The Pastor and the Prelate, Part 3
THE THIRD PART.
The Pastor & Prelate compared in their judgment and practise about things indifferent.
BESIDE the speculations of the Schoolmen devided amongst themselues,Many controversies & contentions about things indifferent. in their subtilties aboute things indifferent, which vvorke mightily upon mens wits, but more weakely upon their affections, then to make any greate division, There hath beene much adoe in the Kirk since the beginning about adiaphorismes, & things indifferent.1. In the Apostles times. First in the infancie of the Christian Kirk the heate and the contention was greate betwixt the converted Jewes and Gentiles, aboute the keeping of the Ceremonies of the lavv, which before vvere commanded, afterwards were forbidden, but in that tract of time were in a manner indifferent. Concerning vvhichwhich we finde, that the Apostles never imposed them upon any people or person, that judged them unlavvfull, that they thought that every man should be persuaded in his ovvne mind, and should doe nothing against, or vvithout the vvarrant of his conscience; that by all meanes scandall should be avoyded, as vvhichwhich bringeth vvoe upon him by vvhom it commeth, and destruction upon him upon vvhom it commeth, and many such rules of conscience and Christian prudence, vvhichwhich serue to the Kirk for direction in matters indifferent to the comming of Christ.2. At the first reformation, among three sorts of men. Secondly, there vvas greate businesse aboute ceremonies, and things called indifferent, in the infancie of the Reformed kirks, in the time of the Interim, vvhen vvith so greate povver and persecution the Romish corruptions vvere forced againe upon them, under the name of indifferencie: at that time politicks and vvorldly men, more carefull of their ovvn vvealth then of Gods trueth, gaue themselues to serue the time, and received all that vvas obtruded under the saide cloake of indifferencie. These vvere accounted friends to Augustus. Others of greate gifts and esteeme in the Kirk vvished from their hearts, that these ceremonies had never been urged, yet thought it a lesse evill to admit some thing in the externall part of Gods vvorship, and thereby uniformitie in religion vvith the enemies, then by a stoicall stifnes (as they call it) and an obstinacie to provoke authoritie, and thereby to bring upon themselues banishment, and upon Kirk and common vvealth desolarion. Such men looking more to unitie, then to veritie, & more to the event, then to their ovvn duetie, vvere called cānie, vvise and peaceable men. A third sorte setting aside all sophistication, and collusion vvith the enemie, taught plainly by vvord and vvrit from Scripture, and not from the grounds of policie: that vvhen any part of Gods vvorship is in danger, that then for the honour of God, confirmation of the tr…eth, and edification of the Kirk, Confession is necessarie. He that confesseth not me, he that is ashamed of me before men, &c. They taught, that it vvas not lavvfull to symbolize vvith the enemie; that in the case of confession the smallest ceremonies are not indifferent: that at such times the Kirk should stand fast to her libertie, against such as vvould bring her into bondage: that yielding to such ceremonies vvas a great scandall, it being a returning to the vomite, the patching of an old cloute upon a nevv garment, & making the vveake to thinke that the reformation of the Kirk vvas not a vvorke of God, but of man: that the untimely change of ceremonies vvas a shevve of defection from the vvhole reformation: that vvhen the enemie urgeth uniformitie, his intentiō should be looked to, because he never rests, but proceeds from the corruption of outvvard vvorship to corrupt the doctrine, and to leaue nothing sound. Men that taught after this manner vvere accounted by the former politicks, and peaceable Formalists, to be contentious spirits, and troublers of the peace of the Kirk.3. Among Reformed Kirks this day Thirdly, albeit the reformed Kirks agree novv for the most part in the generall, about the nature and use of things indifferent, yet they goe far asunder in the application of the generall to their particular practises. The Lutheran Kirks hold some things for indifferent, vvhichwhich the Kirk of England receiveth not, and England holdeth a multitude of ordinances aboute discipline and ceremonies for indifferent, vvhichwhich vve tabe to be unlavvfull, and beside the vvord. Everie Kirk judging, or at least practising, according to theyr ovvne measure of reformation: all crept not forth of that Roman deluge equally accomplished. No marvell that some of them should smell of the vvine of fornication, vvherevvith they all for so many yeeres vvere drunke. But obstinacie against the ingyring light, and the refusing of a further degree of Reformation, is fearefull, vvhat is it then to drawe others back from their reformation, and to binde them up againe into their old chaine of darknes. These manifold contentions about things called indifferent, and ceremonies hauehave proved so pernitious by defacing the kingdome of Christ, setting up the tyrannie of Antichrist, dividing Pastors, offending people, dismembring the Kirk, and almost putting out the life of true pietie, that vve may truly say, nothing hath proved lesse indifferent to the Kirk, then the contentions about things indifferent, and many hauehave been more hote for them, then for the hart of religion, because they concerne the face of the Kirk, and as Erasmus sayd in another cause, the crownes & bellies of Kirkmen. Whether our old Pastor, or nevv prelate hath here the greatest guiltinesse, will appeare by this litle that follovveth.
THE PASTOR,The pastor resteth not in the estate of a Kirk; that is indifferentgood, but would be at further Reformation: the prelate inclyneth to defection. ever feareth defection, and stil urgeth Reformation, till every thing be done in the house of God, according to the will of God. He accounteth the constitution of a Kirk, that is but indifferent good, or midway betwixt idolatrie and Reformation, to be but like the lukewarmnesse of Laodicea.
The PRELATE pleaseth himselfe in this, that there be many Kirks in worse case, resteth in his indifferencie, and lukewarmnesse, and rather inclyneth downward to further defection, then aymeth at any higher Reformation, like the Priests of Samaria, that were al so earnest against the true worship at Ierusalem, as they were against Baal and his idolatrie.
2. The PASTOR looketh not to the world but to Religion in matters of Religion,The past thinketh not that indifferēt which doth good or evil to the peoples soules: the prelate accounteth that indifferent, which doeth neither good nor evil to his worldly estate. and therefore thinketh not that indifferent in Religion, which bringeth good or evill spirituall upon the Kirk, and the soules of the people, albeit in their worldly estate immediately it doe them neyther good nor evill.
The PRELATE esteemeth many things indifferent in Religion, because they neyther bring good nor evill to his worldly estate, albeit they do good or evill to the Kirk, and to the soules of the people, and looketh more to the world then to religion in matters of religion.
3. The PASTOR acknowledgeth three degrees of matters of fayth,The past, thinketh nothing indifferēt that is warranted by the word: the prelate everything that is not fundamentall. some to be of the foundation and first principles of the doctrine of fayth, some to be neare the foundation, as the conclusions clearly following upon the former▪ and the third to be of all other matters warranted by the word, and what is of this third ranck, were it never so farre from the foundation, and never so small in our eyes, not to be a matter indifferent, but to binde the conscience, and to be a matter of fayth.
The PRELATE professeth the first and second to be matters of fayth; but when he cōmeth to the third he esteemeth thē to be no matters of fayth, but indifferent and wondereth that a wiseman should be so precise and puritanicall, as to stand upon matters that are not fundamentall, but indifferent. For so he distinguisheth, making every thing eyther fundamentall or indifferent.
4. The PAST.The pastor findeth the direction for ceremonies to be as perfect under the gospel, as it was under the law but the prelate addeth unto it, as if it were unperfect. comparing the worship of God under the gospell with the worship vnderunder the law, findeth that the commandement Deu. 12. 32. Every word that I command you, that ye shall obserue to doe, thou shalt not add unto it, neyther shall ye deminish from it, doeth equally concerne both. That the mynd of man permitted to it selfe would proue as vayne and foolish under the Gospell, as under the law, and that Iesus Christ was faythfull as a Sonne in all the house of God, aboue Moses who was but a servant, and therefore albeit the ceremonial observations under the Law were many, which was the burden of the Kirk under the old Testament, and ours be few, which is our benefit, yet the determination from God in all the matters of his worship he findeth to be all particular, the direction of all the parts of our obedience to be as cleare to us, that now liue under the Gospell, as it was to them that lived under the Law.
The PREL. as if eyther it were lawfull now to adde to the word, or mans minde were in a better frame, or the Sonne of God were not so faythfull as Moses the servant, or as if direction in few ceremonies could not be as plaine as in many, would bring into the Kirk a new ceremoniall law, made up of translations of divine worship, of imitations of false worship, and of inventions of willworship, to succede to the abolished ceremonies under the Law, which he interpreteth to be the libertie and power of the Christian Kirk in matters indifferent, aboue the Kirk of the old testament: but is indeede the greate doore, whereby himselfe & others, strange office-bearers, whereby dayes, altars, vestures, crosse, kneeling, and all that Romish rable his shaddow, hauehave entred into the Kirk of Christ, and which will never be shut againe till himselfe be shut out, who while he is within holdeth it wide open.
5. The PASTOR giveth no power to the Kirk to appoint other things in the worship of God,The past. appointeth no new thing in the worship of God: but the prel. is a new lawgiver. thē are appointed already by Christ the onelyonly Lawgiver of his Kirk, but to set downe canons and constitutions about things before appointed, and to dispose the circumstances of order & decencie, that are equally necessarie in civill and religious actions, and therefore resolveth first, that nothing positiue, or that floweth meerely from institution, can be indifferent, or can be appointed by the Kirk. Secondly, that reason may be giuen from Christian prudence, why things are appointed by the Kirk thus and no other waies. And thirdly, that the constitutions of the Kirk about things indifferent can not be universall for all times and Kirks, and therefore can not be concluded upon any morall or unalterable ground, which made the ancients to obserue, that albeit Christs coate had no seame, yet the Kirks vesture was of divers colours, and that unitie is one thing, and uniformitie another.
The PRELATE as a new Lawgiver will appoint new rites, and mysticall signes in the Kirk, that depend upon meere institution, and are not concluded upon any reason of Christian prudence for such a time and place, but upon grounds unchangable, and therefore obliging at all times and places, as is evident by the reason that he bringeth for festivall dayes, kneeling in the sacrament &c.
6. The PASTOR distinguisheth betwixt the nature and use of things indifferent,The pastor is so far limited, that he thinketh nothing to be in use indifferent: but the prelate accounteth that to be precisenes & puritanisme and confesseth with all the learned, that albeit many actions be in their nature indifferent, yet that all our actions in particular (at least such as proceede of deliberation, which is the exception of some of the Schoolmen) are eyther good or evill, and not one of them all indifferent in matters most indifferent, which obligeth him to seeke a warrant from God, for that which he doeth, that he may doe it in fayth, to walke circumspectly, to take heede to his words, gestures, &c. and to do all that he doeth to the glorie of God.
The PREL. abhorreth this doctrine as the foundation of Puritanisme, the restraint of his licentiousnes, and the ruine of his monarchie, & therefore to the contrarie sinneth with a bold conscience, and maketh the people to sinne, some with erring, some with doubting, and some with a contradicting conscience.
7. The PASTOR giveth eare to the H. Ghost,The pastor feareth to giuegive offence in things indifferent: but the prelate is bold and scandalous. charging that we put no occasion to fall, nor stumbling block before our brethren, (for that is to destroy him for whom Christ dyed) cō manding the strong to beare with the infirmities of the weake, and not to please themselues with the neglect of their brethren, and threatning woe to them, by whom offences come, against which no authoritie of man can stand, because it can neyther make scandall not to be, nor not to be sinne, nor not to be his sinne that giveth the scandall.
The PRELATE stopping his eare against the commandement charge and threatning of the H. Ghost, whether he intend to giuegive scandall or not by his manifold abuse of things indifferent, and especially by recoiving into the Kirk againe things called indifferent, which for their great abuse were abolished, giveth offence to all sorts: as the boldnes and increase of papists, the contempt and mocking of the profane, the superstition and perplexitie of the simple, and the grief and crosses of the godly doe declare, against which he never had any excuse, but the pretext of authoritie.
The Prelates objection.
THE PRELATE will still object,Object. None but puritanes are precise in matters indifferent. that ye were more wise to quit the name of conscience in matters so indifferent, as the controverted articles, and others of that sorte be; then still to talke of conscience, conscience, and that ye are, but a part of puritanes, that are so precise and singular beyond your neighhours in matters indifferent.
The Pastors answer.
THE prelate perswading to put away conscience, is not unlike the foxe,Ans. Distinguishing betwixt two sorts of precisians or Puritanes. who through his evill guyding having loosed his tail, would hauehave perswaded all his neighbours to parte with theirs, as an uncomely and unprofitable burthen, that all being like himself, his deformitie might no more appeare. A good conscience would please God in all things in substance and ceremonie, but with due proportion. It first and most standeth at Camels, and yet next it straineth gnats, when the light of Gods trueth makes them discernable. When he calleth us precisians, he is quite mistaken: for he that is so selfe precise▪ that he will rather part with the puritie of Gods worship, and a good peece of the trueth too, then want a complement of his Lordly dignitie, or peece of his worldly commoditie, or disch of his delicacie, and not he that is so precise in the matters of Gods worship (wherein he hath no power to be liberall) that he will forsake all to follow Christ, he and no other is the right precisian. He calleth our pastors and our professors Puritanes, and consequently Hereticks, but blessed be God, can not name their heresie: They are still in profession that which he was not long since, when he was farther from Heresie then he is now. This calumnie constreyneth us to distinguish betwixt two sorts of Puritanes; the one is the old hereticall Puritane, who from the author of his sect, was called Novatian, and from his heresie, Catharist, or Puritane: such a one our pastor is not: for
1. The Puritane denyed the baptisme of infants. The Pastor waiteth on baptisme, as a speciall parte of his calling, which the Prelate doeth not.
2. The Puritanes had their owne Prelates and liked of prelacie. The Pastor in this is no Puritane, but the prelate the Puritane.
3. The Puritane condemned second mariage as unlawfull. The Pastor mainteyneth the honour of mariage against the Putitane, the Papist, and the Prelats manifold matrimoniall transgressions.
4. The Puritane denyed reconciliation in some cases to penitents. The Pastor would be glad to see the Prelates repentance, notwithstanding his greate defections, and that in the time of peace, without the least essaye of persecution: and therefore our Pastor is not a Puritane.
The other sorte is the new nicknamed Puritane in our times, wherein the Papist calleth it Puritanisme, to oppose the Roman Hierarchie. The Arminian accounteth it Puritanisme, to defende Gods free grace against mans free-will. The Formalist thinketh it Puritanisme to stand out against conformitie. The Civilian, not to serue the time, and the Prophane thinketh it essentiall to the Puritane to walke preciesly, and not to be profane, and so essentiall is it indeede, that if all were profane there would be no puritane: for the profane and the puritane are opposed. He then is the new Puritane that standeth for Christ against Antichrist, that defendeth Gods free grace against mans free will, that would hauehave everie thing done in the house of God according to the will of God (which is his greatest heresie) that seeketh after the power of religion in his heart (and this is his intollerable singularitie) and that stands at the staffes ende against the sinnes of the time (and this is his pride and melancholie) after this way that the world calleth heresie serveth he the God of his Fathers, who hauehave all beene Puritanes of this stampe since the beginning. Abel, who was hated for his holynes: Enoch, that walked with God: Noah, that was a perfect man in his generations: Heber, that made Peleg his name a testimonie, that he was free of the building of Babel: Moses, that stoode upon an hooue: Mordecay that would not bowe his knee; Daniel, that would not hold his window shutte: Eleazar, that would not eate one morsell, Paul that would not dispence with one houre, nor with an appearance of an evill: Marcus Arethusas, that would not redeeme his life with the giving of an halfpenny to idolatrie: Caius Sulpitius, who was esteemed ever by the Pagans a good man, but that he was a Christian, &c. were they living at this time, they would not escape this censure, and would be accounted good men, if they were not Puritanes. The Widow of Sarepta, who enterteyned Eliah, the Shunamite the host of Elishah, Annah who for multiplying to pray, and povvring out her heart before God was rashly censured, to be a daughter of Beliall: Annah the widow, that served God with fasting and prayer night and day, and spake of Christ: The godly women that waited on Christ, ministred unto him of their substance, and told the Apostles of his resurrection: Lydia, that constreyned the Apostles to abide with her: Lois and Eunice, that had a care, that their children shoulde hauehave grace: The elect Ladie, the famous Hildgardis, who lived in the 12 Centurie: Mechthildes, Elizabeth the Germane: and many moe, who censured the corruptions of the Kirk, and especially of the Prelates of those times, and prophesied of the Reformation, which they longed to see, were they now living would be censured, for holy sisters, and doting Puritanes, and that the rock and spindle had been fitter for them. Can any man or woman be vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked 2 Pet. 2. be stirred up in spirit against Idolatrie, Act. 17. be hot in religion, Revel. 3. fervent in spirit, Rom. 12. walk precisely, Eph. 5. feare an oath, make the Sabbath his delight, Esa. 58. louelove the brotherhood 1 Pet. 2. Take the kingdome of God by violence, Matth. 11. and keepe a good conscience in all things Act. 24. and not be made the drunkards song, the byword of the poeple, and mocked for a Puritane. It was the saying of Petrach. Simplicitie carrieth the name of foolishnes, malice the name of wisdome, and good men are so mocked, that almost none can be found to be mocked.