was at first a good Invention of the Church and politickly and wisely ordain'd not in supplement to Infant-Baptism for that is sufficient without it but to the end that when Children come to the years of discretion and have learned in the Church-Catechism what their Godfathers and Godmothers vowed and promised for them as their Sureties and Pledges 'till they came to Age that they should in their own persons vow the same with their own mouth and consent openly before the Congregation But it is not a Sacrament or necessary to Salvation as the Papists insinuate for it is certain by God's Word as said in the Rubrick of the said first English Common-Prayer Book since the Reformation made in the Reign of Edward VI. That children beeying Baptised yf they depart out of this lyfe in their infancye are undoubtedly saved And this Common-Prayer Book as is said before is declared to be composed by the Aid of the Holy Ghost in the Statute 2 Ed. 6.1 And there is the Church-Catechism set down beginning as ours What is your Name And ending with these words And therefore I say Amen so be it But our Catechism is much larger and all of it ought to be learnt by all before they be brought to the Bishop to be confirm'd And 'till they can say this Catechism and give account of it not like a Parrot hudling it over but sensible and understanding what they say shall they be confirm'd by the Bishop who ought by himself or such as he shall appoint Pose them or Appose them in it nor then neither except they also bring with them one Godfather or Godmother that every Child may have a Witness of their Confirmation Nor then neither ought they to be confirm'd except the Curate of the Parish where they dwell come along with them or at least send a Certificate in writing with his hand subscribed thereunto the Names of all such Persons within his Parish as he shall think fit to be presented to the Bishop to be confirmed And then if the Bishop upon Posing them find them fit they shall be confirmed in manner as prescrib'd in the Common-Prayer Book But are these things observed or who regards them I have been 19 or 20 years Rector of the Rectory of All-Saints in Colchester and during that time have had three several Bishops or Diocesans Gilbert Bishop of London never made any Visitation into the Countrey and over his Diocess to confirm any and yet the same Rubrick says None shall be admitted to the Blessed Sacrament of the Lord's Supper 'till they be confirmed or desire to be confirmed which last words are not in the first Common-Prayer Book of Edw. VI. Humphrey Bishop of London made but two Visitations and in the latter never came near Harwich and that Countrey by twenty Miles nor near Colchester by above eight Miles Henry Bishop of London has also made two Visitations and consequently Confirmations and several of my Parish have been confirmed by them But how I never gave a Certificate of the Names of such as I thought fit and capable of Confirmation the Question was never ask'd me nor of any Minister that I know of nor Godfathers and Godmothers requir'd as the Rubrick enjoins to every one that is confirm'd nor many if any of the children Men or Women appos'd or pos'd by any Bishop or other by him appointed to examine the fitness of them for the same Nor did I ever see any Bishop ever examine any if they did I that was present saw it not done and I am sure many if not all were confirm'd without questioning the matter or any such said Certificate from the Curate Surely Confirmation was godlily design'd but a perfunctory performance thereof at all adventures is quite contrary to the Institution and Act of Vniformity Nor did I ever hear this essential Question put by the Bishop namely Do ye here in the presence of God and of this Congregation renew the Solemn Promise and Vow that was made in your Name at your Baptism nay some have been confirm'd to my knowledge that were never baptized ratifying and confirming the same in your own persons and acknowledging your selves bound to believe and to do all those things which your Godfathers and Godmothers then undertook and most of them I am sure of my Parish never had any Godfathers or Godmothers nor their Parents could be persuaded to procure them or if they were willing they were not able by any means or persuasion to procure Sureties to be bound promise and vow for their Children or undertake by Vow that they should forsake the Devil and all his works and obediently keep Gods Holy Will and Commandments for you Answer I do But I say there required no Answer where the Question was not put nor the Answer particularly requir'd of each of them For all that was required or I am sure of a great many was but to kneel down whil'st the Bishop with a Common-Prayer Book in one hand and the other hand upon the head of the person to be confirmed said over each of them these words Defend O Lord this thy Child or this thy Servant if past Infancy or Childhood with thy heavenly grace that he may continue thine for ever and daily increase in thy holy Spirit more and more until he come unto thy everlasting Kingdom But in King Edward VI's Common-Prayer Book Confirmation was quite another thing and the words these First The Minister signed them with the Sign of the Cross saying Signe them O Lord and mark them to be thine for ever by the vertue of thy holy Crosse and Passion confirme and strengthen them with the inward Unction of thy Holy Ghoste mercifully unto everlasting life Then the Bishop shall cross them in the forehead and lay his hand upon their head saying N. or M. or any other Name N. I Signe thee with the Signe of the Crosse and lay my hand upon thee In the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost Amen But the Prayer preceding is the very same with ours observe it Almightie and everliving God who hast vouchesafed to regenerate these thy Servants of water and the Holy Ghost And hast geven unto them forgevenesse of all their sinnes Sende down from Heaven we beseeche thee O Lord upon them thy Holy Goste the Coumforter with the manifolde giftes of Grace the Spirite of wysedom and understanding The Spirite of councell and gostly strength The Spirite of knowledge and true godlinesse and fulfyll them O Lorde with the Spirite of thy holy feare but ours adde onely now and for ever And then this Collect following is almost the same with that of King Edw. 6. I 'll set down only part of it namely Almightie everliving God whiche makest us bothe to will and to doe those thinges that be good and acceptable unto thy Majestie we make our humble supplications unto thee for these Children upon whome after the xample of thy holy Apostles
to Sacraments Prayers and to Church the ready road to have his Spirit saved in the day of the Lord Jesus I wish they were cut off that trouble you that is I wish the Devil had them in his power to inflict Death or Diseases upon them for it is impossible that the Apostles should be so uncharitable to their Spirits or Souls as to wish them cut off from the Church Militant or Triumphant except by some extraordinary and particular Revelation For cutting off and delivering to Satan are the same thing and it is clear the Apostles lookt upon the Incestuous Person that was delivered over to Satan as a dying or dead man because he adds That his spirit might be sav'd in the day of the Lord Jesus And so both in the Old Testament by the Septuagint and in the New the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taking out of the middle of you cutting off is never used that I remember but for the death of the Body or Soul and therefore can never signifie Excommunication Besides we never find in Holy Writ that Interdicting the Sacraments or debarring from the Communion was ever used for a Punishment The Leper or he that had touched a Dead Body or a Menstrous Woman c. were Excommunicated properly or put from Holy Communion but these Impediments did as likely befall to the good as well as to the bad and was not put for a Punishment Oh! but this was a Type of Excommunication under the Cospel That 's good and well said a Type of that that never was and never will be first prove Excommunication a Gospel-Ordinance and then 't is time enough to show where it was Typified And as if Real and not only Typical holiness were not as requisite under the Law as under the Gospel it was a sin then as well as now to make many Prayers when the hands were full of Blood And strange it is that the Apostle that warns Timothy Titus and the Presbyters or Bishops for the Presbyters Vers 17. are called Bishops Ver. 28. Acts 20.17 28. of Ephesus to do their Duty should not besides feeding the Flock charge them also to fleece the Flock and starve the Flock by depriving them of Communion or Spiritual-food upon occasion if Excommunication be the Appurtenance of a Bishop or Presbyter And that our Blessed Jesus that took such care to mind Peter if he lov'd him to feed his Lambs and seed his Sheep should not if it be a sacred Ordinance speak a word to fleece them and scourge them and interdict them spiritual food upon occasion or if they stray No no if they stray thou that art a good Shepherd reduce them thou art well kept and paid for the very nonce Which brings to my mind this Parable or Story I will not say 't is true and real more than the Parable of Dives and Lazarus And it begins too just as that Parable begins There was two certain rich men which were Cloathed in Purple and Fine-Linnen and fared sumptuously every day but all these good things were frankly bestowed on them at the mercy and by the favour of the King upon condition though that they would be Shepherds and feed his Sheep and anoint them for the Scab and underlook them but not worry them nor destroy them nor Fleece them nor Shear them to their own private use nor plague them nor vex them though perhaps the Sheep might sometimes stray and straggle and go a wrong Road and tire perhaps and fret the Shepherds with following and running after them yet they were not to revenge themselves upon the stray Sheep and set their Wit against theirs but gently reduce them and do nothing rashly maliciously revengefully or peevishly except perhaps some of the Sheep should be incurably scab'd and then the King promised he would give the Shepherds good Wages and Hire and they should want for nothing Who would have refus'd a Shepherds office upon these easie terms or who would desire better terms than to do good not to kill not to do mischief not to destroy But so it hapned that the two Shepherds though they had several Flocks and several fat Pastures yet the Sheep graz'd all on one Common in distinct Flocks whilst the Shepherds could meet together and view them and over-see them and yet enjoy one another feast together and laugh and talk together And as I said before they wanted for nothing but their Pouches was full of Money their Bottles full of good Wine and their Scrips full of good Victuals and variety enough Yet so it was one morning one of the Shepherds came to the other puffing and blowing fretting and fuming and so out of breath that he could scarce tell his Tale. At length and after some pause recovering himself Brother Shepherd quoth he was ever man so plagu'd as I have been this morning with running after a stray Sheep Wanton and Fat I think he has led me a fair dance I am so tyred I have scarce breath enough left to tell you and to make this complaint Indeed and indeed quoth the other to his Brother and is this true yea very true replied he see but how I fret and sweat his Brother being tender-hearted could not but pity and take compassion on his fellow Labourer and so much the more because for ought he knew his own Flock might take example thereat and lead him a dance he knew not how soon and put him also in the same pickle sweat and balnio They parted though for that time to consider alone and afterwards joyn Heads together and study how to be reveng'd of the said wanton fat Weather if it were but for example-sake to all the other fat Sheep in the Flock for the lean Hags poor Souls were tame enough they had more mind to graze and eat than to be gamesome and they kept them to sharper Commons on purpose to make them be gentle and easie to be guided Well something must be done that was resolv'd but what or how to proceed they could not well tell Let 's eat him says one Ay quoth the other that would not be amiss but the craft's in the catching him you saw I sweat with but running after him and could scarce give him a turn Besides we have Victuals enough of our own and need it not and also the King has commanded Feed my Sheep but Fleece them not much more do not kill Do not steal let them live and 'mend they would have turn'd him out of the Flock too but they had no Commission for that At length one of them found out a Quirk an Evasion an Exception in their Commission viz. Except perhaps some of the Sheep should be incurably scab'd and I say He is a scabbed Sheep How shall we prove that quoth the other for I understand by you that he is so wanton he would never suffer you to come so near him as to feel him and handle him and for
my own part quoth he I did never so much as see him in my life nor do I desire it except we could get him fast into some Pen or Pound And then Wherefore it was resolv'd to catch him and to that purpose they set their Shepherd's Dogs upon him but what the Issue was I cannot tell For here 's enough for Diversion of a Sheepish harmless Parable at which no man can be offended that is either innocent or wise for none but a fool will challenge it for his own for his own Character And if any man think that this is too Jocular a way of writing upon a serious Argument I have the great examples of the most Learned Erasmus and Sir Thomas Moor for my President And a Warrant in my Pocket beyond all exceptions I mean my Bible's in my Pocket where not only the Prophets but our Blessed Saviour gives countenance as well as Authority for Parables What got Joseph's Brethren by hating him yet the more for his Dreams and for his Words Gen. 37.8 And what got the Chief-Priests and the Scribes by seeking to lay hands on our Saviour and had done it then but that they feared the People when they perceived that he had spoken the Parable against them Luk. 20.19 Come come it is much more pleasing to God and good men to repent and amend our sins than show our teeth or bite such as tell us of them Nathan told the King his own but modestly by way of Parable at first yet afterwards plainly told him to his head Thou art the man If some men I know had had David's Power that want the grace that David had they would have put Nathan in Limbo for it or have been revenged on him one way or other But Holy David lov'd him the better for it all the days of his life and kept him his chiefest favourite to his dying day But Holy David was a man after God's own heart the evil Spirit is too great in some mens hearts the evil Spirit of malice and revenge possesses them too much to be good at any thing so readily as mischief mischief to their power I mean to their utmost It is a sin to bid such God speed I never read of a Persecutor though never so great but came to an ill end What should I tell of the first Persecuting Emperor Nero that stab'd himself to halves and not being able to dispatch himself out of his pains nor any body so kind to do his business for him roar'd out Nec amicum habeo nic inimicum And after him Dioclesan when he was glutted with Christian-blood fled from his Imperial Crown and hid his hated head in a Garden 'T is endless to tell Stories of this nature to come nearer home to Cardinal Pool and Queen Maries days that after a short and Bloody Reign died both in a day whilst the bloody Bishops of London and Winchester Bonner and Gardiner a precious couple of Shepherds it 's pitty they should be parted died soon after miserably Let them go some men will never take warning till the Devil fetch them Oh! how that bloody couple did lay about them and pay poor creatures off Body and Soul the Body delivered to the Flames and first their Souls to Satan by Excommunication a wonderful good employment some think I will not say Much good may 't do them Some cannot believe that any Man should so be divested of Humanity or humane King how forlornly wicked soever as to do what is storied of one persuade a Man when he had his Sword at his Breast to renounce his Christendom and Jesus Christ and then he would spare his Life Which the poor Creature did in hopes of a Reprieve and time to repent it in and then immediately he run him to the heart that he might kill Soul and Body at one fatal stab But sure I am 't is true of these Bloody Couple of Bishops before-mentioned for they never deliver'd any Man's Body to the flames but first they Excommunicated him and deliver'd him to Satan in Faith and Hope that they had at once murder'd Body and Soul together These are worse than Scribes and Pharisees for though they look't upon our blessed Jesus as a Friend of Publicans and Sinners nay as a Conjurer and one that had Confederacy with Beelzebub nay as a Samaritan and as one that had a Devil yet they never Excommunicated him nor the Apostles nor interdicted them the Divine Service Synagogues Temple Sacrifices or Sacraments No no this debarring and depriving Men of the Sacrament was brought in by Priestly Lordliness and Prelatical Covetousness for if they can once persuade silly Bigots that they are Apostolical men and can bind and loose and have got the Keys of Heaven gates and can open and let in and absolve and again upon displeasure can shut out and Excommunicate undoubtedly they may take the wall of all Mankind at least of all Christendome But alas alas They have got the wrong Key I 'll prove it to them before I have done with them our blessed Saviour's Keys that he left behind him to Peter were spiritual Keys and his Kingdom was not of this world nor the Men he left the Keys to worldly-minded Men and therefore he left not those Keys of binding and loosing on Earth in Heaven no not to his own Apostles until first he had enabled them to use them infallibly and therefore mind the Text before he would tell them Whosoever Sins ye Remit they are Remitted and whosoever Sins ye Retain they are Retained He first breathed on them and saith unto them Receive ye the Holy Ghost But if Men will turn Doctors and Preachers and Interpreters of Scripture and never mind the Context and out of a foolish Ambition ascribe all that Christ said to his Disciples as if spoken to their own silly sinful selves no wonder that they err not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God The Gift of the Holy Ghost always infallible never Clavis errans never turning the Key the wrong way by hands awry crooked and warping as Interest and Revenge Pride and Covetousness Tyranny and Cruelty Malice and Wickedness does annuate and guide I hate and abominate this Apish Mimickry and Imitation Did the Apostles by laying on of Hands give the Holy Ghost The Pope would seem to be Some-body too he would lay on Hands too but Cui Bono who but a Bigotted Coxcomb found any good it did him Did the Apostles heal the Sick anointing with Oil in the Name of the Lord The Pope would Ape it too a little the clean contrary way and he and his little Priests will ' noint too not for Health and Life and to recover but for Death Did the Apostles cast out Devils The Pope would be a Devil-driver too and his little Exorcists though I never met with many of them that were Conjurers Did the Apostles speak with new Tongues Why the Pope then too makes it a necessary
qualification of a Priest to be a Linguist and yet to my knowledge not a Fryar in forty can speak true Latin Did the Apostle deliver the Incestuous Person by his spirit to Satan and also the Blasphemers Why the Pope would be at it too though he cannot Kill whom he Excommunicates for Hereticks 'till he makes the silly Bigotted Magistrate Gregory it for him And so also most of the Popish Prelatical-tricks are meer Mimickry and Idle as well as Apish Imitation of the Apostles And he is forc't to pretend to this Juggle and Cheat because his Ambition has Entitul'd him Peter's Successor and his pretty Cardinals and Bishops Apostolical men give the Word backward for these Apostolical men Apostolical men Thus the Gypsies imitated Moses and Aaron with their Inchantments Exod. 7. till Aaron's Rod swallowed up their Rods yet Pharaoh's heart was hardned and he and all his Conjurers look't upon all Religion as a humane Invention till by being abominably Lousie and like Atheistical Herod eaten up with Lice they confest Digitum Dei the Finger of God Nor do I think the Popish Conjurers will ever part with their dear dear precious gainful Money-Trade of the Keys till some remarkable Judgment fall upon them for the Abominable and Atheistical abuse Alas the Keys 't is plain were no silver Keys nor earthly worldly mens Keys and therefore when Christ gave them to Peter he calls them Matt. 16.19 The Keys of the kingdom of Heaven So that an Excommunicate Person clave non errant if justly and duly Excommunicated by Persons qualified as the Apostles were with the Gift of the Holy-Ghost called the Gift of Discerning of Spirits without which we never read in Holy Scripture that any Man or Church took upon him or them to Excommunicate any body I say such an Excommunicate Person is by the Evangelical Precept to be as much shut out of Church as if he had never entred in or as much as and no more than a Heathen-man or a Publican But that ever Christ or his Apostles or the Primitive-Church did ever intend by Excommunication to lay claim to his Purse or deprive him of his Freedom Liberty or Property Moneys or Lands as the Jesuits held by asserting that Dominion is founded in Grace and is the ground-work of the Pope's Tyranny and Vsurpation over Princes and their Subjects is no where found in Holy Writ nor any such Appendix Writ or Label hanging at any Excommunication that ever I heard of in the Gospel or Primitive Church Nor the least hint in the Gospel that our blessed Saviour who would not suffer a Prelate no not St. Peter amongst his Disciples should under colour and by vertue of Excommunication grant them a Licence to rend and tear rant and domineer as nay more than the Princes of the Gentiles over one another much less by such a stratagem to deprive Nonconformists Atheists or Libertines of their Lands or Goods Freedom or Free-hold nor ever attempted any such Invasion of the Heathen Emperors Dominions but quite contrary paid them Tribute taught subjection to them by vertue of Religion not usurpation upon their civil Rights under colour of Religion and this no Man can deny who does believe our Saviour when he said My Kingdom is not of this world And therefore he never meant when he parted with these Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to his Church and Servants that they should flourish them huff and vapor with them fight and quarrel threaten and revenge or vend their malice with them or much less knock Mens brains out with these Keys or by the help of these Keys by more nimble conveyance get into their Purses or pick their Pockets or which is worse lock them up in a Jayle by vertue of these Keys and deprive them of their Lands and Livings Liberties and Properties No no it was the Pope the Pope and his Off-spring that first turn'd these Keys the wrong way as I have said and contrary to the way of Christ for which he and all such as he meritoriously deserves the name of Antichrist or contrary to Christ 'T is Pride devilish Pride call 't what you will that makes men Lord it over God's Heritage and enslave their Bodies and Souls too together with insatiable Avarice in greedy Dogs that can never have enough 'till they get the Devil and all This makes the Popes both the greater and the lesser by the abuse of Excommunication or the power of the Keys to cram their Coffers to enrich their Nephews and satisfie their Whores when decrepit old Age cannot sarrogate to their Lust and therefore my Letany is From the Popes both the greater and the lesser From Le Chese the French Confessor And from his Popish Successor Libera Libera CHAP. IV. ANd I 'le justifie it it is but a Branch of Popery in any sort of people that decry the Pope and all his Works if they do the very same things whilst poor men change their Lords indeed but not the Lordliness and Vsurpation And that Incestuous Person that was Excommunicated and Delivered to Satan I Cor. 5.4 Wherefore was it To what end and purpose The same Text tells us for the destruction of the flesh his lustful Flesh or fleshly Lusts not for the destruction of his Estate Freedom or earthly Priviledges but that his spirit might be saved All the design and all the management and all the consequences were spiritual purely spiritual Our Blessed Saviour though it was proffer'd him and some would never have refused the Prefirment that have not the mind of Christ would not be a Judg in Civil matters Counsellor nor Privy-Counsellor For his Kingdom was a spiritual Kingdom his Rule a spiritual Rule in mens Hearts and Spirits by his Word and Spirit his Weapons were not Carnal but Spiritual for the bringing down of strong Holds not Castles and Mannors No no the Devil and the Pope and such as follow the steps of Antichrist set up and maintain and uphold this Anti-Kingdom in opposition to the Kingdom of Christ but the Pope was glad to uphold his tottering Kingdom with the Inquisition High-Commission Racks and Gibbets Fire and Faggot Fines and Imprisonments or which is all one deliver them over to the Magistate to be Excontioners for him We thought it a fair deliverance from this Popish thraldom when we were delivered from the Inquisition High-Commission Racks and Gibbets Fire and Faggot too of late by condemning the Writ de Heretico Comburendo I do not deny though but that the two last Fines that is unjust Fees and Imprisonments are to this day in England the Consequences of Excommunication But they are mistaken that think these Consequences are held forth to us in the Gospel of Christ or the practise of the Apostles or Primitive Church No no Fines and Imprisonments attend Excommunication upon another score namely the Law of the Land and therefore you hear me say nothing against it I know what I could say if I were in place
then made per saltum as at leap-frog skipping over 3 or 4 Heads none vaulted into the Holy See or Seat nor leapt so high at one Jump but mounted as to the Altar and Holy of Holies by Stairs Steps and by Degrees Because a Bishop should be a Preshyter or Elder 1 Tim. 3.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not a young Novice And why And why what stops his Grace The Apostle shews cause for his Non-placet in the next words lest be fall into Temptation or the Condemnation of the Devil by being puffed up with Pride 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 swelled like a Bladder with the Windy and Fanatical Self-conceit of his own merit when in truth that Bigness is nothing but windy Emptiness and being discovered or let out will fall and flag as Lucifer did from Heaven That is the meaning of the Condemnation of the Devil namely the same Sin of being swell'd with Pride and Self-conceit will have the same Punishment that Lucifer had But notwithstanding all this the Church made bold to crack a Commandment in the case of Nectarius who having great Friends and Relations was chosen Patriarch of Constantinople whilst he was a Souldier a Layman and unbaptized And I can tell you the Patriarch or Pope of Constantinople would have scorn'd in those days to have given the Wall to the Pope of Rome Also stout Captain St. Ambrose that would scorn to bend to the Emperour Theodosius but flatteringly cring'd to the Usur per Eugenius was chosen Notwithstanding the Canon-Law to be Bishop of Milan whilse he was a Souldier and Governonr of the same City and Metropolis of Milan nay also unbaptized as I remember Thus when the Church can nail the Canons or crack a Commandment for Men of great Parts Interest Relations and Friends surely to show its Charity it may condescend a little from its rigorous Constitution and reach a helping-hand themselves also being frail and tardy and Indulgence in this my case to me a poor little Man that has neither great Friends great Relations great Parts great Learning nor indeed great any thing save a great Adversary To the 2d Question namely Quest 2. If Christ or his Apostles did ordain such an Ordinance as Excommunication who were the Administrators Answ The Answer is easy namely such as had Ability to judg and discern Right from Wrong Truth from Falshood and an Orthodox-man from an Heretick by the Gift of the Holy Ghost called discerning of Spirits For we shall be in fine taking if upon a fair Trial and Issue what colour is such a Horse white or brown we should place a blind Man upon the Bench or Jury or Men-purblind and short-sighted The Pope craftily foresaw this before ever he applyed that of Tit. 3.10 to his Jurisdiction namely a Heretick after the first or second Admonition reject And therefore he first made himself the Infallible Judge that cannot be mistaken but alwayes discerns Right from Wrong Truth from Falshood an Orthodox-man from an Heretick for then and then only is Excommunicating a Heretick rational when built and only then when built upon Infallibility take that away and down comes the lofty Fabrick or Fortress or Cittadel of Excommunication that has so aw'd and overaw'd the whole Christian World For what a Blunder is it in Ratiocination to say the Church of Rome Alexandria Antioch have erred and the Church of England may erre and yet these same Churches shall as stifly decide and positively assert what is and what is not Truth as if they were not Seekers Searchers and Viatores but Infall ibility men For supposing a Church or Church-men may err as did the greatest Council of Bishops that ever was in the World about 700 at Ariminum Sirmium c. who were Arrians and denied the Divinity of our Saviour the Orthodox and Protestants had a good time of it to be burnt by the Bishops as Hereticks for asserting the Divinity of our Blessed Saviour Lawn-sleeves then nor all those Reverend Habits and Accoutrements of the Bishops whether the Most Reverend or the Right Reverend Fathers in God we see by many Experiments are no infallible Marks or Signs of Truth without all peradventure as if all their Placets must must must needs be right whilst they are frail like other Mortals And therefore Excommunication like Scanderbeg's Sword is but a common Weapon except it be wielded by Scanderbeg's Arm Judgment and Dexterity A Crieple would make but bungling work with it nay perhaps lose it to the Enemy and then we shall have it turn'd upon us fatally Good Crieples sit still and be quiet till you get Apostolical Arms Judgment and Dexterity for fear this two-edged Sword with which you do so cut and hack dismember and mangle the Body of Christ for a Guinee a cut be one day turned upon your selves with the fatal Edge towards you if the Enemy recover it and get it in his hand again The Enemy the common Enemy the Papists first from Tit. 3.10 Excommunicate a Heretick that is they deliver him over to Satan as the Apostles did but finding Satan would not take the Excommunicate as he did in the Apostles days then the Pope by an Arrogance as petulant as the Sarcasme surrogates the Magistrate instead of Satan to take the Excommunicate for the destruction of the Flesh and that in the most compendious way by Fire and Faggot for the destruction of the Flesh Body and Bones in the Flames And though amongst us the Heretick shall not now be delivered over to the Magistrate to be burnt since the Abolition of the Writ de Heretico comburendo yet even at this day when holy Church which yet confesses her self subject to error signifies a Man to be Excommunicate for Heresy the Magistrate takes him with the Writ de Excommunicato capiendo for the Destruction of the Flesh not with the fierce Fire and Faggot but still with a lingring death a Goal until he Repent and Recant that his wicked Error As for example Suppose a man should not with both his eyes which are good as other mens and with which he can see as far into a Milstone as any man should assert that though it be the positive Law of the Land to Excommunicate and Deprive men of the blessed Sacrament yet he cannot see in Holy Writ that Christ debarr'd Judas the Traytor nor that the Apostles ever did by Practise or Injunction command such a Discipline by some called an Ordinance of God in depriving them of the Ordinances of God as if a Physician should command that the Patient should never take a Cordial or Sanative Medicine because he is sick Alas Alas Cordial Medicines are made for the very nonce for the sick as the Sacraments for sinners and the whole if there be any such have no need of this Physick but them that are sick And if all sinners must be deprived of the blessed Sacrament and Excommunicate I doubt the Bishop and his Chancellor that Excommunicate sinners must be
we have layd our hands mark that for it is the same in our Common-Prayer Book to certifye them by this Signe of thy savour and gracious goodnes towarde them leat thy fatherly hande c. I know a Bishop being a great person may as Majesty uses to do when he means only his own single act and single hand say we we for so it is said we have laid our hands But how these words our hands can be meant of the Bishop's laying on his single hand and but one hand cannot be reconciled to any Grammar For in King Edward VI's Reign the happy Reformers kept up Imposition of hands not hand as the Collect aforesaid says after the example of the holy Apostles and in imitation of the Apostles laying on of their hands upon the Disciples and thereby conveying to them the gifts of the Holy Ghost Therefore the Papists anoint or have an Unction in meer Mimickry or Imitation of the Unction of the Holy Ghost which was not sold or made of Apothecary Drugs as the Papists Unction is but purely spiritual gifts of the Holy Ghost the gift of Tongues discerning of Spirits c. But they that would fain be accounted Successors of the Apostles and of St. Peter and St. Paul and love to be called the Apostolical men would make Confirmation to be performed or of right ought to be performed by Bishops onely who the Papists account to be the onely Apostolical men and Successors of the small Prophets or Apostles St. Matthew Thomas c. and the Pope the onely Successor of St. Peter and St. Paul But our first Reformers did not confine this Act of Confirmation to a Bishop alone but to other his Fellow Presbyters who signed with the Cross and said as many words over the head of the Child as the Bishop himself Thus when John was present Peter did not bid him stand aside but both of them together laid their hands upon the young Converts and they received the gifts of the Holy Ghost in imitation whereof Consirmation was brought in And the Rubrick makes the Curate or his Certificate a necessary qualification and that of King Edw. 6. the first Reformers the Minister laid his hands on or at least signed the Party with the sign of the Cross and said words over him or prayed over him And probably also as is usual in Ordination both laid their hands on or else what English or Sense is in those words in the Collect Vpon whom we have laid our hands But now I say the Bishop without the concurrence or consent of the Minister of the Parish who best knows the state of the Flock alone confirms all that come which are very few God knows not one in a hundred or more that are baptized And those or most of them hand over-head without any previous examination of their fitness And therefore who can pray in Faith or believe what he says and prays as aforesaid in these words God who hast vouchsafed to Regenerate these thy Servants by water and the Holy Ghost and yet for ought he knows I am sure of some were never baptized so much as by water over whom yet he prays or ought to pray in these words and then and hast given unto them forgiveness of all their sins c. Be not deceived God is not mocked saith the Apostle But what extravagancy will not men run into that would grasp all to themselves contrary to the provision the Law has made for the Minister's consent and concurrence at least to this same Confirmation to his actual laying on of Hands as well as the Bishops in King Edward VI's time and signing with the Cross as well as the Bishop and praying over their heads part of that Prayer that now the Bishop will say alone but in King Edward VI's Common-Prayer Book the Minister said alone before the Bishop toucht the Party to be confirmed So that Confirmation without previous examination and fitness without Godfather or Godmother for a Witness and without the Curate's presenting those of his Parish to be confirmed and certifying their fitness is not only rash and perfunctory impertinent and contrary to the great design those had that invented it but is also illegal and against Law and the Act for Vniformity Hereafter I may perhaps shew at large when and by whom it was invented but this for the present I am clear for the use of it according to Law but the abuse of it is abominable I write this for the observation of the Law and that such as cry down Nonconformists and call for Gaols Stocks Fines Excommunications Suspensions Deprivations and Confiscations may learn Forbearance Mercy Humanity and Kindness to humane kind considering humane frailty so visible in themselves and may not with the same mouth opened against other Nonconformists at the same time pronounce their own doom and deprivation of their spiritual Promotions that are worth the keeping and tugging for And may learn to be quiet and bless Almighty God that they are so well on 't themselves and never Vex themselves to vex others breathing out nothing but mischief and ruine to such as are loth to unman themselves by servile Baseness Flattery and Sycophantry For my part I would much rather cease to be a Clergyman than cease to be an Honest man an Englishman and a Gentleman Which ne'r a Flattering Pimp and Sycophant in England can possibly be In short Confirmation is either good for something or good for nothing either good fit and expedient or not expedient If it be not expedient Why is it put into the Common-Prayer Book or so much as once perfunctorily practis'd If it be good for something which I readily grant then why is it not us'd but abus'd 1. Why is it ever us'd by a Bishop rashly hand over-head Hickletee-Pickletee to all that kneel down whether baptiz'd or unbaptiz'd whether they can or cannot say their Catechism whether they have Godfathers and Godmothers along with them or though they never had any such Godfathers or Sureties but tell Stories when they say They did promise and vow three things in my name c. as in the Catechism And not one word of all the three is true or was ever promis'd or vow'd by any body no not by their own Parents who one would think ought to be most concern'd both in the Vow and Performance 2. Why does not the Bishop require the Significavit from the Parish-Minister of the Truth of the Premises and the fitness of those that are to be confirmed but this 't is to do all alone what is impossible to be well done by any one man 3. Why does not the Bishop go to all the Parishes in his Diocess to confirm the Souls that are therein It is his work and he is well paid for the same And why onely at a great Town two or three where there is a great Inn and good Accomodation I am confident St. Paul never sent his Harbinger before him when