The English Nonconformity Under King Charles II and James II, Chapter 21 – Chapter 22
Chap. XXI. Point XVIII. Of giving an Account to the Ordinary of all that we keep from the Sacrament, that he may Proceed against them according to the Canons.
L.
VVHy cannot you Approve of, and Consent to this?
M.
For many and great Reasons. 1. From the Ordinary. 2. From our Selves and our Ministry. 3. From the People. 4. From the Church. 5. From the Nature of the Matter.
L.
I. What have you against it from the Ordinary.
M.
I told you before that, 1. Some of the Ordinaries are Lay-Men, sitting in Corners to Decree Excommunications and Absolutions, proper to the Clergy. And we ought not to consent to the guilt of this.
2. Other Ordinaries are single Presbyters that have no Power of the Keys from Christ over their Brethren, and over a multitude of Churches.
3. Other of the Ordinaries are Diocesans over Hundreds of Churches that have no Bishops of their own under these. And we ought not to own any of all these.
L.
II. What Reasons have you from your selves?
M.
If we should accuse to the Ordinaries all that we ought to keep away, it will utterly destroy our Ministry. 1. We are bound to keep away all that desire not Episcopal Confirmation. 2. All Ignorant Persons that are unready to be Confirmed. 3. All Atheists, Infidels, Hereticks, scandalous Sinners, and that live in malice to others (much more to the generality of Godly Men.) 4. All the Nonconformists whom they call Schismaticks, that Kneel not, &c. And in a Parish of 30000 or 40000 in London, it's well if of all these sorts there be not many Thousands. And 2. The Ordinaries Courts are full of other Work: And in the Countrey they are oft far from most Ministers. 3. Ministers have usually much more Work than they can do at home, and less Money than they need: And the Prosecution of all these, and bringing up Witnesses, will take up all their time, and leave them none for their Studies, or many other Offices at home: And it will undo them in their Estates. 4. It will make the People so much to hate them, that their Preaching will do little good. 5. And when they know all this, none of the Ministers will practice it, as Experience tells us; and so they will all live in the breach of the Covenant which they made; and when to get a living they have falsly professed Consent to all this Accusation and Prosecution, Self-love will not suffer them to do what they consented to.
L.
III. What are your Reasons against it from the People.
M.
1. The Multitude that makes it unpracticable. 2. The greatness of some of them that will ruine the Ministers. 3. But especially because it will cross the just end of our Ministry, and make them uncapable of receiving any Profit by us: And our Power is given us for their Edification, and not for their Destruction: This will but harden them against our Doctrine.
L.
Do not you by this Condemn your selves that desire a stricter Discipline, which would offend them more.
M.
No; for 1. We would not turn our Churches into Prisons, nor bring in any under our Discipline, but consenting Volunteers.
2. We would have no Lay-men, or forced Ordinaries to do this, but Pastors of their own choice, whom they well know.
3. We would have nothing done against any sinner Magisterially and forcibly by the abuse of the Keys; but only humble Ministerial convincing them by Gods word of sin, and of Gods wrath, and praying for their repentance, and meek and patient warning them, and waiting till they prove obstinately impenitent: And then only an Exclusion of them declaratively from that Communion from which they exclude themselves, without any force on their Goods or Persons.
L.
IV. What are your reasons from the Church?
M.
1. We ought not to consent to so great a corruption of its Discipline. 2. Nor to a course that will render it odious to men. 3. And deprive it so much of the true work of a faithful Ministry.
L.
5. What mean you by your reasons from the matter?
M.
The ordinary proceeding according to the Canons must cast out a multitude of truly godly Christians; and then they must be further prosecuted and ruined; as we shall see anon under the particulars. And we cannot Covenant and Consent to be prosecutors of such men, before such Judges, for such an end, and to such direful Effects.
Chap. XXII. Point XIX. Of Publishing the Lay-Chancellors Excommunications and Absolutions according to the Canons.
L.
HOw are you bound to publish their Excommunications?
M.
1. By our Ordination-Covenant to obey the Ordinary. 2. By the Oath of Canonical Obedience. 3. By this assent and consent to the words last mentioned, to accuse them, that the Ordinary may proceed against them according to the Canon. 4. By constant custom: If we do it not, we shall be suspended or cast our.
L.
But the Oath of Canonical Obedience is but in licitis & honestis.
M.
I told you before, it implyeth that all that is Canonical is licitum & honestum. And they will not allow us to be Judges, but will suspend us if we refuse their commands as unlawful and dishonest. And the Canon it self ipso facto Excommunicateth all that say any of their Governing Offices are contrary to the Word of God, or that the Canons bind not Dissenters. And so far is the Church from taking this for unlawful or dishonest, as that it expresly commandeth it in these words, Can. 65.
[All Ordinaries shall in their several Jurisdictions carefully see and give order, that as well those who for obstinate refusing to frequent Divine Service Established by publick Authority within this Realm of England, as those also (ESPECIALLY OF THE BETTER SORT and Condition) who for notorious contumacy, or other notable crimes stand lawfully Excommunicated— be every six Months ensuing, as well in the Parish Church as in the Cathedral, by the Minister openly in time of Divine Service, upon some Sunday denounced and declared Excommunicate, that others may thereby be admonished to refrain their Company,—and excited the rather to procure out a Writ de Excommunicato capiendo;] so that no man can be a Minister that will not practise it.
L.
And what have you against the practice of it?
M.
1. To be the Agent of Lay-mens Excommunicating. 2. And the Instruments of godly mens Excommunications and Ruins. You may as well ask us why we dare not oppress and destroy men without cause; the Publishers cannot be Innocent.