doth or sinful to joyn in avoiding the Communion of all such gâ—dly men as the Canons or a Lay-Civilian may Excommunicate This will not prove the Church of England no part of the Catholick Church If any Church will deny men Communion unless they subscribe to some one small Untruth as the Liturgies false Rule to find out Easter-day or a mis-translation or the denial that Christ died for all c. this doth not unchurch them all But men have made so many snares by their numerous invented sinful forms of Communion that by such schsmatical Censures as this one scarce knows what Church on Earth is â—ot unchurched § 54. He saith Where there is 〈◊〉 bâ—â—ach of Communion no declared 〈…〉 act of communiâ—n between 〈…〉 be in communion with each 〈…〉 You may say of them what you will But all these Negatives speak no positive Act And is Communion nothing but Negations All this I may say of those that never heard of each others being 2. There may be an express disowning of each as the Romans did the Asians about Easter and the Africans about rebaptizing and the Britains disowned Augustine and as some disown a Pair of Organs or neglect of Discipline c. And yet both be parts of the Catholick Church § 55. P. 326. He is so Catholick in Doctrinals as to say that We may safely communicate with any Church how different soever our Opinion in other Matters may be when we agree in all the Fundamentals of Christian Faith and Essentials of Worship Answ. What could one wish more Is this the same Man May you not then admit those that so far agree with you Are all your humane Associations and Confedearcies and all the Laws for Church-Discipline and Government made by men that have no Legislative Power Essentials of Worship or Fundamental Doctrines of Faith Are all that your foresaid Canons Excommunicate Men for such Essentials If this much be enough in the Church notwithstanding all other Sins and Errors why not in those that you should receive But it seems by this that Matters of Divine Faith and Worship besides bare Essentials are small things to him in comparison of Bishops Rules and Canons § 56. Pag. 395. He saith To separate causelesly from any true and sound part of the Catholick Church cuts such Separatists off from the Church If they will justifie their Separation they must prove that what is Enjoyned is Sinful Answ. 1. Have you answered what they have said and said again towards a Proof Remember that you call them to it and justifie their Separation if they prove it 2. But your Conclusion is false and odious leaving it doubtful what part of the Christian World you damn not If I could prove that you separate causelesly from the Nonconformists doth that certainly cut you from all the Church I doubt there are too few Christians on earth who do not in some degree separate causelesly from others Grotius joyned with no Church locally in Worship long before he died Most of the Church in East West South and North is damned falsly by this Rule He that doth but causelesly separate pro tempore from a Preacher by Passion or Mistake as Mr. Martin aforesaid from Mr. Lapthâ—rne separate causelesly from a true and sound part of the Christian Church His words make me think so sadly of the Case of the Church that must be tempted and distracted by such men as puts me far from a sporting frame But as Dr. Twisse and some of the Gravest Writers sometime divert their Readers with a sad Story that hath somewhat in it ridiculous why may I not put him another such Case At Bridgenoth before 1639. One Parson Crosse a thorough Conformist Preacht a Sermon In which inveighing against Marriage he said If you marry a Widow She will be like a Banbury Cheese when all the Paring is cut off there 's little left So when all Portions and Legacies are paid â— Whoever Maid or Widow if you will hope for a Wife and virtuâ—us Woman you must be like a Man that will find out one Ele in a Barrel of Snakes It 's a hundred to one you miss her But if you light on her you have but a wet Snig by the Tail a slippery handful Now the Women were angry with the Preacher he was an Orthodox Licens'd Man They separate from him Quere Whether they separated from the Catholick Church Reader I am tired with following this Writer and Mr. Crosse's Sermon makes me think of his Book By that time all the wordy mistakes are pared off the good matter is like his pared Banbury Cheese And if you fish for them at a venture it 's great odds but you meet with some scurvy words or matter instead of them Or if you light of that which is better his Sence is so uncertain in undistinguisht words that you have but Mr. Crosse's wet Snig by the Tail But not to seem more incredulous and indifferent from him than I am I subscribe to his words to Mr. Humphrey pag. 226. Ignorance and Insensibility is as great a security to some Men against Shame as Impudence is to others And to his words to Mr. Lobb pag. 388. What a blessed thing is Ignorance which helps Men to confute Books without Fear or Wit And I do acknowledge That this â—r hath helpt me more sensibly to understand St. Paul 1 Tim. 3.6 Not a Novice lest being lifted up with Pride he fall into the condemnation of the Devil FINIS UNNECESSARY SEPARATING disowned in the Reasons of the Authors Censured Practice § 1. WHEN I see 1. How many suffer for refusing Communion with the Parish Churches 2. And how many are offended with Me and such others for Communicating with them censuring Us as mistaking compliers with Sin The Cause and some good Peoples request invite me to answer these following Questions I. Whether Men should be compelled to Communicate with any Church by Corporal Penalties II. Whether they who consent to Communicate with some Church may chuse their own Pastor and Company or may by force be confined to their Parish Priest and Church III. For what Reasons I and such others Hear in and Communicate with the Parish Churches And whether so to do be a Sin or a Duty or a thing Indifferent § 2. I. To the first case I answer 1. It were happy if the Sword could compel Unbelievers to Believe but it cannot nor is a way which Nature or Scripture ever allowed Man to use for such an end 2. To force an Unbeliever to Lie by saying he Believeth is a Sin 3. An Infidel must not be Baptized till he profess with seeming Seriousness and Willingness that he Believeth in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and will Vow
Translation the Building the Gestures Vestures Treasures c. You add another mistake that every thing that belongs to it is a part of it Then all these forementioned are parts of it for they all belong to it XVI Error What a strange thing make you of Gods Worship Then your Time Place Notes Words Tunes Gestures Covenant-Form Catechism-Forms c. are all parts of Gods Worship for they belong to it And then you must be separated from for adding them But after this mistake you say Outward Circumstances are natural and occasional no accidental parts of worship Answ. Just now all Accidents were parts or else Accidents belong not to it And now it hath no accidental parts Certainly this is the truer for I remember not that ever I heard of mere Accidents that were Parts A mans Name Relation Trade Cloathing Age House c. belong to him and are Accidents but no parts of him no nor his Hair if it be a mere Accident But do none of these duely belong to him 2. The word Worship as I said before is Equivocal as signifying only the Things made necessary to the honouring of God directly by Divine Command or the subordinate Acts Modes Circumstances left to Humane Choice In the former sense the Order Words and Forms in the Liturgy and in all our usual Devotions are Accidents and not Parts In the later sense they are Parts But whether this later sense of Worship be apt is but a strife about a word But you say they are natural and occasional Ans. Dark words 1. I think the Translations Metre Tunes Notes your Words and Method Table Cups Cloth Temples c. are rather Artificial than Natural Art and not Nature made them what they are If you mean that Nature commandeth them then God by the Law of Nature commandeth them and what greater Authority can they have But yet that is not so Nature doth not determine us to this or that but leave all to apt and prudent Choice And so he doth as to the form or words of Prayer If by Occasional you mean such as must be mutably fitted to just Occasions there is no doubt of it And while the Occasion is constant so may the Accidents But sure while they are such yea and relatively appropriated or separated to worship as Buildings Utensils and Maintenance may be they belong to that Worship which they are no parts of D. O. 2. Prayers and Praises absolutely considered are not an institution of Christ they are a part of Natural Worship common unto all Mankind His institution respects only the internal form of them and the manner of their performance but this is that which the Liturgy takes on it self namely to supply and determine the matter to prescribe the manner and to limit all the concerns of them to Modes and Forms of its own which is to take the work of Christ out of his hand § 9. YOur Second Answer is no better 1. If by absolutely you mean not generally but as opposite to conditional it hath no sense here that I can find But if it be in genere that you mean as the Context intimateth they are no part of Worship at all natural or instituted For there is praying which is cursing and striving against God and Goodness and praying to Idols But I suppose you mean de specie praying to the true God for good things needful And so it is another Mistake That this Prayer is not of Christ's Institution because it is a part of Natural Worship All is of Christ's institution which is part of his commanding Law The Law of Nature is now Christ's Law who by Redemption is become Lord of Nature and of all Iohn 17.2 3. Mat. 28.18 19. Eph. 1.22 23. Rom. 14.9 10. Iohn 5.22 c. He most strictly commandeth Natural Duties The Ten Commandments were of Natural Obligation XVII Error and yet instituted And as Love was called a New and Special Commandment as required on new and special grounds and ends so is Prayer thus far also new 2. And it is another Mistake That Christ's institution respecteth only the internal form and the manner of performance The internal form is inward desire offered mentally to God XVIII Error And is not this Natural if Prayer be Sure the Form is the Thing But the institution of Christ reacheth the Matter of Prayer as well as the inward Form and outward Manner That we pray for the things mentioned in the Lord's Prayer for God's Glory Kingdom Will to be obeyed c. for Pardon the Spirit Grace Glory c. That the Gospel may have free course c. It is another Mistake That the manner of performance is sinful which is not of Christ's institution The Words and Method and Length are the manner of performance XIX Error Can you shew an Institution determinative of all the Words Method and Lâ—ngth of all our Prayers Or of all our Psalms Rhimes and Tunes and all our Gestures and Utensils c. By these words I am induced to hope that the common report That you were against the ordinary use of the Lord's Prayer in words is false for here you seem to be more for it than you ought For if all the outward Manner must be instituted by Christ sure the Lord's Prayer will be at least the chief part You say the Liturgy takes on it self to supply and determine Matter Ans. 1. Matter is more than Manner But this is another Mistake For the Liturgy supposeth that Scripture is the Rule and Christ the Commander of all the Matter of Prayer which is of constant use and need as the Articles of Religion and the Ordination-Covenant shew And you give no instance of the contrary But as to mutable Matter which vary as occasions by Providence do as days of Humiliation and Thanksgiving the 5 th of November and those things that are specially suited to some times and places you determine of such your selves in all your Prayers XX. Error It is another Mistake That thus to limit the Concerns of Prayer to Mâ—des and Forms is to take Christ's work out of his hands If so then you must shew us where Christ himself undertook so to limit us to his Modes and Forms only else it is not Christ's proper work Is there a Liturgy of his making more than we ever heard of 2. And then do not all Ministers in every publick Prayer take Christ's work out of his hands Do they not limit the people in Matter Mode and Form of words What heavy charges lay you on your selves Do not the Composers of Hymns and Psalms so limit them to Mode and Form It 's clear that they do D. O. 3. Outward Rites and Modes of Worship divinely instituted and determined do become the necessary parts of Divine Worship See the Instance Levit. 1.16 Therefore such as are humanely instituted appointed and determined are thereby made parts of Worship namely that which is false for want of
men for the Ministry that had the extemporate gifts of Prayer and Preaching 2. And you confess that each Church had then many Elders for oversight besides those that laboured in the Word and Doctrine Do you believe that all these had such extemporate gifts of utterance Or that these might not on occasion Pray and Preach 3. If Parents teach Children necessarily to Pray in a prescribed form of words without designing to defeat Christ or his Spirit but to subserve them how can you tell but the first prescribers of publick forms did mean as well when they found few persons able to do so well without and abundance of Hereticks ready to corrupt Gods Worship with their Errors 4. Let it be soberly considered Whether mens long and hard Study for all the words which they write in Books and for their Sermons be done to defeat Christ and his Spirit or to subserve them And why the use of words studied by others and weighed by us before we utter them should defeat the Spirit any more than words premeditated by our selves Or at least is not the Spirit as much defeated in the People that joyn who ever prepareth the words For they do not themselves put them up by their gift of utterance And its impossible when you speak for the people to know whether those words were before studied and whether by your self or by another from whom you borrowed them I have heard Mr. Ph. Nye wish that some men were sent into Wales and other such places with an injunction to read good Sermon Books to the people such as Dr. Prestons Sibbs c. was this spoken to defeat the Spirit or to serve him D. O. 1. A total neglect of all gifts of the Holy Ghost in the Administration of Church-worship and Ordinances § 14. THe first Consequence is an untruth No doubt but Liturgies were abused to cherish Ignorance and Negligence XXVII Error But that the neglect was total is not true whether you respect all the Churches or all the parts of Worship and Ordinances 1. The many holy and excellent Men whose fame and writings are transmitted to us did not totally neglect all gifts of the Holy Ghost Were all the great Volumes of Sermons preached and written by Chrysostome without any gift of the Holy Ghost Or was Preaching no Ordinance Were all Augustine's elaborate Volumes done without him Or all Cyprian's Macarius Ephrem Syrus Basil's Gregory's yea or Bernard's Homilies and Works 2. Are the gifts of Holy Desire Faith Hope Repentance no gifts of the Holy Ghost Or can you prove that these were all totally neglected in the administration of Church-worship 3. It 's known thar in the Exercise of Discipline which is a Church-Ordinance and in Catechizing and Preaching they were not tied only to a form of words no nor in all Confession Prayer and Thanksgiving 4. It 's a great blow to the Universal Church to say That it totally neglected all the gifts of the Holy Ghost D. O. 2. When a Plea for the Work of the Holy Ghost began to be revived it produced all the enmity hatred and contempt of and against the Spirit of God himself and his whole Work in the Church which the World is now filled withal § 15. THat word his whole work in the Church is another mis-report XXVIII Error It is not his whole work that is so contemned A man may preach for Mercy to the Poor for Obedience to Authority for Love c. and he may sing Psalms of Praise and pray for Pardon and for Kings and Magistrates and for daily Bread and may profess to believe the Creed and Scripture c. without the contempt which you describe But no doubt but Malignity will take advantage of Liturgies and of almost any thing and so hath still done All is not unlawful which bad men abuse What is more turned against Christ in the world abroad than his Two great Ordinances of Magistracy and Ministry What more abused to strife than the Sacrament of Love Union and Communion Are all these therefore unlawful And it 's a palpable Mistake That the foresaid scorn of all done by the Spirit ariseth from hence alone XXIX Error a justification of the devised way of Worship It ariseth more from a malignant enmity to serious godliness and from worldly interests and designs and from the slanders of Seducers that accuse good men and too much from the miscarriages of many that have boasted most of the Spirit as Quakers Ranters Familists c. do And Experience confuteth you For all those Countries that make but little use of Liturgies have yet malignant parties that hate and oppose spiritual serious Exercises of Religion D. O. All the Reproaches that are daily cast upon the Spirit of Prayer all the concontempt and scâ—rn which all Duties of religious Worship performed by his aid and assistance are entertained withal ariseth from hence alone namely a justification of this devised way of Worship as the only true way and means thereof Take this away and the wrath and anger of men against the Spirit of God and his wâ—rk in the Worship of the Church will be abated yea the necessity of them will be evident Tâ—is we cannot comply with lest we approve the original design of it and partake in the sins which proceed from it § 16. BEcause you lay the main stress of your Cause on History and Experience you constrain me to add some more History which I had rather have past by But if I set not Experience against Experience I shall leave abundance unto the danger of error who can judg by little else than Experience and that see and feel what 's present and forget what is long past and gone The Truth I have opened in my Christian Directory that both ways are liable to great abuse and all humane actions have their inconveniences The benefits of a sound Liturgy are 1. To keep out Heresie and ill words from publick worship 2. To be a help to men of unready utterance 3. That the people may know before-hand what they joyn in The inconveniences are 1. The dulling of Affection in hearing still the same words 2. The tempting of slothful worldly Candidates and Ministers to learn no other way of praying when this will serve all their worldly turns But I must add That this followeth not the imposing of a Liturgy but the exclusion of other Prayer and taking up with this alone 2. The conveniences of praying from an habit are 1. A just variation as Occasions vary 2. Help to fresh Affection 3. Forcing Ministers to get ability for utterance The inconveniences are 1. That the people know not till the words are past whether they may own them and so hardly try all and follow with just consent 2. That abundance of young raw unskilful men do ordinarily disgrace Prayer by their unskilful methods and expressions 3. That Hereticks and erroneous men have great opportunity to put their sins into their
breach of their Covenant But they professed their gratitude without subscribing Divers of them are yet living but most by far are dead Were it not lest the Papists take advantage by it to undermine and ruin Peace-makers under the Name of Trimmers I would name you many places up and down in England where all the people live in love and quietness as if there were no Convulsive Cruelty or Schisms in the Land and this through the wise and conscionable behaviour of the Ministers the publick Ministers with the ejected Nonconformists living in so great and open amity as uniteth all the people Those that desire Reformation won by the good preaching and living of the publick Minister and by his kindness go all to hear him and when at other hours they meet to edifie one another by praying singing Psalms repeating a Sermon or reading a good Book he is far from hindring them Let any man that hath the Spirit of Christ judg whether this be not a better state of the Church than for some to be railing men from Communion with the charge of Idolatry and making the rest odious and for others to prophane the Pulpits by preaching up slanders and scorns and serving Satan in Christ's Name by making Religion seem Hypocrisie and conscionable men pass for odious Rebels for fearing lest some points of Conformity be sin and stirring up Rulers to use them accordingly if they were so bad and miserable as to be perswaded by such to persecution Which of these think you is the better and more desirable case Obj. But what would you do your self if you were in Spain or any other Land where there is no Church-worship but the Mass Would you not forbear all And will not the Papists use against you the same Arguments which you use against us and say That you separate from all the Church on Earth for 1000. years and so from Christ Ans. 1. What the Papists will say maketh not all true which they say The Question is Whether they say it truly 2. It 's the trick of deceivers in dispute to prove ab obscuriore and carry the Controversie into a darker Room and to fish in troubled Waters What if it were an hard Controversie whether I must separate from Papists from Bonner Gardiner c. doth it follow that it is as hard whether I must separate from Bradford Ridley Hooper and all those Martyrs and all the Protestant Churches With whom then shall I communicate 3. I 'le tell you what I would say and do to such Papists 1. I will prove their Objection false And 1. that at this day all Papists in the World are but as Bishop Brâ—mhall estimates about a fourth part of the Christian World 2. And that it was not till the days of our King Iohn and their Innocent the 3 d that a General Council decreed the Idolatry of Transubstantiation 3. That a great part of their own never consented to this and that few of the people understood or believed it 4. That even this Canon was made against great numbers of Godly men called Albigenses and Waldenses who opposed them in this Idolatry 4. Therefore I would resolve I will have no Local Communion with any Church in the use of this or any Idolatry but will Worship God in private if I can have no better but if I can I will And I separate not by this from the most of the Church but from a Tyrannical corrupt Sect or Schism Yea as to them I hold mental Communion with them in Christianity and in all that is good and sound and renounce Communion with them in all that I know to be evil Obj. But what if a Protestant Church make any Sin a condition of their Communion will you not separate Ans. 1. I have said so much of this in this Book against the Resolver and Unreasonable Defender as that I am ashamed that mens Objections make me guilty of so much repetition 2. None such can make any Sin the Condition of my mental Communion For if they joyn good and bad and bid me do so God forbids me and requireth me to own the good and disown the bad If they use the bad themselves and put not me to subscribe or own it I will joyn with them notwithstanding in that which is good and in due time and place disown the evils e. g. I have oft heard well-meaning men Preach falshoods against Calvanists and others against Arminians some against Presbytery some against Independency some against Infant-Baptism and alas how ordinarily do men drop their Errors and put them into their Prayers I will not for this separate from a Church that professeth to to take the Scripture for their rule Let them answer for their own misdoings 2. But if they bid me Subscribe or Approve any one Falshood or Sin I will deny it If they forbid me Communion I will continue it till they put me away by force And then it is not I that separate from them but it 's they by unjust casting me out that are Schismatical I 'le still have mental Communion with them in Faith and Love and not perswade any to separate from them as Idolaters or make them worse than they are but if I can I will go to another Church tho worse that will receive me without imposing actual sin but not draw others from them who are not cast out for refusing sin as I have been And tho I will not justifie many Protestant Writers who say That we separated not from the Church of Rome but they cast us out for not sinning yet I doubt not but this must be our case with sound Churches that would impose any Sin upon us But still To prefer the best and all things considered most profitable before the more faulty or imperfect without renouncing Communion with them or perswading all others from it as Idolaters or unlawful is that which I never called Schism nor wrote against To the unknown Author of a LETTER lately sent me SIR YOUR Letter contained 1. Your friendly reprehensions of me not only for my purpose to write against a MS. which you say was Dr. Owen's but for many other things and your enumeration of those faults of mine 2. With a friendly motion That I suspend my writing till we fairly debate the Cause upon some larger Papers of the Doctor 's on that Subject which you offered to send me I wrote you presently an Answer but your Messenger never more called for it by which I supposed that you changed your purpose If yet you will send for it I will send it you The Breviate of it is this 1. I do not feignedly but from my heart accept your manner of Reproof It is honest and friendly and I am truly thankful to you for it Tho I am thought to be too plain and sharp I can bear twice as much as I use It 's foolish pride that maketh us grudg at a friendly tho sharp reprehension But your mis-information
is to hold that some Church is perfect in Understanding Faith Hope and Practice without Ignorance Errour or Sin that is not to know what a man or a Christian on Earth is XXIII Much less do all Churches agree in unnecessary indifferent accidents nor ever did nor ever will or can do XXIV The measuring out Churches by limits of Ground Parochial or Diocesan is a meer humane ordering of a mutable accident and no Divine Determination And if all were taken for Church members-because they dwell in those precincts it were wicked But if it be but all in those precincts that are qualified Consenters it is usually a convenient measure But such as in many Cases must be broken XXV If a Church with Faithful Pastors be well setled in a place first where there are not more than should make up that one Church it is not meet for any there to gather a distinct Church thô of the same Faith without such weighty reason as will prove it necessary or like to do more good than hurt 1. Because Love inclineth to the greatest Union 2. Because a Great Church is more strong and honourable than a small if the number be not so great as to hinder the Ends. 3. And the Ancient Churches kept this Union XXVI If Magistrates make such Laws about Church Accidents as tend to further the Churches wellfare or are so pretended and not against it we must obey them But if they will either invade Christs Authority or cross it by making Laws against his or such as are proper to his Prerogative to make or invade the Pastors Office and the Churches proper right given by Christ or determine Accidents to the Destruction of the Substance the Church Doctrine Worship or Ends these bind the Consciences of none to Obedience but Christ must be obeyed and we must patiently suffer XXVII Self-interest Self-Government and Family-Government are all antecedent to Publick Government which Ruleth them for the Common good but hath no Authority to destroy them No King or Prelate can bind a man to do that which would damn his Soul nor to omit that which is needful to his Salvation All power is for Edification They are Gods Ministers for Good XXVIII As it belongs to self-government to choose our own Dyet and Cloaths and Wives and Physicians thô we may be restrained from doing publick hurt on such pretences And it belongs to Family Government to educate our own Children and choose their Tutors Callings Wives c. so it more nearly belongs to self-government to choose the most safe and profitable means of our own Salvation which no man may forbid us and to avoid that which is pernicious or hurtful and to Family-Government to do the like for our Children XXIX It is false Doctrine of those late Writers who tell us that only Sacraments sanctifie or give right to Salvation The whole Tenor of the Gospel tells us that men are brought to Faith and Repentance and to be Christians and Godly men and by Faith to be justified by the Preaching of the Gospel and that Gods word is his appointed means of Salvation which his Ministers must preach skilfully instantly in season and out of season to that End And if the Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost XXX The Gospel saveth not like a Charm by the bare sound or saying of the words nor the Sacrament like an Amulet But as a Moral means specially blest by him that instituted it to work on man as Mâ—n by informing his Mind perswading his Will and exciting his Affections as Men are wrought on in other Cases which methinks those called Arminians should least deny who are said to lay more of the Spirits operation on Moral suasion than their Adversaries yea and those that account it Fanaticism to expect any other gift of Prayer from the Spirit but what is given morally by use And the contrary Doctrine feigneth God to Work even constantly by Miracle And as the Papists make every Mass-Priest a Miracle Worker in Transubstantiation so do they that make the bare saying over the Words and doing the outward Acts in the Sacrament to save us ex opere operato and the Pastoral teaching and oversight of an ignorant drunken Lad or Reader to be near as great a help to Salvation as the Ministry of a wise skilful Holy and exemplary Pastor and the clear affectionate Preaching of Gods word And that tell us as Mr. Dodwell how sufficient a man is to administer the Sacramental Covenant that understands what a Covenant is in matters of Common Conversation XXXI If a Wise and Skilful and Conscionable Ministry be as needless to Edification and Salvation as some Men pretend it is as needless that they should study to be such and vain to Glory that they are such and that the Church of England hath such a Ministry and vain to expect that men should pay them any more respect than I owed my Master that never preacht but once and that drunken and divers very like him Or that they should use this as an argument to draw men to hear them XXXII If the King or Law should settle a Physician of his or a Patrons choice in every Parish it were well done if it be but to have help at hand for Volunteers But if he command all to use them and to use no other before them or against them where unskilful or untrusty men are placed no man is bound to obey this command No mens Law can dissolve the Law of Nature nor disoblige a man from a due care of his Life nor bind him to cast it away upon Obedience to ignorant or bad and treacherous Men. And a mans Soul is more precious than his Health or Life and he is bound to greater care of it and is no more to trust it on the will of his Superiours How vast is the difference between an ignorant rash Physician or Pastor and one that is wise experienced and trusty They that scorn Men for going for greater edification from one to another do not so if a man prefer a skilful Physician to one that kills more than he cures or a skilful and careful Tutor for his Son yea or a Farrier for his Horse XXXIII If one Preacher be not for Edification to be greatâ—â— preferred before another then One Book is not And so it 's no matter what Book they read or value and what a Student will this make And what a Trade for the Booksellers And why then should their own Books be so valued And why then do they silence hundreds or thousands and forbid them to preach on pain of ruine thô no false Doctrine be proved against them if they think not that the difference is very great XXXIV When Councils hereticated and condemned Thousands or Hundreds of Priests and Bishops whom Christian Emperours and Princes owned as Orthodox they did not then think every Patron Prince or Prelate a competent Judge with what Pastor Men should