The Lawfulness of Hearing of the Ministers of the Church of England, Objection 15 – Objection 16
15. OBIECTION.
The places called Temples & churchs hauing been built for Idolatry should de demolished, and therfore are not to be frequented, specially being accounted and made holy places, Deut. 12. 3.
ANSWERE.Iohn 4. 21 23. 24.
1. The difference of places vnderunder the lavv,1. Tim. 2. 6 vvhen all other places (for the most solemne vvorshippe) as opposed to that one place as holy, vvere vnholy, is now taken away: so as no place novv is holy, or vnholy as then. 2. Suppose it be the Magistrates dutie to destroy them (of which I now dispute not, nor howfarre he should proceed therein) yet I deny the consequence, and that I may not vse that lavvfully vvhichwhich he ought to destroy.
The Magistrate ought to hauehave destroyed such cities in Israell, Deut. 13. 12. 13. 14. 14.as vvhose inhabitants had been corrupted vvith Idolatry. Yet might the cities (if spared by the Magistrats) lavvfully be dvvelt in aftervvards; & Synagogues in them both be built and frequented for Gods morall worshippe Iericho should hauehave beenIosh. 6. 17. 36. an execration and heap for euer: 2. King. 2. 3. 5.yet being built again and standing, vvas the seat of a school of the Prophets. The murtherer ought to be put to death: yet if he be spared, and surviue: his wife, children and seruants, lavvfully may, and in conscience ought to conuerse vvith him according to the naturall, and ciuill relations, betvveene them and him. 3. I knovv no lavv in force, nor doctrine receaued in the church of England, that ascribes any holines to the places. And for errours, and abuses personall they rest in the persons so erring. I suppose some such holines be ascribed vntounto them, as to holy churches, holy buildings, consecrated places, &c. Yet I see no sufficient reason, vvhy I may not vse lavvfully a naturall, and ciuill place in them, for any lawfull vvork, ciuil, or religious: priuate, or publique: for there is one reason of all these. If any think those places like the Idolathites, he mistaketh therein: The things offred to Idols, & eaten in the Idols temple, and feast, vvere in proportion,1. Cor. 10. as the bread & vvine (being blessed) in the Lords supper: as both the Apostle, and reason of the thing manifests. Whereas the place vvhichwhich I vse (though for a religious action to be performed in it) vvhether in the temple, or in mine ovvne house, hath onelyonly the consideration of a naturall and ciuill circumstance. The temple as a temple (vvhichwhich yet I do not think is done in England by any either receaued doctrine, or lavv) may be made an Idoll, by consecration: and yet eueryevery perticuler place in it not made vnlavvfull for all vses.
If any further object, that in preaching, & hearing Gods Word therin, vve hauehave a religious vse of it, they erre, not considering, that though the vvork done be religious, yet the place is no more religious therefore, then the time in which I do it. Time and place are naturall circumstances, and vvithout vvhichwhich no finite action can be performed: and some time, and place more comodious & fitt, then others for the doing of things of all kindes. I hauehave no more religious vse of the place in vvhichwhich I hear publiquely, thē in which I pray priuately in my house or chamber.
16. OBIECTION.
Seing vvhatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne, vvhat vvord of God, and so of faith is therefor this practice?
ANSWERE.
EueryEvery scripture that either commandsMat. 7. 24. the hearing of Gods vvord,Luk. 11. 28. & promiseth a blessing to them that 1. Pet. 2. 5.hear and keep it: Tit. 3. 1.or that commands me to edifie and built to my selfe: Heb. 12. 14.or to obey the Magistrate; or to followe after peace; or to preuent offences, 1. Cor. 10. 32.vvarrants, and in cases, enjoyns this practice: supposing no sinne to be in the vvay; of vvhichwhich in ansvvering the former objections (to vvhichwhich I suppose all other of vvait or couller may be referred) I hope I hauehave cleared it.
And for any vnsatisfied, or other vvise minded, I vvishe I knew their reasons either for their good by a sufficient answere to be giuen vntounto them; or for mine owne, by admitting of them, as there may appeare vvait in them. In the meane vvhile, let me intreat of the differentlie minded, one vvay, or other, that they vvould exercise mutually that true christian charitie one tovvard another, and compassion one of anothers infirmities, which becoms all, that vvill be in trueth, and deed, follovvers of Christ Iesus: & vvhichwhich is most needfull (speciallie in things of this kinde, for the preseruing of the vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace. Which bond of peace whilest men are not carefull to keep inviolated, by brotherly for bearance, in matters of this nature, they miserablie dissipate, and scatter themselues, and one another; euen as the eares in a sheffe are scattered, vvhen the bond breaketh.
But as few or no good things of any kinde are so vvell vsed by some, but others as much abuse them: so is it to be feared, that there vvill not vvant, vvho vvill change their lawfull libertie this vvay into lavvlesse licentiousnes, and so take vp in steed of all other religious exercises: a hearing course onelyonly.
And those specially of them, who disliking the present churchstate in England, yet vvant due zeale, and louelove to that vvhichwhich themselues approue. Let me a litle turn my speach to such, for the preuenting in some, and remedying in others of that inordinate and broken course.
And first I demaund of such, what is this course of hearing such ministers, as vvhose stare of ministerie they approue not? Is it any perticuler ordinance left by Christ, and enjoyned all christians in all ages and places? Verily no. It vvere to be vvished that no church-ministerie vvere to be found, vvhichwhich is not approueable by the Word of God, notwithstanding any good act performed by them that posses it. This hearing is onelyonly a vvork of naturall liberty in it selfe, as I hauehave shewed, and sanctified to beleeuers by their faith. It is lawfull to vse it vponupon occasion, as it is to borrow of other men: but to make it our course, is to liue by borrovving, vvhichwhich no honest man, that can do othervvise possibly, vvould do. Yea what differs it from a kinde of spirituall vagabondry in him that can mend it, though vvith som difficulty, to liue in no certain church-state, and vnderunder no church-order, and gouernment.
To print deep in our hearts the conscience of our duties this vvay; let vsus briefly consider how many bonds of necessity the Lord hath layd vponupon vsus, to vvalk in the followshippe, & vnderunder the ordinances of the ministeriall and instituted-church.
First, vve hauehave lying vponupon vsus the necessite of obedience to Christ our Lord in the commission Apostolicall enjoyning, that after vve be made disciples, as the vvord is,Mat. 28. 19. 20. and baptised vve be vvithall taught to obserue vvhatsoeuer he hath commaunded, It must not then suffice vsus, that vve are disciples, and christians, but we must joyn hearewith the entire obseruation of al the ordinances of Christ (as vve can finde meanes) from the greatest to the least. And let vsus beware that like the Scribes & Pharisees, Mat. 5. 19. 20.vve call none of Gods commaundements litle, because vve vvould make our selues, and others beleeue, that litle, and light account is to be made of obseruing them: lest vve our selues bee called litle, that is, be indeed none in the kingdome of heauen. Our sinnes of ignorance and humane frayly, alas, are to many, let vsus not adde therevnto presumptuous sinnes either of commission, or omission, to prouoke God vvithall.
2. The church, and ministrations therein are not needlesse, but most needfull meanes sanctified of God, and giuen of Christ for our saluation and edification therevnto:Act 2. 47. vvhichwhich he that despiseth, that is,Eph. 4. 11 doth not submit his soule and body vntounto (as he hath meanes) and conuerse therein vvith good conscience though in affliction & persecution, despiseth not man, but God and Christ to the depriuing of himselfe of the fruit of Gods most gracious presence in his house and temple, 1. Tim. 3. 15.vvhere he hath promised to dwell and of Christs ascention into heauen for the powring out of all kingly gifts and largesses vponupon men for the vvork of the ministery.2. Cor. 6. 16.
3. Our great infirmities vvhereof both the scriptures eueryevery vvhere, and our owne experience vvarn vsus, shew in vvhat great need vve stand of all the Lords holy ordinances, and institutions for the supplying of vvhat is vvanting in vsus; and correcting of vvhat is a misse; and continuing, and encreasing of vvhat is good, vntounto the cōming of the Lord: vvhere vve must also take knowledge, and remember, that it is on note of difference, and the same very cleare, betvveene the vvisedome of the fleshe, and the vvisedome of the spirit, that the former vvilbe sure to prouide for the body, and outvvard man, vvhat may bee: though vvith danger, and prejudize of the spirituall: the other vvill take care and order, for the spirituall state though the outvvard pinch for it. And if any out of the view, and persuation of his ovvne strength of grace come to conceaue, that he stands in no such need of Christs ordinances, or of any christian follovvshippe for the dispensing of them: let such a man consider, that the lesse need he hath of others by reason of his greater plenty of grace receaued, the more need others hauehave of him for their supply. But vvhatsoeuer any imagine of himselfe, the Apostle, vvho vvas not partiall, teacheth, that the very head (the chiefe and highest member) can not say to the feet (the lovvest and meanest members) I hauehave no need of you.1. Cor. 12. 21.
4. And lastly, it is necessarie for our sound, and entire comfort vvith the Lord our God, that our obedience be entire in respect of all his holy commandements, vvhichwhich vve do, or can discern to be such, and to concerne vsus, according to that of the man of God,Psa. 119 6 Then shal I not be ashamed, vvhen I hauehave respect to all thy commaundements. That so vve may hauehave our part in the testimonie giuen by the holy Ghost of Zachary and Elizabeth: Luk. 1. 5. 6.vvhichwhich vvas, that they vvere righteous before God, walking in all the commaundements, & ordinances of the Lord, blamelesse. That is, both in the morall precepts, and sacred ceremonies, and institutions of the Lord, Whose examples vve in our place, and times are to followe, not balking vvith the Lord in any thing, great, or small: nor seeking starting holes vvhereby to escape from him, in his word, which is vvholy good and pure. Good, as comming from our good God,Pro. 30. 5. Heb. 6. 5. good in it selfe: and good for vsus, if vve conuerse therein as vve ought; in good conscience tovvards God, zeale for his ordinances, modestie in our selues, and charitie tovvards other men: specially towards them, vvith vvhom God hath joyned vsus in the most and best things: taking heed lest, by any vncharitable either judgment of, or vvithdrawing from their persons, for such humane fraylties, as vntounto vvhichwhich, into one kinde, or other, all Adams sinfull, prosterity are subject; vve sinne not more by our course held against them, then they by theirs in them, vvhichwhich God forbid.
To conclude. For my selfe, thus I beleeue with my heart before God, and professe with my tongue, and hauehave before the world, that I hauehave one and the same faith, hope, spirit, baptisin, and Lord which I had in the church of England and none other: that I esteem so many in that church, of what state, or order soeuer, as are truly partakers of that faith (as I account many thousand to be) for my christian brethren: and my selfe a fellow-member with them of that one misticall body of Christ scattered far and wide throughout the world: that I hauehave alwaies in spirit, and affection al christian fellowshippe, and communion with them, and am most ready in all outward actions▪ & exercises of Religione lawfull & lawfully done, to expresse the same: & withall, that I am perswaded the hearing duplicate page duplicate page of the word of God there preached, in the manner, and vponupon the grounds formerly mentioned, both lawfull, and vponupon occasion, necessary for me & all true christians, with drawing from that Hierarchical order of church gouernement, and ministery, and the appartenances thereof: and vniting in the order, and ordinances instituted by Christ, the onelyonly King, and Lord of his Church, and by all his disciples to be obserued: and lastly, that I cannot communicate with, or submit vntounto the said Churchorder, and ordinances there established, either in state, or act, without being condemned of mine owne heart, and therein prouoking God, who is greater then my heart, to condemne me much more. And for my failings (which may easily be too many) one way, or other, of ignorance hearin, and so for all my other sinnes, I most humbly craue pardon first, and most at the hands of God. And so of all men, whom therein I offend, or hauehave offended any manner of way: euen as they desire, and look that God should pardon their offences.
FINIS.