Justification of Separation from the Church of England, Treatise · Section 1 – Section 2
1. Uphold the manifest good therein.Mr Ber.
A man vpholds that which is good most naturally, by his personalAnsw. practise of it, and actual communion in it: & thus we ought to mainteyn every good thing in our places, if sinn ly not in the way betwixt vsus and it. But since by the confusion which is vponupon the face of the earth, good & evil are ought times so intermingled, as that men cannot touch that which is good, but some evil wil cleave unto their fingers, when this so falls out, then have we a dispensation from the Lord to forbeare even that good which without syn can not be practised. Rom. 3. 8. And yet then also wee must acknowledge that good thing to be as it is, in what person or estate soever, and so vphold it.
And lastly so far as possibly we can we must sever and select the good from the evil, & so even in our practise also vphold & mainteyn that good being so severed, whereof whilest it was commingled with the evil, we could have no lawful vse.
And all these wayes we vphold whatsoever manifest good we know in the Church of England: whether doctrine, ordinance, or personall grace, to our vtmost.
We do acknowledge in it many excellent truthes of doctrine, which we also teach without commixture of error, many Christian ordinances which we also practise being purged from the pollution of Antichrist, and for the godly persons in it (could we possibly separate them from the prophane) we would gladly embrace them with both armes.
But being taught by the Apostle speaking but of one wicked person, and of one Iewish ordinance †1 Cor. 5. 6 Gal. 5. 2. 9.that a little leven leveneth the whol lump, we cannot be ignorant how sour the English Assemblies must needs be: neither may we justly be blamed though we dare not dip in their meal, least we be soured by their leven.
The second and third Rules follow, which for order-sake I will invert, setting the latter in the former place.
2. Beare with lighter faultes for a time, til fit occasion be offred to Mr. B…rn.have them amended.
1. No sinn is light in it selfe, but being continued in, and countenancedAnsw. destroyeth the sinner. Matth. 5. 19.
2. It is the property of a prophane and hardened heart evermore to extenuate and lessen sinns.
3. Though the bearing and forbearing not onelyonly of smal but even of great sinns also must be for at tyme, yet it must be but for a tyme, and that is whilest reformation be orderly sought, and procured, Lev. 19. 17. But what tyme hath wrought in the Church of England all men see, growing dayly by the iust iudgment of God, from evill to worse, and being never afore tyme so impatient eyther of reformation, or other good, as at this day.
4. A man must so bear an evill, as he be no way accessary vntounto it, by forbearing any means appoynted by Christ for the amending it.
3. The manifest evil, labour in thy place by the best …anes to have Mr. Bern.them amended peaceably.
This is not sufficient, nor enough, except our places be such andAnsw. we in such Churches, as wherein we may vse the ordinary meanes Christ hath left for the amendemēt of things: otherwise our places and standing themselves are vnwarrantable, and must be forsaken. And this I desire may be well considered by all such whether Ministers or people, as know and acknowledge that Christ requireth of them further duties for the amendement of evils, then their very places will give them libertie to performe.
The fourth & fifth and sixth Canon may be receaved with out daunger, the seventh not so.
7. Let the corruption of the person, and his lawfull place be distinguished: Mr. Ber…and where person and places are not so lawfull, and in the proposed end not agaynst thee, wisely labour to make them for thee: and make that good of the… thou canst, and wholly condemn not that Ministery which a godly man may make for good.
We may not communicate at all in that Ministery which isAns. excercised by an vnlawfull person or in an vnlawfull place, though God may bring good out of it, least we do evil that good may come thereof, which is damnable. Rom. 3. 8.
And if that be true vvhichwhich the most forvvard professe & do hold, that the approbation and acceptation of the people gives being to the Ministery, it concerns the people carefully to see vntounto it, that they accept not of, nor cōmunicate with any vnlawfull person in an vnlawfull place, least thereby they set vp, or give being vntounto his Ministery, and so be deep in his transgression.
The eight and ninth rule, I passe over as being without exception. OnelyOnly I see not vponupon what occasion the authour should thus disorderly shuffle into this controversy (which is merely ecclesiasticall) such considerations as in the former of these two rules and in many other places he doth concerning the frame and alteration of civill states, except he would eyther insinuate agaynst vsus that we went about to alter the civill state of the kingdom; or at least, that the alteration of the state ecclesiastical, must needs drawe with it, the alteratiō of the civil state; with which …te the Prelates have a long tyme bleared the eyes of the Magistrates. But how deceiptfully, hath been sufficiently manifested, and offer made furtherThe Assertion. to manifest the same by solemn disputation.
And the truth is, that all states and pollicies which are of God,Christia… offer. whether Monarchycall, Aristocraticall or Democraticall, or how mixt soever, are capable of Christs goverment. Neyther doth the nature of the state, but the corruption of the persons hinder the same in one or other.
10. Refuse not to obey authority in any thing wherein there is not t… Mr B.thee manifestly known a sinn to be cōmitted agaynst God: let fantasyes passe: be more loath to offend a lawfull Magistrate, then many private persons. Where thou canst not yeeld, there humbly crave pardon; where thou canst not be tolerated, be content with correction for safety of conscience.
Authority indeed is to be obeyed in all things; if they be good,Ans. actively, and by doing them, if evill and vnlawfull, passively and by suffering with meeknes for righteousnes sake: if pardon cannot be obteyned, as is well advised. But where counsell is given to ob…y in any thing whrein a manifest known sinne is not cōmitted agaynst God, this morsell must not be swallowed downe till it be well chewed.
For a man may commit a sinne agaynst God, in doing a thing wherein there is no sinne. The sinne may be in the person doing, & not in the thing done: as when a man doth a good thing against his conscience or doubtingly, and without fayth. 1 Iohn. 3. 20. Rom. 14. 23.
And where Mr. Bern. further adviseth rather to offend many private persons then one lawful Magistrate, I doubt not he gives no worse counsayle then he himself followes, who (except I be much deceaved in him) had rather offend half the private persons in the diocesse, then one Arch-bishop though he be an vnlawfull Magistrate.
But of the case of offence hereafter. In the meane whyle, let vsus remember our care be not to offend the Lord, and if with the offence of a private person (though never so base) be joyned the offence of the Lord, better offend all the both lawfull and vnlawfull Magistrates in the world, then such a little one. Mat. 18. 6.
Lastly where Mr. Ber. concludes this decade of counsayl with that which is written Rom. 14. 17. 18. he misinterprets the Apostles words if he put them down (as it seems he doth) for a reason of that which goes before. For the Apostles in that place hath no reference at all to the authority of the Magistrate, whose kingdome indeed doth stand in meate and drinke and the like bodily things, wherin he may command civilly, & is to be obeyed in the Lord: but the Apostles purpose is to admonish the strong in fayth to take heed of abusing theyr Christiā liberty in the vnseasōable vse of meats & drinks & the like (to the offence of the weak brethren) as though the kingdom of God stood in the perēptory vse of those things, & that they were therein to shew the libertie of the gospel.
Furthermore howsoever the kingdome of God be not meat & drink, yet is the kingdom of God much advanced or hindred both in a mans self and in others, in the seasonable or vnseasonable vse of them. A man in vsing them (or rather abusing them) with offence to a weak brother, may destroy both him, and himself also in breaking the law of charity. Rom. 14. 15. 20.
It remaynes now we come to the second rank of counsayls, as they are devided by the authour, for what cause I know not, neyther wil I curiously enquire. but wil take them as I find them.
1. Omit no evident and certayn commandement imposed of God. Mr Ber.If there be nothing but probabilitie of sinning in obeying the precepts of men, s…t not opinion before iudgement.
Wofull counsel, God knoweth, and in deed such as directs aAnsw. course to harden the heart of him that followes it in all impiety. For he that wil at the first do that by mans precept, which is like or which he thinks to be sinne; wil in time do that vponupon the like regard which he knowes to be sinne: and so fall into all presumption against God. Men are rather to be admonished (especially in the case of religion about which wee deale) that if the Lord shall touch their tender harts with fear and iealousy of the things they do, they rather suspend in doubtful things, (except they can in some measure overcome their doubting by faith,) till in the use of all good meanes, the God of wisdome and father of lights give to discern more plainly of things that differ, least being head-strong & hardmouthed against the check of conscience, which the Lord like a bit puts into their mouthes, they provoke the Highest to withdraw his hand, & to lay the reyn on their necks, & so they even run head long vpō those evils without fear, upō which at the first they have adventured with feareful & troubled cōsciences, which is oft times the iust recompence of such errours frō the Lord. Rom. 1. 27. 28.
2. Let ancient probabilitie of truth be praeferred before new conjectures Mr B.of errour against it.
As this rule shewes by what tenure Mr B. holds his religion,Ans. namely, by probabilities & likelihoods of truth; so if he mean that this way (wherein we by Gods mercy walk) is any new way, or our rules conjectures, I do hope (by the good hand of God herein assisting me) to make it manifest, that this way is †Ier. 6. 16.that old and good way, after which all men ought to ask and to walk therein, that so they may find rest vntounto their souls. And that we are not guided in it by conjectures neyther goe by guesses, but by the infallible rule of Christs Testament.