Against Human Ceremonies in Gods Worship, Part 2 · Chapter 1 · Section 1
SECT. 2.
MY purpose is not, to insist upon words, & circumstantiall exceptions, as being of litle moment, but onelyonly to discusse the materiall poynts that I meet with, in their order. Yet because the Rej. commeth on in the beginning, with suche a heat, if the Repl. had marvelously offended, almost in every word; I will take his first accusations (though not …uche materiall) into due consideration.
1. The Repl. made onelyonly mention of the all-suffi…encie, or perfect fulnesse of the Scriptures. Heerat the Rej. …raesently complaineth of abuse, misreporting, and ma…ng a false shew: as if (sayth hee) wee denied the perfect …lnesse of the Scripture etc. Now 1. the Repl. sayd no suche thing, but the contrarie rather, when he observe that the same was granted by the Def. as it was r…quired by those he writ against. 2. If he had sayd that th… Def. and Rej. also doe denie the perfect fulnes of Scripture, in regard of Ceremoniall worship, he had sayd… more then trueth, for they teache, that some such worship is lawfull and good, which is not taught … Scripture, that many teaching Ceremonies, which Go… never instituted, may by man be instituted and brough… into worship, images themselves not excepted, that additions to Gods word (so they be not contrarie) m… and ought to be made.) The summe of their doctrin… in this point, is that which Mr. Hooker setteth down p. 125. Mucke the Churche of God shall alway: need, which … Scrip…ure teacheth not.
Neyther doeth it help, which the Rej. addeth, … Scripture is as perfest in giving generall rules, as it should b… in setting downe of all particular instances. For 1. this … not generally true, because generall rules make only th… proposition tending to particulars, and the assumtion … left undetermined, they therfore doe not so fully an… perfectly inferre the particulars, as if they were s… downe.
Generall rules are given in the new Testament, fo… civill policie or governement of Common wealth: ye… no man (I think) will say that civill policie is so full… and perfectly taught in the new Testament as it was … the olde, or as religious worship is now in the new.
The rule for cleane beasts (sayth the Rej.) that they be suc… as chewe the cudde, and divide the hoof, was as perfect, as … suche beasts had been named. True, but here no de…rmination of the assumtion was necessarie, but suche the beasts themselves did make to every man that was …ot blinde, without any institution of man. It was as …ow it is in bread & wine for the Lords Supper, which …e appointed in generall, without naming of wheat, …, mislen bread, or Frenche, Spannish, Rhenish, Itali…, Greek wine: but crosse and surplice (I hope) are …ot so in generall appointed. The generall rules which … Rej. groundeth our Ceremonies upon, are: let all …ings be done to edification, with order, and decencie. Now these rules are suche (sayth Mr. Hooker p. 95.) as stand light of reason, and nature to be observed, though the Scrip…re had never mentioned them. So that in them ther is no …che perfection of Scripture, for particulars, as if the …rticulars had been named. 2. betwixt these generalls …d suche particulars in quaestion, there must come a …umane institution, suche as (to make the example …gree) if it had been praescribed in the olde Test. onelyonly …ith cleane beasts should be used in sacrifice, and left to …e Priests for to determine, what kinde of beasts should …, or holden to be clean.
2. An untruth is charged upon the Replier, in that … sayd, nothing was denied by the Def. in the 2. section.
Now let any man read, over the section, and he shall …inde nothing denied. His answers ar these: wee due ac…ept of your distinction; onelyonly the second member must be ex…ended to generall rules, permissions, commō aequitie, you must …nd unto this distinction; which when you doe not, you con…ute your selves. Is here any thing denied. Yea (sayth the Rej. the Major is denied: because it is shewed that somthing is warranted which is not praescribed. The major is: Scripture condemneth) that which is doen eyther against, or without warrant of the word of God, especially in matters of Gods service. Let any man of common reason and indifferencie, judge, whether this be contradicted, by that, something is warranted which is not praescribed.
3. The Replier is taunted with I know not what fault, for saying here, that, distinction to be granted, which after he denieth to be the non-Conformists. As if in dispute, it were not usuall for one partie to observe what the adversarie doeth grant himself, though hee himself doeth not owne it. The Rej. might have spared all these words of this section, but that he affected to say muche upon litle or no occasion, that his answer might seem abundantly complete.