An Apology for the Nonconformists Ministry, Treatise · Part 1 · Objection 9
9 Obj. If you are suffered to Preach, you will but confirm the people in their Nonconformity and dislike of the Government: For though you say nothing of it, they will become a faction for the sake of your opinions: and what confusion will it cause, to have one party of the Church for one Preacher, and another for another; yea, as you would have it, for one to cross the baptized child, and another not; or for one to wear a Surplice, and another a Gown?
Ans. 1. There is nothing in this imperfect life that shall attain perfection; nor can any publick good be done without any inconveniencies. But, O cure not an inconvenience with a mischief! Kill not a fly that sitteth on your brothers forehead, with a Beetle or a Butchers axe. It's strange that wise men can be so partial or narrow-sighted, as to look so intensly after their own desires or interests, as to spy out possibilities of inconvenience, and never see the loss of souls, and great calamities that attend the other way.
2. And indeed are you conscious of no frailties in your selves, which are as great an inconvenience to the souls of men, and the successes of the Gospel, and honour of the Church, as different practisings of the Cross or Surplice? Are you humble men, and teachers of humility? Do you know your selves, and teach the people to know themselves? Are you penitent men, and Preachers of Repentance? and yet have never found any thing more injurious to the souls of men, or the ends of your office in all your Preaching, praying and ministration, than the not using of a Cross or Surplice? Forgive me if I ask you, whether you dare appear before God with no better a Repentance? and what a Pharisee could say more than, I thank thee, God, that I am not so bad as this Puritan, that will not subscribe, or use the Cross or Surplice? But I suppose you will confess that you have much worse Ministerial failings; and if so, should you not be impartial, and say, Veniam petimus que damus que vicissim? I verily thought when I entered into the Ministry, that not one of all my School masters, the tipling Readers before-mentioned, were more useful to the Church than an Amesius, a Hildersham, &c.
3. But I beseech you let not conceit affright you; or at least let not so many pay so dear for your causeless fears: It is in your power more than in ours, to prevent all the feared inconveniences of our Preaching. It is most certain, that needless Impositions are the great cause of factions and divisions in the Church. We heretofore instanced to you:
1. There is no Imposition what gesture to sing a Psalm in, or to hear Gods Word; and about these I never heard of a contention. But about the Sacrament-gesture, and bowing rather at the Name of JESUS, than of Christ, or God; there is Imposition, and there's Contention.
2. There is far more difference between your Cathedral Worship, and your common Parish-Worship, than between the users and not users of a Cross and Surplice: And yet it causeth no such Factions. 1. If you say that it is because they differ not in Judgment, but in Practice. I answer, 1. That's more than you know. I believe you would have some more Nonconformists, if you everywhere imposed the Cathedral-Worship. And 2. we shall be known to differ in Judgment, whether we preach or worship with you or not.
3. And some of you (as Dr. Heylin, and the Answerer of a parcel of our Reply to you) are against the use of any prayers in the Pulpit, but the Liturgy; and some against praying there before Sermon, but only for bidding prayer, as they call it. And most of you practice otherwise, and yet it maketh no division.
4. Nay, when bowing towards the Altar was recommended in the Canon of 1640, it was not Imposed, but men desired not to judg one another about it. And why might not Crossing be under the like liberty?
5. And even in Doctrinals (which are more than Ceremonies) you know what a notorious difference there is among your selves? Some called Arminians, and preaching for it: some that think, and preach against it: some preach for Original sin, and Bishop Taylor writeth against it; and yet you can bear with one another. Yea, how many new Doctrines hath Mr. Thorndike published, and yet his Ministry is tollerable?
6. Yea, even about the matters of State, you know what Mr. Thorndike hath said against the Oath of Supremacy, as necessary to be altered, for the Papists sake: And yet what Faction hath this caused?
7. Yea, you should consider, that it is one of the greatest policies of Rome, for the preservation of their Peace and Unity, and the power of their Hierarchy, that the Pope alloweth such diversities of Religious Houses, Orders, Rules and Ceremonies, that all humors are thereby fitted▪ and every man that hath a mind of an odd and stricter way, may find a time or society for his turn. And will not the long experience of so great a Church, do something to convince you of your mistake?
4. But what confusion will it be for a man to forbear a Surplice every day, when many of your own forbear it most days, and wear it but seldom, and this without confusion? And what if a child be uncrossed, when the Parents so desire it, or done by another when they desire it? What confusion is this? Why may not a little measure of brotherly love serve, to procure mutual patience in that which is no injury to any, as well as in the bowing towards the Altar, where you think it may serve turn without uniformity?
5. But that which I would chiefly have you mind is, that your own way will cross your ends and interest much more than this which we propose to you. It is long since you told me your thoughts (some of you), that if the Ministers were taken from them, the people would conform, and be reduced: And since I told you, I was assured you were mistaken; and that the casting out of the Ministers, would be a very great increase of the peoples disaffection to you, and consequently of divisions. You have since had seventeen years tryal, whether this be true or not! Alas, that England must suffer so much, while the Bishops are learning how to rule, and do their office, yea learning that which weaker persons easily perceive? Alas! that so many thousand Souls must pay so dear, for a few mens experience? I know you say that it is, because the Laws are not strictly executed: But I suppose you know how many Ministers (such as the world is not worthy of) have layen long in the Jayls, in Devonshire, in Somersetshire, in Dorsetshire, in Worcestershire, and in many other Counties; and also how many of the Laity have suffered their three months Imprisonment, and some much more: and how little all this hath served your turn; and how much further you would carry on your severity, I know not: But I know you are not like to cause either Love or Unanimity by this way. Will no experience teach you such easie and obvious things? Do you not see, that there are many more of the common people disaffected to your Ministry and way, than were when the Ministers were first silenced and cast out? Yea, they that lost no Ministers of their own, are yet changed by the common experience of the Land. You will not endure us to tell you truly, what a Ministry you have cast out, and what a Ministry in too many places are in their stead. But the people will know it, whether you will or not. To tell men beyond Sea in Latin, as Mr. Durel doth, of our badness, and of the excellency of your present Ministry, will not perswade the people of England, not to believe their ears and eyes. I love to instance where I dwell and see, because of certainty. This Market-Town of Barnet, ten miles from London, was so extremely addicted to your way, and so impatient of the Directory and the Ministry now cast out, that one who was their Minister in the times of Usurpation, told me he was fain to leave them; and prosessed to me, that he was really afraid, lest they would have put him into the Grave, and buried him alive, for burying a Corps without the Common-prayer, according to the Directory. And now the case is so much altered, that (though the Town consist so much of Inns and Ale-houses, which are very seldom Nonconformists) a private Meeting, near the Church, is crowded like as the Churches were, and the Church is almost empty.
6. And I will make bold to tell you, that if you should banish or imprison all the Ministers, and if you should force the people to forbear to conform to you, as forced Conformity against their wills is but hypocrisie, and doth but paint your Churches with the Ornament of mens company, and profiteth not their Souls; so you do thereby but prepare instruments to undermine your selves. For forced unwilling Conformists will turn against you, as soon as they have opportunity: And if you imprison men in your Churches, they will be still seeking to get out. Were not almost all the Westminster-Assembly Espiscopal conformable men, when they came thither? And did not almost all the people of the Land Conform before the Wars? And yet you know that they did you never the more service, nor the less displeasure.
I must profess it was my unhappiness to have so bad acquaintance, that before the unhappy Wars, I knew not one Conformable Divine, to my best remembrance, who was of a Religious blameless life, and seemed seriously to believe, and seek the life to come, and to prefer Heaven before Earth, who did not Conform only upon Mr. Sprint's argument of Necessity, and had not rather have been excused; and would not profess, that they had far rather that this Conformity were not imposed; and that they did it (as Paul submitted to some Jewish Ceremonies) meerly that they might not be kept from Preaching; And so they held Conformity to be lawful: And therefore with the Assembly, when they might be free, they chose it rather. And is this the happiest Unity that you might attain?