what he had suffered by the War who it 's said was but a poor Boy and after a Schoolmaster and Phillips having but one Leg told me he had lost his Leg by the Wars and I thought then there was no remedy but Preachers must be silenced and live in Goals But with much importunity I got them once to hear me while I told them why I took not my Meeting to be contrary to Law and why the Oxford Act concerned me not and they had no Power to put that Oath on me by the Act But all the Answer I could get was That they were satisfied of what they did And when among other reasonings against their course I told them I thought Christ's Ministers had in many Ages been Men esteemed and used as we now are and their Afflicters have insulted over them the Providence of God hath still so ordered it that the Names and Memory of their Silencers and Afflicters have been left to Posterity for a Reproach insomuch that I wondered that they that fear not God and care not for their own or the People's Souls should yet be so careless of their fame when Honour seemeth so great a matter with them To which Ross answered that he desired no greater Honour to his Name than that it should be remembred of him that he did this against me and such as I which he was doing Then they asked me whether I would take the Oath I named a difficulty or two in it and desired them to tell me the meaning of it They told me that they were not to expound it to me but to know whether I would take it I told them it must be taken with understanding and I did not understand it They said I must take it according to the proper sence of the Words I asked them whether the proper sence of those Words I will not at any time endeavour any alteration of Government in the Church was not of any time universally as it 's spoken they said yea I asked them whether it were in the Power of the King and Parliament to make some alteration of Church-Government Ross first said that before it was settled it was But better bethinking himself said Yea I told him the King once gave me a Commission to endeavour an alteration of the Liturgy and allowance to endeavour the alteration of Church-Government as may be seen in His Majesty's Declaration about Ecclesiastical Affairs If he should command me the like again am I not sworn by this Oath if I take it to disobey him yea or if the Law-makers change the Law c. At this Ross only laught and derided me as speaking a ridiculous supposition and said that could not be the Sence I told him that then he must confess the Error of his Rule and that the Oath is not to be understood according to the proper meaning and use of those Words And I bad them take notice that I had not refused their Oath but desired an explication of it which they refused to give though I had reason enough to resolve me not to take it however they that were not the makers of the Law should have expounded it And so Phillips presently wrote my Mittimus as followeth § 112. To the Keeper of his Majesty's Goal commonly called the New-Prison in Clerkenwell Middlesex VVHereas it hath been proved unto us upon Oath that Richard Baxter Clerk hath taken upon him to Preach in an unlawful Assembly Conventicle or Meeting under colour or pretence of Exercise of Religion contrary to the Laws and Statutes of this Kingdom at Acton where he now liveth in the said County not having taken and subscribed the Oath by Act of Parliament in that case appointed to be be taken And whereas we having tender'd to him the Oath and Declaration appointed to be taken by such as shall offend against the said Act which he hath refused to take we therefore send you herewith the Body of the said Richard Baxter straitly charging and commanding you in his Majesty's Name to receive him the said Richard Baxter into his Majesty's said Prison and him there safely to keep for six Months without Bail or Mainprize And hereof you are not to fail at your Peril Given at Brentford the Eleventh of June in the one and twentieth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord Charles the Second J. Philips Tho. Ross. § 113. Here it is to be noted that the Act against Conventicles was long ago 〈◊〉 that I was never Convict of a Conventicle while that Law was in force nor since that the Oxford Act supposeth me Convict of a Conventicle and doth not enable them to Convict me without another Law That really they had 〈◊〉 but Ross's Man to witness that I preached who crept in but the Lord's Day before and heard me only preach on this Text. Mat. â—5 Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the Earth presseth especially Quietness and Patience towards our Governours and denying all turbulent unpeaceable and seditious dispositions and practices § 114. They would have given me leave to stay till Monday before I went to Gâ—â—al if I would promise them not to preach the next Lord's Day which I denied to promise and so went away the next Morning â—115 This was made a heinous Crime against me at the Court and also it was said by the that it could not be out of Conscience that I preached else why did not my Conscience put me on it so long before Whereas I had ever preached to my own Family and never once invited any one to hear me nor forbad any So that the difference was made by the people and not by me If they come more at last than at first before they had ever heard me that fignified no change in me But thus must we be judged of where we are absent and our Adversaries present and there are many to speak against us what they please and we are banished from City and Corporations and cannot speak for our selves § 116. The whole Town of Acton were greatly exasperated against the Dean when I was going to Prison insomuch as ever since they abhor him as a selfish Perseentor Nor could he devise to do more to hinder the success of his seldom Preaching there But it was his own choice Let them hate me so they fear me And so I finally left that Place being grieved most that Satan had prevailed to stop the poor People in such hopeful beginnings of a common Reformation and that I was to be deprived of the exceeding grateful Neighbourhood of the Lord Chief Baron Hale who could scarce refrain Tears when he did but hear of the first Warrant for my appearance § 117. I knew nothing all this while of the rise of my trouble but I resolved to part in Peace on my part with the Dean not doubting but it was his doing And so I went to take my leave of him who took on him to be sorry and swore it was none of
perversi ordinatores nullis denuo ordinationibus intersunt and least you may reply that he speaks not this of all our present Bishops he immediately subjoins these Words Where then shall we have a Bishop to ordain of the old accused Tribe Is not this Christian Filial Duty of Presbyters toward the Bishops their Fathers Reply to Sect. 10. 1. For that Desire you again mention of Bishops in the Reformed Churches it is an unproved vain Assertion against full Evidence It is only of a few particular Persons in those Churches that you can prove it If so many Writings against Bishops and Constitutions and actual Practice will not prove them willing to be without them or at least not necessitated there is no Proof of any Man's Will or Necessity 2. What I said I must needs maintain till you say somewhat to change my Judgment I am past doubt it 's ill trusting the Betrayers and Destroyers of the Church with the Government of it And this I did prove and can with great Ease and Evidence prove it more fully 3. I pray you do not persuade Men that by the old accused Tribe I meant all the late English Bishops they were not all accused of destroying or betraying the Church that I ever heard of Where be the Articles that were put in against Usher Hall Davenant Potter Westfield Prideaux c. All those that I call the accused Tribe you may find Articles against in Parliament for their Devastations or Abuses Should the Arrians or other Heretick Bishops say to those that forsook them as you do of me is not this Christian Filial Duty of Presbyters towards the Bishops their Fathers There is no Duty to any Episcopal Father that will hold against God and his Church Take heed of making their Sins your own Except Sect. 11. And elsewhere by Irony he adds O what a rash thing it was to imprison though when he was imprisoned I believe it was by the Name of Dr. Wren or Bishop Wren for excommunicating depriving c. p. 51. and p. 68. To begin at home it is most certain according to many ancient Canons which are their Laws our English Bishops were incapable of ordaining for they lost their Authority by involving themselves in secular and publick Administrations Canon 80. Apostolig N B. That Canon is 30. beyond the Canons Apostolical for even the Papists themselves admit but of fifty genuine and he would eject all our Bishops by the 80th Canon Apostolical Lost their Authority also for neglect of instructing their Floâ—â— most or many of them and many more for non Residence c. Reply to Sect. 11. And why not Wren without any further Title as well as Calvin Luther Beza Zanchy Grotius c. 2. Let the indifferent Reader peruse all my words and blame me if he can What seems it so small a matter in your eyes to expel so many thousand Christian Families and silence and suspend and deprive so many able Ministers in so small a room and so short a time as that it is disobedience to our Fathers not to consent to their punishment It seems then these silly Lambs must be devoured not only without resistance but without complaint or accusing the Wolves because they say they were our Fathers God never set such Saturnine Fathers over his Church so as to authorize them in this or to prohibite a just remedy He never gave them power for Destruction but for Edification 3. What I said of our Bishops incapacity upon that reason was expresly ad hominem against mine own Judgement viz. upon supposition that those Canons are of such force as those imagine against whom I dispute 4. The Canon 80 Apost was also brought ad hominem for though it be confessed not of equal Antiquity with the rest yet for that Antiquity they have it is known how much use those men make of their supposed Authority But are there not enough others that may evince the point in hand besides that you may easily know it and in many Canons that null their Office who come in by the Magistracy Exception to Sect. 12. And whereas we are ready to make good against all the Papists in the world that our English Protestant Bishops had due Ordination in Queen Eliz. and King Edwards time by such who had been Ordained in King Henry the Eighths time Mr. Baxter tells us the Popish Bishops who Ordained in the days of Hen. 8. and many Ages before had no power of Ordination and this he speaks as his own judgment not only from the consequences of his Adversaries for he adds this I prove in that they received their Ordination from no other Bishops of the Province nor Metropolitan but only from the Pope singly yet this is all the Argument he hath to overthrow consequentially upon our objections the Ordination of those Protestant Bishops which himself acknowledges Learned Pious Reverend Men and all that Ordained or were Ordained in Hen. 8. 7. and many Ages before as he saith And indeed if his Discourse were of any force not only in our English Church but also in all the Churches of the West France Spain Polonia Swedland Denmark and throughout the Empire of Germany for these and those many Ages before which he speaks of and all this that our new Presbyterians of Enngland Volunteers in Ordaining and being Ordained without Bishops without pretence of necessity yea or difficulty or colour of difficulty except what themselves had created wherein they have as little Communion with the Protestants beyond seas as they have with the Episcopal Protestants of the true Reformed Church of England may be acknowledged good and lawful Presbyters and Pastors with power conjunctim divisim any one of them alone as Mr. Baxter thinks to Excommunicate and Absolve in foro Ecclesiastico Reply to Sect. 12. The word Due may signifie either such as is not null or else such as is fully regular or else such as they had Authority to perform who did ordain though they might have some Faults or Irregularities If you take it in the first Sense many will yield it who yet deny it in the last as supposing in some Cases Ordination Passive may be valid and so due in the Receiver when yet Ordination Active is without all just Authority in the Ordainer Though this may seem strange I am ready to give some Reasons for it It must be in the last Sense conjunct with the first that you must take the Word Due if you will speak to the point in Hand 2. I do expresly say there that it is according to the Doctrine of the Objectors consequentially that I affirm this not affirming or denying it to be mine own Judgment and to that end bring the Proof which is mentioned And yet you are pleased to affirm that I speak it as my own Judgment and not only from the Consequences of Adversaries Supposing your Grounds which I confidently deny that an uninterrupted Succession of due Authoritative Ordination
set all in joint again by Violence and secure the Peace of Church and State And neither Pope Prelate nor Council should take this Work upon them which is his And therefore Magistrates should be Wise and Holy and fit for so great a Charge as they undertake It must be still noted that all this was when Diocesanes were put down and few saw any probability of restoring them and many religions Persons dreaded such a Restoration § 50. When Cromwell's Faction were making him Protector they drew up a Thing which they called The Government of England c. Therein they determined that all should have Liberty or free Exercise of their Religion who professed Faith in God by Iesus Christ After this he called a Parliament which Examined this Instrument of Government and when they came to those words the Orthodox Party affirmed That if they spake de re and not de nomine Faith in God by Iesus Christ could contain no less than the Fundamentals of Religion whereupon it was purposed that all should have a due measure of Liberty who professed the Fundamentals Hereupon the Committee appointed to that Business were required to nominate certain Divines to draw up in terminis the Fundamentals of Religion to be as a Test in this Toleration The Committee being about Fourteen named every one his Man The Lord Broghill after Earl of Orery and Lord President of Munster and one of his Majesty's Privy Council named the Primate of Ireland Archbishop Usher When he because of his Age and Unwillingness to wrangle with such Men as were to join with him had refused the Service the Lord Broghill nominated me in his Stead Whereupon I was sent for up to London But before I came the rest had begun their Work and drawn up some few of the Propositions which they called Fundamentals The Men that I found there were Mr. Marshal Mr. Reyner Dr. Cheynell Dr. Goodwin Dr. Owen Mr. Nye Mr. Sydraâ—â— Sympson Mr. Vines Mr. Manton and Mr. Iacomb § 51. I knew how ticklish a Business the Enumeration of Fundamentals was and of what very ill Consequence it would be if it were ill done and how unsatisfactorily that Question What are your Fundamentals is usually answered to the Papists My own Judgment was this that we must distinguish between the Sense or matter and the Words and that it 's only the Sense that is primarily and properly our Fundamentals and the Words no further than as they are needful to express that Sence to others or represent it to our own Conception that the Word Fundamentals being Metaphorical and Ambiguous the Word Essentials is much fitter it being nothing but what is Essential or Constitutive of true Religion which is understood by us usually when we speak of Fundamentals that quoad rem there is no more Essential or Fundamental in Religion but what is contained in our Baptismal Covenant I believe in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and give up my self in Covenant to him renouncing the Flesh the World and the Devil He that doth this truly shall be saved or else sincere Covenanting could not entitle us to the Blessings of the Covenant And therefore it is that the Ancient Church held that all that are Baptized duly are in a Justified State of Life because all that sincerely give up themselves in Covenant to God as our God and Father our Redeemer and Saviour our Sanctifier and Comforter have right to the Blessings of the Covenant And quoad verba I suppose that no particular Words in the World are Essentials of our Religion Otherwise no Man could be saved without the Language which those Words belong to He that understandeth not Credo in Deum may be saved if he believe in God Also I suppose that no particular Formula of Words in any or all Languages is Essential to our Religion for he that expresseth his Faith in another form of words of the same importance professeth a Saving Faith And as to the Use of a Form of Words to express our Belief of the Essential it is various and therefore the Form accordingly is variable If it be to teach another what is the Essence of Religion a dull hearer must have many Words when a quick intelligent Person by few Words can understand the same thing I believe in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost expresseth all the Essentials intelligibly to him that hath learned truly to understand the meaning of these Words But to an ignorant Man a large plain Catechism is short enough to express the same things But as to the Use of Publick Professions of Faith to satisfie the Church for the Admittance of Members or to satisfie other Churches to hold Communion with any particular Church a Form of Words which is neither obscure by too much Conciseness not Tedious or Tautological by a needless Multiplication of Words I take to be the fittest To which ends and because the Ancient Churches had once a happy Union on those Terms I think that this is all that should be required of any Church or Member ordinarily to be professed In General I do believe all that is contained in the Sacred Canonical Scriptures and particularly I believe all explicitly contained in the Ancient Creed and I desire all that is contained in the Lord's Prayer and I resolve upon Obedience to the Ten Commandments and whatever selfe I can learn of the Will of God And for all other Points it is enough to preserve both Truth and Peace that Men promise not to preach against them or contradict them though they Subscribe them not § 52. Therefore I would have had the Brethren to have offered the Parliament the Creed Lord's Prayer and Decalogue alone as our Essentials or Fundamentals which at least contain all that is necessary to Salvation and hath been by all the Ancient Churches taken for the Sum of their Religion And whereas they still said A Socinian or a Papist will Subscribe all this I answered them So much the better and so much the fitter it is to be the Matter of our Concord But if you are afraid of Communion with Papists and Socinians it must not be avoided by making a new Rule or Test of Faith which they will not Subscribe to or by forcing others to Subscribe to more than they can do but by calling them to account whenever in Preaching or Writing they contradict or abuse the Truth to which they have Subscribed This is the Work of Government And we must not think to make Laws serve instead of Iudgement and Execution nor must we make new Laws as oft as Hereticks will mis-interpret and subscribe the old for when you have put in all the Words you can devise some Hereticks will put their own Sence on them and Subscribe them And we must not blame God for not making a Law that no Man can misinterpret or break and think to make such a one ourselves because God could not or would not These Presumptions and
for my fear that he symbolized with the Papists was abated now I perceived that he knew not what they held And Dr. Gunning answered against him and said that the Papists do so use the Word I went on and told him That I also granted that a Man for a certainspace might he without any Act of Sin end as I was proceeding here Bishop Morley interrupted me according to his manner with vehemency crying out what can any Man be for any time without Sin And he founded out his Aggravations of this Doctrine and then cryed to Dr. Bates what say you Dr. Bates is this your Opinion Saith Dr. Bates I believe that we are all Sinners but I pray my Lord give him leave to speak I began to go on to the rest of my Sentence where I lest to shew the Sense and Truth of my Words and the Bishop whether in Passion or Design I know not interrupted me again and mouthed out the odiousness of my Doctrine again and again I attempted to speak and still he interrupted me in the same manner Upon that I sat down and told him that this was neither agreeable to our Commission nor the common Laws of Disputation nor the Civil Usage of Men in common Converse and that if he prohibited me to speak I desired him to do it plainly and I would â—â—sist and not by that way of interruption He told me I had speaking enough if that were good for I spake more than any one in the Company And thus he kept me so long from uttering the rest of my Sentence that I sat down and gave over and told him I took it for his Prohibition At last I let him talk and spake to those nearer me which would hear me and told them that this was it that I was going to say That I granted Bishop Lany that it was possible to be free from acting Sin for a certain time that so he might have no matter of Objection against me and that the Instances of my Concession were these 1. In the time of absolute Infancy 2. In the time of total Fatuity or Madness as natural Ideots that never had the use of Reason 3. In the time of a Lethargy Carus or Apoplexy or Epilepsie 4. In the time of lawful sleep when a Man doth not so much as dream amiss And whether any other Instances might be given I determined not But as I talked thus Bishop Morley went on talking louder than I and would neither hear me nor willingly have had me to have been heard Behind me at the lower end of the Table stood Dr. Crowther and he would consute me and I defended Dr. Lany in that Ieroboam made Israel to Sin What gather you thence quoth I that they had no Sin but that or never sumed before He answered yes and with a little Nonsence would defend it that Israel sinned not till then When I had proved the contrary to him in the general Acceptation of the Word Sin I told him that if he took the Word Figuratively the Genus for a Species I granted him that they sinned not that Species of Sin which Ieroboam taught them which is in the Text emphatically called Sin If he meant that they sinned no Sin of Idolatry or no National Sin till then It was not true and if it were it was nothing to our Question which was about Sin in the General or indefinitely He told me they Sinned no National Sin till then I asked him whether the Idolatry the Unbelief the Murmuring c. by which all the Nation save Caleb and Ioshua fell in the Wilderness and the Idolatry for which in the time of the Judges the Nation was conquered and captivated were none of them National Sins I give the Reader the Instance if this Odious kind of Talk to shew him what kind of Men we talkt with and what a kind of Task we had § 196. And a little further touch of it I shall give you When I beg'd their Compassion on the Souls of their Brethren and that they would not unnecessarily cast so many out of the Ministry and their Communion Bishop Cosins told me that we threatned them with Numbers and for his part he thought the King should do well to make us name them all A charitable and wise Motion To name all the Thousands of England that dissented from them and that had sworn the Covenant and whom they would after Persecute § 197. When I read in the Preface to our Exceptions against the Liturgy That after twenty years Calamity they would not yield to that which several Bishops voluntarily offered twenty Years before meaning the Corrections of the Liturgy offered by Archbishop Usher Archbishop Williams Bishop Morton Dr. Prideaux and many others Bishop Cosins answered me That we threatned them with a new War and it was time for the King to look to us I had no shelter from the Fury of the Bishop but to name Dr. Hammond and tell him that I remembred Dr. Hammond insisted on the same Argument that twenty Years Calamity should have taught Men more Charity and brought them to repentance and Brotherly Love and that it is an Aggravation of their Sin to be unmerciful after so long and heavy Warnings from God's Hand He told me if that were our meaning it was all well And these were the most logical Discourses of that Bishop § 198. Among all the Bishops there was none who had so promising a Face as Dr. Sterne the Bishop of Carlisle He look'd so honestly and gravely and soberly that I scarce thought such a Face could have deceived me and when I was intreating them not to cast out so many of their Brethren through the Nation as scrupeled a Ceremony which they confess'd indifferent he turn'd to the rest of the Reverend Bishops and noted me for saying in the Nation He will not say in the Kingdom saith he lest he own a King This was all that ever I heard that worthy Prelate say But with grief I told him that half the Charity which became so grave a Bishop might have sufficed to have helpt him to a better Exposition of the Word Nation from the Mouths of such who have to lately taken the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy and sworn Fidelity to the King as his Chaplains and had such Testimonies from him as we have had and that our case was sad if we could plead by the King's Commission for Accommodation upon no no better Terms than to be noted as Traytors every time we used such a Word as the Nation which all monarchical Writers use § 199. Bishop Morley earnestly pleaded my own Book with me my fifth Disput. as he had done before the King And I still told him I went not from any thing in it He vehemently aggravated the mischiefs of Conceived Prayer in the Church and when I told him that all the Action of Men would be imperfect while Men were imperfect and that the other side also had its
less the English that alloweth you such a sence of these two Prepositions as if of must needs mean the Species and in may mean only the Integrity or Accidents We dare not be so bold as to feign such a Difference and Latitude of sence to be in the Preposition of unless we could prove it 3. Will it not be taken for Treason if you make the same Exposition of the other Clause of the Declaration and say that the King and Parliament meant no more than to say that no Man is bound by the Covenant to endeavour an Essential or Specifick Change of State-Government or no greater Change than what may leave it still in the Species of a Monarchy Or do you believe that they meant no more and that they determined not against supposed Obligations to lower Changes of the Royal Government 4. There is not the accuratest Grammarian and Logician of them all that can tell just what may be said to Specifie a Government and what but to integrate it and just how far a Change may go before it may be called a Change of the Species 5. But suppose all this were nothing It is clearly proved that it is not the Genus of Episcopacy but the Species of English Prelacy described which the Covenant meaneth And I have proved already that a specifick alteration of this Prelacy is lawful and whether also not-necessary let the impartial Reader judge I have asked the most Learned of the Diocesan Party that I could meet with this Question Whether it be not lawful for the King and Parliament to take down Chancellors and all Lay-Judges in Spiritual Courts and Deans Arch-deacons Commissaries and the Courts themselves and to take down a Bishop of a Thousand or many Hundred Churches and to set up a Bishop in every Market Town with the adjacent Villages yea or in every great Parish to govern with his Presbyters as it was in Ignatius his days and in Cyprian's And never Man of them denied it lawful for them to make such a Change if they saw it meet I have asked them further Whether they would not call this a Change of Government de specie or according to the sence of the Act And they all confest it For if they did not the Act and Declaration would herein do them no good but leave private Men to endeavour such an Alteration which they know is all the Alteration that ever we desired of them and for which they have called us Presbyterians I have asked them further Whether a Vow turn not a licet into an oportet And they never deny it Where then can you imagine any remaining difference Why this was all that they said That it was not this Species of Prelacy but Episcopacy in genere which the Covenant meant and consequently the Act meaneth Which I have proved to be most evidently untrue there being no other Episcopacy but our Prelacy then existent nor Episcopay ever named in the Convenant in genere but this Prelacy being exactly described and this purposely for the deciding of this very Doubt by the means of Mr. Gataker Dr. Burges and many more in the Assemblies who renounced the extirpation of all Episcopacy and the Lords having taken the Covenant in that openly declared sence But suppose all this had not been so Doth not a renunciation of the Genus contain the Species And if any Man voweth against the Genus mistaking it to be all sinful will not his Vow bind him against that Species which indeed is sinful though not against the others As suppose that a Man should think that All swearing and Accusing others were a sinâ— and so to save himself from the said sins should Vow to God against them all If afterward this Man discover that some swearing before a Magistrate is a duty and some accusing of another is he not for all that still bound against prophane and rash swearing and malicious or unjust accusing which indeed are sins for therein he was not mistaken So if Men had as they did not upon mistake make a Vow against all Episcopacy or Prelacy as a sin and afterward discover that one sort is a Duty and the other a Sin do they not remain obliged against that wherein they were not mistaken 6. Lastly Let it be noted That though it be said in Declaration of Government yet it is added in the Church and not of the Church which is as much against them as the other is for them seeming to intimate that it is not the Form only Constitutive of the Church which they here intend § 389. 5. Some leading Independents say That it was essential to this Vow to be also a League and as a League it is ceâ—sed by the cessation of Persons and Occasions This shift they were put upon first themselves being the first that nullifâ—ed these Bonds that they might do what they did against the Covenant and make it as an Almanack out of date Answ. 1. Though as a Political Instrument it be called by one Name A Solemn League and Covenant and so all the parts of it do make one Instrument yet 1. The formality of it as a League and as a Vow are different 2. And as a Vow to God and a Moral Act of Man there are in it as many distinct Vows as there are Maâ—ters vowed The League is not the end of the Vow but Reformation was the professed end of both to which they were taken as co-ordinate means And therefore it as a League it were ceased it followeth not that as a Vow it is so For Men are the parties in the League but God is one of the Parties in the Vow and every individual Person is the other Party And if one Vow or Article should cease it followeth not that all the rest do so 2. It is not proved that it ceaseth as a League Though it oblige us not to war or to any thing against the King or State and though many of the Persons be dead that took it For 1. War was not mentioned in the Covenant much less as the Duty of all the Covenanters sure it was never intended that all the Women must fight 2. If it had that was but one of the means there mentioned and every Man bound himself to endeavour in his Place and Calling and that was not to fight for all 3. Therefore though the particular Occasions cease the general Cause continueth the need of Reformation and though no Man be bound to any unlawful means it followeth not that there is no bound to lawful means And though some Persons be dead not only the Nations but many individual Covenanters are living 4. And in express Terms they bound themselves all the days of their lives zealously and constantly to continue therein and therefore intended no such cessation § 390. 6. Lastly The Latitudinarians say that the general Rule is That all Sayings are to be interpreted in the best sence that the words will bear Ergo Answ.
as that the Bishop of the lowest degree instead of ruling one Church with the Presbyters ruleth many hundred Churches by Lay-Chancellors who use the Keys of Excommunication and Absolution c. And they take it for an Act of Rebellion against God if they should Swear never to do the Duty which he commandeth and so great a Duty as Church-Reformation in so great a Matter If it were but never to pray or never to amend a fault in themselves they durst not Swear it 12. This Oath seemeth to be the same in Sence with the Et caetora Oath in the Canons of 1640. That we will never consent to an alteration of the Government by Arch-Bishops Bishops Deans c. And one Parliament voted down that and laid a heavy charge upon it which no Parliament since hath taken off 13. As the National Vow and Covenant seemeth a great Snare to hinder the Union of the Church among us in that it layeth our Union on an exclusion of Prelacy and so excludeth all those learned worthy Men from our Union who cannot consent to that Exclusion so the laying of the Kingdoms and Churches Union upon the English Prelacy and Church-Government so as to exclude all that cannot consent to it doth seem as sure an Engine of Division We think that if our Union be centered but in Christ the King of all and in the King as his Officer and our Soveraign under him it may be easie and sure But if we must all unite in the English Frame of Prelacy we must never Unite § 15. Those that take the Oath do as those that Subscribe resolve that they will understand it in a lawful Sense be it true or false and so to take it in that Sense To which end they say that nullum iniquum est in Lege praesumendum and that all publick Impositions must be taken in the best Sense that the Words will bear And by force and stretching what words may not be well interpreted But the Nonconformists go on other grounds and think that about Oaths Men must deal plainly and sincerely and neither stretch their Consciences nor the Words nor interpret universal Terms particularly but according to the true meaning of the Law-givers as far as they can understand it and where they cannot according to the proper and usual signification of the Words And the Parliament themselves tell us That this is the true Rule of interpreting their Words Beyond which therefore we dare not stretch them § 16. And therefore 14. They dare not take the Oath because if it be not to be taken in the proper or ordinary Sense of the Words then they are sure that they cannot understand it for it doth not please the Parliament to expound it And Oaths must be taken in Truth Judgment and Righteousness and not ignoranatly when we know that we understand them not § 17. The Lawyers even the honestest are commonly for a more stretching Exposition And those that speak out say That an illegal Commission is none at all But we our selves go further than this would leads us for we judge That even an illegally commissioned Person is not to be resisted by Arms except in such Cases as the Law of Nature or the King himself by his Laws or by a contrary Commission alloweth us to resist him But if Commissions should be contradictory to each other or to the Law we know not what to Swear in such a case § 18. But because much of the Case may be seen in these following Questions which upon the coming out of that Act I put to an able worthy and sincere Friend with his Answers to them I will here Insert them viz. Serjeant Fountain Queries upon the Oxford Oath We presuppose it commonly resolved by Casuists in Theology from the Law of Nature and Scripture 1. That Perjury is a Sin and so great a Sin as tendeth to the ruin of the Peace of Kingdoms the Life of Kings and the Safety of Mens Souls and to make Men unfit for Humane Society Trust or Converse till it be repented of 2. That he that Sweareth contrary to his Iudgment is Perjured though the thing prove true 3. That we must take an Oath in the Imposer's Sense as near as we can know it if he be our Lawful Governour 4. That an Oath is to be taken sensu strictiore and in the Sense of the Rulers Imposing it if that be known if not by the Words interpreted according to the common use of Men of that Profession about that subject And Vniversals are not to be interpreted as Particulars nor must we limit them and distinguish without very good proof 5. That where the Sense is doubtful we are first to ask which is the probable Sense before we ask which is is the best and charitablest Sense and must not take them in the best Sense when another is more probable to be the true Sense Because it is the Truth and not the Goodness which the Vnderstanding first considereth Otherwise any Oath almost imaginable might be taken there being few Words so bad which are not so ambiguous as to bear a good Sense by a forced Interpretation And Subjects must not cheat their Rulers by seeming to do what they do not 6. But when both Senses are equally doubtful we ought in Charity to take the best 7. If after all Means faithfully used to know our Rulers Sense our own Vnderstandings much more incline to think one to be their meaning than the other we must not go against our Vnderstandings 8. That we are to suppose our Rulers fallible and that it 's possible their decrees may be contrary to the Law of God but not to suspect them without plain cause These things supposed we humbly crave the Resolution of these Questions about the present Oath and the Law Qu. 1. Whether upon any pretence whatsoever refer not to any Commissionated by him as well as to the King himself 2. Whether not lawful extendeth only to the Law of the Land or also to the Law of God in Nature 3. Whether I Swear that it is not lawful do not express my peremptory certain Determination and be not more than I Swear that in my Opinion it is not lawful 4. What is the Traytorous Position here meant for here is only a Subject without a Praedicate which is no Position at all and is capable of various Praedicates 5. If the King by Act of Parliament commit the Trust of his Navy Garrison or Militia to one durante vita and should Commissionate another by force to eject him whether both have not the King's Authority or which 6. If the Sheriff raise the Posse Commitatus to suppress a Riot or to execute the Decrees of the Courts of Justice and fight with any Commissioned to resist him and shall keep up that Power while the Commissioned Persons keep up theirs which of them is to be judged by the Subjects to have the King's Authority 7. If a Parliament or a
Authority yet upon four other grounds it is lawful to take up Arms against his Army 1. Because as Willius and other Politicians say the Majestas realis is in the People 2. Because some Lawyers say That the People of England have as Hooker and Bâ—lson calls them fore-prized Liberties which they may defend and the Parliament hath part of the Legislative Power by the Constitution of the Kingdom 3. Because the Law of Nature and Charity requireth the Defence of our Selves Posterity and Country 4. And because Scripture requireth the same They that will say That the Oath hath left all these Pleas or Evasions for Fighting against the King's Armies do make it utterly useless to the ends for which it was intended and make the Authors to have been strangely blinded 2. Note That he takes the Word Lawful to extend to all Laws of Nature Scripture or whatever And 3. That he takes these Words It is not Lawful to mean no more than I judge or think it is not Lawful As if all our Parliament Men with the Learned Bishops had not had Wit enough to have said so if they had meant so but said one thing and meant another 4. I confess I stick not much on the Fourth Quaere but its plain that the Subject named is capable of various Predicates yea of contrary and of taking Arms may be applied to an opertet a litet a factum est yea or a non licet though the licet I doubt not is their Sense 5. Note That the Answer to the Fifth is a meer putting off the Answer For the Question is Whether the Act of Parliament or the private Commission be more Authoritative And he answereth That which is Lawful which implieth that he was not willing to speak out 6. Note that he plainly concludeth that a Sheriff hath the King's Authority to resist by the Posse Comitatus the King 's Commissioned Officers that would hinder him from Executing the Decrees of a Court of Justice And doth not this either cross the intent of the Imposers or give up the whole Cause Doth it not grant that either it is lawful by the King's Authority given to the Sheriff by the Law c. for him by Arms to resist the King's Commissioners Or else that they be resisted as not Commissioned because their Commission is unlawful And what did the Parliament's Army desire more If a Sheriff by the Sentence of an inferiour Court may raise Arms against the King's Army as not Commissioned you will teach the Parliament to say That their Judgment is greater than an inferiour Court's 7. And it is possible That Commissions may be contrary of the same date who then can know which is the Traytor 8. The Seventh is a putting off the Answer like the Fifth 9. Note especially that of the Eighth Quaere which implyeth divers Instances of Cases in which Grotius Barclay Bilson c. say That it is Lawful to take Arms against the King he seemeth wholly to grant it and maketh it but like a Cavil to suppose that those Cases ever came into the Parliament's Thoughts And I am much in that of the good Man's Mind But if they will Swear me to an Universal while they forget particular Exceptions that will not make the Oath Lawful to me For 1. It is not certain to me That they would have excepted those things if they had remembred them 2. Much less can I tell which and how many things they would have excepted 3. And how could the wit of Man devise Words more exclusive of all Exceptions than to say It is not Lawful on any pretence whatsoever Are those in the Eighth Quaere no pretences whatsoever I dare not thus stretch my Conscience about an Oath when I know that the Authors were Learned Crasty willing to extend it far enough and Men that understood English and spake in a matter of their own Concernment and Employment Therefore by any pretence whatsoever I cannot think that they meant to exclude so many Pretences as the Eighth Case speaks of 10. Note also That he alloweth Parliaments Judges or private Men even by the King's Authority in his Laws to defend their Lives their Houses Estates Purses and Companions against such as are Commissioned to Surprize them Which is because he taketh such to be really no Commissions And so the Parliament and their Army would say in a Word That the King's Commissions to his Armies were no Commissions But this which the Lawyers wholly rest on I think in my Conscience was so contrary to the Imposers Sense that if it had been then mentioned they would have expresly put in some Words against it And if an illegal Commission be no Commission then there are not two sorts of Commissions one legal and the other illegal unless speaking Equivocally And this comes up to what Richard Hooker and the long Parliament said viz. That the King can do no wrong because if it be wrong it is not to be taken for the King's Act. 11. Note also That a Commission must be shewn if required and an illegal one is null And which of the Parliament's Souldiers ever saw the Commissions of those whom they Fought against Not one of many Thousands And was this think you the meaning of the Imposers of the Oath that it should be left to Men's Liberty to take an illegal Commission for none If this were declared who of all the Parliament's Army would not take this part of the Oath 12. To the Eleventh he answereth That the Oath is against altering Monarchy which none doubts of But whether the Power of Parliaments or Courts of Justice be included the good Man thought it not best to understand 13. He thinks that by Government is meant only the Species Monarchy and not the Person of the King as being sufficiently secured elsewhere whereas there is no such limitation in the Words but that he is to be esteemed a Changer of the Government who would depose the King and set up an Usurper 14. But if it do secure the King's Person as I think it doth and should do he thinks it extendeth not to the Persons of the Church-Governours because by Law they may be altered But 1. Here is no difference made in the Oath unless it be that the Government of the Church is put before that of the State 2. Therefore the Question is Whether this Oath be not contrary to those former Laws and do not settle the Bishops and Chancellors as fast as the King As to the plain Sense of the Words I find no difference And as to the meaning of the Law-makers it is hard otherwise to know it seeing they are of so many minds and various degrees of Capacity among themselves 15. And it is here confessed That the Clergy-Government is included yea and that the Oath meaneth the English Species and yet he thinketh that it prohibiteth not lawful Endeavours to make more Bishops and to take down Lay-Chancellors whereas 1. Chancellors are
any thing amiss in the Government of Church or State Established by Law If Endeavour be taken in its Latitude it is a perfect contradiction to this Law 3. The Testimonies of several Members of both Houses who assured us that in the Debate this was the declared Sense of the Parliament Sir Heneage Finch told me the intention of it was only to have security from us without any respect to our Iudgments concerning the Government that we would not disturb the Peace and that it was imposed at this Season in regard of our Wars with France and Holland He added it was a tessera of our Loyalty and those who refused it would be looked on as Persons reserving themselves for an Opportunity My Lord Chamberlain said the Bishops of Canterbury and Winchester declared it only excluded Seditious Endeavours and upon his urging that it might be expressed the Arch Bishop replyed It should be added but the King being to come at Two of the Clock it could not with that Explication be sent down to the House of Commons and returned up again within that time The Bishop of Exeter told Dr. Tillotson That the first Draught of this Oath was in Terms a Renunciation of the Covenant but it was answered they have suffered for that already and that the Ministers would not recede it was therefore reasonable to require security in such Words as might not touch the Covenant 4. The concurrent Opinion of the Iudges who are the Authorized Interpreters of Law who declared that only tumultuous and seditious Endeavours are meant Iudge Bridgman Twisden Brown Archer Windham Atkins who were at London had agreed in this Sense Some of the Ministers were not satisfied because the Opinion of a Iudge in his Chamber was no Iudicial Act but if it were declared upon the Bench it would much resolve their Doubts I addressed my Self to my Lord Bridgman and urged him that since it was a Matter of Conscience and the Oaths were to be taken in the greatest simplicity he would sincerely give me his Opinion about it He professed to me that the Sense of the Oath was only to exclude seditious and tumultuous Endeavours and said he would go to the Sessions and declare it in the Court He wrote down the Words he intended to speak and upon my declaring that if he did not express that only seditious Endeavours were meant I could not take the Oath be put in the Paper before me that word and told me that Iudge Keeling was of his Mind and would be there and be kind to us The Ministers esteemed this the most publick Satisfaction for Conscience and Fame and several of them agreed to go to the Sessions and take the Oath that hereby if possible they might vindicate Religion from the Impâ—tation of Faction and Rebellion and make it evident that Consciences only hindereth their Conformity Some of the most unsatisfied were resolved to take it We came in the afternoon on Friday to the Court where seven Ministers had taken it in the Morning At our appearance the Lord Bridgman addrest himself to us in these Words Gentlemen I perceive you are come to take the Oath I am glad of it The intent of it is to distinguish between the King 's good Subjects and those who are mentioned in the Act and to prevent Seditious and Tumultuous Endeavours to alter the Government Mr. Clark said in this Sense we take it The Lord Keeling spake with some quickness Will you take the Oath as the Parliament hath appointed it I replyed My Lord We are come hither to attest our Loyalty and to declare we will not seditiously endeavour to alter the Government He was silent and we took the Oath being 13 in number After this the Lord Keeling told us He was glad that so many had taken the Oath and with great vehemency said We had renounced the Covenant in two Principal Points that damnable Oath which sticks between the Teeth of so many And he hoped That as here was one King and one Faith so here would be one Government And if we did not Conform it would be judged we did this to save a stake These Words being uttered after by his Silence he had approved what my Lord B. had spoke of the Sense of the Act and our express Declaration that in that Sense we took it you may imagine how surprizing they were to us It was not possible for us to recollect our selves from the Confusion which this caused so as to make any reply We retired with sadness and what the consequences will be you may easily fore-see Some will reflect upon us with severity judging of the nature of the Action by this check of Providence Others who were resolved to take the Oath recoil from it their Iealousies being increased I shall trouble you no longer but assure you That notwithstanding this accident doth not invalidate the Reasons for the lawfulness of it in our apprehensions yet the fore-sight of this would have caused us to suspend our proceedings The good Lord sanctifie this Providence to us and teach us to commit our dearest Concernments unto him in the performance of our Duty to whose Protection I commend you and remain Yours intirely William Bates London Feb. 22. After my Lord Keeling's Speech Sir Iohn Babor enquired of Lord Bridgman whilst he was on the Bench Whether the Ministers had renounced the Covenant He answer'd the Covenant was not concerned in it Mr. Calamy Watson Gouge and many others had taken the Oath this Week but for this unhappy Accident My Lord Bridgman came to the Sessions and declared the Sense of the Oath with my Lord Chancellor's allowance But all the Reasons contain'd in this Letter seem'd not to me to enervate the force of the fore-going Objections or solve the Difficulties § 24. A little before this L. B. and Sir S. committed such horrid wickedness in their Drinking acting the part of Preachers in their Shirts in a Balcony with Words and Actions not to be named that one or both of them was openly censured for it in Westminster-Hall by one of the Courts of Justice You will say Sure it was a shameful Crime indeed And shortly after a Lightning did seize on the Church where the Monuments of the were and tore it melted the Leads and brake the Monuments into so small pieces that the people that came to see the place put the Scraps with the Letters on into their Pockets to shew as a Wonder and more wonderful than the consumption of the rest by fire § 25. In this time the Haunting of Mr. Mompesson's House in Wiltshire with strange Noises and Motions for very many Months together was the Common Talk Of which Mr. Ios. Glanvil having wrote the Story I say no more § 26. The Number of Ministers all this while either imprisoned sined or otherwise afflicted for preaching Christ's Gospel when they were forbidden was so great that I forbear to mention them particularly § 27. The War began with
that it 's necessary Necessitate praecepti and if you will Necessitate medii if you speak not of absolute Necessity ad esse Ordinationis but a lower Necessity as of a mutable means and ad bene esse Do you think this is good arguing The Holy Ghost hath revealed it to be the Will of Christ that a Bishop must be blameless and having faithful Children and be not soon angry Tit. 1. 6 7. One that ruleth well his own House having his Children in subjection with all Gravity 1 Tim. 3. 4 5 6. Ergo It is essential to a Bishop to have faithful Children to be blameless not to be soon angry c. O what an Interruption then is made in the Succession or is this good arguing It is the Will of Christ that a Christian should not speak an Idle Word Ergo He that speaks an idle Word is not a Christian Next you suppose your self questioned How you know that it was Christ's Mind and Will that Imposition of Hands should be used in the Ordination of Ministers and you confess 1. That you have neither express nor implicite Command for it 2. But conclude that Christ's Mind may be otherwise known I confess I like this Passage worse than all the rest of your Writing 1. I can find both implicite and in a large sense explicite Commands for it in the Word of God 1 Tim. 5. 22. Heb. 6. 2. 1 Tim. 4. 14. at least an implicite that is unquestionably plain 2. If you had confessed as readily only this that there was no Word of God implicite or explicite to prove the Essentiality of Imposition of Hands to Ordination then I should have believed you But you will needs do more and do much to destroy the very Duty of Imposition while you are pleading it so essential so unhappy are extream Courses and so sure a way is overdoing to undoing Yet with me you give up the Cause of the supposed Essentiality in disclaiming Scripture Precept implicite 3. I perceive it is your Judgment that there are Duties essential to Ordination and consequently without which in your Judgment there is no Ministry and no Church which have no Command in Scripture no not so much as implicite And consequently that Scripture is not God's only Word for revealing supernaturally or his sufficient Law for obliging to Duties of universal standing necessity but he hath another Word called Tradition which revealeth one part of his Mind as the Scripture doth the other and another Law obliging as aforesaid This is the great Master Difference between the Reformed Churches and the Romanists of which so much is said by Whittaker Chamier Baronius and Multitudes more that it 's meerly vain for me to meddle with it For I take it for granted that you would not venture to disclaim the Reformed Churches in this Point till you had well read the chief of their Writers That were to venture your Peace and Safety to save you a Labour At least I hope you have read Chillingworth Yet I must tell you that some moderate Papists confess that the written Word containeth all things of absolute necessity to Salvation but I doubt you do not so for I think you will say that ordinarily there is no Salvation without the Church and Ministry and no Ministry without Ordination and no Ordination without Imposition of Hands and no Imposition of Hands by any Scripture Command so much as implicite Yea it seems you take not up this Course on any strongly-apparent Necessity when such Cases as this will put you on it and you are so willing to make the Scripture silent where it speaks plainly that you may prove a necessity of another Word I do confess the necessity of Tradition to deliver us safe the Scripture it self the Cabinet with the Treasure and the certainty of Tradition in seconding Scripture by handing down to us the Articles of our Câ—eed and Substance of Christianity in and against which the Church 〈…〉 in sensu composito because so erring unchurcheth it But this will not 〈…〉 necessity of another Law besides the written Law for it is opus subordinaâ—â—â—◠〈…〉 not the part of a Law nor belongs to it's sufficiency to publish pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 conserve it self But it belongs to it's Sufficiency to contain all the standing matter of Duty in Specie where the Species is permanently due and in genere only with Directions for determining of the Species when the said Species is of uncertain unconstant mutable Dueness He that faith a Duty of so great and standing necessity is not so much as implicitely commanded in Scripture doth plainly say that besides the Scripture which is insufficient God hath either another more perfect Law for Supernaturals or else another part to add to the Scripture to make it perfect Your Addition mollifieth the Matter in Terms but I doubt scarce in Sense for when you say that the Texts where Imposition of Hands is spoken of commented upon by the universal Practice of the Church from the first Age till this wild exorbitant last Century seems a clear Evidence what the Will of Christ is c. I very much like the Words and Sense which they in propriety express viz. That in a Matter of Fact where Scripture is obscure the Practice of the first second or third Centuries may be an excellent Commentary that is a help to understand them much more the Practice of the universal Church in all Ages But I must tell you that it is not the Work of a Commentary on the Laws expresly to add such Precepts about matters of such very great Concernment as is the very being of the Republick which are neither expresly or implicitly in the Law it self I must judge therefore that you make the Churches Practice a real Law though you thought meet to give it but the Title of a Comment And I scarce approve of your comparative Terms of the Centuries as bad as this is What! hath this Century which hath been the only reforming Age been worse than that before it whose Corruptions it reformed and worse than that of which Bellarmine saith Hoc seculo nullum extitit indoctius vel infoelicius quo qui Mathematicae aut Philosophiae operam dabat Magus vulgo putabatur and that of which Espencaeus saith that Graecè nosce suspectum fuerit Hebraicum propè Haereticum What worse than the four or five foregoing Centuries wherein Murderers Traytors common Whoremongers Sodomites Hereticks were the pretended Heads of the Church and grosly ignorant superstitious and wicked ones were the conspicuous part of the Body Will you appeal from this Century to those Did you not even now confess that it is admirably worth our Consideration that when God stirred up the drowzy World to depart from Rome's Superstitions and Idolatries he bowed the Hearts of some of the Church-Officers to go along with them Rome then was idolatrous We departed from it God stirred Men up and bowed their Hearts thereto I confess you
ad esse Officii As strongly may we argue for any Mode or convenient Circumstance so required or used As Christ or his Apostles mention no way of Ordination or of conveying the Ministerial Power but with Prayer conjunct or but with Imposition of Hands on the bare Head or but in the Syriack Hebrew Greek or Latin Tongues or but on a Man that is vigilant sober and of good Behaviour c. Ergo There is no other way Ergo This is of absolute Necessity ad esse Officii But this is no good arguing Ergo No more is yours It is as bad as if one had thus argued with the Israelites in the Wilderness God hath mentioned no other way of Covenant Engagement or Church Entrance but by Circumcision Ergo there is no other Ergo this is necessary ad esse foederis in Ecclesiae They are no good Iuris Consulti Christiani i. e. Theology that know not that some Cases must be judged and some Laws interpreted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which yet is but according to the true Sense of that Law as Christ taught the Pharises in the Case of David the Priests and his Disciples rubbing the Ears of Corn. I conclude all as I begun desiring that if this satisfy you not you would perform the other Parts of your Undertaking before or with your Reply to this and blame not me who am past all doubt of an Interruption of Succession in a great part of the Churches especially of the Romish and uncertain of a Non-interruption in any Church on Earth and despair of ever being certain to be as loath to yield that Christ hath no Church Ministry or Ministerial Ordinances or at least none in so large a part of the professed Church or that we are uncertain whether he hath any at all as you are loath to yield to the immediate Authorizing Efficacy of the Law or to the Sufficiency of the Magistrates or Peoples Mediation in case of necessity or to an Occasion of encouraging Usurpers of the Ministry Tertullian de Baptismo Cap. 17. Superest ad concludendam materiolam de observatione quoque dandi accipiendi Baptismum commonefacere Dandi quidem jus habet summus Sacerdos qui est Episcopus Dehiâ—c Presbyteri Diaconi non tamen sine Episcopi authoritate propter ecclesiae honorem quo salvo salva pax est Aliquin etiam laicis jus est Quod enim ex aequo accipitur ex aequo dari potest nisi Episcopi jam aut Presbyteri aut Diaconi vocanter dicentes Domini sermo non debet abscondi ab ullo Proinde baptismus aequè Dei census ab omnibus exerceri potest sed quanto majis Laicis disciplina verecundiâ modestiâ incumbit qum ea majoribus competat ne sibi adsumant dicatum Episcopi officium Episcopatus Aemulatio schismatum matur Omnia liscere dixit sanctissimus Apostolus sed non omnia expedâ—e Sufficiat scilicet in necessitatibus ut utaris sicubi aut loci aut temporis aut personae conditio compellit Tunc enim constantia succurrentis excipitur quam urget circumstantia periclitantis Quoniam reus erit perditi hominis si super sederit praestare quod libere potuit Petulantia autem mulierum quae usurpavit docere utique non etiam tingendi jus sibi pariet c. Had there been here no mention of the Episcopal Office or of teaching the Arguments would hold for it a fortiore Christ hath put Baptizing in the Apostolical commission appropriating that to them as much as the rest Yet whether all this of Tertullian be approvable I now dispute not But here you see the way of Antiquity vide Pamelii annotat in loc ubi similia citantur 〈◊〉 Ambrosi Clem. Constitut. Hieronymo Hylario Isidoro And it is not only the Papists that are still for Womens baptizing in case of necessity Pamelius would force 〈◊〉 to their Sense contrary to the whole Scope of his Words but many other and that very long ago and Lay-men were wont to preach in the Church then how much more as Aedesius and Frumentius among Infidels Concil Carthag 4. alias 5. Can. 98. Laicus praesentibus clericis nisi ipsis rogantibus Docere non audiat Origen did usually expound the Scriptures publickly before he was ordained and was encouraged in it by the Bishops themselves of which Baronius himself speaks in these Words ad annum Christi 230. pag. 377. Licet nondum Presbyterii gradu potius ab Episcopis qui ibi erant non ad disputandum solum sed ad Scriptur as etiam apperiendas magnopere in commani Ecclesiae confessu rogatus est Quod quidem poterit esse perspicuum ex iis quae Alexander Hierosolymorum Episcopus Theoctistus Episcopus Caesarre ad demetrium in Origenis defensione sic fere respondebant Quod autem in litiris adjunxeris nunquam antea auditum neque jam usurpatum ut Laici praesentibus Episcopis disputarent Scripturasque exponerent in eo mihi nescio quomodo videris perspicue falla dixisse Nam ubi idonei habiles reperiuntur qui Fratribus in verbo Dei adjumento sint a sanctis Episcopis rogantur ut Populum in verbo instituant sicut Larandis Evelpis a Neone Ieonii Paulinus a Celso apud Synados Theodorus ab Attico qui omnes beati pii Fratres erant At verisâ—mile est quamvis nobis obscurum miniâ—â— cognitum sit illud item in aliis locis fieri bae illi And if Lay-Men might expound Scriptures and teach publickly and ordinarily in the Presence of the Bishop and baptize in case of necessity as Tertul. how much more may they in a case of necessity undertake the Ministerial Office without Legitimate Ecclesiastical Ordination and if all these Acts of Lay-Men be not null then the Ordination of a Man not lawfully ordained himself must be valid in case of a greater necessity This is the confident Opinion of the generality of Protestants The Lutherans Helvetians and many others say a regular Call is by Magistrates Ministers and People yet that it 's valid if one part fail Lege Forb's Defence of Call l. 28. pag. 60. voet desperat caus pag. 266 267. Iohan. Dartis dè Hierâ—rch Eccles. p. 10. To conclude as it seems Matthias and the other Apostles were ordained without Imposition of Hands so Gregory Thaumaturgus was ordained by Phaedimus both against his Will and when he was distant three Days Journey as Gregory Nysen saith in his Orat. de Vita Thaumat when Gregory avoided the Hands of the Bishop he by Prayer and solemn Words sets him a part to the Priesthood loco Manus Impositionis Gregorio adhibet Sermonem Deo Conferens eum qui Corpore coram non adesset illam ei Civitatem destinans atque attribuens quam contigerat c. This Nyssen speaks of as true Ordination and the Form shews that it was a constituting him in that Office Bishop of Neocaesarea though Baronius finding this
Cause against those ravening Wolves and strengthen all thy Servants whom they keep in Prison and Bondage Let not thy Long suffering be an occasion to increase their Tyranny or to discourage thy Children c. The Homilies have many Passages liable to hard Interpretations The use of none of these is Sedition XXIV From 1650. to 1660. I had Controversies by Manuscript with some great Doctors that took up with Dr. Hammond's and Petavius's new singular way of Pleading for Episcopacy which utterly betrayed it They held that in Scripture time all called Presbyters were Diocesan Bishops and that there was no such thing as our Subject Presbyters and yet that every Congregation had a Diocesan Bishop and that it was no Church that had not such a Bishop and that there are no more Churches than there are such Bishops And so when Diocesses were enlarged as ours the Parishes were no Churches for no Bishop had more than one And that Subject Presbyters are since made and are but Curates that have no more power than the Bishop pleaseth to give them Dr. Hammond in his Vindication saith That as far as he knoweth all that owned the same Cause with him against the Presbyterians were come to be of his mind herein And we know not of four Bishops then in England And the Et caetera Oath and Canons of 1640. and the Writers that nullified the Reformed Churches Ordination and Ministry and pleaded for a Forreign Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and for our Re-ordination all looking the same way I thought they knew the Judgment of the few remaining Bishops better than I did and sometime called it The Iudgment of the present Church here that is of these Church-men and the English Diocesans but proved that the Laws and Doctrine still owned as the Churches was contrary to them and took the Parishes for true Churches and the Incumbents true Pastors and the Diocesans to be over many Churches and not one alone whereas the Men that I gainsayed overthrew the whole Sacred Ministry among us and all our Churches as of Divine Institution for our Presbyters they say were not in Scripture times Our Parishes are no Churches for want of Bishops our Diocesans are no Successors of such Apostolick Men as were over many Churches ours having but one And they are not like those that they call the Scripture Diocesans for they say these Doctors had but single Assemblies These Men I confuted in my Treatise of Episcopacy and other Books But the Scribe or Printer omitting my Direction to put still The fore-described Prelacy and Church instead of The English Prelacy and Church I was put to number it with the Errata and give the Reader notice of it in the Preface and Title Page and have since vindicated the Church of England hereform XXV I hear the angry Protestant Recusants say It is just with God that he that hath done more than all others to draw Men to the Parish-Churches and hath these Thirty years been Reconciling us to the Papists in Doctrinals and is now called Bellarminus junior for his Arguments for Liturgies and Forms and in his Paraphrase hath so largely and earnestly pleaded for Charity to Papists as not Babylonish or Antichristian should be the first that should suffer by them and that for this very Book that so extraordinarily doth serve their Interest To which I say take heed of mis-expounding Providence that Errour hath cost England dear If I be put to doath by them I shall not repent of any of those Conciliatory Doctrines and Endeavours I have reviewed my Writings and am greatly satisfied that I suffer not for running into either Extream nor for any false Doctrine Rebellion Treason or gross Sin but that I have spent my Labour and Life against both Persecuting and causeless Separating And that I shall leave my Testimony against both to Posterity and for what could I more comfortably suffer It is by decrying their Persecution and Cruelty that I have angred the hurtful Papists and by confuting their gross undoubted Crimes more effectually than you do by the Name of Antichrist Babylon and the Whore And if their Cruelty on me should prove my Charge against them true I shall not be guilty of it Nor will their Sin abrogate God's great Law of Love even to Enemies and if it be possible as much as in you lyeth live peaceably with all men follow peace with all men blessed are the peace-makers c. The disorderly tumultuous Cries and Petitions of such ignorant Zealots for Extreams under the Name of Reformation and crying down all moderate Motions about Episcopacy and Liturgies and rushing fiercely into a War and young Lads and Apprentices and their like pricking forward Parliament Men had so great a part in our Sin and Misery from 1641. till 1660. as I must give warning to Posterity to avoid the like and love Moderation I repent that I no more discouraged ignorant Rashness in 1662. and 1663. but I repent not of any of my Motions for Peace XXVI I am sure that my Writings besides Humane Imperfection have no guilt of what they are accused unless other Men put their sense on my words and call it mine and say I meant the Rulers when I spake of Popish Interdicts Silencings and Persecutions And by that measure no Minister must speak against any Sin till he be sure that the Rulers are neither guilty nor defamed of it lest he be thought to mean them and so our Office is at an end If the Text and the general Corruption of the World lead me to speak against Fornication Perjury Calumny Lying Murder Cruelty or any Vice must I tell Men whom I mean by Name I mean all in the World that are guilty And why must my meaning be any more confined when I with the Text speak against Persecution and unjust Silencing the faithful Ministers of Christ while I say that Rulers may justly Silence all that forfeit their Commission and do more hurt than good XXVII Can any Man that hath read Church-History Fathers and Councils be ignorant how dolefully Satan hath corrupted and torn the Church by the Ambition and Tyranny of many Popes Patriarchs and Metropolitans while the humble fort of Bishops and Pastors have kept up the Life and Power of Christianity Or can any Man that maketh not Christ and his Church a meer Servant to Worldly Interest think that this should not by all true Christians be lamented Let such read Nazianzen's sad Description of the Bishops of his time in striving for the highest Seats and his wish that they were equal And the same wish of Isidore Pelusiota and the sharp Reproof hereof by Chrysostom Great Grotius expoundeth Matth. 24. 29. of the Powers of Heaven shaken thus It is the Christian Laity who after the Apostles times began to be marvellously shaken by the Tyranny of the Prelates who loved Pre-eminence and to Lord it oyer the Clergy by rash Excommunications and a daily increase of Schisms He that will
amiss or right either in himself or others c. 4. He was concerned to prevent Misapprehensions Prejudice Censures and Scandals for time to come to call the Guilty to Repentance to clear the Innocent and warn the present and succeeding Generations against their being split upon the like Rocks to lay all Miscarriages at their right Doors and to undeceive Forreign Churches and Kingdoms and to deliver them from being imposed on by false Representations of our Affairs at home 5. He had an acrimonious pungent Sâ—â—le indeed contracted by his plain dealing with obstinate Sinners which he told me was much severer than his Spirit was He lov'd to give Sins and Sinners what Names might make themselves and all Men most sensible of their aggravated Crimes And yet he was averse from blackning them more than there was reason for in his judgment and from concluding Men graceless or hopeless from any particular Misdemeanours or Defects 6. He was publick spirited and valued not nor would he be swayed by Parties Names or Interestâ— His Soul was drawn out to a greater length and wrought into a siner temper than to over-look any thing truly Excellent and Worthy in any one though of a different Character and Perswasion from himself as to things of a lower Nature and consistent with the Spirit and great Designs of Christianity I have heard him great and copious in his Commendations of several Prelates and Conformists And let the Reader pardon me if I tell him the Right Reverend the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Tenison the Reverend present Bishops of Worcester and Ely were expresly mention'd by him to me as Persons greatly admired and highly valued by him and of their readiness to serve the Publick Interest both Civil and Religious he told me he doubted not And for several of their excellent and useful Labours I think my self amongst many others obliged to bless God and thank them though I be unknown to them and indeed deservedly below their Notice His great Concern and vehement Desire was for a Comprehension fit to include all peaceable useful sober Persons And he thought it not impossible nor incongruous to fix upon Foundations large and strong enough so as to take in all that might fitly contribute to Publick Welfare into one good Constitution and Establishment And to my knowledge many are animated with the same Desires May not the Church of England be more evidently beautiful large and safe hereby And though Authority has not yet wrought us up to this I humbly judge that amicable Conversation amongst those that attend our respective Ministry and among us Ministers our selves would shew to all that we are propense to Peace and Love and to mutual Usefulness and Endearments It seems to me most strange and hateful that different Sentiments about disputable Matters should alienate Affections banish Civilities of Conversation and scarce be enquired into and debated about without scurrilous Reflections and enflamed Passions Rage and force may produce Hypocrites or Adversaries but scarce ever hearty serious Converts But for Men to be hired cheated frighted into a Change of Sentiment is very odd indeed Truth and Faithfulness are very valuable things and to me as worthy of a Commendation in a Conformist as in a Non-conformist vice versa Nor shall I count things better or worse for the sake of Persons in whom I meet with them Truth and Goodness make Men worthy but what can they derive from Men God hath shewed them to us in their proper Evidence fit for Discovery by impartial Search and at our peril is it to reject them Neither can any Man's Confidence or Passion change their Nature or justifie our Refusal or Mistakes thereof No wonder then if this Reverend Author be so impartially free in both his Narratives and Characters whilst the Publick Interest was so much in his Eye and lay so pressingly on his heart 7. Whilst so devoted to the publick good of Church and State he observed Persons enquired into Things studied Expedients consulted God and Man to know what was the likeliest way to heal the Wounds and settle the Peace and Welfare of Church and State and how to do this regularly and successfully was the solicitous Inquest and Endeavour of his Soul and if he did mistake his way it was not wilfully but through infirmity 8. But his defeated Expectations and Endeavours amidst those many Revolutions in his time from which resulted hindrances neither few nor mean made him more strictly to take the Minutes of Proceedings and Events as they occurred and so to make some fit Remarks thereon And having thus furnished himself with apt Materials and Memoirs he at last digested all into this following History which you have faithfully from his own Original abating some corrigenda Some little words supply'd here and there which currente calamo were left out Some small Chasms to be fill'd up whereto the current Sence directed us And in some Letters here inserted not being by himself transcribed the words being something less legible than others they must be almost guessed at Though these were few and no way affecting the Sence considerably And some Repetitions through the Author 's own forgetfulness left out But the History is entirely his transcribed and published as such from his own Copy which I keep by me for my own Vindication carefully and as a Memorial of himself with me Secondly As to the History I. Of what Concern and Consequence the Matter of it is the patient and diligent and judicious Reader may soon discern Weighty things when fully credibly and impartially related do readily commend themselves to the Reader 's Acceptation and they do as readily meet therewith where Ingenuity and Candour do prevail What these things are which the Historian mainly insists upon may be discover'd quickly by reading over the Contents thereof whereto I would refer the Reader First Lest the first sheet or two through their Graphical inaccuracy should be offensive to him and so discourage his progressive Reading The History takes it's rise indeed à leviusculis from meaner things which seeing the Author seem'd desirous and resolv'd to insert upon Reasons best known to himself indeed I durst not blot out Readers and Friends to the deceased may be of various Appetites and Humours and different Things may have their different Relishes from variously disposed Palates Why may not Histories take their start from smaller Matters and so proceed to greater as well as the material Origination of the Universe from its Chaos and of Humane Bodies from their first Dust or Seed I do indeed profess my grief and shame that they escaped me so inadvertently but I was then bereav'd of that Composure in my Thoughts through the tremendous Hand of God upon me otherwise which I will not now relate for otherwise my Caution had been greater and so those Sheets and other Passages more correct I had neither time nor strength to attend the Press so as to inspect the Impression sheet
from their Houses and more such Penalties which I remember not so short Lived a Commonwealth deserved no long Remembrance Mr. Vines and Dr. Rainbow and many more were hereupon put out of their Headships in the Universities and Mr. Sidrach Sympson and Mr. Io. Sadler and such others put in yea such a Man as Mr. Dell the Chaplain of the Army who I think neither understood himself nor was understood by others any farther than to be one who took Reason Sound Doctrine Order and Concord to be the intollerable Maladies of Church and State because they were the greatest Strangers to his Mind But poor Dr. Edward Reignolds had the hardest Measure for when he refused to take the Engagement his Place was forfeited and afterwards they drew him to take it in hopes to keep his Place which was no less than the Deanarie of Christ's-Church and then turned him out of all and offered his Place to Mr. Ios. Caryll but he refusing it it was conferred on Dr. Owen to whom it was continued from year to year And because the Presbyterians still urged the Covenant against killing the King and pulling down the Parliament and setting up a Commonwealth and taking the Engagement some of the Independent Brethren maintained that its Obligation ceased because it was a League and the Occasion of it ceased And some of the Rump said it was like an Almanack out of date and some of the Souldiers said they never took it and others of them railed at it as a Scottish Snare So that when their Interest would not suffer them to keep so solemn a Vow their Wills would not suffer their Judgments to confess it to be Obligatory at least as to the part which they must violate § 100. For my own part though I kept the Town and Parish of Kiderminster from taking the Covenant and seeing how it might become a Snare to their Consciences yea and most of Worcestershire besides by keeping the Ministers from offering it in any of the Congregations to the People except in Worcester City where I had no great Interest and know not what they did yet I could not judge it seemly for him that believed there is a God to play fast and loose with a dreadful Oath as if the Bonds of National and Personal Vows were as easily shak'd off as Sampson's Cords Therefore I spake and preach'd against the Engagement and dissuaded Men from taking it The first hour that I heard of it being in Company with some Gentlemen of Worcestershire I presently wrote down above twenty Queries against it intending as many more almost against the Obligation as those were about the Sense and Circumstances And one that was present got the Copy of them and shortly after I met with them verbatim in a Book of Mr. Henry Hall's as his own one that was long imprisoned for writing against Cromwell Some Episcopal Divines that were not so scrupulous it seems as we did write for it private Manuscripts which I have seen and plead the irresistability of the Imposers and they found starting holes in the Terms viz. That by the Common-wealth they will mean the present Commonwealth in genere and by Established they will mean only de facto and not de jure and by without a King c. they mean not quatenus but Etsi and that only de facto pro tempore q. d. I will be true to the Government of England though at the present the King and House of Lords are put out of the Exercise of their power These were the Expositions of many Episcopal Men and others that took it But I endeavoured to evince that this is meer jugling and jesting with Matters too great to be jested with And that as they might easily know that the Imposers had another sense so as easily might they know that the words in their own obvious usual sense among men must be taken as the Promise or Engagement of a Subject as such to a Form of Government now pretended to be established And that the Subjects Allegiance or Fidelity to his Rulers can be acknowledged and given in no plainer words And that by such Interpretations and Stretchings of Conscience any Treasonable Oath or Promise may be taken and no Bonds of Society can signifie much with such Interpreters § 101. England and Ireland being thus Conquered by Cromwell by deluding well-meaning Men into his Service and covering his Ambition with the Lord Fairfax's Generalship the Parliament being imprisoned and cast out the King cut off and the Rump established as a new Commonwealth those great and solid Men Pim Hampden c. being long before dead and rid out of his way who else had been like to have prevailed against the Plots of Vane in the Parliament you would think there were nothing now standing in his way to hinder him from laying hands upon the Crown But four Impediments yet stood before him 1. The numerous Cavaliers or Royalists ready for new Enterprizes against him 2. The Scots who resolved to stick to the Covenant and the King 3. The Army which must be untaught all the Principles which he is now permitting them to learn For those Principles which must bring him to the Crown are the worst in the World for him when once he is there 4. The Ministers of England and Scotland and all the sober People who regarded them The first of these he most easily though not without strugling overcame making his advantage by all their Enterprizes The second put him harder to it but he overcame them at last The third proved yet a greater difficulty but he seemed absolutely to overcome it yet leaving still some Life in the root The fourth strove against him more calmly and prudently with invincible Weapons and though they were quiet were never overcome but at last revived the spark of Life which was left in the third and thereby gave a Resurrection to the first and second and so recovered all at last not to the state of their own Interest or to that Condition of Church Affairs which they desired but to that Civil State of Royal Government to which they were engaged and from which the Nation seemed to have fallen These are the true Contents of the following parts that were acted in these Lands The Rump I might mention as another of his Impediments but as they now were doing his work so I conjoyn the Relicts of them which then disturbed him with the Army who were the strength by which they did it § 102. The King being dead his Son was by right immediately King and from that time he dateth his Reign The Scots send Messengers to him to come over to them and take the Crown But they treat with him first for his taking of the Covenant and renouncing the Wars and the Blood that was shed in them by his Fathers Party By which I perceive that the Scots understood the Clause in the Covenant of Defending the King's Person and Authority in the Defence
published in this Age in matters of Fact with unblushing Confidence even where thousands or Multitudes of Eye and Ear-Witnesses knâ—w all to be false doth call Men to take heed what History they believe especially where Power and Violence affordeth that Priviledge to the Reporter that no Man dare answer him or detect his Fraud or if they do their Writings are all supprest As long as Men have Liberty to examine and contradict one another one may partly conjecture by comparing their Words on which side the Truth is like to lie But when great Men write History or Flatteries by their Appointment which no Man dare contradict believe it but as you are constrained Yet in these Cases I can freely believe History 1. If the Person shew that he is acquainted with what he faith 2. And if he shew you the Evidences of Honesty and Conscience and the Fear of God which may be much perceived in the Spirit of a Writing 3. And if he appear to be Impartial and Charitable and a Lover of Goodness and of Mankind and not possest with Malignity or personal ill Will and Malice nor carried away by Faction or personal Interest Conscionable Men dare not lye but Faction and Interest abate Mens Tenderness of Conscience And a charitable impartial Heathen may speak Truth in a love to Truth and hatred of a Lye But ambitious Malice and false Religion will not stick to serve themselves on any thing It 's easy to trace the Footsteps of Veracity in the Intelligence Impartiality and Ingenuity of a Thuaâ—â—s a 〈◊〉 a Pâ—â—lus Vâ—â—et though Papists and of Secrates and Soâ—â—â—â— though accused by the Factious of favouring the Novations and many Protestants in a Mâ—lanctâ—â—â— a 〈◊〉 and many more and among Physicians in such as Cratâ— Plaâ—â—â—us c. But it 's 〈◊〉 easy to see the Footsteepâ— of Partiality and Faction and Design in a Gensbâ—â—rd a 〈◊〉 and a Multitude of their Companions and to see reason of Suspicion in many more Therefore I confess I give but halting Credit to most Histories that are written not only against the Albigouses and 〈◊〉 but against most of the Ancient Hereticks who have left us none of their own Writings in which they speak for themselves and I hartily lament that the Historical Writings of the Ancient Schismaticks and 〈◊〉 as they were called perished and that partiality suffered them not to shâ—viâ—â— that we might have had more Light in the Church-Affairs of those times and been better able to judge between the Fathers and them And as I am proâ—e to think that few of them were so â—ad as their Adversaries made them so I am apt to think that such as the Novations and Luciâ—â—rians and 〈◊〉 c. whom their Adversaries commend were very good Men and 〈◊〉 Godly than most Catholicks however mistaken in some one Point Sure I am that as the Lies of the Papists of 〈◊〉 Zwinglius Câ—lvin and 〈◊〉 are visibly malicious and impâ—dent by the common plenary contradicting Evidence and yet the Multitude of their Seduced ones believe them all in despight of Truth and Charity so in this Age there have been such things written against Parties and Persons whom the Writers design to make odious so notoriously false as you would think that the Sense of their Honour at least should have made it impossible for such Men to write My own Eyes have read such Words and Actions asserted with most vehement iterated unblushing Confidence which abundance of Ear-Witnesses even of their own Parties must needs know to have been altogether false and therefore having my self now written this History of my self notwithstanding my Protestation that I have not in any thing wilfully gone against the Truth I expect no more Credit from the Reader than the self-evidencing Light of the matter with concurrent rational Advantages from Persons and Things and other Witnesses shall constrain him to if he be a Person that is unacquainted with the Author himself and the other Evidences of his Veracity and Credibility And I have purposely omitted almost all the Descriptions of any Persons that ever opposed me or that ever I or my Brethren suffered by because I know that the appearance of Interest and partiality might give a fair excuse to the Readers incredulity Although indeed the true Description of Persons is much of the very Life of History and especially of the History of the Age which I have lived in yet to avoid the suspicion of Partiality I have left it out Except only when I speak of the Cromwellians and Sectaries where I am the more free because none suspecteth my Interest to have engaged me against them but with the rest of my Brethren I have opposed them in the obedience of my Conscience when by pleasing them I could have had almost any thing that they could have given me and when before-hand I expected that the present Governours should silence me and deprive me of Maintenance House and Home as they have done by me and many hundreds more Therefore I supposed that my Descriptions and Censures of those Persons which would have enriched and honoured me and of their Actions against that Party which hath silenced impoverished and accused me and which before-hand I expected should do so are beyond the Suspicion of Envy Self-interest or Partiality If not I there also am content that the Reader exercise his Liberty and believe no worse even of these Men than the Evidence of Fact constraineth him Thus much of the Alterations of my Soul since my younger years I thought best to give the Reader instead of all those Experiences and Actual Motions and Affections which I suppose him rather to have expected an account of And having transcribed thus much of a Life which God hath read and Conscience hath read and must further read I humbly lament it and beg pardon of it as sinful and too unequal and unprofitable And I warn the Reader to amend that in his own which he findeth to have been amiss in mine confessing also that much hath been amiss which I have not here particularly mentioned and that I have not lived according to the abundant Mercies of the Lord. But what I have recorded hath been especially to perform my Vows and declare his Praise to all Generations who hath filled up my days with his unvaluable Favours and bound me to bless his Name for ever And also to prevent the defective performance of this Task by some overvaluing Brethren who I know intended it and were unfitter to do it than my self And for such Reasons as Iunius Scaltetus Thuanus and many others have done the like before me The principal of which are these three 1. As Travellers and Seamen use to do after great Adventures and Deliverances I here by satisfie my Conscience in praising the Blessed Author of all those undeserved Mercies which have filled up my Life 2. Foreseeing by the Attempts of Bishop Morley what Prelatists and Papists are like to say of me
4. Most Presbyters that I know do perform all Ecclesiastical Matters upon supposition of a Divine Direction and not upon the Command of Humane Powers Ad 9m. The Ordination of meer Presbyters is not null and the Presbyters so ordained now in England are true Presbyters as I am ready to maintain But wait for the Accuser's proof of the nullity Ad 10m. 1. This calls me to decide the Controversie about the late Wars which I find not either necessary or convenient for me to undertake 2. The like I must say of deciding the Legality of Inductions and Admissions 3. If a worthy Man be cast out had you rather that God's Worship were neglected and the People perished for lack of Teaching then any other Man should be set over them though one that had no hand in casting him out Must the People needs have him or none as long as he lives Was it so when Bishops were cast out heretofore by Emperours or Councils I think may take the Guidance of a destitute People so I hinder not a worthy Man from recovering his Right 4. I never desired that any should be Excluded but the Unworthy the Insufficient or Scandalous or grosly Negligent And I know but too few of the Ejected that are not such And this Question doth modestly pass over their Case or else I should have said somewhat more to the Matter Ad 11m. 1. It is a necessary Christian Duty to see that we do not the least Evil for our own safety And all God's Ordinances must be maintained as far as we can But as I before disclaimed the Arrogance of determining the Controversie about our Diocesan Episcopacy so I think not every Legal Right of the Church which it hath by Man's Law nor every thing in our Liturgy to be worthy so stiff a maintenance as to the loss of Life nor the loss of Peace Nor did the late King think so who would have let go so much But I think that they that did this carnally for Self-interest and Ends did grievously sin whether the thing it self were good or bad especially if they went against their Consciences 2. I think there is no unlawful Prayers or Service now offered to God in the Church ordinarily where I have had opportunity to know it And I think we pray for the same things in the main as we were wont to do and offer God the same Service And that Mr. Ball and others against the Separatists have sufficiently proved that it is no part of the Worship but an Accident of it-self indifferent that I use These Words or Those a Book or no Book a Form premeditated or not And no Separatist hath yet well answered them Ad 12m. Such as you described you can hardly know and therefore not knowingly scruple their Communion for a Man's ends and knowledge are out of your sight You can hardly tell who did this against Knowledge and Conscience carnally for Self interest But if you mean it of your ordinary Ministers and Congregations I am past doubt that you are Schismatical if not worse you avoid the Assemblies and Ordinances mentioned upon such Accusations and Suppositions And I shall much easier prove this than you will make good your Separation Ad 13m. Permitting you to suppose Orthodox and Episcoparian to be the same at present you may easily know that the Episcopal are not all of a Mind but differ I think much more among themselves than the moderate Episcopal and Presbyterians differ some maintaining that the Ordination of meer Presbyters is not null with divers the like things which the novel sort doth disclaim The old Episcopal Protestant may not only take a Cure of Souls now without any Contradiction to his Principles but may comfortably Associate with the peaceable Ministry of the Land and may not conscionably avoid it The Novel sort before mentioned ought to rectifie their mistakes and so to take up their duty but as they are I see not how they can do it in consistency with their Principles unless under the Jurisdiction of a Bishop Ad 14m. For the Point of the legality of the Liturgy you call me to determine Cases in Law which I find my self unfit for And for the Directory its Nature is according to its Name not to impose Words or Matter nor bind by human Authority but to direct Men how to understand God's Word concerning the Ordering of his Worship Now either it directeth us right or wrong If wrong we must not follow such Directions If right it 's no unlawful disturbance of the Churches Peace to obey God's Word upon their Direction Circumstances wherein some place most of their Government they very little meddle with And indeed I know but few that do much in the order of Worship eo Nomine because it is so in the Directory but because they think it most agreeable to God's Word or most tending to Concord as things now stand Would you have us avoid any Scripture or orderly Course meerly because it is expressed in the Directory And think you those are Ways of Peace Ad 15m. I think on the Credit of others that the Jewish Church had a Liturgy I am sure they had Forms of Praises and Prayer in some Cases I know Christ taught his Disciples the Lord's Prayer I will not determine whether as a Directory for Matter and Order or whether as a Form of Words to be used or when or how oft used I conjecture you regard the Judgment of Grotius who saith in Matt. 6. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In hunc Sensum Non enim praecipit Christus verba recitari quod nec legimus Apostolos fecisse quanquam id quoque fieri cum fructu potest sed materiam precum hinc promere i.e. Pray thus that is to this Sense For Christ doth not command the saying of the Words nor do we read that the Apostles did it though that also may profitably be done but hence to fetch the Matter of Prayer You know the Directory adviseth the use of the Words And how it was that Iohn taught his Disciples to pray I cannot tell nor will herein pretend my self wiser than I am The Example of the Primitive Church is never the more imitable for the Cessation of Persecution and its Example before is most to be regarded that being purest that is next the Fountain We are sure that the Church long used extemporate Prayers and its probable betimes some Forms withal I think they are strangely Dark and addicted to Extreams that think either that no Forms are lawful or that only prescribed or premiditated Forms are lawful And if you will condemn all publick extemporate Prayers you will err as grosly as they that will have no other Ad 16m. I know no necessity of any Godfather or Godmother beside the Parents unless you will call those so that in case of their necessary Absence are their Delegates Nor do I know that ordinarily among us any Dictates or Prayers are used that
us because we understand it not If indeed they consented a Word speaking or the writing of their Names is no great Cost or Labour to discover it If they think it too much we might better think our yearly Labour too much for them Relation is the ground of the Duties which they bind to I cannot enter these Relations but by consent nor know them without the Expression of that Consent No Man can be a Member of my Charge in despight of me nor can I make any Man such against his Will I can never marry a Woman that will say you shall do the Office of a Husband to me but I will not tell you whether I take you for my Husband nor promise to be your Wife c. I will not have a Scholar in my School or a Pupil that will say Hither will I come and you shall teach me but I will not tell you whether I will be your Scholar or take you for my Teacher Nor will I have a Patient that will make me give him what Physick he desires and will not say he will take me for his Physician 3. Besides the Office of a Pastor is not only to preach and administer the Sacrament but also to admonish rebuke and exercise some Discipline for the Good of the Church And he that will not profess his consent to these doth not by his partial submitting to the rest shew his consent that I be his Pastor I will be a Pastor to none that will not be under Discipline That were to be a half Pastor and indulge Men in an unruliness and contempt of the Ordinance of Christ If I take more on me than is just or necessary I will gladly hear of it and recant 4. Either they do indeed take us for their Pastors or not If not we do them no Wrong to take them for none of our Charge And then why do they say that their coming to Church proveth it But if they do take us for their Pastors then they owe us more Obedience than the speaking of a Word comes to and when we require them to profess themselves Members of the Church and of our Charge they are bound to obey us unless they can prove it a Sin But if they say we will not obey them in the speaking of such a Word though indeed they did call us their Pastors this were but to contradict themselves and to deny the thing when they give us the Name I desire no such Charge much less such as will give us neither Name nor Thing and yet expect their Wills of us Sir Pardon the Plainness and accept the true Account of my Thoughts from Your Servant Richard Baxter Feb. 2. 1655. § 34 About the same time that we were thus associating in Worcestershire it pleased God stir up the Ministers of Cumberland and Westmorland to the same Course who though they knew not what we had done yet fell upon the same way and agreed on Articles to the same purpose and of the same Sense and Importance as ours were of which Mr. Richard Gilpin one of them a worthy faithful Minister sent me word when he saw our Articles in Print and they also printed theirs to save the writing of many Copies and to excite others to the same way and they found the same readiness to Union among the Brethren as we had done Their Agreement you may find printed our Letters were as followeth Dear Brethren WE salute you in the Lord It was no small reviving to us to behold your Order and mutual Condescentions expressed in your Book of Concord to promote the Reformation of your People in ways of Peace We unfeignedly rejoice on your behalf and thought our selves bound to signifie how grateful and helpful your Endeavours are to us The Scorners of this Age have a long time bent their Tongue as a Bow and dipt their Arrows in Gall and sent forth bitter Accusations and Slanders against all the Ministers of the Gospel calling them Disturbers implacable c. as if the very Esse of a Minister were to contradict and to be averse from Peace Surely your earnest prosecution of Concord will be a standing Confutation of that Charge at least so far as to cut off the Note of Universality from it But that which most affects us is that you are not willing to look upon the gasping Condition of the Church here as idle Spectators or as â—eer Witnesses of her Funeral without trying any Remedy at all and that you do not apprehend your selves to have done all your Duty when you have bewailed her Trouble and complained of her Adversaries Cruelty Sion indeed hath been thrown down to the Ground and hath been covered with a Cloud in the Day of the Lord's Anger and her Adversaries are round about In this Distress she hath spread forth her Hands and hath looked upon her Lovers for Help and that so long that she is ready to say that her Strength and her Hope is perished from the Lord. Now her Sons while they have been consulting how to relieve her have fallen out about the Cure and because they have not been admitted to administer the Physick according to their Minds have neglected to administer any at all because they could not be suffered to do what they would they have forgotten that it was their Duty to do what they might Some have thrown all aside but preaching as it were in a pettish Discontent some have satisfied themselves with administring Cordials without purging the noxious Humours because they thought this necessary and safe though in an unpresbyte and Church Others it may be have seen a necessity of making farther Progress and have been groaping after it but have been discouraged at the sight of the thwarting and inconsistent Principles the Animosities and want of Condescention of different Parties Others it may be have in their Thoughts overcome this Difficulty and yet have stuck at one that is less they have been afraid to be the first Propounders of their conceived Remedy fearing the Entertainment and Success that their charitable Endeavours might find being more willing to follow than to lead in such a doubtful and unbeaten Path. This Design which you have resolved on will we hope convince Men that though we cannot as yet expect that the Lord's House should be so finished that all shall cry Grace Grace unto it Yet that the Building need not wholly to crase you are the first that have in this publick way broken the Ice and who knows how powerful your Example may be to call Men off from their Contentions and Strivings one against another by a brotherly Combination to carry on the work of Christ as far as they can with one Shoulder Whatsoever Advantage others may reap by your Endeavours we are sure the Advantage that we have by them is double 1. We before we had heard of your Book had undertaken a Work of the like nature Several of us meeting together to consults about
between us whether Men should wait for farther objective Revelations or Additions to the written Word or whether we should condemn the Errors of the Enthusiasts herein we are agreed in all this 5. Nor is the Question de Officio whether it be the Duty of all Men to look out after the written Word as far as they can and rest in it 6. Nor is the Question whether the Scripture only have the proper Nature of a Rule to Judge Controversies by 7. Nor yet whether Scripture be of necessity to the Church in General 8. Nor whether it be necessary as a means to the Salvation of all that have it 9. Nor whether it be the only sufficient means of safe keeping and propagating the whole Truth of God which is necessary to the Church 10. But the Question is of every particular Soul on Earth whether we may thus assert that there is no Salvation for them unless they know Christ by the Revelation of the Scripture And I cannot assent to the Article for these Reasons 1. It seems a Snare by the unmeet Expressions 2. We cannot be certain of the Truth of it 3. It is not of so great necessity as that all should be cast out of the Ministry though in other things Orthodox that will not own it 4. Much less is it a Fundamental Nor dare I judge all to Damnation that are not herein of your Opinion 5. It seems to me to be injurious to Christianity it self 6. And to the present intended Reformation 7. And to the Parliament 8. And to our selves 1. For the First of these Reasons It is confessed by some here that a Man may be converted by the Doctrine of the Scripture before he know the Writings or their Authority and that you intend not to assert that the divine Authority of the Scripture is that primum credibile which must needs be believed before any Truth therein contained can be savingly believed And it is thought by some that your Assertion is made good if it be but proved that all saving Revelation that is now in the World is from Scripture originally and subordinate to it and not co-ordinate But the obvious Sense of your Words will seem to many to be this that the particular Knowledge of that Person who will be saved must be by Scripture Revelation as the objective Cause or Instrument even under that Consideration either in the Mind of the Speaker or Hearer or both If it should be said that the Revelation which converted this or that Sinner did arise from the Scriptures a Thousand Years ago But hath since been taken up as coming another way and so there hath been an Intermission of ascribing it to the Scripture as to those Men by whom it was carried down this will not seem to agree with your Expressions And seeing many others must be Judges of your Sense who shall have Power to trie Ministers hereby you enable them by your obscure Expressions to wrong the Church oppress their Brethren and introduce Errors And so it seems you frame a â—nare 2. And you will put every poor Christian in these Places where Christ's Faith is known to many but by Verbal Tradition into an Impossibility of knowing that they have any true Faith because they cannot know that it came from the Scriptures 2. That we are not certain of the Truth of this Assertion nor can I be Judge 1. Because there was Salvation from Adam to Moses by Traâ—â—â—ion without the written Word and there was a considerable space of time after Christ's Assention before the Scriptures of the New Testament were written The first Christians were savingly called and the Churches gathered without these Writings by the preaching of the Doctrine which is now contained in them And though that be now necessary to the Safety of the Church and Truth which was not so necessary when the Apostles were present yet it is unproved that there is more necessary to the Salvation of every Soul now than was in those Days And it is considerable that it was not only the preaching of the Apostles but of all other Publishers of the Gospel in those Times that was in suo genere sufficient for Conversion without Scripture Yea and to the Gentiles that knew not the Scriptures of the Old Testament 2. If there be no Salvation but by a Scripture Revelation then either because there is no other way of revealing the Marrow of the Gospel or because it will not be saving in another way But neither of these can be proved true Ergo for the latter 1. The Word of God and Doctrine of his Gospel may save if revealed supposing other Necessaries in their Kinds For it sufficeth to the formal Object of Faith that it be veracitas revelantis and to the material Object that it be Hoc verum bonum revelatum but it must be truly revelatum though not by Scripture Ergo 2. God hath promised Salvation to all that truly believe and not to those that believe only by Scripture-Revelation nor hath he any where told us that he will annex his Spirits help to no other Revelation 2. For the former That there is now in the World no other way of revealing the Marrow of the Gospel but by Scripture or from it 1. It cannot be proved by Scripture as will appear when your Proofs are tryed 2. The contrary is defended by most learned Protestants 1. A Praecepto another collateral way of Revelation is commanded by God Ergo there 's another 2. From certain History and Experience which speak of the Performance of those Commands and the Instances they give of both are these 1. Ministers are commanded to preach the Gospel to all Nations before it was written and a Promise annexed that Christ would be with them to the end of the World In Obedience whereunto not only the Apostles but Multitudes more did so preach which was by delivering the great Master-Verities which are now in the written Word This Command is not reverst by the writing of the Word And therefore is still a Duty as to deliver the Gospel Doctrine in and by the Scripture so collaterally to preach the Substance of that Doctrine as delivered from the Mouth of Christ and his Apostles 2. Christ commanded before the Gospel was written to baptize Men into the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost for the Pardon of Sin upon repenting and believing and for the hope of everlasting Glory upon a holy Life This was done accordingly both before and since the writing of the Gospel And so the very Sum and Kernel of the Gospel and indeed all the true Fundamentals and Essentials of the Christian Faith have been most certainly and constantly delivered down by Baptism as a collateral way distinct from the written Word which is evident in the very Succession of Christians to this Day 3. Another means hath been by Symbols called Creeds and Catechising which was mostly by opening the Creeds As Reverend Bishop Usher hath
Reasonings that are brought against co-ordinate Tradition you will invalidate subservient Tradition which is necessary to convey the very Scriptures from the Apostles and to assure us that these are all the same Writings and not corrupt and which is the Canonical and that there were no more 6. My sixth Reason against your Assertion is That it seems injurious to the Work we have in hand For 1. you will by any one Errour keep or cast out many godly Men from the Ministry 2. You will harden the Libertines when they discern it 3. And you will do more to introduce an Universal Toleration than can be done by most other Means imaginable For 1. One flaw found in your Work may cause it to be cast by 2. It will seem a potent Reason for such Toleration when the choicest Enemies shall mistake in their very Fundamentals 3. You will force us that are your Brethren to petition for Liberty and then others will think that they may come in at the same Gap 7. I added It will be a dishonour to the Parliament 1. When they shall send so hard a Work abroad and establish such a crooked Rule if they thus receive it from you if they reject or correct it it will be their grief to see our Division and Mistake 8. Lastly I added That it will be much to our own dishonour For 1. The Parliament will exactly scan it and no doubt discover the Mistake And 2. many too curious Eyes will examine it and what a reproach will it be to us to be the By-word of Gainsayers and to hear that such chosen Enemies have erred in their very Fundamentals and for the Papists to insult over us and say we can agree in no Confession and know not yet what Religion we are of And withal it may bring us under Jealousies with others that indeed we are Friends to Universal Toleration and made such flaws in our Work to destroy it and intended to undo all by our overdoing or misdoing I should not have presumed to have put you to so much trouble nor have made any stop in your Work when the dispatch is so desirable had not the Consequents of Silence seemed to me so intollerable I only add 1. I dare not think but Scripture is sufficient both for Matter and Words to afford us Fundamentals and to any thing which it speaks I am ready to subscribe 2. I dare not think that your late Reverend Assembly hath left out the very Fundamentals in their large Confession to which in this Article I offered to subscrible 3. I dare not undertake at the day of Judgment to justifie that Man from the Charge of damnable Infidelity who hath had only verbal Tradition of Gods Revelation of the Sum of Christianity as if this did not make his Infidelity inexcusable because he had it not from Scripture But I think that he shall be damned for his Infidelity who believeth not in Christ if he have all other Means besides the Scripture to help him to believe Ri. Baxter After this Paper they new worded the Article which occasioned the following Paper The Article All the means of Revealing Iesus Christ are subordinate and subservient to the Holy Scriptures and none of them co-ordinate It is no small trouble to me that I was necessitated to be the least delay to your Proceedings by reason of my unsatisfiedness with the former Article But that after our Endeavours for a Closure in that point and when we thought that all had been brought to Agreement the Matter of our Difference should be again received by the Addition of this Article is yet a greater trouble to me Not so much for my own sake as others lest it should offend the Parliament and open the Mouths of our Adversaries that we cannot our selves agree in Fundamentals and lest it prove an occasion for other to sue for an Universal Toleration I am unsatisfied in the last that is the Negative Clause of this Article as I was in the former 1. As to the Truth of it and 2. As to the weight of it as a Test for the Ministers that shall be allowed to preach 3. And as to the Necessity of it to Salvation as a Fundamental Concerning the first it must be remembred 1. That you speak of All means of revealing Christ without any Exception Limitation or Restriction no not so much as to ordinary means nor restraining it to means sufficient to Salvation 2. That you deny them to be co-ordinate absolutely also without any distinction exception or limitation 3. I desire it may be observed that I am not my self imposing any Terms on you or offering the Terms subordinate or any other to be put into the Article but only giving a Reason why I cannot subscribe it as it is which I shall now render having premised these Observations 1. The word co-ordinate being comprehensive and ambiguous I conceive doth among others contain these several Sences following 1. As the Species is subordinate to the Genus 2. As the nearer Causes in the same rank are subordinate to the higher and remote and all to the first Cause as in Generation the nearer Parents to the remote 3. As the Means are subordinate to the End in order thereto 4. As the less worthy is subordinate to the more worthy in degrees of Comparison Many other common Sences I now pass These being at least the three first common and the opposed Co-ordination universally denied I see no Evidence to warrant the denial 1. In the first respect I conceive that Divine Revelation being the Genus by word and by writing are distinct Species And as the delivery of the thing revealed is the Genus so the delivery of the perfect word in Scripture and of the Sum of the matter in Sacraments and other Means forementioned are distinct Species 2. In order of Efficiency I conceive that some Means are Supra-ordinate to Scripture and some Co-ordinate and Subordinate in several Respects and some Subordinate only of which I shall give Instances anon 3. In order to the nearer End those Means are subordinate to Scripture which are supra-ordinate in Efficiency and some of those which ab origine are co-ordinate when yet in order to the more remote End they are co-ordinate 4. In order of Dignity some Means are above Scripture some below it For Instances in these Cases 1. Jesus Christ himself both as the great Prophet of his Church inditing the Scriptures by his Spirit and sending the Apostles and still sending Ministers and owning his own Word is one Means of Revealing himself to Mankind And he is in order of Efficiency and of Dignity above the Scripture but subordinate as to the End which is near but not as to the ultimate End 2. The Holy Ghost inspiring the Apostles is a Means of Revelation supra-ordinate to the Scripture in Efficiency and Dignity And the Holy Ghost as enabling and sending forth Pastors is co-ordinate in Efficiency and subordinate as to one
Presbyterians and Episcopal Men had but before come to some Agreement they would the more unanimously join against the Fanaticks But since the War the Diocesane Party by Dr. Hammond's means was gone to a greater Distance and grown higher than before and denyed the very being of the Reformed Churches and Ministry and avoided all ways of Agreement with them but by an absolute Submission to their Power as the Papists do by the Protestants and that there is a wonderous difference between the Cause of the one Party and the other For though they are born equally capable of Government or Subjection yet all that the Presbyterians for the most part of them desire is but to have leave to worship God and guide their Flocks in ways of Piety and Concord without being persecuted for it And the Prelatical Mens Cause is that they may be the Governors of all and that no Man have leave to serve God but as they prescribe to him nor to rule his Flock but as ruled by them Yea as soon as a Man doth but side with the Men of that Opinion he presently carryeth it as if by his Opinion he had acquired a right to be the Governor of others But especially I told him that the Number of the Ignorant and Scandalous was so great which the Diocesane Party would restore and set up and the Number of the godly learned able Ministers so great which they would cast out and silence that we look'd on it as the ruine of the Church that we had not any Animosity against them that we desired no Man should be hindred in his Ministry for any thing he had done in the Wars against the Parliament But we desired that the People might have faithful Pastors and not drunken ignorant Readers as he knew in this Country they had had And that every ceremonial Difference might not again be thought a sufficient Reason to cast out hundreds of the ablest Men and put in such insufficient Persons in their steads Persecution and the Ruine of the Ministry and Churches were expected by most if Prelacie got up again and if such leading Men as Dr. Hammond would but before-hand come to Terms of some Moderation and promise to endeavour faithfully to bring things to that pass as now should be thought indifferent it would greatly facilitate Mens Conjunction against the turbulent Sectaries and Souldiers I told him he had long lived here among us and saw the worst of us he saw that our private Meetings were only in due Subordination to the Publick and that they were only spent in such Actions as every Christian might do to repeat a Sermon and Pray and propose his Doubts to his Pastor and sing Psalms and not to any Faction or Sedition and that we had not a Sectary in the Town but were all of a Mind and walked in Humility and Blamelesness and Charity toward all all which he did freely acknowledge and I asked him then whether he thought we were fit to be endured or to be supprest And whether it were not hard that Men who had prevailed in Arms as the Parliaments past had done should beg but for Liberty to live quietly by them or those that were now kept under and not obtain it But we cared little for this as it is our own Interest so that the Souls of Men even Thousands in all Countries might not be injured and undone by an ignorant vitious persecuting Ministry To this he confidently affirmed that he being most throughly acquainted with Dr. Hammond who received Letters from Dr. Morley then with the King could assure me that all Moderation was intended and that any Episcopacy how loâ—â—soever would serve the turn and be accepted And a bare Presidency in Synods such as Bishop Usher in his Reduction did require was all that was intended Yea Bishop Hall's way of Moderation would suffice that there should be no Lord Bishops nor so large Diocesses or great Revenues much less any persecuting Power but that the Essentials of Episcopacy was all that was expected that no godly able Minister should be displaced much less silenced nor unworthy Men any more set up that there should be no Thoughts of Revenge for any thing past but all be equal In Conclusion we agreed that I should make some Proposals to Dr. Hammond containing the Terms of our Agreement and he would bring them to him for he lived but seven Miles from us and procure me an Answer Whereupon I drew up a few Proposals and Sir Ralph Clare shortly brought me back an Answer to them by which I saw that there was no Agreement that way to be made For Dr. Hammond cast all the Alterations or Abatements upon the King and Parliament when as the thing that I desired of him was but to promise his best Endeavours to accomplish it by persuading both the Clergy and the Civil Governors to do their Parts Yet I must say I took the Death of Dr. Hammond who died just when the King came in before he saw him or received his intended Advancement for a very great loss for his Piety and Wisdom would sure have hindred much of the Violence which after followed I wrote him a Reply but never sent it because the Tumults presently interrupted us The Papers on both sides were these following R. Baxter's Proposals sent by Sir R. Clare to Dr. Hammond HAving premised the Terms on which the Episcopal Presbyterian and Independant c. may maintain a Brotherly Agreement in case the Magistrate gives Liberty to them all I shall add some Propositions containing those things that we desire the Brethren of the Episcopal way will grant us as necessary to the Peace of these Churches and the avoiding of Persecution to the hindrance of the Gospel in case the Magistrate should establish their way 1. We desire that private Christians may not be hindered from praying in their Families according to the sense of their Necessities without imposed Forms nor from reading Scripture and good Books catechising and instructing their Families and restraining them from dancing and other Vanities which would withdraw them from holy Exercises on the Lord's Day And that Neighbours be not hindred from meeting at convenient times in each others Houses to edifie themselves by Godly Conference Reading repeating Sermons Prayer singing Psalms so be it they refuse not the oversight of their faithful Pastors in the management hereof nor set up these Meetings in Opposition to the publick Assemblies but in due Subordination to them and be responsible to Governors for all Miscarriages 2. We desire that the ungodly sort of People may not be suffered to make the serious practice of Godliness an open Scorn or to deride the Practice of such holy Duties as by God and our Governors we are allowed to perform 3. That the most able Godly faithful Men be Pastors of the Flocks and the insufficient ungodly negligent scandalous and Heretical be kept and cast out the Welfare of the Church consisting so much in
he lived in the House of a certain Nobleman near our parts and that being much in London he is there the chief Hector or great Disputer for the Papists and that he was the chief of the two Men who had held and printed the Dispute with Dr. Pierson and Dr. Gunning And when I saw what Advantage he had got by printing that Dispute I resolved that he should not do so by me and so I printed all our Papers but before I printed them I urged him to some farther Conference and at our next meeting I told him how necessary it was that we should agree first of the meaning of our Terms and I wrote down some few as Church Pope Council Bishop Heresy Schism c. which I desired him to explain to me under his Hand promising him the like whenever he desired it which when I had got from him I gave him some Animadversions on it shewed their Implications to which he answered and to that I replyed And when he came no more to me nor gave me any Answer I printed all together which made him think it necessary at last to write a Confutation whereto I have since published a full Rejoinder to which I can procure no Answer § 84. And not long after hearing that the Countess of Balcarres was not well I went to visit her and found her grievously afflicted for her eldest Daughter the Lady Ann Lindsey about sixteen or seventeen Years of Age who was suddenly turned Papist by she knew not whom She told me that when she first heard of it she desired Dr. Gunning to meet with the Priest to dispute with him and try if her Daughter might be recovered who pretended then to be in Doubt And that Dr. Gunning first began to persuade her Daughter against the Church of Scotland which she had been bred in as no true Church and after disputed but about the Pope's Infallability and â—eft her Daughter worse than before and that she took it to be a strange way to deliver her Daughter from Popery to begin with a Condemnation of the Reformed Churches as no true Churches and confess that the Church and Ministry of Rome was true She desired me that I would speak to her Daughter and try whether she would yet enter into Conference about the Reason of her Faith But she utterly refused it and would say nothing to that purpose but refer us to the Church and profess her acquiescence in its Judgment and when I desired to know of her how she knew what was the Judgment of the Church whether it were not meerly the Word 〈◊〉 the Priest that satisfied her in this and therefore desired her that she would hear that Priest or Jesuit on whose Word she built all her Faith in the Presence of some one that was fit to help her in the Tryal of his Assertions and intreated her to procure a Conference in her hearing between him and me she promised readily that it should be done The next time I came again and askt whether she had spoke with him about it and whether time and place were agreed on she confidently told me that he was ready to do it when I pleased and that all he desired was that my Promise might secure him from Accusation and from the danger of the Law and that was all that he was solicitous for I offered her to bring only two Witnesses on each side and that we might have two days Conference or Dispute in one of which he should give his Reasons why she ought to change her Religion and I would answer them and in the other I would give my Reasons why she ought not to change and he should answer me and I thought this the clearest and most impartial Method for the discerning of the Truth And I promised her all the Security which I could procure him from any danger The next time I came to know the Day she told me the Gentleman would not meet nor dispute I desired to know the Reason But she told me that she did not know her self I intreated her to procure some other to do it in whom she put the greatest Confidence and desired her to take the ablest she could get among all the Jesuits or Priests of the Queen or the Queen-Mother with whom I knew she was not unacquainted But she would not undertake for any whereupon I was forced to urge her with Provocations and tell her that seeing she was forced to resolve all her Faith into the Word of particular Priests by which only she knew the Sense of the Church and all that History which induced her to believe that Rome was the true Church she seemed very little to regard her Soul who would so far venture it upon the Words of Men that would not be provoked to an equal Conference in her hearing The next day I came I urged her again to procure a Conference She told me that the Gentleman would not consent And when I urged her to tell me his Reason she told me that he knew me very well and that he had very high Thoughts of me and that it was not now through any fear of Danger for he durst venture his Life in my Hands but since he knew it was me that he was to meet with he would not come but would not tell her why And though still I told her that there were more enough if he refused I could not procure her to bring any of them to a Dispute But at last when I purposely continued to provoke them she told me that he would yield to Dispute so it might be done only in Writing and not a Word spoken nor any thing written but Syllogistically and according to the strictest Rules of Disputation I told her 1. That I supposed that she understood not when an Argument was in Mood and Figure nor what a Fallacy was and therefore that this was not designed to her Edification 2. That I supposed that she had not read one of many of all those Books already written against them which are unanswered And if Writing will serve turn a printed Argument is as good as a written one Nor had she read the late Disputation between Mr. Iohnson and me nor were any one of my Books against them yet answered and why then should I write more till those were answered 3. I told her that Mr. Iohnson's Writing and mine held us above a Twelvemonth and yet was not driven to the Head And I asked her whether she would be willing to wait a Year or two and suspend her Resolution in Religion till she saw the Issue of our Disputation in Writing 4. I told her that it was like that he that offered this understood that by his Majesty's Pleasure I was then newly engaged in another Work which occasioned him to make this Offer 5. But yet that her Deceiver might have no Excuse I offered her that I would do all that he desired and manage it in Writing so be it
whole Christian World 5. That the Church is the Pillar and Ground of Truth the Possessors Keepers and Teachers of God's Oracles and that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it is most sure and comfortable Truth But what is this to Rome any more than to Ierusalem or Alexandria The Gates of Hell shall not prevail against the Body of Christ the Universality of Christians the true Catholick Church But it may prevail against Corinthians Gallateans Romans or any particular part As it prevailed against Pope Iohn XXII alias XXIII to make him deny the Resurrection and against Pope Eugenius to make him a Heretick if General Councils are to be believed 6. As to what you say of Apostles still placed in the Church When any shew us an immediate Mission by their Commission and by Miracles Tongues and a Spirit of Revelation and infallability prove themselves Apostles we shall believe them Till then we remember that Church that was commended for trying them that said they were Apostles and were not and finding them Lyers Rev. 23. Peter and the Twelve Apostles with him we acknowledge and Paul we acknowledge but know none properly called Apostles living now But if it be only the Name and not the Office that you differ about and by Apostles you mean not Men immediately sent by Christ to preach the Gospel with a Spirit of Miracles and Infallability which is our Sense of that Word but some other sort of Men then if they be ordinory Pastors or Bishops it s no matter of Difference if not you must describe them before we can know them They are to blame whoever they be that they call not themselves Apostles and tell us where who and how many they are if they are so indeed 7. They were to be accounted Heathens and Publicans that heard not the Church admonishing them But sure other Pastors besides Apostles must admonish and be heard And other Churches besides the Roman must hold or refuse Communion as is there signified either you will erroneously have that Text understood of the Universal Church or else truly of a Particular Church If the former what 's that to the Roman Church that is but a corrupted Part If the latter it 's no more to the Roman than any other which are particular Churches also surely this is plain Truth if you are willing to see 8. You say The Faith of which Believers were was that of the Romans spread through the World Answ. Yes and it was the Faith of the Ephesians Philippians Colâ—ssians too and all one The Romans had not a Faith of their own specifically different from others Nor did the Holy Ghost by the Apostles ever give one Word of Command to other Churches to conform their Faith to Rome or take that Church for their Mistress or Sovereign These Fancies Pride hath set up against Christ The Faith of Ierusalem was as much known through the World as that of Rome and sure you think not that being known through the World made them the Rule or Rulers of the World 9. Upon Observation you find this Church shining as a Light and set as a City on a Hill And was not Ierusalem Antioch Alexandria Ephesus c. so too Sure they were All faithful Preachers of the Gospel especially the Apostles were observable as such Lights and City to the World that wondred at their Doctrine which is all that Christ there saith and as I said the universal Church is more observable than the Roman Sect And other particular Churches are and were as Light and Conspicuous as it And the most conspicuous Church hath from thence no Pretence to be the rule or Ruler of the rest 10. You say This Church hath been ever triumphant ever Heresies Answ. 1. What! when Honorius was by two or three General Councils condemned for a Heretick Pope Iohn XXII and Eugenius as beforesaid for that and worse with many more 2. Woe to the Churches if others had not conquered Heresy better than the Roman Party hath done 3. And veriâ—y did you think that a particular Church is therefore the Rule or Ruler to the rest because it triumpheth over Heresy 11. You add immoveable in Persecutions Answ. 1. For they have been the great Persecutors as Leeches sucking and swell'd with the Blood of Thousands and Ten Thousands of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus O the Blood that will be found among them when the righteous Judge of all the World shall make Inquisition for Blood among their Massacrees and Inquisitions 2. Was that Church unmoveable in Persecution when the Head of it Pope Marcellinus offered Incense to Idols And Liberius subscribed to the Arrians and against Athenasius What should I tell you of more who I perceive are made believe the Crow is white 3. Again it is a pitiful Proof of their Rule to prove them immutable in Persecution The Church hath many Heads if every Church or Bishop be its Head that hath stood fast in Persecution 12. You add And always watchful in the Succession of Pastors I give you the same Answers 1. watchful indeed when their own Church Histories tell us of such Multitudes that came in by Symony or Poison or other Murder or Violence that have been Hereticks as aforeshewd or Adulterers Murderers and such impious Wretches as the Cannons depose and when Iohn XII or XIII was deposed by a Councell for ravishing Maids and Wives at his Doors and abundance more such Villanies and Iohn XXII for worse and when Eugenius continued the Succession when a general Council bad judged him a Heretick wicked deposed c. and when they have had such abundance of Schisms having two three or four Popes alive at once and one Schism of Forty Years in which no Man knew or knows to this Day which was the true Pope and when meer Possession is it that must prove their Succession For besides these Incapacities Mr. Iohnson you may see confesseth that no one way of Election by Cardinals People Emperors Bishops Councils c. hath been held or is necessary nor any Consecration necessary at all to the being of the Pope And if a Succession of bare Possession serve how many Churches have the like Yea 2. Constantinople Ethiopia Armenia and many other Churches have had a far more regular Succession than Rome of at least as good 3. And it 's a pitiful Argument that because a Church hath had a Succession of Pastors therefore they are the whole Church and others are no part or therefore they are the 〈◊〉 and Rulers to the rest or therefore we must be of that Particular Church only Surâ— none denies the Succession of Pastors in England as to meer possession of the Place if that will serve the turn 13. To what you say of being 〈◊〉 Holy Catholick and Apostolick and cannot deceive you I answer 1. O dreadful Delusion that a Church headed with horrid Monsters and not Men 〈◊〉 their own Histories describe a multitude of their Popes should
those whose Liberty is desired Not that we are against subscribing the proper Rule of our Religion or any meet Confession of Faith Nor do we scruple the Oath of Supremacy or Allegiance Nor would we have the Door left open for Papists or Hereticks to come in 2. We take the boldness to say that since we have had the Promises of your gracious indulgence herein and upon divers Addresses to your Majesty and the Lord Chancellor had comfortable Encouragement to expect our Liberty yet cannot Ministers procure Institution without renouncing their Ordination by Presbyters or being re-ordained nor without Subscription and the Oath of Canonical Obedience 3. We must observe with Fear and Grief that your Majesty's Indulgence and Concessions of Liberty in this Declaration extendeth not either to the abatement of Re-ordination or of subscriptional Ordination or of the Oath of Obedience to the Bishops We therefore humbly and earnestly crave that your Majesty will declare your Pleasure 1. That Ordination and Institution and Induction may be conferred without the said Subscription or Oath And 2. That none be urged to be reordained or denied Institution for want of Ordination by Prelates that was ordained by Presbyters 3. And that none be judged to have forfeited his Presentation or Benefice nor be deprived of it for not reading those Articles of the 39 that contain the controverted Points of Government and Ceremonies Lastly We humbly crave that your Majesty will not only grant us this Liberty till the next Synod but will indeavour that the Synod be impartially chosen and that your Majesty will be pleased to endeavour the Procurement of such Laws as shall be ne-necessary for our security till the Synod and for the Ratification of moderate and healing Conclusions afterwards and that nothing by meer Canon be imposed on us without such Statute Laws of Parliament These Favours which will be injurious to none if your People may obtain of your Majesty it will revive their Hearts to daily and earnest Prayer for your Prosperity and to rejoice in the thankful Acknowledgment of that gracious Providence of Heaven that hath blessed us in your Restoration and put it into your Heart to heal our Breaches and to have compassion on the faithful People in your Dominions who do not petition you for Liberty to be Schismatical Factious Seditious or abusive to any but only for leave to obey the Lord who created and redeemed them according to that Law by which they must all be shortly judged to everlasting Joy or Misery And it will excite them to and unite them in the cheerful Service of your Majesty with their Estates and Lives and to transmit your deserved Praises to Posterity A little before this the Bishops Party had appointed at our Request a Meeting with some of us to try how near we could come in preparation to what was to be resolved on Accordingly Dr. Morley Dr. Hinchman and Dr. Cosins met Dr. Reignolds Mr Calamy and my self and after a few roving Discourses we parted without bringing them to any particular Concessions for Abatement only their general talk was from the beginning as if they would do any thing for Peace which was fit to be done and they being at that time newly elect but not consecrated to their several Bishopricks we called them my Lords which Dr. Morley once returned with such a Passage as this we may call you also I suppose by the same Title by which I perceived they had some Purposes to try that way with us § 107. This Petition being delivered to the Lord Chancellor was so ungrateful that we were never called to present it to the King But instead of that it was offered us that we should make such Alterations in the Declaration as were necessary to attain its Ends But with these Cautions that we put in nothing but what we judged of flat necessity And 2. That we altered not the Preface or Language of it For it was to be the King's Declaration and what he spake as expressing his own Sense was nothing to us but if we thought he imposed any thing intollerable upon us we had leave to express our Desires for the altering of it Whereupon we agreed to offer this following Paper of Alterations letting all the rest of the Declaration alone But withal by Word to tell those we offered it to which was the Lord Chancellor That this was not the Model of Church-Government which we at first offered nor which we thought most expedient for the healing of the Church But seeing that cannot be obtained we shall humbly submit and thankfully acknowledge his Majesty's Condescention if we may obtain what now we offer and shall faithfully endeavour to improve it to the Churches Peace to the utmost of our Power Having declared this with more we delivered in the following Paper The Alterations of the Declaration which we offered 1. WE do in the first place declare that our Purpose and Resolution is and shall be to promote the Power of Godliness to encourage the Exercises of Religion both publick and private and to take care that the Lord's Day be appropriated to holy Exercises without unnecessary Divertisements and that insufficient negligent non-resident and scandalous Ministers be not permitted in the Church And as the present Bishops are known to be Men of great and exemplary Piety c. 2. Because the Diocesses especially some of them are thought to be of too large Extent we will appoint such a Number of suffragan Bishops in every Diocess as shall be sufficient for the due Performance of their Work 3. No Bishops shall ordain or exercise any part of Jurisdiction which appertains to the Censures of the Church without the Advice and Consent of the Presbyters and no Chancellors Commissaries Archdeacons or Officials shall exercise any Act of Spiritual Jurisdiction 4. To the end that the Deans and Chapters may be the better fitted to afford Counsel and Assistance to the Bishops both in Ordination and in the other Ordinances mentioned before we will take care that those Preferments be given to the most learned and pious Presbyters of the Diocess And moreover that at least an equal Number of the most learned pious and discreet Presbyters of the same Diocess annually chosen by the major Vote of all the Presbyters of that Diocess shall be assistant and consenting together with those of the Chapter at all Ordinations and all other Acts of spiritual Jurisdiction Nor shall any Suffragan Bishops ordain or exercise any act of spiritual Jurrisdiction but with the Consent and Assistance of a sufficient Number of the most Judicious and pious Presbyters annually chosen by the major Vote of all the Presbyters in his Precincts And our will is that the great Work of Ordination be constantly and solemnly performed at the four set times and Seasons appointed by the Church for that purpose 5. We will take care that Confirmation be rightly and solemnly performed by the Information and with the Consent of
said than never to hear it and also that it was said That this Baker was one that he had elected to be a Bishop This greatly troubled the King and he called for the Book that had the Catalogue of the Bishops which Secretary Nicholas brought and said there was no such Name But the King presently spied the Name and said There it was and charged that he should be enquired after The next day we learned that it was another Baker of the same Name with the Bishop And though we also learned that the Bishop himself was a Good-fellow yet because it was not the same Man I went the next day to Mr. Secretary Morrice and intreated him to certifie the King that it was another Baker that so the Bishop might receive no wrong by it which he promised to do Yet was it given out that we were Lyers and â—anderers that maliciously came to defame the Clergy And shortly after the Bishop put it into the News-Book That some Presbyterians had maliciously defamed him and that it was not he but another of his Name So that though the Fact was never questioned or denied yet was it a heinouser matter in us to say that it was reported to be an elect Bishop when it was as ancient a Priest of the same name than for the Man to preach and pray in his Drunkenness I never heard that he was rebuked for it but we heard enough of it § 147. Upon this Fact when we met and dined one day at the Lord Chamberlains among other talk of this Business I said That if I wished their hurt at one of their Enemies I should wish they were more such that their shame might cast them down Mr. Horton a young Man that was Chaplain to the Lord Chamberlain and then intended to conform answered That we must not wish evil that good may come of it To which I replyed There is no doubt of it far is it from me to say that I wish it but if I were their Enemy I could scarce wish them greater hurt and injury to their Cause than to set up such Men and that those are their Enemies whoever they be that perswade them to cast out learned godly Ministers and set up such in their room as these Yet did this Mr. Horton in his complying weakness to please that Party tell Dr. Bolton That I wished that they were all such And Dr. Bolton told it from Table to Table and published it in the Pulpit And when he was questioned for it alledged Mr. Horton as his Author When I went to Mr. Horton he excused it and said That he thought I hâ—d said so and when I told him of the additional words by which then I disclaimed such a sence he could not remember them and that was all the remedy I had though none of the Brethren present remembred any such words as he reported But when the Lord Chamberlain knew of it he was so much offended that I was fain to intercede for Mr. Horton that it might not prove any hurt to him And by this following Letter he exprest his distast For my esteemed Friend Mr. Baxter These SIR I Have just Cause to intreat your Excuse for so abrupt a breaking from you I confess I was under very great trouble for the folly of my Chaplain and could not forbear to express it to him I am concerned with a very true resentment for so imprudent a Carriage Let me intreat you that it may not reflect upon me but that you will believe that I have so great a value of you and am so tender of your Credit as I cannot easily pass by my Chaplain's indiscretion Yet I shall endeavour to clear you from any untrue Aspersions and shall approve my self Your assured Friend Ed. Manchester § 148. I shall next insert some account of the Business which I had so often with the Lord Chancellour at this time Because it was most done in the inter-space between the passing of the King's Declaration and the Debates about the Liturgy In the time of Cromwell's Government Mr. Iohn Elliot with some Assistant in New-England having learnt the Natives Language and Converted many Souls among them not to be baptized and forget their Names as well as Creed as it is among the Spaniards Converts at Mexico Peru c. but to serious Godliness it was found that the great hinderance of the progress of that Work was the Poverty and Barbarousness of the People which made many to live dispersed like wild Beasts in Wildernesses so that having neither Towns nor Food nor Entertainment fit for English Bodies few of them could be got together to be spoken to nor could the English go far or stay long among them Wherefore to build them Houses and draw them together and maintain the Preachers that went among them and pay School-masters to teach their Children and keep their Children at School c. Cromwell caused a Collection to be made in England in every Parish and People did contribute very largely And with the Money beside some left in stock was bought 7 or 800 l. per Annum of Lands and a Corporation chosen to dispose of the Rents for the furthering of the Works among the Indians This Land was almost all bought for the worth of it of one Colonel Beddingfield a Papist an Officer in the King's Army When the King came in Beddingfield seizeth on the Lands again and keepeth them and refuseth either to surrender them or to repay the Money because all that was done in Cromwell's time being now judged void as being without Law that Corporation was now null and so could have no right to Money or Lands And he pretended that he sold it under the worth in expectation of the recovery of it upon the King's return The President of the Corporation was the Lord Steele a Judge a worthy Man The Treasurer was Mr. Henry Ashurst and the Members were such sober godly Men as were best affected to New-Englands Work Mr. Ashurst being the most exemplary Person for eminent Sóbriety Self-denial Piety and Charity that London could glory of as far as publick Observation and Fame and his most intimate Friends Reports could testifie did make this and all other Publick Good which he could do his Business He called the Old Corporation together and desired me to meet them where we all agreed that such as had incurred the King's Displeasure by being Members of any Courts of Justice in Cromwell's days should quietly recede and we should try if we could get the Corporation restored and the rest continued and more fit Men added that the Land might be recovered And because of our other Business I had ready access to the Lord Chancellour they desired me to solicit him about it so Mr. Ashurst and I did follow the Business The Lord Chancelloor at the very first was ready to further us approving of the Work as that which could not be for any Faction or Evil end but honourable to
latter end where I had purposely been brief because I had been too large in the beginning and because Particulars may be answered satisfactority in a few Words when the General Differences are fully cleared § 188. By this time our Commission was almost expired and therefore our Brethren were earnestly desirous of personal Debates with them upon the Papers put in to try how much Alteration they would yield to Therefore we sent to the Bishops to desire it of them and at last they yielded to it when we had but Ten Days more to treat § 189. When we met them I delivered them the Answer of their former Papers the largeness of which I saw displeased them and they received it And we earnestly prest them to spend the little time remaining in such pacifying Conference as tended to the ends which are mentioned in the King's Declaration and Commission and told them that such Disputes which they had called us to by their manner of Writing were not the thing which we desired or thought most conducing to those ends § 190. I have reason to think that the Generality of the Bishops and Doctors present never knew what we offered them in the reformed Liturgy nor in this Reply nor in any of our Papers save those few which we read openly to them For they were put up and carried away and I conjecture scarce any but the Writers of their Confutations would be at the Labour of reading them over And I remember in the midst of our last Disputation when I drew out the short Preface to this last Reply which Mr. Calamy wrote to enumerate in the beginning before their Eyes many of the grossest Corruptions which they stifly defended and refused to reform the Company was more ashamed and silent than at any thing else that I had said by which I perceived that they had never read or heard that very Preface which was as an Epistle to themselves Yea the chief of them confessed when they bid me read it that they knew no such thing So that it seems before they knew what was in them they resolved to reject our Papers right or Wrong and to deliver them up to their Contradictors § 191. When we came to our Debates I first craved of them their Animadversions on our Additions and Alterations of the Liturgy which we had put in long before and that they would tell us what they allowed or disallowed in them that we might have the use of them according to the Words in the King's Declaration and Commission But they would not by any Importunity be intreated at all to debate that nor to give any of their Opinions about those Papers There were no Papers that ever we offered them that had the Fate of those Though it was there that some of them thought to have found recriminating matter of Exception yet could we never prevail with them to say any thing about them in Word or Writing but once Bishop Morley told us of their length to which I answered that we had told them in our Preface that we were ready to abbreviate any thing which on debate should appear too long but that the Purity of the Prayers made the ordinary Lord's day Prayers far should than theirs And since we had given our Exceptions against theirs if they would neither by Word nor Writing except against ours nor yet give their Consent to them they would not honour their Cause or Conference But all could not extort either Debates on that Subject or any Reprehensions of what we had offered them Nor have they since to this Day in any of their Writings which ever I could see or hear of said a Word in way of Exception against those Papers Yea when Roger L'Estrange himself wrote according to his manner a malicious Invective against our several Papers when they were afterwards printed he could find little to say against our Liturgy but that we left it to the Liberty of the Minister in several Cases to pray in these Words or to this Sense And is that all the fault besides the Length forementioned Did they not know that it belongeth to the Prelates and not to such as we to deprive Men of their Liberty in praying If they had desired it how easy had it been for them to have dasht out that one Clause or to this Sense and then it had been beyond their Exception What measure of Liberty Ministers shall have it is not we but they that must determine § 192. When they had cast out that part of our desired Conference our next business was to desire them by friendly Conference to go over the Particulars which we excepted against and to tell us how much they could abate and what Alterations they could yield to This Bishop Reignolds oft prest them to and so did all the rest of us that spake But they resolutely insisted on it that they had nothing to do till we had proved that there was any necessary of Alteration which we had not yet done and that they were there ready to answer to our Proofs We urged them again and again with the very Words of the King's Declaration and Commission 1. That the ends expressed are for the removal of all Exceptions and Occasions of Exceptions and Differences from among our good Subjects and for giving Satisfaction to tender Consciences and the restoring and continuance of Peace and Unity in the Churches 2. And the means is to make such reasonable and necessary Alterations Corrections and Amendments therein as shall be agreed upon to be needful and expedient for the giving Satisfaction to tender Consciences and restoring and continuing Peace c. We plainly shewed hence that the King supposeth that some Alterations must be made But the Bishops insisted on two Words necessary Alterations and such as should be agreed on We answered them That the Word necessary hath reference to the Ends expressed viz. the satisfying tender Consciences and is joined with Expedient And its strange if when the King hath so long and publickly determined of the End and called us to consult of the means we should presume now at last to contradict him and to determine that the End it self is unnecessary and consequently no means necessary thereto What then have we all this while been doing 2. And when they are called to agree on such necessary means if they will take the Adventage of that Word to agree on nothing that so all Endeavours may be frustrated for want of their Agreement God and the World would judge between us who it is that frustrateth the King's Commission and the Hopes of a divided bleeding Church Thus we continued a long time contending about this Point Whether some Alterations be supposed by the King's Declaration and Commission to be made by us or whether we were anew to dispute that Point But the Bishops would have that to be our Task or none to prove by Disputation that any Alteration was necessary to be made while
inconveniences he asked me whether I thought the inconveniences of Extemporary Prayer were not rather to be avoided than those of imposed Forms I told him that we should do our best to avoid the evils or abuse of both He asked me how that should be I answered him not by disclaiming the use of Forms or of conceived Prayer but using both in their proper seasons And as I was going on the Company fell into a laughter at me as if I had spoken for some foolish thing when I spoke but for that which the Ministers of England have used ever since the Reformation and most that have any Zeal do use by their allowance to this day praying Extempore in the Pulpit § 200. I oft made it my earnest request to them but that we might have our proper turns in speaking and that we might not interrupt one another but stay the end but I could never prevail especially with Bishop Morley who when any thing was spoken which he would not have to be spoken out would presently interrupt me and go on in his way I told them that if they took this Course I judged all our Conference fruitless to the hearers for my Speeches were not incoherent but the end and middle must be joyned to the beginning to make up the sence and that as the End is first in the intention but last in execution so I usually reserved the chief part of what I had to say to the last to which the beginning was but preparatory And therefore I had rather they forbad me to speak any more◠than let me begin and then not suffer me to go on any further The Bishop answered that I spake so long and had so many things that their memories could not retain them all and should lose the first if they stayed till the last and that I spake more than any other I told him that as to my speaking more than others it was my duty yea to speak as much as all the rest except when my Brethren saved me that labour If they thought I spake too much they would tell me so And for others one side was to speak as oft as the other side If we had consented that they should fill the room when we were but Three and then every one in the Room should speak as much as one of us we had made a fair bout of it I cared not how many of them spake if they were but willing to be answered But if five of them must speak and but one of them be answered they would say that all the rest were unanswerable And for my length I told him that we consented that one of themselves should be always in the Chair as they had been and whenever the Chair-man interrupted me and told me I had spoken long enough I was willing to be silent but that was never done or let us turn the Quarter-Glass and see that one speak no longer than the other And for the weakness of their memories I supposed they were on equal Terms It was as hard for us to remember what they said and if we could not we would either take Notes or ask another or pass by what we forgot rather than overthrow all Order in Discourse and speak in Confusion like People in a Fair. And for my part I thought that a continued Speech without vain words doth best spare time seeing that when I may thus set all the parts of my sence together when the broken parcels signifie nothing I can better make known my meaning in a Speech of half a quarter of an hour than in two days rambling Discourses where Interruptions and Interlocutions toss us up and down from thing to thing and never let us see the sence and reason of each others in that Connexion and Harmony which is its Light and Strength But all these words were cast away and they had seldom Patience to forbear an Interruption § 201. One learned Doctor behind me that was no Commissioner desired to be heard as if he had some unanswerable Argument And it was a Question Whether all that scrupled Conformity whom we pleaded for were not such as had been against the King I answered him 1. That the King himself had given sufficient Testimony of many of them 2. That there is not one Minister of twenty that we plead for that had ever any thing to do in the Wars or against the King most of them being then Boys at School or in the University 3. That Men on both sides had been against the King Hereupon Bishop Morley asked me whether ever I knew a conformable Man for the Parliament against the King Yes my Lord quoth I many a one Name one quoth some of them Yes a Bishop yea an Archbishop quoth I At which they all hearkened as at a wonder Do you not know quoth I that the Archbishop of York Dr. Williams sometime Lord Keeper of England was a Commander of the Forces for the Parliament in Wales At which they were silent and that Argument was at an end § 202. When I told them that if they cast out all the Non-conformits there would not be tolerable Ministers enow to supply the Congregations Bishop Morley answered that so it was in the late Times and that some Places had no Ministers at all through all those Times of Usurpation and named Aylesbury which he knew to have had none upon his own knowledge I told him that I never knew any such and therefore I knew there were not many such in England And if it were so I hoped that he would not plead for such a Mischief by the Example of the Usurpers But since I have enquired of the Inhabitants about Aylesbury and they unamously professed that it was notoriously false and named me the Ministers that had been there successively and usually two at once § 203. Also the said Bishop when I talkt of silencing Ministers for things indifferent told me That we should remember how we did by them and that we talkt not then as now we do I answered him That I was confident there was no Man there present that had ever a hand in silencing any of them For my own parts I had been in Judgment for casting out the utterly Insufficient and notoriously Scandalous indifferently of what Opinion or Side foever but I had publickly written against the silencing or displacing any worthy Man for being against the Parliament And if it had been otherwise he should take warning by others Faults and not imitate them and do evil because Cromwell did so § 204. Upon this Dr. Walton Bishop of Chester said Indeed Mr. Baxter did write against the Casting of us out But Mr. Baxter did not you say That if our Churches had no more than bare Liberty as others had without the compulsion of the Sword that none but Drunkards would joyn in them I answered No my Lord I did not I only said that as they had been ordered if they had but
that Party in the News-book and in their Discourses That Calamy that would not â—e a Bishop was in Iail And when his Sermon was printed an Invective against him came out in Language like an Inquisitor that shewed a vehement thirst for Blood But precious in the sight of the Lord is the Blood of his holy Ones § 282. Abundance more were laid in Jails in many Counties for preaching and the vexation of the Peoples Souls was increased At St. Albans Mr. Partridge the ejected Minister being desired to preach a Funeral Sermon a Captain or Lieutenant came in with his Pistol charged and shot one of the hearers dead and the Preacher was sent to Prison § 283. There were many Citizens of London who had then a great Compassion on the Ministers whose Families were utterly destitute of Maintenance and fain they would have relieved them and had such a Method that the Citizens of each County should help the Ministers of that County But they durst not do it lest it were judged a Conspiracy Wherefore I went for them to the Lord Chancellour and told him plainly of it that Compassion moved them but the Suspicions of these Distempered Times deterred them and I desired to have his Lordship's Judgment Whether they might venture to be so charitable without misinterpretation or danger And he answered Aye God forbid but Men should give their own according as their Charity leads them And so having his preconsent I gave it them for Encouragement But they would not believe that it was Cordial and would be any Security to them and so they never durst venture upon such a Method which might have made their Charity effectual but a few that were most willing did much more than all the rest and solicited some of their own Acquaintance for their Counties Relief § 284. And here I think it meet before I proceed to open the true state of the Conformists and Nonconformists in England at this time I. The Conformists were of three sorts 1. Some of the old Ministers called Presbyterians formerly that Conformed at Bartholomew Tide or after who had been in possession before the King came in These were also of several sorts some of them were very able worthy Men who Conformed and Subscribed upon this Inducement that the Bishop bid them Do it in their own sence And so they Subscribed to the Parliament's words and put their own sence upon them only by word of mouth or in some by-paper Some of them read Mr. Fullwood's and Stileman's Books and could not answer them and therefore Conformed For no Man ventured to put forth a full and satisfactory Answer to them for fear of ruine Though somewhat was written before by Mr. Crofton and after by Mr. Cawdry and others Some were young raw Men that were never versed in such kind of Controversies Some were perswaded of the sinfulness of the Parliaments War and thence gathered that the Covenant being in order to it was a Rebellioâ—s Covenant and therefore not obligatory And other things they thought were small Some had Wives and Children and Powerty which were great Temptations to them And most that I knew when once they inclined to Conformity did avoid the Company of their Brethren and never askt them what their Reasons were against Conformity 2. A second sort of Conformists were those called Latitudinarians who were mostly Cambridge-men Platonists or Cartesians and many of them Arminians with some Additions having more charitable Thoughts than others of the Salvation of Heathens and Infidels and some of them holding the Opinions of Origen about the Praexistence of Souls c. These were ingenious Men and Scholars and of Universal Principles and free abhorring at first the Imposition of these little things but thinking them not great enough to stick at when Imposed Of these some with Dr. Moore their Leader lived privately in Colledges and sought not any Preferment in the World and others set themselves to rise These two forementioned Parties were laudable Preachers and were the honour of the Conformists though not heartily theirs and their profitable Preaching is used by God's Providence to keep up the Publick Interest of Religion and refresh the discerning sort of Auditors 3. The third sort of Conformists was of those that were heartily such throughout And these were also of three sorts 1. Those that were zealous for the Diocesan Party and the Cause and desirous to extirpate or destroy the Nonconformists And these were supposed to be the high and swaying Party 2. Those that were zealous for the Party and the Cause materially but yet were more moderate in their private wishes to the Nonconformists and did profess themselves that they could not Subscribe and Declare if they did not put a more favourable sence on the words than that which the Nonconformists supposed to be the plain sence 3. Those that were raw or ignorant Readers or unlearned Men or sensual scandalous Ones who would be hot for any thing by which they might rise or be maintained This Composition made up the Body of the Conformists in this Land and all this Difference there was among them II. § 285. The Nonconformists also were of divers sorts 1. There were some few of my Acquaintance who were for the old Conformity for Bishops Common Prayer Book Ceremonies and the old Subscription and against the imposing and taking of the Covenant which they never took and against the Parliaments Wars But they could not Subscribe that they Assent and Consent to all things now imposed nor could they Absolve all others in the three Kingdoms from being obliged by the Vow and Covenant to endeavour Church Reformation though they would not have had them take the Vow 2. A greater Number of the Nonconformists or Reconcilers of no Sect or Party but abhorring the very Name of Parties who like Ignatius's Episcopacy but not the English Diocesan Frame and like what is good in Episcopal Presbyterians or Independents but reject somewhat as evil in them all being of the Judgment which I have described my self to be in the beginning of this Book that can endure a Liturgy and like not the Imposition of the Covenant but cannot Assent and Consent to all things required in the Act nor Absolve three Kingdoms from all Obligation by their Vows to endeavour in their Places the alteration of the English Diocesan Form of Government Though they doubt not but Sedition and Rebellion should be abhorred of all whether for Reformation or any other Pretence 3. A third sort of Nonconformists are the Presbyterians whose Judgment is fore-described and manifested in their Writings to all the World Of these two last sorts if I be not taken for a partial Witness are the soberest and most judicious unanimous peaceable faithful able constant Ministers in this Land or that I have heard or read of in the Christian World Which I am able to say I speak without respect of Persons in Obedience to my Conscience upon my long Experience 4. The
fourth sort are the Independents who are for the most part a serious godly People some of them moderate going with Mr. Norton and the New-England Synod and little differing from the moderate Presbyterians and as well ordered as any Party that I know But others of them more raw and self-conceited and addicted to Separations and Divisions their Zeal being greater than their Knowledge who have opened the Door to Anabaptists first and then to all the other Sects These Sects are numerous some tolerable and some intolerable and being never incorporated with the rest are not to be reckoned with them Many of them the Behmâ—nists Fifth-Monarchy-men Quakers and some Anabaptists are proper Fanaticks looking too much to Revelations within instead of the Holy Scriptures And thus I have truly told you of all the Sorts among us except the Papists who are sufficiently known and are no more of us than the other Sects are The Atheists and Infidels I name not because as such they have no Pastors § 286. Next it will not be amiss if I briefly give you the Sum of their several Causes and the Reasons of their several Ways I. The Conformists go several Wâ—ys according to their forementioned Differences 1. Those that are high Prelatists say 1. For Episcopacy it is of Divine Institution and perpetual Usage in the Church and necessary to Order among the Clergy and People and of experienced Benefit to this Land and most congruous to Civil Monarchy and therefore not to be altered by any no not by the King and Parliament if they should swear it Therefore the Oath called the Et caetera Oath was formed before the War to Swear all Men to be true to this Prelacy and not to Change it 2. Those that are called Conforming Presbyterians and Latitudinarians both say that our Prelacy is lawful though not necessary and that Mr. Edward Stillingfleet's Irenicon hath well proved That no Form of Church Government is of Divine Institution And therefore when the Magistrate commandeth any he is to be obeyed But since they grew up to Preferment they grow to be hot for the Prelacy § 287. And therefore as to the Covenant they all say 1. That the End of it was Evil viz. To Change the Government of the Church without Law which was setled by Law 2. That the Efficient Cause was Evil or Null viz. That the Imposers had no Authority to do it 3. That the Matter was Evil viz. to extirpate and change the Government of the Church by Rebellion and Combination against the King 4. That the Swearers Act in taking it was sinful for the foresaid Reasons 5. That the King's Prohibition and disowning it did nullifie all the Subjects Obligations if any were upon them by virtue of Numb 30. 6. That the People being all Subjects cannot endeavour the Change of Church Government without the King 7. That King Charles took not that same Covenant but another 8. That he was forced to it 9. That he was virtually pre-engaged to the contrary Matter in that he was Heir of the Crown and bound to take the Coronation Oath 10. That to cast so many Men as the Bishops out of all their Honours and Possessions is Injustice which none can be obliged to do 11. That if it were lawful before to endeavour an Alteration of the Government of the Church yet now it is not when King and Parliament have made a Law against it These are Mr. Fulwood's and Mr. Stileman's Pleas and the Sum of all that I have heard as to that Point § 288. But further as to the Interpretation of the Words of the Declaration hereabouts the Latitudinarians and Conforming Presbyterians and some of the Prelatists say as followeth 1. That the Declaration includeth not the King when it saith There is no obligation on me or any other person which they prove because that Laws are made only for Subjects and therefore are to be interpreted as speaking only of Subjects 2. Because the King is meant in the Counterpart or Object viz the Government of the State which is not to be altered 2. They say that it is only Rebellions or other unlawful Endeavours that are meant by the words to Endeavour 3. They say that by any Alteration is meant only any Essential Alteration and not any Integral or Accidental Alteration of the Government 4. And the leading Independents have taught them also to say that this Covenant was essentially a League between two Nations upon a certain occasion which therefore if ever it did bind is now like an Almanack out of date Et cessat obligatio cessantibus personis materiâ fine 5. They principally argue that all Mens words are to be taken charitative in the most honest and favourable sence that they will bear much more the King 's and Parliaments Therefore Charity permitteth us not to judge them so inhuman irrational irreligious and cruel as to command Men to be perjured and to change the constituted Government by prohibiting King Parliament or People to do any thing which belonged to them in their places These are the Reasons for the lawfulness of declaring against the Obligation of the Covenant § 289. 3. In the same Declaration it is professed That it is not lawful on any pictente whatsoever to take up Arms against the King or any Commissionated by him c. Concerning this they are also divided among themselves One Party say That this is true universally in the proper sence of the words The other say That it is to be understood of such as are legally Commissioned by him only and that if he should Commission two or three Men or more to kill the Parliament or burn the City or to dispossess Men of their Freeholds it were lawful forcibly to resist Or if the Sheriff be to raise the Posse Comitatus in obedience to a Decree of a Court of Justice to put a Man into possession of his House he may do it forcibly though the Defendant be Commissioned by the King to keep it Because they say that the Law is to be taken sano sensu and not as may lay the Law-givers under so heavy an Accusation as the literal unlimited sence would do § 290. 4. The fourth Matter of Difference being the Oath of Canonical Obedience they here also differ among themselves 1. Some of them think that as the Necessity of Monarchy and our Relation to the King doth make the Oath of Allegiance necessary or very meet so the Necessity of Prelacy and our Relation to the Prelates doth make the Oath of Obedience to them justifiable and meet For that which must be done may be promised and sworn 2. Others of them say That it is only to the Bishops as Magistrates or Officers of the King that we swear to them 3. And others say That as we may be subject to any Man in humility so we may promise or swear it to any Man And it being but in licit 〈◊〉 honestis that what we may
not the Primitive Episcopacy or any other sort but the present Diocesan Prelacy which was in being in England Ergo no other could be extirpated 2. Because when the Covenant was debated first in the Synod at Westminster abundance of Divines who Subscribed the Covenant did openly profess that they were not against Episcopacy and would not consent to it in any such sence 3. Because the said Divines upon that profession caused the Description of the word Prelacy to be exprest in a Parentheses which is only the Description of our Diocesan Frame which is to be seen in the words of the Covenant 4. Because when the House of Lords who imposed it did conjunctly and solemnly take the Covenant Mr. Tho. Coleman who preached and gave it them did openly declare at the giving and taking of it that it was not all Episcopacy that they renounced or vowed by this Covenant to extirpate but only the Diocesan Prelacy there described All this with the words themselves I think is sufficient Evidence of the matter of that Clause § 365. 2. And for the Persons here are especially three sorts in question 1. The King 2. The Parliament 3. The People The first question is Whether the People in the number allowed by the Act may not by humble petition endeavour a reforming Alteration of the Prelacy 2. Whether Parliament Men may not lawfully speak and vote for it 3. Whether King and Parliament may not alter it by altering the Laws If all these Actions be the endeavouring of a Duty or of a lawful Thing in their several Places and Callings and that be the very thing which the Vow obligeth them to then the question is Whether hereto it do not bind them § 366. 1. To say that the People may not so much as petition for a Thing so much concerning their Felicity is to take away not only that Liberty which the King hath in many of his Declarations against the Parliament professed to maintain but also such Liberty as Lawyers say is woven into the Constitution of the Kingdom by the Fundamental Laws and cannot be taken from them but by changing the Constitution yea and reducing them to a state below that of a Subject § 367. 2. To say that a Parliament Man may not speak or vote for such an alteration seemeth to be against the old unquestioned Priviledge of Parliaments which was never denied by the King who opposed them in other things And this Opinion also by such an Alteration of Parliaments would alter the Constituted Government of the Land § 368. 3. To say that the King and Parliament may not alter Prelacy by altering the Law doth seem to be the highest Injury to Soveraignty by denying the Legislative Power § 369. If it be a thing which the People may not petition for nor Parliament vote for nor speak for nor King and Parliament alter then either because the Law of God disableth them or the Common Good forbiddeth them or the Laws of the Land restraineth them from But it is none of these Ergo 1. It is before shewed That no Law of God hath established the English Form of Prelacy nay that the Law of God is repugnant to it 2. And that the Common Good forbiddeth not the Alteration but requireth it 3. And that no Law restraineth in any of the three formentioned Cases is plain in that there is no Law against the Peoples Petitioning as aforesaid nor can be without alteration of the Government And the King with his Parliament are above Laws and have power to make them and to abrogate them So that it seemeth a thing that may be done and a Vow turneth a may be into a must be where it is of force And thus far they think that there is no great difficulty in the Controversie § 370. Before I tell you their Answers to the contrary Reasons I may tell you that not only Dr. Sanderson granteth but all Conformists that ever I talkt with hereabout do agree with us in these following Points 1. That we must here distinguish between the Actum Imperantis the Actum Iurantis and the Materiam Iuramenti the Act of the Parliament imposing it the Act of the Persons taking it and the Matter of the Oath or Vow 2. And also between the Sinfulness of an Oath the Act of the Swearer and the Nullity of it 3. And that if the Imposers Act be sinful and the Taking Act be sinful yet the Oath is obligatory if the Matter vowed be not unlawful and the Actus Iurandi were not a Nullity as well as a Sin 4. That if there be six Articles in a Vow and four of them be unlawful this doth not disoblige the Swearer from the lawful part Otherwise an unlawful Clause put in may free a Man from a Vow for the most necessary Duties 5. That if a Nation take a Vow it is a personal Vow to every individual Person in that Nation who took it 6. That if there be in it a mixture of a Vow to God and a League Covenant or Promise to Men the Obligation of the Vow to God may remain when as a League or Covenant with Man ceaseth unless when the Vow is not co-ordinate but sabordinate to the League or Covenant as being only a Vow or Oath that it shall be faithfully performed 7. That if a Vow be imposed in lawful proper Terms it is not any unexpressed Opinion of the Imposers that maketh the Matter unlawful to the Taker 8. That if the Imposers be many Persons naturally making one collective Body â—o â—ence of theirs is to be taken as explicatory but what is in the words or otherwise publickly declared to the Takers Because they are supposed to be of different 〈◊〉 among themselves when they agree not in any Exposition 9. That though a Subject ought to take an Oath in the sence of his Rulers who impose it as far as he can understand is yet a Man that taketh an Oath from a Robâ—eâ— to sive his Life is not alway bound to take it in the Imposers sence if he take it not against the proper sence of the words 10. That though a Subject should do his best to understand the Imposers sence for the right taking of it yet as to the keeping of it he is bound much to the sence in which he himself took it though possibly he misunderstood the Imposers § 371. Now to their Answer to the Reasons of the Conformists Object 1. The End was evil to change the Government of Church and State withâ—â—â— Law which was setled by Law The Bishops were a part of the House of Lords and therefore could not be cast out but by their own consent and the whole Parliament's with the King Answ. 1. It is not the ill ends of the Persons imposing that can disoblige the Taker unless it had been the fiâ—is proximus ipsius Iuramenti essential to the Vow it self and inseparable from it The Ends of Parliaments may be manifold and unknown
Covenant For whether it differ specie vel gradu vel accidentibus it is proved that the Covenant talketh not of the extirpation of any other Episcopacy but it alone 4. But if it did it followeth not that the Obligation against the unlawful Prelacy is null because the conjunct Vow against all Episcopacy is null If a Man Vow at once to do two things of which one is lawful and the other unlawful he may be bound to the lawful part when he is not bound to the unlawful But it 's plainly proved that it was our Prelacy existent as such described expresly yea the inclusion of Episcopacy openly disclaimed which was the thing covenanted against § 375. Object The finis proximus is part of the matter of the Vow for the several Act are vowed only as means to that end And therefore the obligation to the end ceasing the obligation to the means as such doth cease Now the end was the maintaining a War against the King and the illegal taking down of Prelacy And every Clause in the Covenant receiving its sence from this unlawful End is it self unlawful Answ. Though I hear none use this Reason yet it being the strongest that I could devise and all that can seem of any weight being comprized in it I will not pass it by though it be for Substance the same with that first answered And 1. It is plain that the finis proximus of altering Prelacy can be neither of these mentioned Neither the War nor the illegality of the Change The finis proximus must be the cessation of Prelacy The next End was a real or supposed case to the Nation by it and a real or supposed Reformation of the Church by it And so far are the two aforesaid things from being the nearest Ends that they would be no Ends. For 1. The nature of the thing sheweth it It may much fitlier be said that the War was for the taking down of Prelacy as is commonly 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 than that the taking down of Prelacy was for the Wars And the War was long before Prelacy was taken down And it is contrary to sence to say That the taking down of Prelacy was for the illegal manner of doing it but liker that the illegal manner of doing it if it were illegal was for the taking down of Prelacy The manner was for the work as its end and not the work for the manner 2. And there is no such end expressed in the Covenant but contrarily all along Reformation is the professed end And it is not secret ends but the ends expressed in the Covenant that the Takers were to look at If it be said That these two were the unlawful Ends of Imposing the Covenant though not the finis materiae the End of extirpating Prelacy I answer If that were proved it is nothing to the Point for it will only prove the Imposing to be unlawful If it be said That it was also the End of Mens taking it I answer 1. He that saith it was the intended End of the Takers must know all their hearts and know that all their Ends were the same which is impossible 2. If it be only the commanded End that is meant I further answer 1. It is visible in the Words of the Covenant that there is no such End commanded Reformation is the End expressed in the Covenant 2. If it had been commanded that was the sin of the Commanders but proveth not that the Covenanters all took it to the commanded ends And it bindeth according to the Takers sence 3. If it had been certainly taken to a wrong end by every Man that took it which is not proveable this would only prove the Actum Iurandi to be a sin but not the Materiam Iuratam to be evil which is the heart of all the Controversie There is great difference between the finis jurandi and the finis rei juratae the end of swearing and the end of the thing sworn If the finis jurandi only be evil it will only prove the actum jurandi to be a sin but it will not prove the materia juramenti to be unlawful and then the Oath may be obligatory as shall be further shewed 4. Nay go to the highest and if it had been the end of the matter sworn viz. of the extirpation of Prelacy that was evil yet as I have said most Casuists I think will determine that the matter is separable in most Cases from the end unless it be a meer relative Act which the finis proximus is essential to If a Man swear Allegiance to the King to a wrong end is he not therefore obliged to Allegiance by his Oath If a Man swear to do many things in themselves indifferent upon a mistaken supposition that they are Duties and so for the pleasing of God when it is discovered to that Man that they were media inepta or no means at all to that end of pleasing God but things indifferent I suppose he is not therefore disobliged though he vowed them only sub ratione mediorum because the keeping of a Vow about things lawful is pleasing to God though the matter vowed were indifferent And if this hold not true then wicked men can scarcely ever be obliged by any Oath or Vow to God or their Superiours because they have wrong Ends in all or most things which they do But this last part of the Answer is needless because the former are of undoubted certainty § 376. 4. The fourth Reason against the Covenant is That it was sinfully taken Answ. 1. It may be sinfully taken of one that had no sufficient Motives or had evil ones and not of another This Objection chargeth sin on the King and all the Lords and Knights and Gentlemen of his part who took it unwillingly when none of them have been heard speak for themselves nor have produced the Reasons that moved them to take it 2. If this were all granted of King and Kingdoms that they sinned in taking it it proveth no more but the actus jurandi was a sin and not the materia juramenti evil which is no proof of the nullity of the Obligation Many a Man or Woman that sinned in marrying for wrong ends or without just cause c. is yet bound by the Marriage Covenants Many things are sinful that are not nullities A rash or ignorant or causless Vow is sinful quoad actium and yet obligatory if it be lawful quoad materiam and be no nullity When it is either really no Vow or the thing vowed be forbidden of God then it is not to be judged obligatory § 377. The fifth Reason against the Obligation is from Numb 30. That it was nulled by the King 's declared dissent To which it is answered by the Non-Subscribers 1. That the Text is nothing to the Point or at least no Man can be sure it is For 1. it speaketh only de materia non necessaria but the Covenant is supposed by the
obliged by the Covenant to endeavour any Alteration of Church-Government Let them write or say openly Men are obliged by the Covenant to endeavour it by lawful means but not by unlawful and let them give leave to another to accuse them in a Court of Justice for these words and let it be there tried and judged and then the sence of the Law will be declared If they be in the right the Accuser shall lose his Costs and no danger can befal them If they be not in the right they will be punished by Confiscation And is not the hazard of such a Law Suit cheap enough for a Man to save himself and others from so great a Guilt as the Justification of three Kingdoms in the Sin of Perjury if it so prove And yet I could never hear of the Man that would hazard his Estate thus on the confidence of his Exposition of the Law but multitudes venture their Souls upon it 4. The Parliament who is the Expounder of their own Laws have given us their sence of the Subject of our Controversie in a former Law which puts all out of doubt For in the Corporation Act all Men are put out of Power and Trust who will not declare that absolutely without any limitation There is no Obligation upon me or any other person from the Oath called c. so that all Obligation to any thing at all by that Vow is in this most important Act denied and the profession of this denial thus imposed By which it is past doubt that the Law-makers sence is against all Obligation absolutely 5. And that it is so is well know to those that know what was said in the Parliament when among the Commons this Reason carried it viz. That if any Obligation at all be acknowledged even to things lawful every seditious person will be left to think that he is bound to all which he conceiveth lawful which with some will be to resist the King or commit Treason Therefore all Obligation absolutely must be denied I confess such Villains there may be and they should be carefully restrained but as I doubt this Act of Parliament will no whit change their belief of their Obligations for they will think Parliaments cannot dispense with Oaths or with the Laws of God so it is a sad remedy for such villanous Errours to disoblige Men from the lawful part of Vows for fear lest they take the unlawful to be lawful As it is to teach Men to take nothing which God commandeth to be their Duty for fear least they should take ther Sin to be their Duty § 387. Object But what if the Bishop give me liberty to put in the word unlawfully or to Subscribe only in that sence may I not then lawfully do it Answ. This was the only Expedient to draw in Nonconformists heretofore and so it hath proved of late again But I distinguish 1. There is much difference between Subscribing the very words of the Act with the verbal or by-addition of your own Explication and the putting in of your Explicatory words into the Sentence which you Subscribe 2. Between Subscribing this as the imposed Declaration in the Act and Subscribing it only as another thing 3. Between the secret and the open Explication of your Mind For my part if the word unlawfully had been joyned to endeavour by the Law-makers I would not have scrupled to Subscribe that part of the Declaration But 1. the Bishop is not the Law-maker and therefore hath no more power than a private Man to expound the Law Nor is he so much as a Iudge in this business who may expound it in order to the decision of a particular Cause but only a Witness that you Subscribe 2. If you only Subscribe the very words of the Declaration and speak your Explication or write it in a by-paper you do then provide an insufficient Plaister for the Sore you do that which is evil in it self and would cure it by an uneffectual accidental Medicine You harden both the Imposers and Subscribers by your Scandal while you are said to Subscribe the very thing imposed whose sence is so plain that your Exposition is but an apparent ludicrous distortion As if I were commanded to Subscribe this Sentence God hath no knowledge nor no love The Imposer understandeth it vulgarly and blasphemously The words in the most strict and proper sence are true which cannot be said in our Case because knowledge and love are spoken primarily of the Creatures Acts and are not in God formaliter but eminenter that is somewhat more excellent which hath no other name because we have no formal Conceptions of them but must speak of God after the manner of Men while Man is the Glass and Image by which we know him yet would I not Subscribe this imposed Proposition while the Imposer meaneth it blasphemously because it is a heinous Scandal to be said to Subscribe and own such Villany and so to encourage others to it no though I might express my sence 3. Especially I may express it but privately where the Remedy against the Scandal will be ineffectual But if you may Subscribe the whole Sentence with your own words therein and that not as it is the imposed Declaration which is otherwise expounded by the Law-makers themselves but as another and may make this as publick and notorious as your Subscription it self is then I have less to say against it There are no words utterable which a Man may not put a good sence on if he please And yet I durst not so far play with Death and comply with the Spirit of Impiety as to Subscribe that There is no God or God is unjust or unwise or unholy c. though I had liberty to say I mean it in this or that sence which is true and warrantable § 388. 4. Another Motive of the Latitudinarians to Subscribe is That by to endeavour any Change or Alteration of Government in the Church is meant only any change of the Species of our Church-Government and not any Reformation of integral or accidental Defects or Depravations Answ. 1. And yet these very Men do profess to believe with Mr. Stillingfleet That no Form of Church-Government is of Divine Appointment or Imposition And if so why is it not lawful for the King and Parliament to change that which God hath not made necessary Or for Subjects to endeavour it by Petition 2. It is agreed on by Casuists and their Bishop of Lincoln Dr. Sanderson with the rest That Oaths are to be taken sensu strictiore and so are Laws and those especially which determine of the Obligation of Oaths But it is an unwarrantable audacious liberty for any Subject unnecessarily thus to turn an Universal Enunciation into a Definite and Particular and when the Law saith any alteration of Government to say that some alteration is not included Their reason is because it is said of and not in Government Answ. There is no Language much
In the best sence which hath Evidence of Truth Charity requireth us to take all the words of others But the question is first Which is the true sence and not which is the best And if it can be proved that another is either certainly or probably the true meaning of any words we must not feign a better sence because it is better In the Case in hand the Law-makers have plainly declared their own sence by their Speeches and Votes and deliberate plain Expressions and by another Act for Corporations If I might take all Oaths and Statutes in the best sence which possibly those words may be used to express than I could take almost any Oath in the World and disobey any Law in the World under pretence of obeying it and tell any Lie under the pretence of telling Truth and Jesuitical Equivocation would be but the common Duty of the Charitable But Charity is not blind nor will it prove a fit Cover for a Lie He that knoweth the Parliament and is but willing to know their sence may know the mistakes of this pretended Charity And especially Laws and Oaths are to be taken in the sence which is plainest in the words § 391. Besides all that is already said I shall end this Subject with this question on the Non-subscribers part Whether an Oath doth not bind Men in the sence of the Takers though they be bound to take it in the sence of the Imposers if they know it As if I had been commanded to swear Allegiance to the King and he that commandeth it should mean Cromwell or some Usurper and I thought he had meant my rightful King Am I not bound hereby to the King indeed And if so Query further Whether any Man so well know the sence of every Man and Woman in England Scotland and Ireland as to be able to say that it was so bad that they are not obliged to it And in what Age it was that all Ministers were forbidden to Preach the Gospel of Christ till they knew the Hearts of all the People in three Kingdoms so far as to justifie them before God from the Obligations of such Vows and Oaths § 392. And though I heartily wish that the Prelates would have been intreated to have chosen another course of proceeding with their Brethren and not have tempted any to Repinings or Complaints for endeavouring which I lost their love yet I would admonish all my Brethren to take heed of aggravating this Difference so far as to bring the present Ministry into Contempt and hinder the Efficacy of their Labours I did my best to have prevailed beforehand that we might not have had any occasion of Divisions but if we must needs be divided that it might have been upon some lower Points than the Obligation of Oaths and Vows It had been better for the Prelates that the Non-subscribers had seemed to be scrupulous Persons that refused only some tolerable Ceremonies than that the fear of so great a Crime as justifying three Kingdoms from the Bond of an Oath and the guilt of Perjury should be the occasion of their Ejection and the Matter of this Publick Controversie But seeing this could not by us be prevented let us not be so partial as to wrong the Church by making them odious to justifie our selves It was sad when the Names of Formalists and Puritans and afterwards of Malignants and Rebels and Cavaliers and Roundheads distinguished the divided Parties But it is now grown worse when they are called PER-fidious jured secutors and PURITANS For the most odious Names do most potently tend to the extinguishing of Charity and the increase of the Difference between them § 393. III. The next Controversie is Political That it is not lawful on any pretence whatsoever to take up Arms against the King or as is after said against any Commissionated by him In this the Lawyers are divided yea and Parliament themselves one Parliament saying one thing and another another thing And the poor ejected Ministers of England are commonly so little studied in the Law that in these Controversies they must say as they are bidden or say nothing And they think it hard that when Lawyers and Parliaments cannot agree every poor ignorant Preacher must be forced to decide the Controversie and say and subscribe which of them is in the right upon pain of being cast out of their Office and silenced which they think as hard as if they were required to decide a Controversie between Navigators or Pope Zachary and Boniface's Case about the Antipodes or else be silenced We are ready to Subscribe That King Charles the Second is our lawful King and that we owe him Obedience in all his lawful Commands and that we are bound to defend his Person Dignity Authority and Honour with our Lives and Estates against all his Enemies and that neither Parliaments nor any other at home or abroad have any power to judge or hurt his Person or depose him or diminish any of his Power and that it is not lawful on any pretence whatsoever to conspire against him or â—stir up the People to Sedition or to take up Arms against either his Authority or his Person or against any lawfully Commissioned by him or any at all Commissioned by him except he himself by a contrary Commission or by his Law do enable us or not forbid us or when the Law of Nature doth oblige us In all these Cases we are ready to Subscribe And one would think this much might procure our Peace But that which is scrupled by the Non-subscribers is as followeth The words on any pretence whatsoever studiously put into a Form of Declaration by a Parliament are so universal as to allow no Latitudinarian Evasions or Limitations or Exceptions by any Man that is sincere and plain-hearted and doth not Equivocate with God and his Governours Now 1. Though the King's Authority or Person may not be resisted by Arms they are not certain that his Will may not in any Case be resisted 2. Though none Authorized that is Legally Commissioned by him may be resisted yet they are not certain that all that are Commissioned by him are Authorized or Legally Commissioned 3. Either this Declaration requireth us to suppose that the King never will Commission any illegally or else that though he do yet such may on no pretence whatsoever be resisted by Arms. If the former be the sence then either it is because no King will do it or only because no King of England will do it The former all Historians Politicians Lawyers and Divines are against And the latter hath no Evidence of Certainty to us But yet if that had been the sence we should have consented that on supposition the King commission Men legally they are not to be resisted But this no Man will say is to be supposed as an Event certainly and universally future But if the worst that is possible might be supposed possible then in these several Cases
all their Exceptions against the New Common Prayer Book in the Points wherein it is much worse than the old § 405. And for the Latitudinarians and Unwilling Conformists their Plea is That the use of the Forms and Ceremonies is lawful and that is all that they are required to subscribe to because the Act saith they shall declare their Assent and Consent to the use of all things c. They do not subscribe their Consent to the thing in it self but to so much as is to be used by them and so far only as that they will use it But this is so gross that the Non-conformists cannot stretch so far For 1. What Man can doubt whether all things in the Book were intended for some use or other though not each part to the same use Did the Convocation and Parliament contrive and impose things which they themselves did judge to be of no use Is not the Kalendar and Direction for reading Scripture of use to tell you what Days to keep and what Chapters to read Is not the Rubrick of use to direct you in the several Offices Is not the Doctrinal Determination about the Saving of Baptized Infants and other such like of use to tell us its Doctrine is taken to be true Doubtless every part hath its intended usefulness 2. The words are as express to exclude such stretching as could well be devised For 1. It is Assent as well as Consent which is declared 2. It is to all and every thing which includeth every word 3. It is to every thing contained in it as well as to every thing prescribed by it And the Doctrinals as of three Orders Iure Divino c. are contained in it 3. To put all out of doubt since this Act the Parliament made another Act to which while Proviso's were offered the whole House of Lords sent it back to the Commons with this Proviso That those that declared Assent and Consent to all and every thing c. should be obliged to understand it only as to the use of what was required of them and not as to the things in themselves considered The Commons refused this Proviso and the Houses had a meeting about it in which the Commons delivered their Reasons against that Exposition of the Declaration And in the end the Lords did acquiesce in their Reasons and consented to cast out the Proviso so that now the Parliament hath expounded their own words and there is no more pretence left for the Latitudinarian Equivocation § 406. But if it were otherwise is the use of all things contained there lawful 1. To what they say about the Apocrypha it is answered That it is not lawful to read publickly in the Church on any days so many above One hundred in two Months of the Apocryphal Chapters in the same manner time and title of Lessons with the holy Scripture with no fuller distinction When 1. Experience telleth us That many of the People who understand not the Greek word Apocrypha are thereby drawn to take them for Canonical Scripture being also bound up with it in the Books 2. And when Tobit Susanna Bell and the Dragon Iudith are ordinarily by Protestants taken for Fables or Untruths and therefore not so much as pious Instructions § 407. 2. And for the disorder and defects of the Common Prayer before proved they seem but ill matter for such an unfeigned Assent and Consent § 408. 3. And for the new Clause of the Salvation of Baptized Infants as certain by the Word of God the Scruple were the less if it were confined to the Infants of true Believers But our Church admitteth of all Infants even of Infidels and Heathens without distinction if they have but Godfathers and Godmothers and the Canon enforceth Ministers to Baptize them all without exception And when in our Publick Debate with the Bishops I instanced in one of my Parishioners that was a professed Infidel and yet said he would come and make the common Profession for his Child for Custom sake even Dr. Sanderson the Bishop of Lincoln answered me That if there were Godfathers it had a sufficient Title which Bishop Morley and others of them confirmed Now these Godfathers being not Adopters nor Owners we cannot see it certain in God's Word That all those are saved whom they present to Baptism no nor whom ungodly and hypocritical Christians present for how can the Convenant save the Child as the Child of a Believer which saveth not the Parent as a Believer himself So that while unmeet Subjects are Baptized we cannot Subscribe to this Assertion § 409. And it is strange that when Infant-Baptism it self and commonly said by these Men to be a Tradition and not commanded or found in Scripture that yet they find it certain by the Word of God that Baptized Infants are saved § 410. But some say That it is certain that all Infants so dying are saved and therefore all Baptized Infants But 1. They never shewed us any Word of God from whence that certainty may appear to us nor have they answered what is said against it 2. And what jesting with holy Things is this to speak that of the Baptized only which they mean of all As if they would perswade People that it is some effect of Baptism and priviledge of the Children of the Church which they think belongeth to all the Children of Heathens § 411. Some say that the word All Children is not in and of some its true Answ. The Indefinite here according to common Speech is equivalent to an Universal Children baptized dying before actual sin is equal to all children baptized your Consciences must tell you that if you limit it to some only you cross the sence of the Compilers of the Liturgy I am sure Dr. Gunning who brought it in hath publickly exprest his sence for the Salvation of all such Infants § 412. 4. As to the Practice of Baptizing all Children that can have Godfathers and of Confirming Administring the Lord's Supper Absolving Burying c. with unjust Application to Persons unfit for the Sacraments or Titles given them we know not how to Assent and Consent to the Imposition or Form of as long as we know that the same Church which commandeth us to use those words doth command us to apply them to unworthy Persons And how it may harden the Wicked to Perdition is easily conjectured § 413. 5. And for the Ceremonies they are so largely written about on both sides that I need not stay here to recite the Arguments For my own part as I would receive the Lord's Supper kneeling rather then not at all so I have no Censure for those that wear the Surplice though I never wore it But that Man may adjoyn such a Human Sacrament as the Cross in Baptism to God's Sacrament I am not satisfied in And cannot Assent or Consent to it that such a solemn dedicating Sign should be stated in God's Publick Worship by Man 1.
that Traytorous Positon of taking Arms by his Authority against his Person or against those that are Commissionated by Him in pursuance of such Commission And that I will not at any time endeavour any alteration of Government either in Church or State The Reasons of Men's refusal to take this Oath were such as these following 1. Because they that were no Lawyers must Swear not only that they think it is unlawful but that it is so indeed 2. Because they think that this setteth a Commission above an Act of Parliament And that if one by a Law be made General or Admiral during Life another by a Commission may cast him out And though the Law say He shall be guilty of Treason if he give up his Trust to any upon pretence of a Commission Yet by this Oath he is a Traytor if he resist any one that hath a Commission 3. Because they fear they are to Swear to a contradiction viz. to set the King 's bare Commission above a Law which is the Act of King and Parliament and yet not to endeavour the Alteration of Government which they fear least they endeavour by taking this Oath 4. Because they think that by this means the Subject shall never come to any certain Knowledge of the Rule of his Duty and consequently of his Duty it self For it is not possible for us to know 1. What is to be called a Commission and what not and whether an illegal Commission be no Commission as the Lawyers some of them tell us and what Commission is illegal and what not and whether it must have the broad Seal on only the little Seal or none 2. Nor can we know when a Commission is counterfeit The King's Commanders in the Wars never shewed their Commissions to them that they fought against at least ordinarily There was a Collonel of the King 's since his coming in that brought a Commission Sealed with the broad Seal to seize on all the Goods of a Gentleman in Bishopsgate-street in 〈◊〉 by which he carried them away But the Commission being proved counterfeit he was hanged for it But a Man that thus Seizeth on any Gentleman's Money on Goods may be gone before they can try his Commission if they may not resist him But the Parliament and Courts of Justice are the Legal publick Notifiers of the King's mind and by them the Subjects can have a regular certain notice of it So that if the Parliament were concluded to have no part in the Legislative Power but the King 's meer will to be our Law yet if the Parliament and Courts of Justice be erected as the publick Declarers of his will to the People they seem more regardable and credible than the words of a private unknown Man that saith he hath a Commission 5. And they think that this is to betray is to the King and give the Chancellour or Lord-Keeper power at his pleasure to depose him from his Crown and dispossess him of his Kingdoms For if the King by Law or Commission shall settle any Trusty Subject in the Government of Navy or Militia or Forts and command them to resist all that would disposseâ—â— them yet if the Lord Chancellor have a design to depose the King and shall Sealâ—â— Commission to any of his own Creatures or Confidents to take possession of the said Forts Garisons Militia and Navy none upon pain of Death must resist them but â—e taken for Traytors if they will not be Traytors yea though it were but whilst they send to the King to know his Will And when Traytors have once got possession of all the Strengths the detecting of their stand will be too late and to Sue them at Law will be in vain And he that remembreth That our Lord Chancellor is now banished who lately was the chief Minister of State will think that this is no needless fear 6. And they think that it is quite against the Law of God in Nature which obligeth â—s to quench a Fire or save the Life of one that is assaulted much more of our selves against one that would kill him and that else we shall be guilty of Murder And according to the preper Sense of this Oath If two Foot-boys get from the Lord Chancellor a Commission to kill all the Lords and Commons in Parliament or to set the City and all the Country on Fire no Man may be Force of Arms resist them Lords and Commons may not save their Lives by force not the City their Houses And by this way no Man shall dwell or travel in safety while any Enemy or Thief may take away his Life or Purse or Goods by a pretended Commission and if we defend our selves but while we send to try them we are Traytors and few have the means of such a Tryall 7. They think by this means no Sheriff may by the Posse Comitatus execute the Decrees of any Court of Justice if 〈◊〉 can but get a Commission for the contrary 8. They think that Taxes and Subsidies may be raised thus without Parliaments and that all Men's Estates and Lives are at the meer will of the King or the Lord Chancellor For if any be Commissioned to take them away we have no remedy For to say that we have our Actions against them in the Courts of Justice is but to say that when all is taken away we may cast away more if we had it For what good will the Sentence of any Court do us if it pass on our side as long as a Commission against the Execution of that Sentence must not be resisted unless a piece of Paper be as good as an Estate 9. And they think that by this Oath we Swear to disobey the King if at any time he command us to endeavour any alteration of the Church-Government as once by this Commission to some of us he did about the Liturgy 10. And they think that it is a serving the Ambition of the Prelates and an altering of the Government to Swear never to endeavour any alteration of Church-Government yea and to put the Church-Government before the State-Government and so to make the Prelacy as unalterable as Monarchy and to twist it by an Oath into the unalterable Constitution of the Government of the Land and so to disable the King and Parliament from ever endeavouring any alteration of it For if the Subjects may not at any time nor by any means endeavour the King will have none to execute his Will if he endeavour it And if Divines who should be the most tender avoiders of Perjury and all Sin shall lead the way in taking such an Oath who can expect that any others after them should scruple it And it was endeavoured to have been put upon the Parliament 11. And they think that there is a great deal in the English Diocesian Frame of Church-Government which is very sinful and which God will have all Men in their places and callings to endeavour to reform
Court of Justice declare That the King by his Laws commandeth us to assist the Sheriffs and Justices notwithstanding any Commission to the contrary under the great or little Seal and one shew us a Commission to the contrary which must we take for the King's Authority 8. Whether this extendeth to the Case of King Iohn who delivered the Kingdom to the Pope Or to those Instances of Bilson Barcley Grotius c. of changing the Government putting by the true Heir to whom we are Sworn in the Oath of Allegiance c. if Subjects pretend Commission for such Acts 9. Whether Parliament Judges in Court or private Men may by the King's Authority in his Laws defend their Lives against any that by a pretended Commission invadeth them or their Purses Houses or Companions 10. Whether we must take every Affirmer to have a Commission if he shew it not Or every shewn Commission to be current and not surreptitious though contrary to Law 11. Whether he violateth not this Oath who should endeavour to alter so much of the Legislative Power as is in the Parliament or the Executive in the Established Courts of Justice Or is it meant only of Monarchy as such 12. Doth he not break this Oath who should endeavour to change the Person Governing as well as he that would change the Form of Government 13. If so doth it not also tye us to the Persons of Church-Governours seeing they are equally here twisted and Church-Government preposed 14. Is it the King 's Coercive Government of the Church by the Sword which is here meant according to the Oath of Supremacy Or Spiritual Government by the Keys Or both 15. Is it not the English Form of Church-Government by Diocesans that is here meant and not some other sort of Episcopacy which is not here And doth he not break this Oath who instead of a Bishop over 500 or 1000 Churches without any inferiour Bishop should endeavour to set up a Bishop in every great Church or Market-Town or as many as the Work requireth 16. Seeing Excommunication and Absolution are the notable parts of Spiritual Government and it is not only the Actions but the Actors or Governours that we Swear not to alter and Lay-Chancellors are the common Actors or Governours whether an endeavour to alter Lay-Chancellors Government as some did that procured his Majesty's Declaration concerning Ecclesiastical Affairs be not contrary to this Oath and excluded by any alteration 17. Whether petitioning or other peaceable means before allowed by Law be not any endeavour and a violation of this Oath 18. Whether not at any time c. tye us not to disobey the King if he should command us by Consultation or Conference to endeavour it Or if the Law be changed doth not this Oath still bind us Lastly Whether this following Sense in which we could take it be the true sense of the Oath I A B do Swear That a it is not Lawful upon any pretence whatsoever b to take up Arms against the King c And that I do abhor that Traytorous Position of taking Arms by his Authority against his Person or against those that are Commissionated by him d in pursuance of such Commission And that I will not at any time endeavour any alteration of Government either in Church or State e a In my Opinion b For the Subjects of his Majesty's Dominions c Either his Authority or his Person the Law forbidding both d Whether it be his Parliament Courts of Justice Legal Officers or any other Persons authorized by his publick Laws or his Commission supposing that no contrariety of Laws and Commissions by over-sight or otherwise do Arm the Subjects against each other e I will not endeavour any alteration of State-Government at all either as to the Person of the King or the Species of Government either as to the Legislative or Executive Power as in the King himself or his Parliament or Established Courts of Justice And therefore I declare That I take all the rest of this Oath only in a Sense consistent with this Clause implying no alteration in the Government And I will endeavour no alteration of the Coercive Government of the Church as it is in the King according to the Oath of Supremacy Nor any alienation of the Spiritual Power of the Keys from the Lawful Bishops and Pastors of the Church Nor will I endeavour to restore the Ancient Discipline by removing the Spiritual Government by the Keys out of the Hands of Lay-Chancellors into the Hands of so many able Pastors as the number of Churches and necessity of the work requireth nor any other Reformation of the Church by any Rebellious Schismatical or other unlawful means whatsoever nor do I believe that any Vow or Covenant obligeth me thereto declaring notwithstanding that it 's none of my meaning to bind my self from any Lawful Means of such Reformation nor to disobey the King if at any time He command me to endeavour the Alteration of any thing justly alterable The General Answer was as followeth UPon Serious Consideration of the Act of Parliament Entitled An Act for Restraining of Nonconformists from Inhabiting in Corporations And of the Oath therein mentioned I am of Opinion That there is nothing contained in that Oath according to the true Sense thereof But that it is not Lawful to take up Arms against the King or any Authorised by his Commission or for a private Person to endeavour the Alteration of the Monarchical Government in the State or the Government by Bishops in the Church And that any Person notwithstanding the taking of such Oath if he apprehend that the Lay-Judges in Bishop's Courts as to Sentence of Excommunication for Matters meerly Ecclesiastical or for any other Cause ought to be Reformed or that Bishopricks are of too large extent may safely Petition or use any lawful Endeavour for Reformation of the same For that such Petition or other Lawful Endeavour doth not tend to the Alteration of the Government but to the amendment of what shall be found amiss in the Government and Reformed by Lawful Authority and thereby the Government better Established And I conceive every Exposition of the said Oath upon Supposition or Presumption of an Obligation thereby to any thing which is contrary to the Law of God or the Kingdom is an illegal and a forced Exposition contrary to the intent and meaning of the said Oath and Act of Parliament for it is a Rule nullum iniquum est in Lege praesumendium And an Exposition tending to enjoyn any thing contrary to the Law of God would make the Act of Parliament void which ought not to be admitted when it bears a fair and plain Sense which is no more Than that Subjects ought not to take up Arms against their Lawful King or such as lawfully Commissionated by him and for private Persons to be unquiet in the place wherein they live to the disturbance of the Government in Church or State Iohn Fountain Feb. 6.
1665. The Particular Answer was as followeth NOT at present to dispute the things presupposed although I may not grant all in the Fourth and some other of the Positions to be warranted by the Law of Nature or Scripture I add as necessary to the Resolving of the Questions upon the Act of Parliament That in the Exposition of Acts of Parliament if there may be a fair and reasonable Construction made of the Words not contrary to the Law of God or Reason that Construction ought to be made thereof and that any Exposition which tends to make it sensless or contrary to the Law of God and Reason or to suppose any wicked thing enjoyned thereby is a forced Construction and contrary to Law being destructive to the very Act of Parliament I hereupon lay aside any Answer to the Fourth and Eighth Questions which may peradventure be thought meer Cavils against the Act though I knowing the Temper of the Propounder have a more charitable Opinion of him But I do apprehend that tho' there may want a Word to make a Logical Position concerning the Trayterous Position mentioned in the Oath yet there is a plain Sense in the Oath viz. That it is unlawful to take up Arms against the King and that if any would make a distinction and affirm That though the unlawfulness were admitted to take up Arms against him yet by his Authority they might take up Arms against his Person or against those that are Commissioned by him in pursuance of such Commission such an Affirmation and Position as this is Traytorous and to be abhorred and there is such a plain Sense in it as every one that hath common Reason understands it so and therefore Quod necessario subintelligitur non deest And I do not believe that any who propound the Questions to be resolved do themselves imagine that the Parliament had any thought of what is mentioned in the Eighth Question for nullum iniquum in Lege praesumendum Upon consideration of the Act I apprehend the Makers thereof had an apprehension that there were three sorts of People which might have a dangerous influence upon the King's Subjects if not rightly principled viz. Ministers or Preachers School-Masters and such as did Table and Board Children and therefore did provide to restrain them from doing hurt to the Kingdom in keeping the Ministers out of the populous Places of the Kingdom or where they were best known and most likely to prevail and that no Children might be poisoned with Principles destructive to Government The Principles which they feared were these 1. That in some Cases it might be lawful to take up Arms against the Supreme Magistrate at least by a distinction unwarrantable in taking up Arms against his Authority against his Person or such as he did Commissionate 2. That private Persons might endeavour to alter the Government in the Church or State where they lived For the discovery of such as were of these dangerous Principles I conceive the Oath is framed which is Established by this Act and any who holdeth these Principles may not safely take it but if he hold not these Principles he may And as to the Questions 1. That the Words upon any pretence whatsoever in the Oath refer only to the King himself 2. That Lawful comprehends any Law obligatory 3. That it is only according to the Opinion and Judgment of him that takes it 5. He that hath the Lawful Commission is the only Person that hath Authority by the King's Commission 6. I conceive the Sheriff 7. That Commission which is according to Law 9. I conceive they may 10. I conceive a Commission must be shewn if required and that a surreptitious and void Commission contrary to Law is no Commission at all 11. I understand not the Latitude of this Question but I conceive the Sense of the Oath is not to endeavour the Alteration of Monarchical Government in the State 12. Though I conceive it utterly unlawful to endeavour to change the Person of the Governour yet that being sufficiently provided against by the former Laws I do not conceive that it was intended by the Makers of the Law in this part of the Oath to intend more than the Alteration of the Government 13. Answered before And yet if the Person of the Supreme were included in the State-Government I do not conceive that it would extend to the Governours under him in the Church for they may be justly removed in Case of Crime c. 14. I conceive both 15. I conceive its the English Form of Church-Government and yet that is no breach of the Oath to endeavour in a lawful way to make more Bishops and lesser Bishopricks 16. I do not think the Oath bindeth not to endeavour to alter the Actors or Governours in the Church so it be done by lawful means and that it is lawful notwithstanding the Oath to endeavour to alter Lay-Chancellors in a lawful way 17. I conceive it is not 18. I conceive it doth not There are so many things put in the last Question of the Sense of the Oath as will require more discussion than the present Opportunity admits Iohn Fountain Feb. 13. 1665. Sir Iohn Maymard also told me That an illegal Commission is no Commission though privately being the King's Serjeant §19 But that all these Answers should rather resolve me not to take this Oath than any way satisfie me to take it may thus appear 1. He confesseth that the Principle feared was That in some Cases it is lawful to take up Arms against the Supreme Magistrate or by his Authority against those Commissioned by him And yet implicitly granteth it in the Cases intimated in the Eighth Question 2. He confesseth that another feared Principle was That private Persons may endeavour to alter the Government of the Church And he confesseth That by lawful means we may endeavour it in a great part of it And as to the Particulars 1. He thinketh that the Words on any pretence whatsoever refer to the King only whereas in my Conscience I think that the Authors of the Oath meant it also as to any Commissioned by him otherwise there is nothing in all this Oath against taking Arms against any Commissioned by the King so they do not pretend his own Authority for it And upon my knowledge a great part of those that Fought for the Parliament went on other grounds some thinking Parliaments and People above the King as being singulis Major universis Minor as Hooker speaks Eccles. Pol. Lib. 8. some thinking that the Law of Nature did warrant them and some that the Scripture did require them to do what they did And can I believe that it was none of the Imposers Intention by the Oath to provide against any of these Opinions If really it were not then a Man that taketh this Oath may notwithstanding it believe That though it be not lawful to take Arms against the King nor against his Armies by pretence of his
the Governours for the greatest part 2. And as a Congregational Church doth specifically differ from a Diocess of 1000 or 600 Churches the former de fine being for Personal Communion in God's Worship and not the latter so therefore the Bishop of a Congregation must needs differ specifically from the Bishop of such a Diocess Therefore so to change were to change the Species of the Government as I am confident the Bishops themselves would say if the Question were put to them 16. By Endeavouring here he understandeth only unlawful endeavouring and not Petitioning or other lawful means whereas the Word in the Oath is absolute and unlimited And I cannot be so bold as to Swear not to endeavour and secretly mean except it be by petitioning or other lawful means for no sober Man will think that we may do it by unlawful means if he know them to be so And the old Et caetera Oath in 1640. the Antecessor of this had not consenting which could not be so limited And further it seems plain that this cannot be their Sense because it is equally applyed to both Governments in the Oath save that the Church-Government is put first And who dare say that this is the meaning as to the Government of the State I will not endeavour the deposing of the King or the change of Monarchy unless it be by lawful means Whereas the Oath seemeth to me that it is never to be done at all and no means is lawful for such an Aid And therefore we must so understand it as to the Diocesanes too if we will not Swear absolutely or universally and mean limitedly and particularly yea and limit and not limit the same Word as respecting the several Governments without any colour from the Terms 17. Lastly When the Oath Sweareth us not at any time to endeavour which is as plainly an Exclusive of Exceptions as to Time as can briefly be uttered he thinketh that by any time is meant any time except when the King shall command me the contrary or the Law shall change c. Now when so much violence must be used with the Words of such an Oath and when the Imposers will not after many Years knowledge of our Doubts and Difficulties make them any plainer and so when they are at the best to us so unintelligible and no Lawyer nor Parliament that we can speak with can resolve us but all the Answer we can get from the Parliament Men is You must understand it in the proper usual Sense of the Words And from the Lawyers An unlawful Commission is none and lawful Endeavours are not forbidden who can take such an Oath in Judgment and Uprightness of Heart that is satisfied in the Points forementioned § 20. The Act which Imposeth this Oath openly accuseth the Nonconformable Ministers or some of them of Seditious Doctrine and such hainous Crimes wherefore when it first came out I thought that at such an Accusation no Innocent Persons should be silentâ— especially when Papists Strangers and Posterity may think That a Recorded Statute is a sufficient History to prove us guilty and the Concernments of the Gospel and our Callings and Men's Souls are herein touched Therefore I drew up a Profession of our Judgment about the Case of Loyalty and Obedience to Kings and Governours and the Reasons why we refused the Oath But reading it to Dr. Seamaâ— and some others wiser than my self they advised me to cast it by and to hear all in silent Patience because it was not possible to do it so fully and sincerely but that the malice of our Adversaries would make an ill use of it and turn it all against our selves And the wise Statesmen laughed at me for thinking that Reason would be regarded by such Men as we had to do with and would not exasperate them the more § 21. After this the Ministers finding the pressure of this Act so great and the loss like to be so great to Cities and Corporations some of them studied how to take the Oath lawfully And Dr. Will Bites being much in seeming Favour with the Lord-Keeper Bridgeman consulted with him who promised to be at the next Session and there on the Bench to declare openly That by Endeavour to change the Church-Government was meant only lawful Endeavour which satisfying him he thereby satisfied others who to avoid the Imputation of Seditious Doctrine were willing to go as far as they durst And so Twenty Ministers came in at the Sessions and took the Oath viz. Dr. Fates Mr. Sam. Clarke Mr. Sheffield Mr. Hall or Mr. Church Mr. Matth. Pool Mr. Lood Mr. Stancliffe Mr. Roles Mr. Lewis Mr. Smith Mr. Arthur Mr. Bastwick Mr. Brooks Mr. Overton Mr. Batcheler Mr. Cary Mr. Butler Mr. Wildâ—ore Mr. Hooker And not long after Dr. Iacomb took it and Mr. Maâ—â— and Mr. Newton of Taunton in Somersetshire being then in London Mr. Iohn Howe in Devonshire and in Somersetshire Mr. William Thomas Mr. Cooper of Southwark then there And in Northamptonshire Dr. Conant late Regius Professor of Divinity and Vice-Chancellor in Oxford and about Twelve more with him I heard of no more Nonconformists that took it § 22. Dr. Bates wrote me presently the following Letter which because it sheweth the Truth of their Case and Inducements I think meet here to add the rather because when they took the Oath the Lord-Keeper left out the Word only And Judge Keeling openly told them That he was glad that so many of them renounced the Covenant with more such like which made Mr. Clarke openly tell him That they took this Oath only in such a Sense as they conceived to be not inconsistent with the Covenant And because the People in London reviled the Ministers as Turn-Coats when they had done which Insultings and Revilings much grieved some of them Dr. Bates's Letter of their Case about the Oath Dear Sir I Iudge it due to our Friendship and necessary for my Fame to give you an account of what past amongst us in Reference to the Oath In several Meetings of the Ministers the special Enquiry was about the meaning of the Word Endeavour Whether to be understood in the universal Extent so as to exclude all Regular or only tumultuous and seditious Actings The Reasons which persuaded us to understand it in a qualified Sense were 1. The Preface to the Act which declares the occasion and the end of the Oath was to prevent the distilling the Poison of Schism and Rebellion now it is a known Rule ratio juris est jus from whence it appears That only Schismatical and Rebellious Endeavours are excluded to avoid which there was an antecedent Obligation 2. It is necessary to interpret this Oath in congruity with former Laws in particular with that which concerns tumultuous Petitions wherein this Parliament declares it to be the priviledge of the Subject to complain remonstrate Petition to King or Parliament or to advise with any Member of Parliament for the altering of
Voice of the multitude is seldom intelligible Let the shorter confession and the general Prayer offered by the Commissioners 1660. be inserted as alias'es with the Confession and Litany and liberty granted some time to use them All things in the Canon contrary to any thing in this Act to be void and null And all things repeated in any former Law that is contrary to this Act. § 73. We inserted these Rubricks and Orders because they gave us more hope that the Alterations of the Liturgy would be granted than the rest And therefore we thought best to get that way as much as we could And yet we insisted most on the other part because therein it was desired that till the Liturgy was satisfactorily reformed we should not be constrained to read it but only sometimes the greater part of it Which words I offered my self lest else the whole should have been frustrate and because the very words of the Scripture the Psalms Sentences Hymns Chapters Epistles Gospels c. are the far greater part of the Liturgy so that by this we should not have been forced to use any more or any thing scrupled § 74. Before we concluded any thing it was desired that seeing the Earl of Manchester Lord Chamberlain had been our closest Friend we should not conclude without his notice And so at a Meeting at his House these Two more Articles or Proposals were agreed to be added Viz. I. Whereas the Sentence of Excommunication may be passed upon very light Occasions it is humbly desired that no Minister shall be compelled to pronounce such sentence against his conscience but that some other be thereunto appointed by the Bishop or the Court. II. That no person shall be punished for not repairing to his own Parish-church who goeth to any other Parish-church or Chappel within the Diocess For by the Bishop's Doctrine it is the Diocesan Church that is the lowest Political Church and the Parishes are but parts of a Church For there is no Bishop below the Diocesan Therefore we go not from our own Church if we go not out of the Diocess § 75. When these Proposals were offered to Dr. Wilkins and the Reasons of them 1. He would not consent to the clause in the first Propos. Provided that those who desire it have leave to give in their Profession that they renounce not their Ordination c. Where was our greatest stop and disagreement 2. He would not have had subscription to the Scriptures put in because the same is in the Articles to which we subscribe I answer'd that we subscribed to the Articles because they were materially contained in the Scripture and not to the Scriptures because they were not in the Articles I thought it needful for Order sake and for the right description of our Religion that we subscribe to the Scriptures first And to this at last he consented 3. He refused the last part of the fifth for Appeals to Civil Courts saying there was a way of Appeals already and the other would not be endured 4. The two next the 6th and 7th he was not forward to but at last agreed to them leaving out the Clause in the 6th for Registring Names 5. The two last added Articles also were excepted against But in the end it was agreed as they said by the the Lord keeper's Consent that Sir Matthew Hale Lord chief Baron of the Exchequer should draw up what we agreed on into the form of an Act to be offered to the Parliament And therefore Dr. Wilkins and I were to bring our Papers to him and to advise farther with him for the wordingof it because of his eminent Wisdom and Sincerity § 76. Accordingly we went to him and on Consultation with him our proposals were accepted with the alterations following 1. Instead of the Liberty to declare the validity of our ordination which would not be endured it was agreed that the terms of Collation should be these Take thou Legal Authority to preach the Word of God and administer the Holy Sacraments in â—y Congregation of England where thou shalt be lawfully appointed thereunto That so the word Legal might shew that it was only a general License from the King that we received by what Minister soever he pleased to deliver it And if it were 〈◊〉 a Bishop we declared that we should take it from him but as from the King's Minister For the Paper which I gave in against Re-ordination convinced Judge Hales and Dr. Wilkins that the renunciation of former Ordination in England was by ho means to be exacted or done 2. Our Form of Subscription remained unaltered 3. The Clause of Appeals we left out 4. The Fourth Fifth and Seventh passed leaving out the Clause of Registring Names 5. The first of the added Articles they thought reasonable but put it out only leâ—t by overdoing we should clog the rest and frustrate all with those that we were to deal with 6. The other added Article they laid by for the same reason and also lest it should be a shelter to Recusant Papists And thus it was agreed That the Papers should be all delivered to the Lord Chief Baron to draw them up into an Act. And because I lived near him he was pleased to shew me the Copy of his Draught which was done according to all our Sense but secretly lest the noise of a prepared Act should be displeasing to the Parliament But it was never more called for and so I believe he burnt it § 77. Because they objected That by the last Article we should befriend the Papist and especially by a Clause that we offered to be inserted in the Rubrick of the Liturgy That the Sacrament is to be given to none that are unwilling of it and I stood very much upon that with them that we must not corrupt Christ's Sacrament and all our Churches and Discipline and injure many hundred thousand Souls only to have the better advantage against Papists and that there were fairer and better means to be used against them Upon their Enquiry what means might be substituted I told them that besides some others a subscription for all the Tolerated Congregation or Ministers distinct from that of the Established Ministry as followeth might discover them § 78. The Subscription of the Established Ministry I do hereby profess and declare my unfeigned belief of the Holy Canonical Scriptures as the infallible intire and perfect Rule of Divine Faith and Holy Living supposing the Laws of Nature and also my belief of all the Articles of the Creed and of the 36 Articles of the Doctrine and Sacraments of the Church of England Or else the Subscription before agreed on though this be much better supposing the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy also be taken The Subscription of all that have Toleration I A. B. do hereby profess and declare without equivocation and deceit That I believe Iesus Christ to be the only Governing Head of the Vniversal Church and the Holy Canonical
his doing and to prove it told me all the Story before mentioned that such a Letter he received from Wolverhampton and being treasonable he was fain to acquaint the King with it And when he saw my Meeting mentioned in the Letter he examined him about them and he could not deny but they were very numerous and the King against his Will sent him to the Bishop of London to see it supprest I told him that I came not now to expostulate or express any Offence but to endeavour that we might part in Love And that I had taken that way for his assistance and his People's good which was agreeable to my Judgment and now he was trying that which was according to his Judgment and which would prove the better the end will shew He expostulated with me for not receiving the Sacrament with him and offered me any Service of his which I desired and I told him I desired nothing of him but to do his People good and to guide them faithfully as might tend to their Salvation and his own and so we parted § 118. As I went to Prison I called of Serjeant Fountain my special Friend to take his Advice for I would not be so injurious to Judge Hale And he perused my â—ittimus and in short advised me to seek for a Habeas Corpus yet not in the usual Court the King's-Bench for reasons known to all that know the Judges nor yet in the Exchequer lest his Kindness to me should be an Injury to Judge Hale and so to the Kingdom and the Power of that Court therein is questioned but at the Common-Pleas which he said might grant it though it be not usual § 119. But my greatest doubt was whether the King would not take it ill that I rather sought to the Law than unto him or if I sought any release rather than continued in Prison My Imprisonment was at present no great Suffering to me for I had an honest Jaylor who shewed me all the Kindness he could I had a large room and the liberty of walking in a fair Garden and my Wife was never so chearful a Companion to me as in Prison and was very much against my seeking to be released and she had brought so many Necessaries that we kept House as contentedly and comfortably as at home though in a narrower room aad I had the sight of more of my Friends in a day than I had at home in half a Year And I knew that if I got out against their Will my sufferings would be never the nearer to an end But yet on the other side 1. It was in the extreamest heat of Summer when London was wont to have Epidemical diseases And the hope of my dying in Prison I have reason to think was one great inducement to some of the Instruments to move to what they did 2. And my Chamber being over the Gate which was knockt and opened with noise of Prisoners just under me almost every Night I had little hope of sleeping but by day which would have been likely to have quickly broken my strength which was so little as that I did but live 3. And the number of Visiters by day did put me out of hope of Studying or doing any thing but entertain them 4. And I had neither leave at any time to go out of Doors much less to Church on the Lord's Days nor on that Day to have any come to me nor to Preach to any but my Family Upon all these Considerations the advice of some was that I should Petition the King but to that I was averse 1. Because I was indifferent almost whether I came out or not and I was loth either to seem more afflicted or impatient than I was or to beg for nothing 2. I had avoided the Court and the Converse of all great Men so many years on purpose that I was loth to creep to them now for nothing 3. And I expected but to be put upon some promise which I could not make or to be rejected 4. I had so many great Men at Court who had profest extraordinary Kindness to me tho' I was never beholden to one Man of them all for more than Words that I knew if it were to be done they would do it without my seeking And my Counsellor Serjeant Fountain advised me not to seek to them nor yet refuse their Favour if they offered it but to be wholly passive as to the Court but to seek my Freedom by Law because of my great weakness and the probability of future Peril to my Life And this Counsel I followed § 120. The Earl of Orery I heard did earnesty and speedily speak to the King how much my Imprisonment was to his dis-service The Earl of Manchester could do little but by the Lord Arlington who with the Duke of Buckingham seemed much concerned in it But the Earl of Lauder dale who would have been forwardest had he known the King's mind to be otherwise said nothing And so all my great Friends did me not the least Service but made a talk of it with no Fruit at all And the moderate honest Part of the Episcopal Clergy were much offended and said I was chosen out designedly to make them all odious to the People But Sir Iohn Babor often visiting me assured me That he had spoken to the King about it and when all had done their best he was not willing to be seen to relaxe the Law and discourage Justices in executing it c. but he would not be offended if I sought my Remedy at Law which most thought would come to nothing § 121. Whilst I was thus unresolved which way to take Sir Iohn Babor desiring a Narrative of my Case I gave him one which he shewed the Lord Arlington which I will here insert and I will joyn with it two other Scripts one which I gave as Reasons to prove That the Act against Conventicles forbad not my Preaching Another which I gave all my Counsellors when they were to plead my Cause about the Error of the Mittimus § 122 The Narrative of my Case The Oath cannot be imposed on me by the Act. First Because I never kept any Conventicle or Unlawful Assembly proved 1. By Conventicles and Unlawful Assemblies for Religious Exercises the Laws do mean only the Meetings of Recusants Separatists or such as Communicate not with the Church of England or such Assemblies as are held in opposition to the Church-Assemblies and not such as are held only by the Conformable Members of the Church in meer Subordination to the Church-Assemblies to promote them But all Meetings which I have held are only of this latter sort The former Proposition is thus proved 1. The Canons give the Sense of the Word Conventicles for it is a Church-Term about Church-Matters But the Canons mention but two sorts of Conventicles one of Presbyters when they meet to make Orders or Canons for Church-Discipline the other of People who meet
under the Profession of being a Church distinct from the Church of England and neither of these is my Case 2. The Statute of the 35 of Eliz. expoundeth it accordingly charging none of Unlawful Assembling but such as Separate or Communicate not with the Church 3. There is no other Statute that saith otherwise 4. The Rubrick and Law alloweth Conformable Ministers to keep many Religious Assemblies which are not in the Church being but Subordinate as 1. At the Visitation of the Sick where no numbers of Neighbours are prohibited to be present Sermons at the Spittle Sturbridge-Faire c. 2. At private Baptisms 3. At private Communions where any Family hath an impotent Person that cannot Communicate at Church 4. At the Rogation Perambulations where it was usual to Feast at Houses in their way and there for the Minister to instruct the People and to Pray and sing Psalms 5. The Laborious sort of Conformable Ministers have many of them used to repent their Sermons to all that would Assemble at their Houses Which Repeating was as truly Preaching as if they had Preached the same Sermon in several Pulpits Therefore all Meetings besides Church-Meetings are not Conventicles nor those that are in Subordination to them 5. Even the late Expired Act against Conventicles forbiddeth no Religious Exercises but such as are otherwise than the Liturgy or Practice of the Church and distinguishing expresly between the Exercises and the Numbers doth forbid no number when the Exercises are not otherwise as aforesaid tolerating even unlawful Exercises to the number of Four but not to more The Second Proposition That my Meetings were never Unlawful Conventicles is proved 1. I do constantly joyn with the Church in Common Prayer and go at the beginning 2. I Communicate in the Lord's Supper with the Church of England 3. I am no Nonconformist in the Sense of the Law because I Conform as far as the Law requireth me having been in no Ecclesiastical Promotion May 1. 1662. the Law requireth me not to subscribe declare c. till I take a Cure or Lecture c. 4. I sometimes repeat to the Hearers the Sermon which I heard in the Church 5. I exhort the People to Church-Communion and urge them with sufficient Arguments and Preach ordinarily against Separation and Schism and Sedition and Disloyalty 6. I have commanded my Servant to keep my Doors shut at the time of Publick Worship that none may be in my House that while 7. I go into the Church from my House in the Peoples sight that my Example as well as my Doctrine may persuade them 8. In all this I so far prevail that the Neighbours who hear me do commonly go to Church even to the Common-Prayer and I know not three or two of all the Parish that use to come to me who refuse it which success doth shew what it is I do 9. I have long offered the Pastor of the Parish the Dean of Windsor that if he would but tell me that it is his Judgment that I hinder his Success or the People's Good rather than help it I will remove out of the Parish which he never yet hath done 10. I have the Now-Arch-Bishop's License not reversed nor disabled to Preach in the Diocess of London which I may do by Law if I had a Church And I offered the Dean to give over my Meetings in my House if he would permit me to Preach without Hire sometimes occasionally in his Church which I am not disabled to do By all this it appeareth that any Meetings are not Unlawful Conventicles 11. And riotous they are not for my House being just before the Church Door the same Persons go out of the Church into my House and out of my House into the Church so that if one be riotous both must be so And I perform no Exercise at all contrary to the Doctrine or the Practice of the Church but when the Curate readeth only in the Evening and doth not Preach or Catechize when he hath done one part I do the other which he omitteth 2. The Oath cannot be imposed on me because I am none of the three sorts of Offenders there mentioned The first sort in the Act are such as have not Subscribed Declared and Conformed according to the Act of Uniformity and other Acts I am none of them because the Laws require it not of me being as aforesaid in no Church Promotion on May 1. 1662. The second sort are other Persons not Ordained according to the Order of the Church but I am so Ordained The third sort is School-Teachers which is not my Case though I have also a Liceâ—se to Teach School And that the two Descriptions of the Conventicles in the Preamble are to be the Expositions of the following prohibitous Parts of the Act is plain by the answerable distinction of them And also 1. Because the very Title and plain design of this Act is only to restrain Nonconformists 2. Because the express end and business of it is to preserve People from Seditious and Poisonous Doctrine But the Clergy which are not Nonconformists are not to be supposed to be defamed or suspected by the Laws of Preaching poisonous seditious Doctrine nor can it be imagined that they mean to drive them five Miles from all their Parishes in â—ngland if they should once be at a private Meeting or put the 40 l. Fine on them if they preach one Sermon after such Meeting to their Parishes before they have taken the Oath though no Man offer it them which would follow if it extended to them And I am exempted from the Suspicion of that Preaching 1. By being chosen and Sworn His Majesty's Chaplain in ordinary and Preaching before Him and Publishing my Sermons by His Special Commands and never since accused of ill Doctrine but the sharpest Debates written against Nonconformists do quarrel with them for quarrelling with my Doctrine 2. Some think the words have kept in the Act refer to the time past before the Act and then 't is nothing to me 3. Should I not have been Convict in my presence of some one unlawful Conventicle and of not departing after five Miles from the place for how should I be bound to forsake my Dwelling as an Offender before I knew of my Offence Lastly I told the Justices That I did not refuse the Oath but professed that I understood it not and desired time to learn to understand it if I could which they denyed me and would neither tell me who were my Accusers or Witnesses nor shew me the Words of the Accusation or Depositions nor suffer any Person but us three themselves and me to be at all present or to hear any thing that was said by them or me And though I shall never take Oaths which I cannot possibly understand nor in a Sense which is contrary to the plain importance of the Words till they are so expounded nor shall ever number deliberate Lying or Perjury with things indifferent yet
the Immortality of the Soul and many against the Being of God There are many Papists Hereticks Schismaticks common Adulterers openly owning it Fornicators Drunkards Blasphemers many have been Condemned for Treason Murder Theft c. The Conformists themselves Preach and write that such cannot be saved without true converting Repentance We are commanded at the Burial of all Men to say these Words For asmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great Mercy to take unto himself the Soul of our dear Brother here departed and we give thee hearty Thanks for that it hath pleased thee to deliver this our Brother out of c. and that we may rest in him as our Hope is this our brother doth These words import the Person 's Justification and Salvation We are to except no Person from this form of Burial except 1. Those that die unbaptized though the Children of true Believers 2. The Excommunicate though for not paying fees or not conforming against Conscience 3. And those that have laid violent Hands on themselves though true Believers in a Fever Frenzy or Distraction Some die in the act of Drunkenness some murder each other in Duels and that in Drunkenness as lately was done near my Door some scorn the Minister and the Gospel to the death Now we must openly pronounce all these Saved for fear of having Power to Saint and Damn whom we will But we appeal to humanity it self Quest. 1. Whether I damn any Traytor or Murderer or impenitent Infidel meerly by saying nothing of his Case or not pronouncing him to be saved And whether I Saint those that I bury in their own prescribed words any otherwise than they Saint all Men Quest. 2. Whether we expose not our Ministry to the scorn of every Infidel and Heretick and Adulterer when they can say to us What False Deceivers are you to Preach and Write Damnation against us and proclaim us all saved when we die Quest. 3. Whether any thing can more probably debauch the World and keep Men from Repentance and so sill Hell and damn the people than to perswade all Men that every ignorant person that never knew what Christianity was every impenitent Infidel Adulterer or wicked person is saved when they die Doth not this give the Lie to all our Preaching the contrary to them in the Pulpit Do we not Teach them not to believe us Or else it disableth us from telling them that there is any Hell for them hereafter If you say we presume that they Repent I Answer If it be presumed that all Men repent at last and are saved even they that make no profession of any Repentance but justifie their Infidelity or Heresie or Schism or die in the Act or in utter Ignorance as a Heathen then why may we not presume the like of all the World and so lay by the Gospel and all our talk of future punishment Quest. 4. And is he worthy to be trusted with the Care of Souls as a Minister of Christ that may not be trusted I say not to speak but to suspend one word at any time which is thus Written for him to say Judge by this with the Offices of Baptism Confirmation Communion and Absolution what is a Priest's Office under such Bishops and whether he have the Pastoral Power either independently or dependently at all 4. Prop. n. 11. Let no Minister be forced to deny the Communion to godly persons that think it unlawful to kneel Strict Why may not our Church forbid the giving of it to those that will not kneel as well as the Presbyterians here and in Holland forbid the giving of it to those that will not sit Answ. 1. I never knew one Presbyterian here that did so And their Directory did not so And if any one should do so I am sure it is a rare Person And the Author of these words is no liker to know them than I. This therefore was not well said 2. Whether they in Holland do so I know not But if they do Do you think it well I think otherwise and all Nonconformists that I converse with We take not a gesture to be crime enough to cut off Men from Communion with the Church And if you think otherwise or durst Excommunicate a Man for being Lame or having the Gout in his knees Why must we all needs practise as you judge and execute so cruel a Sentence any more than kill men when-ever you bid us The Canon hath no Exception Can. 27. No Minister when he celebrateth the Communion shall wittingly administer the same to any but to such as kneel under pain of Suspenâ—â—on 4. Prop. n. 12. Let Ministers have leave to open the meaning of the Catechism It is much to be wish'd that it were amended Strict 1. I know no Law which forbids them to do so Answ. 1. That it is good news some think so And others think that the Rubrick and Canon Commanding them to Teach persons the Catechism meaneth that we must only teach them the words And I remember the Articles in Parliament against Bishop Pierce contained that among other things that he forbad Ministers Expounding the Catechisme in the Afternoon saying it was as bad as Preaching And the Sence as to us will be what please the Bishop Strict 2. I know no need it hath of mending nor who are wise enough to amend it Answ. I am sorry for it but cannot help it 4. Prop. id Some few quickening words of Exhortation Strict 3. The words prescribed both in Baptism and the Eucharist are quickening enough and more edifying perhaps and safe than an Extemporary fancy can add unto them Answ. 1. You know not what is most quickening and edifying to all other men so well as some know what is so to themselves 2. All that know Humane Nature know that Customaâ—â—ness dulleth and the use of words many hundred times over usually affect less than when there is some variation though it were to be wisht it were not so 3. Why must an Extemporary fancy needs be the Author May not a man premeditate a few sentences as well as a sermon Or if it were ex tempore is he fit to be a Preacher that cannot speak a few sentences on so great a subject with safe and edifying words 4. Is it unsafer to give a Preacher leave to utter a few Sentences of the Sacrament at the Delivery than to Preach a whole Sermon of it And is he not equally responsible for both But we insist not on this as if we could not Administer without it Prop. 4. n. 13. The Surplice indifferent in the Parish Churches Strict I had rather that or any other of the Ceremonies should be taken away quite than left indifferent for that would be to establish Schism by a Law and to bring it into the Church in stead of excluding it out of the Church which of two Evils is much the lesser Ans. I think not for we see things left indifferent make no
Expressions And this Expedient I gather from my Lord Cook who hath providently as it were against such a season laid in this observation The â—orm of the Subscription set down in the Canons ratified by King James was not expressed in the Act of the 13th of Elizabeth Instit. p. 4. c. 74. And Consequently if the Clergy injoyed this freedom untill then in reference to the particulars therein contained what hinders why they might not have the same restored in reference also to others It is true that it may seem hard to many in the Parliament to undo any thing themselves have done But tho this be no Rule for Christians who are sometimes to repent as well as believe if they be loth to repent any thing what if they shall only Interpret or Explain Let us suppose then some Clause in this Bill or some new Act for Explanations If anâ— Nonconformist cannot come up to the full meaning and intent of these Injunctions rightly Explained let him remain in statu quo under the state only of Indulgence without benefit of Comprehension for so long as those who are not Comprehended may yet injoy that ease as to be indulged in some equal measure answerable to his Majestie 's Declaration whether Comprehension be large or narrow such Terms as we obtain are pure Advantage and such as we obtain not are no loss But if any does and can honestly agree to the whole sense the Parliament intends in such Impositions why should there be any Obstruction for such a Man tho he delivers himself in his own words to be received into the Established order with others Unless men will look on these Injunctions only to be contrived for â—â—gines of Battery to destroy the Nonconfromist And not as Instruments of Vnity to edify the Church of God I will not leave our Congregational Brethren neither so long as I have something more that may be said for them not ordinarily considered by any It is this that tho indeed they are not and cannot seek to be of our Churches as they are Parochial under the Diocess or Superintendency of the Bishops yet do they not refuse but seek to be comprehended within the Church as National under his Majesty I will explain my self The Church may be considered as Vniversal and so Christ alone is the head of it and we receive our Laws from him Or as Particular and so the Pastors are Heads Guides or Bishops over their respective flocks who are commanded therefore to obey them in the Lord Or as National which is an accidental and external respect to the Church of God wherein the King is to be acknowledged the supreme Head of it and as I judge no otherwise For thus also runs the statute That our Sovereign Lord shall be taken and reputed the only supreme Head in Earth of the Church of England called Ecclesia Anglicana Now if it should please the King and Parliament to allow and approve these Separate Meetings and Stated Places for Worship by a Law as His Majesty did by his Declaration I must profess that as such Assemblies by this means must be constituted immediately integral parts of the Church as National no less than our Parish Cougregations So would the Congregate Churches at least those that understand themselves own the King for Head over them in the same sense as we own him Head over ours that is as much as to say for the supreme coercive Governour of all in this accidental regard both to keep every several Congregation to that Gospel-order themselves profess and to supervise their Constitutions in things indifferent that nothing be done but in subordination to the peace of the Kingdom Well Let us suppose then a liberty for these separate Assemblies under the visitation of his Majesty and his Justices and not the Bishops I would fain know that were the Evil you can find in them If it lie in any thing it must be in that you call Schism Separation then let us know in it self simply considered is nothing neither good nor Evil. There may be reason to divide or separate some Christians from others out of prudence as the Cathechumens of old from the fully instructed for their greater Edification and as a Chappel or two is added to a Parish-Church when the people else were too big a Congregation It is not all Division then or Separation that is Schism but sinful Division Now the supreme Authority as National Head having appointed the Parochial Meetings and required all the Subjects of the Land to frequent them and them alone for the Acknowledging Glorifying or National serving and worshiping the only true God and his Son whom we have generally received And this Worship or Service in the nature of it being intrinsecally good and the external Order such as that of time and place and the like Circumstances being properly under his Jurisdiction it hath seemed to me hitherto that unless there was something in that order or way prescribed which is sinful and that required too as a Condition of that Communion there is no Man could refuse his attendance on these Parochial Assemblies without the sin of Disobedience and consequently his separation thereby becoming sinful proves Schism But if the Scene be altered and these separate Assemblies made Legal the Schism in reference to the National Church upon the same account does vanish Schism is a separation from that Church whereof we ought or are bound to be Members if the supreme Authority then loose our obligation to the Parish-Meeting so that we are bound no longer the iniquity I say upon this account is not to be found and the Schism gone Lo here a way opened for the Parliament if they please to rid the Trouble and Scruple of Schism at once out of the Land If they please not yet is there something to be thought on for the Separatist in a way of forbearance that the innocent Christian at least as it was in the time of Trajan may not be sought out unto Punishment Especially when such a toleration only is desired as is consistent with the Articles of Faith a Good Life and the Government of the Nation And now I turn me to the Houses My Lords and Gentlemen I will suppose you honest persons that would do as you would be done unto that would not wrong any or if you did would make them recompence There hath been very hard Acts passed which when the Bills were brought in might haply look smooth and fair to you but you saw not the Covert Art secret Machination and purposely contrived snares against one whole Party If such a form of words would not another should do their business By this means you in the first place your selves some of you were overstript Multitudes dispossest of their Livings The Vineyard Let out to others The Lord Jesus the Master of it deprived of many of his faithful Labourers And the poor sheep what had they done bereft of their accumstomed spiritual
dare not desert it lest we shortly appear before our Judge in the guilt of sacriledge perfidiousness against Christ and the people's Souls But we are forbiden to exercise it unless we will do that which we profess as Men that are passing to our final Doom we would readily do were it not for fear of God's displeasure and our Damnation Deprivation of all Ministerial maintenance with heavy Mulcts on such as have not money to pay and long Imprisonments in the Common Goals with Malefactors and banishment to those that shall survive them and that into remote parts of the World were the penalties appointed for us by your Laws Voluminous reproaches are published against us in which our Superiours and the World are told that we hold that things indifferent are made unlawful by the Commands of lawful Governours and that we are guilty of Doctrines inconsistent with the Peace and Safety of Societies and that we are moved by Pride and Covetousness as if we were proud of Men's Scorn and covetous of sordid Want and Beggery and ambitious of a Gaol and that we are Unpeaceable Disloyal Odious and Intolerable Persons Lest we should seem over-querulous and our Petitions themselves should prove offensive we have been silent under Twelve years sufferings by which divers Learned and holy Divines have been hastened home to Glory hoping that Experience would have effectually spoken for us when we may not Speak for our selves And did we believe that our own pressures were the greatest consequent Evil and that the People's knowledge and piety and the allowed Ministers Number sufficiency and Diligence were such as made our Labours needless and that the History of our Silence and Sufferings would be the future Honour of this Age and the future Comfort of your Souls and theirs that instigate you against us before our Common Judge we would joyfully be silent and accept of a Dismission But being certain of the contrary we do this once adventure humbly to tender to Your Majesty and Your Parliament these following Requests 1. Because God saith That he that hateth his Brother is a Murderer and hath not Eternal Life We humbly crave leave once to Print and Publish the true State and Reasons of our Nonconformity to the World to save Mens Souls from the guilt of unjust Hatred and Calumny And if we err we may be helped to Repentance by a Confutation and the Notoriety of our shame 2. That in the mean time this Honourable House will appoint a Committee to consider of the best means for the Healing our Calamitous Divisions before whom we may have leave at last to speak for our selves 3. That these annexed Professions of our Religion and Loyalty may be received as from Men that better know their own Minds than their Accusers do and who if they durst deliberately Lie should be no Nonconformists 4. That if yet we must suffer as Malefactors we may be punished but as Drunkards and Fornicators are with some Penalty which will consist with our Preaching Christ's Gospel and that shall not reach to the hurt or danger of many Thousand Innocent People's Souls till the Re-building of the Burnt-Churches the lessening of great Parishes where one of very many cannot hear and worship God and till the quality and number of the Conformable Ministers and the knowledge piety and sobriety of the people have truly made our Labours needless and then we shall gladly obey your Silencing Commands And whereas there are commonly reckoned to be in the Parishes without the Walls above Two hundred thousand persons more than can come within the Parish Churches they may not be compelled in a Christian Land to live as Atheists and worse than Infidels and Heathens who in their manner publickly worship God The Profession of our Religion I A. B. Do willingly profess my continued resolved consent to the Covenant of Christianity which I made in my Baptism with God the Father Son and Holy Ghost forsaking the Devil the World and the sinful Lusts of the Flesh And I profess my Belief of the Ancient Christian Creeds called The Apostles The Nicene and The Constantinopolitane and the Doctrine of the Blessed Trinity fullier opened in that ascribed to Athanasius And my Consent to The Lord's Prayer as the Summary of Holy Desires and to The Decalogue with Christ's Institutions as the Summary Rule of Christian Practice And to all the Holy Canonical Scriptures as the Word of God And to the Doctrine of the Church of England professed in the 39 Articles of Religion as in sence agreeable to the Word of God And I renounce all Heresies or Errours contrary to any of these And I do hold that the Book of Common Prayer and of Bishops Priests and Deacons containeth in it nothing so disagreeable to the Word of God as maketh it unlawful to live in the Peaceable Communion of the Church that useth it The Profession of our Loyalty and Obedience I do willingly and without Equivocation and Deceit take the Oaths of Allegiance and the King's Supremacy and hold my self obliged to perform them I detest all Doctrines and Practices of Rebellion and Sedition I hold it unlawful for any of His Majesty's Subjects upon any pretence whatsoever to take Arms against the King His Person Authority Dignity or Rights or against any Authorized by his Laws or Commissions And that there is no Obligation on me or any other of his Subjects from the Oath Commonly called The Solemn League and Covenant to endeavour any change of the present Government of these His Majesty's Kingdoms nor to endeavour any Reformation of the Church by Rebellion Sedition or any other unlawful means The Overplus as a remedy against Suspicion We believe and willingly embrace all that is written in the Holy Scriptures for the power of Kings and the Obedience of their Subjects and the sinfulness of Rebellion and Resistance And concerning the same we consent to as much as is found in any General Council or in the Confession of any Christian Church on Earth not respecting Obedience to the Pope which ever yet came to our knowledg or as is owned by the Consent of the Greater part of Divines Politicians Lawyers or Historians in the Christain World as far as our Reading hath acquainted us therewith II. To the King 's most Excellent Majesty The Humble Petition of some Citizens of London on the behalf of this City and the Adjoyning Parishes Sheweth THat the Calamitous Fire 1666 with our Houses and Goods Burnt down near 90 Churches few of which are yet Re-edifyed And divers Parishes whose Churches yet stand are so great that it is but a small part of the Inhabitants that can there hear whereby great Numbers are left in ignorance and as a prey to Papists and other Seducers and which is worse to Atheism Infidelity and Irreligiousness And if many of their ancient ejected silenced Pastors who for refusing certain Subscriptions Declarations Promises Oaths and Practices are called Nonconformists had not through
Being an able judicious faithful man and one that lamented the intemperance of many self conceited Ministers and people that on pretence of vindicating free grace and providence and of opposing Arminianism greatly corrupted the Christian Doctrin and Schismatically oppugned Christian love and concord hereticating and making odious all that spake not as erroniously as themselves many of the Independents inclining to half Antinomianism suggested suspicions against Dr. Manton Dr. Bates Mr. Howe and my self and such others as if we were half Arminians On which occasion I Preached two Sermons on the words in Iude They speak evil of what they understand not Which perhaps may be published § 18. This year 1678. dyed Mr. Gabriel Sanger a Reverend faithful Nonconformist sometimes Minister at Martin's in the fields And this day on which I write this I Preached the Funeral of Mr. Stubbs a holy Excellent Man which perhaps may be published if it can be licensed § 16. Mr. Long of Exeter wrote a book against the Non-conformists as Schismaticks on pretense of confuting Mr. Hale's book of Schism and in the end cited a great deal of my writings against Schism and let fall divers passages which occasioned me to write the Letter to him which is inserted in the Appendix No. 5. § 29. Some young Gentlemen wrote me a Letter desiring me publickly to resolve this Case The King Laws and Canons command us to joyn in the publick Parish-Churches and forbid us to joyn in private Meetings or unallowed with Non-conformists Our parents command us to joyn with Non-conformists in their Meetings and forbid us to hear the Conformists in publick which yet we think lawful which of these must we obey I answered the Case in the Pulpit and drew it up in writing and have inserted it among other papers with the end No. 6. § 21. My Bookseller Nevil Simons broke which occasioned a clamour against me as if I had taken too much money of him for my books When before it was thought he had been one of the richest by my means and I supposed I had freely given him in meer charity the gains of above 500 pounds if not above 1000 pounds Whereupon I wrote a Letter to a Friend in my own necessary Vindication which see also at the end No. 7. § 22. The controversie of Predetermination of the acts of sin was unhappily shared this year among the Non-conformists on the occasion of a sober modest book of Mr. How 's to Mr. Boil against an objection of Atheistical men And two honest self-conceited Non-conformists Mr. Dauson and Mr. Gale wrote against him unworthily And just-now a second book of Mr. Gale's is come out wholly for Predetermination superficially and inperficially touching many things but throughly handling nothing falsely reporting the sense of Augustin or at least of Prosper and Fulgentius and notoriously of Iansenius c. and passing divers inconsiderable reflections on some words in my Cath. Theol. Especially opposing Strangius and the excellent Theses of Le Blank with no strength or regardable Argument Which inclineth me because he writeth in English to publish an old Disput in English against Predetermination to sin written 20 years ago and thought not fit to be published in English but that an antidote against the porson of Mr. Gale's Book and the scandal that falls by it on the Nonconformists is made necessary Mr. Gale fell sick and I supprest my answer lest it should grieve him And he then dyed § 23. A paper from Mr. Polehill an excellent learned Gentleman occasioned the answer which perhaps may be published § 24. Continued backbitings about my Judgment concerning justification occasioned me to write the summ of it in two or three sheets with the solution of above thirty controversies unhappily rais'd about it § 25. One Mr. Wilson of Lancashire long importuned me by a friend to write somewhat against needless Law-suits and for the way of voluntary reference and arbitration which I did in a Sermon on 1 Cor. 6. Is there not a wise Man among you which is lost by the Bookseller § 26. I wrote an Answer to Mr. Iohnson Alias Terret his Rejoynder against my book of the Churche's visibility But Mr. Iane the Bishop of London's Chaplain refused to License it But at last when the Papists grew odious he Licensed it and my Methodus Theologiae And the former is Printed but by the Bookseller's means in a Character scarce legible § 27. About Oct. 1678. Fell out the murder of Sir Edmond Berry Godfrey which made a very great change in England One Dr. Titus Oats had discovered a Plot of the Papists of which he wrote out the particulars very largely telling how they fired the City and contriving to bring the Kingdom to Popery and in order thereto to kill the King He named the Lords Jesuits Priests and others that were the chief contrivers and said that he himself had delivered to several of the Lord 's their Commissions that the Lord Bellasis was to be General the Lord Peter Lieutenant General and the Lord Stafford Major General the Lord Powis Lord Chancellor and the Lord Arundel of Warder the chief to be Lord Treasurer He told who were to be Arch Bishops Bishops c. And at what Meetings and by whom and when all was contrived and who were designed to kill the King He first opened all this to Dr. Tongue and both of them to the King and Council He mentioned a multitude of Letters which he himself had carried and seen or heard read that contained all these contrivances But because his father and he had once been Anabaptists and when the Bishops prevailed turned to be Conformable Ministers and afterward he the Son turned Papist and confessed that he long had gone on with them under many Oaths of Secrecy many thought that a man of so little Conscience was not to be believed But his Confessions were received by some Justices of the Peace and none more forward in the Search than Sir Edmund Bury Godfrey an Able Honest and diligent Justice While he was following this Work he was suddenly missing and could not be heard of Three or Four Days after he was found kill'd near Marybone-Park It was plainly found that he was murthered The Parliament took the Alarm upon it and Oates was now believed And indeed all his large Confessions in every part agreed to admiration Hereupon the King Proclaimed Pardon and Reward to any that would confess or discover the Murder One Mr. Bedlow that had fled to Bristow began and confessed that he knew of it and who did it and named some of the Men the Place and Time It was at the Queen's House called Somerset-House by Fitz-Gerald and Kelley Two Papist Priests and Four others Berry the Porter Green Pranse and Hill The Priests fled Pronse Berry Green and Hill were taken Pranse first confest all and discovered the rest aforesaid more than Bedlow knew of and all the Circumstances and how he was carried away and by whom
the 1 st 1662 nor ever since had any nor the offer of any And therefore the Law imposeth not on me the Declaration or the Assent or Consent no more than on Lawyers or Judges 2. I have the Bishop of London's License to Preach in his Diocess which supposeth me no Nonconformist in Law-sence And I have the Judgment of Lawyers even of the present Lord Chief Justice and Mr. Pollexfen that by that License I may Preach occasional Sermons 3. I have Episcopal Ordination and judge it gross Sacriledge to forsake my Calling 4. I am justified against suspicion of Rebellious Doctrine many ways 1. By my publick Retractation of any old accused words or writings 2. I was chosen alone to Preach the Publick Thanksgiving at St. Paul's for General Monk's success 3. The Commons in Parliament chose me to Preach to them at their Publick Fast for the King's Restoration and call'd him home the next day 4. I was Sworn Chaplain in Ordinary to the King 5. I was offered a Bishoprick 6. The Lord Chancellor who offered it attested under his hand His Majesty's Sense of my Defert and His Acceptance 7. I am justifyed in the King's Declaration about Ecclesiastical Affairs among the rest there mention'd 8. When I Preached before the King he commanded the Printing of my Sermon 9. To which may be added the Act of Oblivion 10. And having published above an Hundred Books I was never yet convict of any ill Doctrine since any of the said Acts of King Parliament and others for my Discharge and Justification 5. I have oft Printed my judgment for Communion with the Parish Churches and exhorted others to it And having built a Chappel delivered it for Parish use 6. I was never lawfully Convict of Preaching in an unlawful Assembly for I was not once summon'd by the Justices that granted out the Five Warrants against me to answer for my self nor ever told who was my Accuser or who Witnessed against me And I have it under the hand of the present Lord Chief Justice that a Lawful Conviction supposeth Summons And the Lord Chief Justice Vaughan with Judge Tyrrel Archer and Wild did long ago discharge me upon their declaring that even the Warrant of my Commitment was illegal because no Accuser or Witness was named and so I was left remediless in case of false Accusation 7. As far as I understand it I never did Preach in any unlawful Assembly which was on pretence of any Exercise of Religion contrary to Law I Preached in Parish Churches where the Liturgy was Read as oft as I had leave and invitation And when I could not have that leave I never took any Pastoral Charge nor Preached for any Stipend but not daring perfidiously to desert the Calling which I was Ordained and Vowed to I Preacht occasional Sermons in other Men's Houses where was nothing done that I know of contrary to Law There was nothing done but Reading the Psalms and Chapters and the Creed Commandments and Lord's Prayer and Singing Psalms and Preaying and Praching and none of this is forbidden by Law The Omission of the rest of the Liturgy is no Act but a not-acting and therefore is no pretended Worship according to Law But were it otherwise the Law doth not impose the Liturgy on Families but only on Churches and a Family is not forbidden to have more than four Neighbours at saying Grace or Prayer nor is bound to give over Family-worship when-ever more than Four come in The Act alloweth Four to be present at Unlawful Worship but forbids not more to be present at Lawful Worship And House-worship without the Liturgy is lawful worship And yet if this were not so as the Curate's Omission of the Prayers makes not the Preacher and Assembly guilty suppose it were an Assize-Sermon that for hast omitted the Liturgy so the owner of the House by omitting the Liturgy maketh not him guilty that was not bound to use it nor the Meeting unlawful to any but himself Charity and Loyalty bind us to believe that our King and Parliament who allow more than many Four's to meet at a Play-house Tavern or Feast never meant to forbid more than Four to bâ—â—ogether in a House to sing a Psalm or Pray or Read a Licensed Book or edifie each other by Godly Conference while no Crime is found by any Man in the Matter of their Doctrine or Prayer and no Law imposeth the Liturgy on any but Church-Meetings If after many years Reproach once Imprisonment and the late Distress and Sale of all my Books and Goods and those that were none of mine but another's and this by five or six Warrants for present Execution without any Summons or Notice of Accusers or Witnesses I could yet have leave to die in peace and had not been again persecuted with new Inditements I had not presumed thus to plead or open my own Cause I Pray God that my Prosecutors and Judges may be so prepared for their near Account that they may have no greater sin laid to their Charge than keeping my Ordination-Vow is and not Sacrilegiously forsaking my Calling who have had so good a Master so good a Word so good Success and so much Attestation from King Parliament City and Bishops as I have haâ— If they ask why I Conform not I say I do as far as any Law bindeth me If they ask why I take not this Oath I say Because I neither understand it nor can prevail with Rulers to Explain it And if have a good sence I have not only subscribed to it but to much more in a Book called The second Plea for Peace page 60 61 62. Where also I have professed my Loyalty much further than this Oath extendeth But if it have a bad sence I will not take it And I find the Conformists utterly disagreed of the Sence and most that I hear of renouncing that sence which the words signifie in their common use And knowing that Perjury is a mortal Enemy to the Life and Safety of Kings and the Peace of Kingdoms and to Converse and to Man's Salvation I will not dally with such a dangerous Crime Nor will I deceive my Rulers by Stretches and Equivocations nor do I believe Lying lawful after all that Grotius de Iure Belli and Bishop Taylor Duct Dub. have said for it I think Oaths imposed are to be taken in the ordinary sense of the words if the Imposers put not another on them And I dare not Swear that a Commission under the Broad-Seal is no Commission till I that am no Lawyer know it to be Legal Nor yet that the Lord Keeper may Depose the King without resistance by Sealing Commissions to Traytors to seize on his Forts Navy Militia or Treasure Nor can I consent to make all the present Church-Government as unalterable as the Monarchy especially when the Seventh Canon extendeth it to an caetèra to Arch-bishops Bishops Deans Arch-deacons and the rest that bear Office in the same not
that Power which they convey to others first in themselves to convey at least in ordinando pares but are only media applicandi legem ad personam Ad 3 um To your Third Argument I answer Invaders of the Ministerial Office may unjustly take Encouragement hence but no just Encouragement is given them The best things are Occasions of encouraging Men in Sin e. g. God's Mercifulness Christ's Satisfaction the Preaching of Free-Grace c. To your Question if this be sufficient why do we not give them the Right Hand of Fellowship I answer They despise or neglect God's Order and therefore deserve not the Hand of Fellowship If God bid them go and work in his Vineyard but for Order's sake go in at this Door he that will not go in at this Door is a disobedient Servant and not to be owned till he reform But if God himself do nail up this Door there needs no express Dispensation for our not going in at it for nemo tenetur ad impossibile nisi ipse sit Causa culpabilis impossibilitatis Nor is it necessary that it be expressed that we go in at another Door for the Command of going to labour in the Vineyard is not abrogated by the locking up of that Door seeing as it was opened non ut fiat opus directly sed ut sic fiat so it is nailed up non ne fiat sed ne sic fiat and therefore the Command requires us to go in at another If by Law every Physician that Practiceth in London must be approved by the Colledge he deserves to be punisht and not taken for a Physician that will profess and practice it without the Approbation of the Colledge and every wise Patient will fear least he be Conscious of such Unworthiness as that he dares not venture a Tryal or at the best he is a disobedient Subject But if the Colledge of Physicians be dead or dissolved any worthy Man may profess and practice without their Approbation and as the law of Nature binds him to do Good so the Obligation that limited him is ipso facto dissolved cessante materia where you say that this extream necessity is their Case I answer Nothing more untrue They slight and despise Ordination they may be ordained if they would submit themselves to tryal if they be found fit But they will not Their false Imaginations create no necessity but a necessity of laying them by and receiving the Truth which is imposed on them by God or if they will call it a Necessity that is imposed on them by their Error it is but a Necessity of not being ordained while they judge it sinful which yet is none because they are still bound to lay by that Conceit but not a Necessity of being Ministers in the mean time without it Besides that as it is a Necessity of Suspension 〈◊〉 Forbearance and not of Acting so it is themselves that are the culpable Cause 〈◊〉 it and exculpa propria nemini debetur commodum If Vaux think he must blow up the Parliament and Ravailliack that he must stab a King doth this necessitate them Such a Necessity as every wicked Man brings on himself of sinning by a Custom in Sin which aggravates and not excuseth his Fault which is evident when the Case is made plain by God and only their Negligence or sinful Prejudice hindereth them from Recovery out of their Error For the Grant that you desire I say I am loath to yield that Christ hath no known Ministry on Earth that I may keep out Invaders To your Case about Apostacy I answer There are many other Cases that may necessitate an Entrance into the Ministry without Ordination besides universal Apostacy 1. So great an Apostacy as was in the Arrian Prevalency 2. Such unlawful Ingredients as are in the Romish Ordination 3. The Death or the violent Proscription of the Ordainers in one Kingdom For if all that are found to work in the Vineyard to exercise the Ministry must but go to another Land for it Poverty Weakness Magistrates Prohibition may so restrain them that not one of a Hundred could enter when God doth by the Churches Necessity call to it Much less could all the World travail for Ordaination to some Corner of the Earth As for the Churches Officers which you mention that went along in Reformation it 's true of Presbyters they were the Leaders but so few Bishops out of England that the Reformed Churches were forced to go on without their Ordination But to this Day there is a necessity of Preaching without Ordination by legitimate Church Guides in many Parts of the World and I doubt not but it is the great Sin of many that it is neglected I suppose did you consider well but the Sence of the Law Natural and Supernaturally revealed you would not be so inclinable to turn Seeker nor to expect new Miracles Apostles or Revelations upon the Supposition you make and for all your Words if it came to the Practice I do not believe that you have so hard a Heart so unmerciful a Nature as to leave this one Nation much less all the World to that apparent danger of Everlasting Damnation and God's publick Worship to be utterly cast out if I can but prove that the Succession of Legitimate Church Ordination is interrupted Ad 4 um To your Fourth Argument I answer I am as far from believing Imposition of Hands essential to Ordination as any of the rest The Bishop that was last save one in this Diocess was so lame of the Gout that he could not move his Hand to ones Head and though his Chaplain did his best to help him yet I could not well tell whether I might call it Imposition of Hands when I saw it Yet I never heard any on that Ground suspect a nullity in his Ordination Nor do I think that a Bishop loseth all his Power of Ordination if he loss his Hands or the Motion of them 1. Imposition of Hands was an old Custom in a Superiors Act of Benediction or setting a part to Office and conveying Power and not newly instituted by Christ but continued as a well known Sign and therefore not of such Necessity as you imagin 2. The End will shew much the degree of Necessity If it be evident that the End was but the Solemnizing of the Work by a convenient Ceremony then it is not essential to Ordination or Authorizing But c. Ergo 3. God did not lay such a stress on Ceremonies no not under the Ceremonial Law no not on the great initiating Sign and Seal of Circumcision without which Men were entered and continued in his Church for Forty Years in the Wilderness Your Argument is Christ hath revealed to his Church that it is his Mind or Will that his Church's Officers be set apart by Imposition of Hands Ergo It followeth that Imposition of Hands is necessary and essential to their Seperation Answ. Negatur sequela It follows a praecepto only
out But I say that I cannot find it in your Papers You urge six Particulars presently from whence I suppose you intend to do it But at length your self fall beside the Question in the winding them up For whereas you say that the Form in the Law was not only thus That they that Preach the Word must be thus and thus qualified but That they that are thus and thus qualified may be appointed to Preach the Word I think you are beside the Question For I did not engage you to prove that there were in Scripture such a Form of Words as this But they that are thus and thus Qualified shall be appointed to Preach but That Men thus and thus qualified may Preach the Word or have in being so qualified Authority to preach the Word betwixt which two Propositions I conceive there is much Difference It is one thing to say That they that are thus and thus qualified may be appointed that is may have Authority given them to preach the Word And it is a far different thing to say That they that are thus and thus qualified may preach or have de facto Authority to Preach being so qualified And being used as Mediums in a Syllogism will produce very different Conclusions For Example Suppose we could find such a Form of Words in Scripture as these That they that are thus and thus qualified may preach the Word And make this the Major in the Syllogism Then any single Person or Individuum as could infallibly frame himself into the Assumption thus But I am thus and thus qualified might infallably also make out his Commission to preach into this Conclusion Ergo I have Authority to preach the Word And without any thing to do with further Ordination might presently go about the Work The Word giving him his Commission and I confess were there such a Form would be a sufficient Medium to convey Authority as a sufficient Discoverer of the Will of God concerning such an Individuum But then if there be only such a Form as this They that are thus and thus qualified shall be appointed to Preach the Word Then any single Person or Individuum having first fitted himself into the Minor thus But I am thus and thus qualified could make no other Conclusion but this Ergo I may be appointed to Preach the Word which Conclusion as I never did deny so it is little Advantage for you to have proved For the Question is not whether the Word doth direct who shall be appointed to Preach But whether the Word doth immediately by an immediate Application of something immediately by an immediate Application of something in its self to an Individuum conveigh Authority into that Individuum to Preach so as there shall be no need of further appointing or commissioning from Church-Officers which it would have done if there had been such a Sense in the Word 〈◊〉 required But no such matter though there should be such a Sense as you produce For I cannot yield that which you conceive we are both agreed in viz. That when the Word hath described the Qualifications of the Minister that then there is no more to do but to discern or judge who is the the Man that hath those Qualifications for though the Bishop should judge such or such an Individuum to be fitly qualified for the Ministry as discerning the Qualifications which the Word requires in him yet till he hath by Imposition of Hands Fasting and Prayer set him a part for the Work he is yet no Minister to my understanding whatever he may be to yours But Sir I confess though you have not formalitur answered this Argument yet you have given me so much Light from your most excellent Discourse which you make from your quinto to the End of this Second Arguments Reply that I can answer it my self And therefore I shall as I said at the beginning acknowledge that you have both satisfied it and my own scrupulous Mind about this Question And I do fully consent with you that though the Succession of Ordination might be interrupted yet we may draw our Authority from Christ by the Mediation of the written Word or indeed by the very Law of Nature which was a thing I confess I had not as your self seems to tax me duely considered But now having well weighted what Stress both Laws lay upon all Men to do what good they can when they have an Opportunity and there be a necessity of their Help I do not doubt but a Man may have a sufficient Discovery of the Will of Christ calling him out to Duty and by Consequence giving him sufficient Authority for that Work though he may want the regular entrance into it And therefore since I see a way to justify the Ministry and to derive our Authority from Christ though the Succession should be interrupted though also in the mean I think all Men alive may be defied to make full Proof either that the Succession ever was or ever shall be interrupted I shall neither trouble you nor my self any farther about a business to so little purpose But superceding from all the rest of my promised Task shall only add something concerning your Reply to my third Argument and that is this To my Question that I make in the Behalf of the Invaders of our Office why we Clamour so much against them why we give them not the Right Hand of Fellowship you answer We do not we may not give them the Right Hand of Fellowship because they come not into the Vineyard by the Door But I Reply from your own Principles that it is for them morally impossible to come in by the Door the Door to them being by Providence nailed up The Men which you call Church Officers being either such as will not give them a Commission or such as they dare not take a Commission from as conceiving them not lawful Ministers and because they cannot have their Orders from them salvâ conscientiâ it becomes impossible to them quia omne turpe inhonestum est impossibile And so though you say nothing is more untrue yet to me nothing seems more evident than that the case of extream Necessity is their case The Anabaptist for Example he cannot be ordained by a Bishop he dare not because he judges the very Order to be Antichristian The Presbytery if he have any better Opinion of them yet they think so ill of him that they will not give him Orders Either therefore though he be never so well qualified for the Work he must take his Call from the Company of Brethren or he must take it upon his own discerning the Qualifications in himself or he must not Preach at all though he sees the Church of Christ have never so much need of his Help Now if you say that in such a Case a Man may not bury his Talent when the Church hath need of his Help and he an Opportunity to give it but he may
later is but for the former and subservient to it and a more dispensable thing and that when the Ordainers fail of their Duty which is his own Precept included herein the Person to be ordained remaineth nevertheless obliged by the other part So that while Ordination may be had this ties such to submit to it and makes it necessary as God's Order and then the whole Precept comprehensive obligeth But when it cannot be had or the Ordainer will not obey his part of the Precept the other stands in force nevertheless to the other Party The Words Men thus qualified shall be ordained hath these two Precepts in it The First in Order and Weight is Men thus qualified shall preach the Word The Second subservient is They shall ordinis gratia be ordained hereto He that is wilfully the first Divider of these Conjunct Precepts sinneth Either the Man that will Preach without submitting to Ordination when it may be had or the Ordainers that will not Ordain the Orthodox or otherwise well qualified But seeing the Word shall in the foresaid Precept doth create a double Necessity but far unequal there shall be Preaching and Ergo there shall be Ordaining it followeth from the inequality that when one ceaseth the other doth not ergo cease and so when Ordination cannot be had the Proposition which you expected remaineth alone which before was conjunct with another Men thus qualified shall Preach This was the Summ of my Answer which I do repeat verbosé nimium because you overlooked it the last time But you add I cannot yield that which you conceive we are both agreed in viz. That when the Word hath described the Qualifications of the Minister that there is no more to do but to discern and judge who is the Man that hath these Qualifications For though the Bishop should judge such a Man fit for the Ministry as discerning the Qualifications which the Word requires in him yet till he hath by Imposition of Hands Fasting and Prayer set him apart for that Work he is yet no Minister to my Understanding whatever he may be to yours To this I reply 1. I take the Form of Ordination to lye in the Authoritative Appointment and God having described the Person by his Qualifications I take the formal nature of this Appointment to lye only in the determining Judgment who shall be the Man For whether there shall be a Man appointed or not God hath not left to Man's Judgment nor yet what manner of Man for Qualifications he shall be If Ergo the lawful Ordainers say We do by the Authority given us of God judge i. e. sentence or determine that consideratis considerandis this is the Man that is qualified and so called of God to be the Pastor of this Church and Ergo require you in the Name of Christ to accept him and submit to him this Man is ordained my Judgment yea though this Determination be but in Writing So if it be directed to the Minister himself which goes first we do by the Authority given us of God Judge thee called to the Office of the Ministry and Ergo require thee to undertake it By called I mean ex parte Dei by Qualification Consent Opportunity c. which go before Ordaining Now what do you yet want ad esse Ministri â—â—ou mention but two things 1. Imposition of Hands 2. Fasting and Prayer For setting a part is done by the former Authoritative Determination But 1. Imposition you anon deny to be so necessary in disclaiming your last Argument which you seem here to forget 2. Fasting and Prayer is no doubt a mean Accident or Duty fitly conjoined but not of the Essence of Ordination I think few Men living will say that if the Lawful Ordainer do all the rest of the Work besides Prayer that it is no Ordination Prayer is one thing requisite ad bene esse and Ordination another And for Fasting I could not learn that those Bishops that I knew did always observe it but when the Ordination was before dinner time as it usually was and the Bishop went presently from Ordination to his Feast that was not the Fasting I think which you mean But how are you satisfied that we may derive our Authority immediately from the Law if there were no Succession and yet think him no Minister that hath the determinating Sentence of the Ordainer's Appointing him to the Work for want of Imposition of Hands Prayer and Fasting Ad 3 um I marvel that on so very slight Grounds you think that nothing is more evident than that the case of extream Necessity is their case who invade the Ministry among us now I told you that Nemini debitur Commodum ex propriâ culpa as the Civil Law saith I distinguished between moral Impossibility vicious and culpable and inculpable and between necessitating to Sin and necessitating to or constituting of Duty and I told you that the impossibility that lay on them of right entering was vicious or through their own Sin and God doth not cause Men to Sin I told you also that this erring Conscience might necessitate them to sin that is ensuare them that hey shall sin whether they do or not do but it can never warrant them in obeying it This was the Sense of my Speech though not the Words To explain which I desire you to observe that bonum est ex causis integris at least quoad Species if not quoad Gradus So that God requireth to a virtuous Action which shall be properly and plenarily Moral i. e. voluntary 1. That it be made due by his own Precept or Law 2. That it be apprehended such by the Intellect and so by the will elected and elicite as such So that where Conscience takes that to be Duty which is none it hath but Officium apparâ—us non verum it catcheth a Shadow apprehending a Duty which is no Duty so there may be interpretative a kind of formal Reason of Obedience in the Will the Guided Faculty in that it did will that which was presented to it as due but there wants the Matter and the Form of Obedience quoad hominem who is intelligent also yea here you must distinguish between Ignorance culpable and superable and inculpable For when the Ignorance is culpable it cannot be said that the guilty Will doth properly obedire because it was a cause of its own mis-leading by the intellect And in our Case that Ignorance is always culpable I do wonder Ergo that you should say and lay all on that Mistake that an erroneous Conscience binds as strongly as a found for the Obligation of Conscience is subordinate to God's Preceptive Obligation God makes Duty and Conscience doth but apprehend Duty So that an erring Conscience cannot make Duty entirely and materially We must not make a God of an erring Conscience much less can it make that no Sin which God hath made Sin yea make that Duty which God made Sin God's Precepts
Conformists and Nonconformists The Episcopal Conformists are of Two Sorts some lately sprung up that follow Archbishop Laud and Dr. Hammond hold that there are no Political Churches lower than Diocesan because there are no Bishops under them and so that the Parish-Churches are no Churches properly but part of Churches nor the Incumbants true Bishops but Curates under Bishops nor the Foreigners true Ministers or Churches that have no Diocesan Bishops This Party called themselves the Church of England 1658 1659. When we knew but of Four or Five Bishops left alive who Dr. Hammond said with that Party of the Clergy were of his Mind And these seemed uppermost in 1660 and 1661. and were the men whom I disputed with in my Treatise of Episcopacy The other Episcopal Conformists are they that follow the Reformers and hold the Doctrine of the Scripture as only sufficient to Salvation and as explicatory of it the Thirty Nine Articles the Homilies Liturgy Book of Ordination Apology c. These take the Parish-Pastors for true Rectors and the Parish-Churches for true Churches but subordinate to the Diocesans and to be ruled by them But the Laws have imposed on them some Declarations and Subscriptions which they think they may put a good Sense on though by stretching the Words from their usual Signification The Bishops and Deans are chosen by the King indeed and by the Prebends in shew The Incumbant are chosen by Patrons ordained by Diocesans with Presbyters and accepted by Consent of the Communicants of the Parish The Episcopal Government is managed partly by the Bishops and partly by Lay-Civilians and Surrogates The Episcopal Nonconformists are for true Parish-Churches and Ministers reformed without swearing promising declaring or subscribing to any but sure clear necessary things desiring that the Scripture may be their Canons disowning all persecuting Canons taking the capable in each Parish for the Communicant and Church and the rest for Hearers and Catechized Persons desiring that the Magistrate be Judge whom he will maintain approve and tolerate and the Ordainers Judges whom they will ordain and the People be free Consenters to whose Pastoral Care they will trust their Souls desiring that every Presbyter be an Overseer of the Flock and every Church that hath many Elders have one Incumbent President for Unity and Order and that Godly Diocesans may without the Sword or Force have the Oversight of many Ministers and Churches and all these be confederate and under the Government of a Christian King but under no Foreign Jurisdiction though in as much Concord as is possible with all the Christian World And they would have the Keys of Excommunication and Absolution taken out of the Hands of Lay-Men Chancellors or Lay Brethren and the Diocesans to judge in the Synods of the Presbyters in Cases above Parochial Power That this was the Judgment of the Nonconformists that treated for Peace in 1660. and 1661. is to be seen in their printed Proposals in which they desired Archbishop Usher's Model of the Primitive Episcopacy joined with the Synods of Presbyters II. The Presbyterians are for Parish-Churches as aforesaid guided by Elders some teaching and some only ruling and these under Synods of the like Class without Diocesan or Parochial Superiors and all under a National Assembly of the same as the Supreme Church Power III. The Independants are for every Congregation to have all Church Power in it self without any superior Church-Government over them whether Bishops or Synods yet owning Synods for voluntary Concord Of these some are against local Communion with the aforesaid Churches and for avoiding them by Separation some as if they were no Churches and had no true Ministers some for Forms of Prayer some for faulty Communicants some for Episcopal Ordination and some for subscibing and some for all these and many other pretended Reasons But some Independants are for occasional Communion with the other Churches and some also for stated Communion in the Parish-Churches for which you may read Mr. Tomes's the chief of the Anabaptists in a full Treatise and Dr. Thomas Goodwin on the first of the Ephesians earnest against Separation as the old Nonconformists were Now which of all these should you join with I affirm that all these except the Separatists are parts of the Church of England as it is truly essentiated by a Christian Magistracy and confederate Christian particular Churches All are not equally sound and pure but all are parts of the Church of England Liturgies and Ceremonies and Canons and Chancellors are not essential to it as a Church or Christian Kingdom But it is now a Medly less concordant than is desirable but you are not put upon any such Disputes whether you will call the present Church of England Roman as denominated from the King that is the Head or whether you will say that King and Parliament conjunct are that Head and so it is yet Protestant because the Laws are so or whether you will denominate it materially Protestant because the Clergy and Flocks are so your Doubt is only what Congregation to join with I answer That which all your Circumstances set together make it most convenient to the publick good and your own Though I hold not Ministerial Conformity lawful I take Lay-Communion in any of these except the Separatists to be lawful to some Persons whose case maketh it fittest But I judge it unlawful for you to confine your Communion to any one of them so as to refuse occasional Communion with all save them 1. The Parish-Churches have the Advantage of Authority Order and Confederacy and the Protestant Interest is chiefly cast upon them therefore I will not separate from Lay-Communion with them though they need much Reformation 2. You must not go against your Father's Will no nor divide the Family without necessity The same I say of your Husband when you are married 3. The Nonconforming Episcopal and Presbyterians have not such Churches as they desire but only temporarily keep Meetings like to Chappels as Assistants to others till Parishes are reformed 4. I think it a stated sinful Schism to fix as a Member of such a Church and Pastor as is of the Principles of the Writing which you shewed me I. Because they grievously slander the Parish-Churches and Ministers as none and their Worship and Government as far worse than it is II. Because they Renounce local Communion with almost all the Body or Church of Christ on Earth by renouncing it on a Reason common to almost all III. Because they separate from such Churches as Christ and his Apostles joined with and so seem to condemn Christ and his Apostles as Sinners Christ ordinarily joined with the Iews Church in Synagogues and Temple-Offices when the High-Priest bought the Place of Heathens and the Priests Pharisees and Rulers were wicked Persecutors and the Sadduces Hereticks or worse he sent Iudas as an Apostle when he knew him to be a Theif or a Devil The Apostles neither separated nor allowed Separation from
Publick Worship which yet Mahometans offer him some it is Schism not to obey But if the Bishop do but say the word we may meet daily without Schism and the Place Person Exercise that before was Schismatical if he do but licence them are presently lawful So that the Bishop's word against the King's yea against God's command to preach in season and out can make a thing Schism and his word can make it none again in a moment 17. Whether it be Schism to go to a better Minister in another Parish in the same Diocess though we separate from no Church in their sense the Diocesan being the lowest proper Church is not well agreed on Feigning Schisms is making Schism by turbulent noise and 〈◊〉 Accusations We that impose on no Man and that obey them in lawful things that we for Universal Love and Peace even with that meet in different Assemblies and in different Forms we that hold Communion with all true Churches as aforesaid and yet because we can be but in one place at once do choose the best obeying God's Command Let all things be done to edification and knowing best what edifieth our selves we suppose are farther from Schism than those that as from the Throne of Authority pronounce Schism and never help us to understand the sense and reason of their words but use it as for the advantage of their Cause And as one lately writeth Have led that Bear so long about the streets till the Boy lay by fear and do but laugh at it Nor are there many more effectual Causes of Schism and that harden true Schismaticks against all Conviction then when it is seen that Men of Contention Pride and Worldly Interest first make the Schism by sinful or impossible terms of Unity and next falsly call the most Innocent that obey not their Domination Schismaticks and the greatest Duties even Preaching where many and many thousands have no Preaching nor no Publick Worship of God by the Name of Schism as if we must let London turn Heathens for fear of being Schismaticks Dear Friend though these things have these Forty years had my deep and I hope impartial thoughts and I dare not for a thousand Worlds think to do otherwise than I do in the main yet I shall heartily thank you if by true light you help me to see any Errour which I yet perceive not And seeing Experience hath justly taught you to dread Anabaptistry and Separation think further 1. Whether they that forbid Parents to enter their Children into Covenant with God in Baptism and lay all that Office on those that have no power to covenant in their names nor shew any purpose to perform what they promise and deny Baptism as aforesaid to the Children of such as submit not to this and the Cross be not quantum in se Destroyers of Infant Baptism which is no Baptism if there be no Covenant 2. Again Whether they be not Separatists that both un-Church all the Parish-Churches quantum in se and also deny Communion with the Nonconformists Churches as null or unlawful even when they had his Majesties Licence Be impartial against Antipedobaptists and Separatists I constantly heard and communicated with the Parish-Church where I lived but the Conformists usually fly from the Nonconformists Assemblies as unlawful but if both sides were heard in their Charge against the other I know which would have the more to say Accept this freedom from the unfeigned Love of Your much obliged Friend Rich. Baxter May 13. 1626. The Instances promised you I. WHen I was cast out at Kidderminster and you know what a Minister was there I offered while the Indulgence of the King's Declaration continuâ—d to have been the Reading Vicar's Curate and to have preached for nothing and could not prevail I was by the Bishop forbidden to preach in his Diocess and when I offered him to preach only Catechistical Principles to some poor Congregation that else must have none he told me It was better they had none than me My presence at Kidderminster was thought so dangerous that Force was assigned to have apâ—â—â—hend me and had I stayed it must have been in the Jail and many another for my sake When I was forced away at Venner's Rising I wrote but a Letter to my Mother in-â—aw and it was way-laid intercepted opened and sent up to the Court though there was nothing concerning them in it but some sharp Invectives against the Rebellion which my Lord Chancellour acknowledging caused my Lord Windsor personally to bring me back my Letter so that I durst not write to them of many years My Neighbours I had perswaded to do as you advise to joyn in the Publick Church and help each other as private Men and for so doing repeating Sermons and praying and singing a Psalm many of them lay long among Rogues in the Common Jail and others of them impoverished by Fines II. When I came to live at Acton I drew all the People constantly to Church that were averse sometime I repeated the Parsons Sermon and sometimes taught such as came to my House between the Sermons When the Reverend Parson saw them come into Church he would fall upon them c. And not being able to bear my little Endeavours for their Instruction he caused me to be sent to the Common Jail not one Witness or Person being suffered to come into the Room while I was examined and committed III. I am now in a Parish where some Neighbours say that there are Fourscore thousand Souls suppose they be fewer Not above Two thousand of all these can hear in the Parish Church so that it 's like above Sixty thousand have no Church to go to no not so much as to hear the Scripture or the Common-Prayer Here I need not tell you what Prohibitions I have had and what my Endeavours to teach a few Publickly have lost me and others And lately because one that preached for me did without my knowledge at the importunity of a Parent Baptize a poor man's Child when they told him it was in danger of death the Curate of the Parish came to my House to expostulate the matter when yet many are baptized by Papist Priests for want of others to do it as they say I never my self Baptized a Child or administred the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper these fifteen years but ordinarily received it in the Parish Church at Totterridge and elsewhere one of the first times that I received it in private a Bullet was shot into the Room among us and came near to the Heads of divers of us I never gathered any Church from among them and yet have been usually the first sought after to be imprisoned or ruined in each assault and was put to sell my Goods and Books to save them from Distress Near me in the same Parish liveth Mr. Gabriel Sanger the late Incumbent Pastor of the Parish a Man of Age and Gravity great Moderation and Peaceableness and far from
fear God to obey Men in doing what they think God forbiddeth and leaving undone what they think he commandeth 3. Or else to punish those that will not do this to utter Disablement Extirpation or Death The two first ways I was sure would never prevail And I knew that the third would cost so dear as that no Ceremonies Forms or unnecessary Oaths or Covenants would finally bear the Charges of it The Blood of the faithful is of hard digestion and Iudas his Conscience hath an awakening Day when his Companions in Guilt will cast him off And God essemeth such Blood precious And when the Jobb is done by it it leaveth an Everlasting Odium on the Doers and Shame upon their Cause And their own Successors disown it and say If we had lived in the days of our Fathers we would not have been Partakers with them in this Blood And they build their Sepulchres whom their Fathers slew and Saint them that were despised as Martin c. And the Moderate must come after to heal all by crying Shame on the Cruelty of their Predecessors as Salvian Clemangis Erasmus Espencaeus Cassander Grotius and such others do and say as Tertullian Solitudinem faciunt pacem vocant But the final Reckoning will pay for all Some say We and other Countries have lived in Peace on the Terms that you call impossible Answ. It 's true of some kind of Peace So they do in Spain Italy Turky Moscovy c. keep Men so ignorant that they shall not know Duty from Sin nor trouble their Heads about God's Law and in Satan's Darkness you may keep Men in his Peace and they will venture their Souls on the Opinion of them that can hurt their Bodies But when Christ battereth this Garrison of Satan he breaks this Peace And I knew that in England many score Thousands would never return to this ignorant Peace XIX As I was sure that there was no hopes of Peace in any but the way of plain Christianity so I found that all the wisest and famoustest Lights of the Church and greatest Peace-makers had still been of the same mind The Primitive Churches for Three hundred years did lay their Unity on this ground and by Degrees Divisions grew up as needless Impositions grew Nazianzen Hillary Vincentius Lerin c. and since Erasmus Ferus Cassender Grotius Acontius Bergius Iunius Usher Hall Daâ—â—enant Chillingworth Hales c. go all this necessary way And when my dearest Friend the Lord Chief Justice Hale was not far from death I wrote to him to leave his Judgment in Writing to the World of the true way to Heal our present Breaches And he left for me to that use three small Tractates before written which I published shewing that all our Divisions and Calamities come by making that to seem part of Religion which is none and that to be necessary which is not so XX. But lest any racked words of mine should be interpreted to be for Sedition or Schism these being the things that my Soul abhorreth I wrote near Twenty Books almost wholly against Schism and Sedition and all the Principles and Reasonings that favour them on all Extreams I was discouraged a while to find that the Stream of Philosophies Politicks Canonists Casuists Papists and Protestants and the greatest Lawyers that I could meet with agreed that the People are the Fountain of Civil Power and give the Soveraign what he hath and many such Notions I feared to contradict such a stream as this But being satisfied I first confuted it in Harrington 1659. and then punctually in Richard Hooker though dedicated by a Bishop to the King and then in many others of all sorts And for Church-Concord no Man living hath written half so much as I. And now after all I am singled out as accused for that which I have written near Twenty Books purposely against and above an Hundred in which this Doctrine of Love Unity and Subjection hath it due part XXI The words which are misinterpreted as Seditious by feigning me to mean worse than I speak leave me and all Writers to the mercy of Mistakers which are most that have ignorance and ill-will I mean no more than I speak If other Men say that my words signifie more they thereby make them theirs and not mine God only is the Judge of secret Thoughts Humane Converse hath made these Rules of Exposition First That words be taken in the usual sence of Men that Treat on the Subject that they handle unless the Speaker otherwise expound them Secondly That the whole Scope and Context must expound particular words Thirdly That an odd strained word is not to be taken contrary to the Author's Declaration of his Judgment in many whole Copious Volumes such as I have written against Disloyalty and Schism XXII Almost all the most approved Writers speak far more sharply without Sedition The words of Nazianzen Eusebius Chrysostom Hillary Salvian and many Fathers the words of Petrarch Clemangis Alvarus Pelagius Erasmus Iansenius Glandav Grotius Iewel Bilson I am ready to cite far more sharply speaking of the Sins of Civil and Church Rulers than ever I did besides such as Gildas Grosthead c. XXIII By such Accusers measures I am condemnable if I say but the Lord's Prayer or the Common Prayer when I am commanded They may say that I accuse the Church when I say that we have left undone the things that we ought to have done and done the things that we ought not to have done and there is no health in us And that I mean Rulers when I say Deliver us from Evil and Forgive our Enemies Persecutors and Slanderers and turn their Hearts and From our Enemies defend us O Christ Graciously look upon our Afflictions That we thy Servants being hurt by no Persecution may evermore c. That God will defend us in all the Assaults of Our Enemies That the Evils which the Craft or Subtilty of the Devil or Man worketh against us be brought to nought If at the Sacrament a Minister say If any be a hinderer of God's Word Repent or come not to this Holy Table lest the Devil enter into you as he did into Iudas and fill you full of all Iniquities and bring you to Destruction of Body and Soul What Remedy have I if any will say that I mean Rulers by these words as Silencers and Persecutors Yea or when I read all the dreadful Passages against Persecutors in the Gospel There is bound up with our Bibles and Liturgies a Prayer for Families which saith Confound Satan and Antichrist with all Hirelings and Papists whom thou hast already cast off into a reprobate sense that they may not by Sects Schisms Heresies and Errours disquiet thy little Flock And because O Lord we be fall'n into the latter days and dangerous times wherein Ignorance hath got the upper hand and Satan by his Ministers seeks by all means to quench the Light of thy Gospel we beseech thee to maintain thy