175 Chapters and a half to be read in a year On the other hand He computes 11 Psalms and 5 Chapters and so in all 16 Chapters read in the 42 Parishes in his Diocese Adm. p. 142 143. and consequently in all 672 every Lord's-day This Computation at first view looks like Demonstration but is indeed liable to manifold and just Exceptions 1. The Bishop here puts that sense on his words that was not the plain and obvious meaning of ' em Their obvious sense is That there is as much Scripture read in every parish-Parish-Church in one Lord's-day as in all the Meetings in the North in a year And there was good reason to suppose he intended 'em in this sense both because 't is but the same Chapters are read in every parish-Parish-Church thro' the Kingdom and because without this sense his Lordship's words left us wholly in the dark how to judge of the truth of 'em when he never told us whether by the establisht Church he meant all the Parish Churches in the Kingdom or only those in the North of Ireland nor gave us any Account what proportion the number of the one or the other bore to the number of the Meetings without which Particulars none could judge whether his Assertion were true or false or if true whether any matter of reproach or no For perhaps in the whole Kingdom the number of Meetings is not much more to that of parish-Parish-Churches than that of 1 to 52. But 2. If we allow his Lordship the sense that he now puts on his Assertion yet his Computation will appear much too Liberal on his own side and much more too scanty on the Dissenters His Computation is too liberal on his own side For 1. He takes a day viz. the first of April in his Computation on which there were several Psalms extraordinary us'd For take the Psalms one with another about five is the proportion of what is ordinarily us'd every Lord's-day and 't was only casual that eleven were then us'd the eight first Psalms as well as the three other being short and not above the proportion of four ordinary Chapters of five and twenty Verses long 2. He brings in eleven Psalms as Chapters Read for Instruction about which alone the present Dispute lies whereas he himself supposes 'em to be us'd as Forms of Thanksgiving and so does the Common-Prayer-Book in which these are not propos'd to be read as Lessons but sung or said between the Minister and People So that by a just Computation there remains only the five Chapters a day And his Computation is as much too scanty on the Dissenters side For tho' I have drawn such a Computation as he mentions yet I have drawn it only as a Computation of what is read in an entire Portion and indeed have drawn it much below the Truth for there is more usually a whole Chapter read and in the Meetings of his Diocese none but one make any Exception of the Winter Quarter But I was so far from designing this as a Computation of all that is read that I have in the very words following those he quotes Remark p. 93. told him That I look on his Charge to be so unjust that if we take the Scriptures to be read whenever they are verbatim recited to the People and so compute all the parallel Passages of Scripture that occur in their Expositions and Sermons in which both the N. C. Ministers in general and particularly those in the North use not to be sparing in their Concordances I see little reason to doubt but there is as much of Scripture read or as much of the inspir'd Word of God propos'd for the Instruction of the People in each Meeting as in each Parish-Church And this way of reading the Scripture I have shewn to be most agreeable to the Pattern and Practice of the Apostles and of the Christian Church in their time Why then would the Bishop take no notice of this which would have brought this Debate to a more fair and easie trial For what is read this way among us will amount to vastly more than what is read in an entire Portion For take one Lord's-day with another we may by a reasonable Computation allow between the Portion read and the parallel Texts in the Exposition a Chapter and a half And if we compute two Chapters more to each Sermon there will be every Lord's-day five Chapters and a half read and I do not here mention what Passages of Scripture occur in Catechizing tho' those will amount to a very considerable Portion if put together And for the Psalms he has no more reason to bring them into the Computation than I have to bring in all the Scriptural Expressions that occur in our Praises and Prayers which I have also shewn him are more agreeable to the directions of the New Testament But to examine the Bishop's present Computation if we allow him his eleven Psalms that are us'd as Forms of Thanksgiving I hope he will allow us all that 's strictly read for Instruction And that he may not scruple my Computation I 'le only allow one Chapter between the Portion read and the Exposition of it I 'le only compute two Chapters more for the two Sermons preacht every Lord's-day and upon this Computation which is really much less than is read it will appear That in nine Meetings allowing a Chapter for the Lecture there is read in the three quarters of the year 351 and allowing two Chapters each Lord's-day in the year for their Sermons there is read 936 Chapters in a year both these joyn'd make up 1287. Whereas in 42 Parish-Churches the Bishop computes with the 11 Psalms and all only 672 Chapters and if we should add 42 Chapters more for their Sermon for few preach more than once a day this will make 714 which is a little more than half of what is read in those nine Meetings by the former Computation But if this Computation were drawn to the utmost of Truth on the Dissenters side for since eight Meetings in his Diocese Lecture throughout the whole year there are 104 Chapters to be added to the account and as the Bishop reckons the Psalms we should add all the Scriptural Passages that occur in our Thanksgivings the Bishop's account would still appear the more wide from Truth However upon the lowest Computation he is really mistaken in this Matter of Fact as he is apparently so in the foregoing and has wrong'd 'em in the Circumstance as well as Substance of his Charge The third Matter of Fact which the Bishop undertakes to vindicate is his Assertion That a Man may frequent the Meetings of the Dissenters all his life Disc p. 82. and yet have no security or hardly possibility of learning from their publick Teachings all the great Mysteries of his Religion This I have indeed censur'd as a gross and shameless Accusation and therefore was the more oblig'd to prove it so To
our glorying in the sufferings of Christ and 't is proper to make a Profession of doing so in our Baptism Therefore the Scriptures warrant our use of it in general and particularly at that time Admon p. 181 182 183. Since then may the Papists in Italy or Spain argue 't is our Duty to savour the things of God To have our Lips season'd with Wisdom and Grace To open our Ears to the Doctrine of Christ as becomes his Disciples To preserve our Garments clean by immaculate Purity of Life that we may appear faultless before the Tribunal of Christ To walk in the Light by a blameless observance of our Baptismal Vows that we may with the wise Virgins be admitted to the Heavenly Nuptials Nay since 't is as proper to make a Profession of all this in our Baptism as of Glorying in the sufferings of Christ And since the Scriptures warrant us to make that Profession not only by Words but also by such Actions as the Vniversal custom of our Country has made significant to those Vses we are thereby warranted to use all the Rites forementioned in the Celebration of Baptism since by the universal custom of our Country See Rit Rom. they are applied to signifie our obligation to these undoubted Duties of Christianity Nay the Bishop's Argument will go farther For since 't is as lawful to profess our Glorying in the sufferings of Christ in other parts of Religious Worship as in Baptism and universal custom has applied this Action to signifie our doing so why do we not imitate instead of blaming the Papists for their so frequently crossing themselves in all their Devotions Or rather since the Scriptures command us to express the inward religious sense of our Minds by Actions nay since as the Bishop asserts Scripture-Presidents not only warrant but oblige us to use such actions as well as words as by universal custom signifie our glorying in the sufferings of Christ How come we to lay aside so pious a custom so commendable nay so necessary an Expression of our devout respect to a crucified Saviour which we are not only warranted but oblig'd to use Nay as the Romish Church has in other parts of Divine Worship introduc'd a great number of Actions or Rites to express some part or other of our Christian Duty or Devotion and those Actions are rendred significant to that purpose by universal custom among those of that Church 't is plain by this Argument that all those Rites are warranted by Scripture and our first Reformers seem to have been very unreasonable in their Rejection of ' em So that this loose way of Reasoning will serve to worse purposes than I hope his Lordship ever design'd it For it will altogether as well fit the mouth of a Papist for justifying his observance of most of those numerous Rites and Ceremonies or in his Lordship's language significant Actions which their Church has enjoyn'd as it does his for justifying the Cross in Baptism If the Bishop should pretend that the numerousness of those Rites is the only fault of 'em he would do well to acquaint us where we may stop what number of 'em is innocent and what becomes sinfully excessive Thirdly I come to examine the Propositions the Bishop has laid down for proving the use of the Cross in Baptism to be warranted by Scripture and shew wherein I think his Argument in 'em weak and unconcluding That we are according to Proposition the first to express our inward Reverence or Worship of God by outward Means such as Praise Prayer c. will be freely granted That we are according to Proposition the second and third to express that inward Worship in general by such bodily Gestures as either nature or civil custom direct us to and render most fit to represent and testifie it to others by will be also own'd But I cannot so easily grant That the Scriptures warrant our expressing the sense of our Minds in all Religious Things or Matters by significant Actions The particular Duties we owe to God are almost numberless and if we were warranted by Scripture to express the Thoughts and Sense of our Mind as to each of 'em by some significant Rite and Ceremony the Romish Church would be sufficiently authoriz'd by Scripture in her introducing such a load of significant Rites and Ceremonies into Christian Religion Admon p. 181. especially if as the Bishop observes such significant Actions be more effectual and sincere expressions of the sense of our Minds then words Tho' then the Scriptures enjoyn Bodily Worship in general and consequently warrant all such devout Postures as either nature or civil custom has taught us to express it by as bowing prostration kneeling standing and in these parts of the world the mens being uncover'd yet they do not warrant us to contrive distinct significant Actions to express each distinct part of inward Worship as one to express our Faith in God another to express our Love to him another our Hope another our subjection to his Authority another our resignation to his disposal another our dread of his Justice c. So tho' we may testifie our Worship of Christ as the Incarnate Word by the forementioned Postures of Devotion yet the Scriptures no where warrant our contriving one significant Action or Rite to express but Believing his Gospel another to express our Reliance on the virtue of his Merits and Sacrifice another to signifie out subjection to his Royal Authority another to declare out glorying in his Cross or Sufferings Besides the Religious Postures that are expressive of Worship in general the Scriptures require no other External Rites as Signs of our particular respect to him besides those of being Baptiz'd in his Name and commemorating his Death by receiving the Bread and Wine as the sacred Memorials of it Therefore As to the fourth and fifth Proposition Tho' 't is our duty to glory in the sufferings of Christ yet the Scripture does not warrant much less oblige us as the Bishop adds to contrive any particular Rite or Ceremony to signifie it any more than to contrive such a Rite do signifie but belief of his Gospel or dependance on his Mediation or subjection to his Government The Scriptures command our expressing our inward Worship by Reverence in our Bodily Postures and consequently uncovering the Head is to us a Particular included in that general Precept But the Scripture no where commands us to signifie this particular Duty of glorying in the sufferings of Christ by any External Rites and therefore does not warrant any particular Rite for that end for that would have been to have left a Gap open for bringing in an endless Train of such significant Rites of our own devising into Christian Religion even such as would have made the Yoke of Christianity as heavy as that of Judaism once was As to the sixth and seventh Proposition it plainly follows from what has been suggested That if the Scripture neither
the Question propos'd in the Remarks What more peculiar Duties of the New Covenant could Baptism oblige us to And to put the matter if possible out of doubt the Infant is expresly said in the Canon to be by this Badge dedicated to the Service of Christ See Coll. of Cases 2d Edit p. 377 378. I know indeed the ingenious Author of the Case relating to the Cross in Baptism distinguishes here between and immediate and proper and an improper and declarative Dedication and accordingly would perswade us that the Convocation only designed the latter partly because they refer to the words us'd in the Service Book when the Child is cross't partly because they suppose the Child dedicated by Baptism before and suppose Baptism compleat without the sign of the Cross But I see not that either of these Reasons warrant us to take the words of the Convocation in so very strain'd and improper a sense as this is viz. That when they affirm the Cross to be a lawful outward Ceremony and honourable Badge whereby the Infant is dedicated to the Service of him that died on the Cross they should mean no more than that 't is a lawful outward Ceremony and honourable Badge to declare that the Infant has been dedicated to Christ by another outward Ceremony and honourable Badge before For 't is evident that the words us'd when the Child is sign'd with the sign of the Cross do as fully and directly express a proper immediate Dedication as the words us'd when 't is Baptiz'd and therefore we have no reason from them to apply so unusual and odd a sense to the words of the Canon and the Convocations supposing Baptism compleat without the sign of the Cross does no way Argue that they design'd not a proper renew'd Dedication by the Cross for tho' we are dedicated by Baptism yet we properly renew that Dedication as oft as we attend the Lord's Table And the Romish Church does in their Ritual See Rit Rom. Paris 1635. p. 7. suppose no more necessary by Divine Right to this Sacrament than we do and speak of their Ceremonies as only pertaining to the Solemnity of that Sacrament yet they use several other Rites for proper immediate Dedication besides that of washing with water 3. The Cross is made a distinguishing sign of our Christian Profession and the Relations we are thereby invested in For this evidently follows from its being made the Honourable Badge of our Dedication to the Service of a crucified Saviour So that by being cross't we do truly according to the establisht Church wear the Livery of Christ as by being Baptiz'd And this former Paternal sign is as effectually made the common Symbol and Tessera of our Discipleship the mark of our belonging to him as our Lord and Master as the latter can be II. Now from hence I farther infer That the Cross is made as much a Sacrament as Men can make any sign of their own for which they can produce no Divine Institution 'T is set up for most of the same uses as Baptism nay for such uses as do constitute it a proper part of positive Worship that has no stamp of Divine Authority and consequently 't is made a sinful Human Invention For if as the Bishop himself supposes all ways of Worship are displeasing to God that are not expresly contained in the Holy Scriptures nor warranted by the Examples of Holy Man therein or as he now adds that cannot be by parity of Reason deduc'd thence much more are all parts of Worship truly displeasing to him and such as our Saviour justly censures for vain Worship that are no way Instituted And yet that all those Rites in Religious Worship whereby we oblige and bind our selves to serve God or which is the same Dedicate our selves to his Service are a proper part of Positive Worship is evident from the Bishop's own confession who p. 4. of his Discourse does therefore make the Sacraments to be a part of outward Worship not only on the account of our expressing therein our dependance on the grace of God but likewise on the account of obliging and binding our selves by 'em to serve him And doubtless it does as properly belong to God alone to appoint the Religious Rites whereby we bind our selves to his Service as to the Supreme Magistrate to appoint the Ceremonies us'd in our taking the Oath of Fidelity and Allegiance Nay it belongs to him alone to appoint the Honourable Badge of our Discipleship who receives us into his Holy Covenant and no inferiour Pastors are any more authoriz'd to superadd any other Rite for this use to that he has Instituted already than the Servant of any great Prince is warranted of his own Head to prescribe to his Fellow-servants the wearing of a new Livery as an Honourable Badge of their belonging to such a Master besides that which he has appointed of his own choosing To set up External Rites for such Sacramental uses as these viz. not only to instruct us in the Priviledges and Duties of the New Covenant but to oblige and bind us to 'em and to be the Honourable Badge of our Christian Profession when God has already instituted other Rites for these very ends is a piece of Presumption we dare not be guilty of 'T is an offering him a part of Worship which has no stamp of his Authority which therefore we have no reason to hope he will accept nay which there is no shadow of Reason for if his own Foederal Rites be sufficient for all the ends they are appointed for Having thus stared my Argument I come II. To shew the insufficiency of the Bishop's Answer to this Argument All that I can find he has directly reply'd to my Argument is only this That the whole force of it seems to proceed from two Mistakes concerning the nature of Sacraments First As if they were signs from us to God and not wholly from God to us Secondly As if we were to learn the true Nature of Sacraments from the Schools and partial Definitions of interessed Disputants and not from the Holy Scriptures Hence saith the Bishop he has not given us one place of Scripture to prove his imperfect Account of a Sacrament As to this Answer to the Argument I need do no more for the Refutation of it than refer the Reader to the foregoing Account of a Sacrament wherein I fully prov'd concerning Sacraments in general and particularly that of Baptism that they are as truly and properly signs from us to God as from God to us nay that they cannot be the latter without being the former And this I have prov'd not from the Dictates of the Schools but from the Oracles of God having quoted no other Human Authority but his own and I hope he will not reckon himself one of those Partial and Interessed Disputants he speaks of So that 't is not the force of my Argument but of his Answer that proceeds from a