Justification of Separation from the Church of England, Treatise · Section 2 – Section 3
Why a man should be more scrupulous to seek to have warrant playnly M. Ber.for every thing he doth in ecclesiasticall causes, even about things indifferent, more then about matters pollitick in civil affaires. Men in these things know not the ground nor end of many things, which they do yeeld vntounto vponupon a generall command to obey authority, and knowing them not to be directly agaynst Gods will: and yet every particular obedience in civill matters must be 1. of conscience, 2. as serving the Lord (so must every servant his maister) which cannot be without knowledg & perswasion that we do wel even in that particular which we obey in. Which m…n vsually for conscience sake enquir… not into, but do rest themselves with a generall commaundement of obeying lawful authority, so it be not agaynst a playne commaundement of God. What therefore doth let but that a man may so satisfie himselfe in matters Ecclesiasticall?
Though as playne a vvarrant must be had from Gods vvord,Answ. for the things vve do in matters politick, as in causes cclesiastical; and that obedience in the one as vvell as in the other must be of conscience: yet notvvithstanding the same vvord of God vvarranteth vntounto vsus clean and an other and different course of obedience in things civil, and in things ecclesiasticall.
And the grosse ignorance or vngodly concealment of this difference, is the cause of great confusion. It must therefore be considered that this difference stands in tvvo poynts, 1. the nature of the things and their proper ends. 2. the povver immediate by which they are imposed; from which two ariseth necessarily a third difference to be made in the conscience of obedience vntounto them.
First then it cannot be denyed, but matters civill and politick do come vnderunder the generall administration and goverment of the world, and do respect the outward man for this present life. On the other side, matters ecclesiasticall come vnderunder the special administration of the Church, and serve for the edification and building vp of the inward man to life eternall.
Secondly, Magistrates and men in authority, do enact and impose their civill decrees and ordinances upon theyr subiects, by a Kingly and Lordly power, as being Kings and Lords civilly over the outward man, and his outward estate; Math. 20. 25. and may by their Kingly and Lordly power commaund in their owne names, and that vponupon occasion to the civill hurt and hinderance of many of theyr people, & are therein to be obeyed notwithstanding, Rom. 13. 1. 2. 3. &c. Mat. 22. 21.
But in causes ecclesiasticall not so. There is no King of the Church but Christ, who is†Rev. 15. 3 Isa. 62. 11. the King of Saincts and Saviour of Syon, no Lord but Iesus, who is the onelyonly*Ephe. 4. 5 Iam. 4. 12. Lord and Lawgiver of his Church. And all his lawes & statutes tend to the furtherance and advancemēt of every one of his subiects in their spiritual estate, & neyther King nor Kezar may or ought to impose any law to the least praeju dice of the same, neyther ar they therin (if they should) to be obeyed. Our civil liberty we may loose without syn, & without syn vndergo bodily domages, Math. 22. 21. but we are bidden“Gal. 5. 1. stand for the liberty wherwith Christ hath freed vsus, & that is the whol liberty of the Church; & to†Col 2. 16. let no man iudge vsus (that is, ecclesiastically,) no not in mea…s & drinks, though civilly men may commaund & iudge vsus in them. And vponupon these grounds truely layd by the word of God, an answer may be framed on this manner.
In civill affayres we may and ought to obey for the authority of the commaunder, yea though we know not any good, but on the contrary much harm to our bodily estate, comming vntounto vsus by the same: but in matters ecclesiasticall which are subordinate to the souls good, we must obey onelyonly for the ends of the things cō maunded, and as they tend to the edification of our selves and others, 1 Cor. 14. 26.
To conclude this poynt, since the Apostles expresly commaunds, that all things in the Church be done to the edificatiō of the same, I would demaund of Mr. B. with what fayth or good conscience he or any other mā, can do or enterprise any one thing in the Church, which he or they are not perswaded by the word of God (which is the rule of fayth) tends to edification.
These things being thus, there is no cause why Mr. B. should account it curiosity to serch particularly into every thing for satisfaction: (the differences formerly layd down being observed) neyther doth this holy care of Gods servants (as he further addeth) work vponupon mens wittes to bring distinctions, but on the contrary men of corrupt mynds and vnfaythfull least they should be reformed by the word of God, do get distinctions, like excuses after their owne hearts. Much lesse is it eyther truely or christianly affirmed which followeth, that the more men seek in doubts for resolution, the further they are from it. For howsoever it may be thus with M. B. & many others, which seek the truth as cowards do their enemyes, with a fear to fynd it, least it trouble theyr carnall peace; yet have other men better yssue of theyr labours, and by†Mat. 7. 7 & 13. 44. seeking have found that hydden treasure for the purchase whereof they are content to sell all they have, and to buy it. In the next place come in six rules of directions how to settle the cons…ience to prevent scrupulosity, and perplexity.
1. Keep all mayn truthes in the word which are most playnely Mr Ber.set downe, and are by law of nature ingraven in every man.
First, you are much mistaken Master Bern. if you imagineAnswer. that all mayn truthes in the word are engraven in every man by the lawe of nature. For the gospell is the more principall part of the word, which notwithstanding is wholy supernaturall and above the created knowledge of man or Angel, Mat. 11. 27. Ephe. 3. 10.
Secondly, if in commending mayn truthes and such as ar… playnely set downe, you do insinuate that there are any truthes so meane which we may eyther neglect to serch, or (having found them) to obey, therin you should deceive by promising liberty, & make your selfe wiser then God, and crosse his ordinance & appoyntment. 2 Tim. 3. 16. Deut. 4. 1. 2.
And for things left more dark in the Scriptures, they must be vntounto vsus matter of humiliation in our naturall blyndenes, and of more earnest meditation and prayer with all good conscience.
2. Beleeve every collection truely & necessarely gathered by an immediate Mr. Bern.consequence from the text.
This is good but not sufficient. For collections truely madeAnsw. (though by mediate consequences one after another) are to be receaved, though the fewer the better, and the lesse subiect to daunger. And we must not curtall the discourse of reason soberly vsed and sanctifyed by the word, so short as Mr. B. would hauehave vsus. When the Lord Iesus was to deal with the Saduces about the resurrection he took his proof from that which is written, Exo. 3. 6. I am the God of Abraham, &c. which words do no way conclude theMath. 22. 23—32. resurrection of the body (which was the question) by any immediate consequence, and yet the collection was good and necessary.
The 3. and 4. direction I omit as questionles, and come to the 5. in order.
5. Enterteyn true antiquity, & follow the generall practise of the Church Mr. Bern.of God in all ages, where they have not erred from the evident truth of God.
It cannot be denyed but that is best which is most auncient,Answ. and that truth and righteousnes were in the world before syn & error; but neyther the one nor the other did continue long eyther amongst men or Angels. And he that but considers what monstrous errours and corruptions sprang vp in the Church of the new Testament, whylest the Apostles lived which planted them, wil not think it strange though almost all were over-grown with such bryars and thornes in a few ages following.
And what not onelyonly vnsoundnes in doctrine, but vncertaynty in story is to be found in the most auncient writers, no man though but even meanely exercised in them, can be ignorant. And yet if we would take vp these weapons, it were easy to make good our part against the Church of England in the mayne differences. But we have the word of God which is to vsus a sure testimony: and if he be onelyonly to be heard of whome God from heaven hath testified†Mat. 3▪ 17. & 23. 10. Act. 1. 22▪, as the onelyonly Prophet and Doctor of his Church, we are not then so much to regard what any man hath practised before vsus, as what Christ hath commaunded which is before all. And we must in the first labour to have our harts seasoned with the word of God and according to that taste must all mens both perswasions and practises be savored by vsus: taking heed of those preposterous courses commonly held; some at the first corrupting their harts with the thorny subtilties of the school-men, & more witty then sound sayings of the fathers, and others prejudicing and forestalling themselves by the present and sensible state of things before theyr eyes, or by the generall and partiall practise of tymes past; and so comming in the last place to the word of God, haling that in, to back and support theyr exalted forestalled imaginations.
6. If thou suffer, let it be for knowne truth, and against knowne wickednes, M. B.for which thou hast examples in the word, or of holy martyrs in story, suffering for the same or the like. But beware of far fetched consequences, &c.
We are to forbeare evills not onelyonly known, but suspected & *Rom. 14▪ 22. 23.Ans.doubted of. And he that knowes what a heart meaneth truely softened and made tender with the blood of Christ, had rather suffer all extremityes then approve that as good, eyther by word, writing, or practise, which he but doubteth to be evill, and to displease God, except by fayth he can overcome that doubt in some measure.
And for vsus, though we had no example eyther in the word of God, or other story of any martyrs suffering in the same or the like particulars with vsus, yet since the things we suffer for, are parts of the generall truth of the gospell, which others before vsus have witnessed, we must expose and give our bodyes to the smyters, and our Isa. 50. 6▪cheeks vntounto the nippers, and must not hide our faces from reproches & spitting rather then we deny the least part of it: How much more then considering how many witnesses the Lord hath raysed vp, which having finished their testimony against the Apostacy and vsurpation of the man of sinne, some in one degree and some in an other, have been killed by the beast, some of old and others of late tymes, Rev. 11. 3. 7.
Lastly, where mention is made of things onelyonly seeming vntounto men just & holy: it must be considered, that it is all one to the conscience of the doer, whither the thing done be so in truth, or but in appearance. And he that eyther doth that which seemeth vntounto him vnjust and vnholy, or passeth by that which seemeth just and holy, sinneth agaynst his owne hart, †Ioh. 3. 20and if his owne hart condemn him, God which is greater then his heart will much more condemn him.
If yet thou doest iudge a thing commaunded a sinne, and not to be Mr B.obeyed; for thy help herein, enquire whether that which is wrongfully or sinfully commaunded, may not yet neverthelesse be without sinne obeyed as Ioab obeyed David in numbring the people.
This is as much as if in playne termes you should counsel aAns. man, to cōsider whether he may not sinne without syn: for what els is it to obey that commaundement, which a man judgeth not to be obeyed? A cold comforter are you to a perplexed conscience & an ill counseler, thus to advise men to be bould agaynst the Lord, and to try whether, they can blynd their consciences, and harden their harts, that they may sinne without feeling, or feare.
The example of Ioab in obeying David, is impertinent. The case was civil, and in civill affaires many thinges may lawfully be vndergone, which are vnlawfully imposed. For example: If the King merely for his pleasure should enioyne Mr B. vponupon some great penalty to come into the field souldierlike, to draw a sword, shoot, march or the like, the Magistrate might do evill in thus cō maunding, and yet not Mr B. in obeying: but thus to do in the Church or pulpit in the tyme of Gods worship, were as finfull obedience as were the commaundement sinfull. All actions ecclesiasticall, in or about Gods worship, are subordinate to the edification of the Church and to good order; if they tend thereto they are lawfull in the commaunder, if not they are vnlawfull in him that obeyeth.
Besides, Davids cōmandement for numbring the people, was no way vnlawfull in it selfe, but vponupon occasion both lawfull & necessary. Numb. 1. 2. & 26. 4. It was onelyonly the curiosity or pride, or infidelity of Davids heart made the sinne, which might hurt himself, but not Ioab. But had Ioab judged the thing commaunded sinne, and not to have been obeyed, he had sinned in obeying, as well as David in commaunding.