Sacrilegious Desertion of the Holy Ministry Rebuked, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
Of the Inconveniencies of our Tolerated Meetings.
Sect. 1. NOthing more eaſie than for men that have ſome great advantages, to force inconveniencies upon other mens greateſt Duties. And we look to do nothing in the World ſcarce that ſhall have no inconvenience. I eat not one meal of ten that doth not make me ſick. But muſt I therefore give over? I can tell you of more than a few inconveniences of your own preaching, and Church-worſhip; and yet you will not give it over. But if any ſhall make thoſe inconveniencies againſt our wills, and to the grief of our hearts, & then tell us that to avoid them we muſt Sacrilegiouſly and as Soul-murderers deſert our Miniſtery, we ſhall eaſilier anſwer them, then they will ſhortly anſwer God.
Sect. 2. His firſt inconvenience is, that [We ſhall lay down the Cudgels and beg the peace, &c. of the rest of the Sectaries, as well as the Independents.]
Anſw. A hard point to that Sect that is Turba gravis paci, placidae que inimica quieti; who know not how to lay down the Sworn. But if we have been at Cudgels, we mean not to live and die at a work ſo unſuitable to our Religion and our minds. Reproach not him that ſaid [If it be poſſible, as much as in you lyeth, live peaceably with all men] But if it be our diſlike of Schiſm that are the Cudgels you mean, you are anſwered already. Pretend not to know our minds better than our ſelves. When were we againſt our own Preaching, as we had opportunity?
Sect. 3. He would next raiſe a ſuſpicion, [That our Principles change with the times,] and yet ſaith [It is a thing not eaſily obſerved in us in any thing elſe;] Condemn not your ſelf then by ſuſpecting it in this, till you better know our minds: [Or elſe, which is worſt of all, that our intereſt lay at the bottom, and was the only Spring and Wheel of our zeal, and all our motions, &c]
Anſw. Who had been the more accuſable of this Carnality and Hypocriſie, in the eyes of any ſtanders by, the Conformiſts that take up the Principles that go along with Safety, Wealth, Preferments and Dignities? or the Nonconformiſts, that have near ten years been deprived of all Eccleſiaſtical maintenance? ſome lived in extream poverty, and ſome lain in Jails, &c. Sure, if we accuſe not you, even you, of hypocritical following carnall intereſt, one would think a little modeſty might have cured the Canker that moved theſe ſuſpicions or accuſations of us, either as to theſe or former Opinions. But my expectation of modeſty, I ſee by the following words, needs a pardon.
Sect. 4. He addeth [Conſider I beſeech you, how like to Independent-Ape… your new Congregations will make you look, &c.]
Anſw. That is to ſay, Come Nonconformiſts, if you will not be beaten from your Maſters work, we will try whether we can ſcoff and ſcorn you out of it; if that will not do, we will pretend Chriſts Name and Authority as forbiding you. For as Chriſt, Matth. 4. ſo you muſt encounter a three-fold temptation. But we take pleaſure in infirmities, and can bear to be made as the off-ſcouring of all things, remembring who was cloathed in Purple, and then mockt as being like a King. If you will take my Spoon and Knife from me, and then ſay that I eat like an Ape or a Beaſt, I will not be ſo prated and fooled out of my meat. If with Diogenes I had caſt away my Diſh to uſe my bare hands, or forſaken my Houſe to live in a Tub, I had deſerved your deriſion; but if you take my houſe & all my goods from me, you ſhall not mock me out of my poor Tub alſo; We would avoid all appearance of evil; But only in things indifferent, we will not ceaſe Chriſtianity preaching or praying, when you can make it by your Artifice appear like evil: Let's hear the inſtances.
Sect. 5. [1. Your Churches will be gathered as theirs.]
Anſw. As much as all the Churches for three hundred years were; or the Meetings of Flavianus, Meletius, and others at Antioch, when they were prohibited the Temple. And as Dr. Wilds and Dr. Gunnings were fifteen years ago. Or if you will, as the Joannites were in Constantinople, till Chryſoſtoms name and bones were honoured by wiſer men than thoſe that caſt him out.
Sect. 6. [2. You can adminiſter Baptiſms or the Lords Supper, to none but thoſe of your ſelect number.]
Anſw. 1. Is it becauſe we will not, or becauſe you will not give us leave? Who then is it long of? O for modeſty! Tye mens feet, and reproach them for not going!
2. But is it not better to give an Alms to the bodies or ſouls, of ſome men, than of none at all? Argue thus with your Phyſicians, You can medicate none but your ſelect Patient; Ergo, you are to be ſcorned if you medicate any at all. And I profeſs, were it not for the poor peoples ſake, and my duty to God, I would give you (that deſire it) all my practice, and all the gains.
3. But why may we not in the allowed places exerciſe our Miniſtry, in baptizing the Children of any one of your Flocks that ſhall deſire it, or giving them the Sacrament? I yet underſtand it not, unleſs for the avoiding of your envy and diſpleaſure.
Sect. 7. [3. You cannot exerciſe Diſcipline but by the conſent of your people.]
Anſw. 1. We cannot be Pastors to any againſt their wills: If you can, and take that for your honour, keep it, for we will have no part with you. We find indeed that it is your Opinion to exerciſe your Diſcipline on us againſt our wills.
2. But though we cannot take men for Chriſtians, nor for our ſpecial Flock, nor bring them to repentance, nor yet abſolve them againſt their wills, we can admoniſh and excommunicate them againſt their wills, and deny them the Lords Supper from us; if they firſt voluntarily ſubmit to our Miniſtry. We take it not for our part or honour to do in theſe things ſo much as you can.
Sect. 8. [4. Neither can you have any Church. Government but in your ſingle Congregations, and that too Independent on all others.]
Anſw. 1. Who is that long of? Is it not you that forbid it us?
2. But indeed we never deſired to play the Biſhops in other mens Dioceſs: If we pretended to govern you, would you take it for our Orthodoxneſs? I think not. I would you were of the ſame Opinion, & I would the Pope were of the ſame Opinion, and would let other men alone, and exerciſe his Diſcipline over none that he hath nothing to do with. Baxter whom you name hath told you, that Biſhop Uſher profeſt his Judgment to him, that even Biſhops in a Council (though they are there Governours of the Flocks, yet) meet not for Government of one another by Vote, or of other Biſhops, but for Concord. And Grotius de Imp. ſum. pot. hath ſhewed you that Canons are not Laws but Agreements.
2. But why may not many of us Miniſters meet in one allowed place, for ſuch Agreements in our Paſtoral Government? And no greater dependance do we deſire: I aſſure you we ſhould be glad if all the ſilenced Miniſters theſe thirty years had been leſs dependant on the Dioceſans.
Sect. 9. He addeth [Thus as others are Independents by choice and Profeſſion, you will make your ſelves ſo by neceſſity; and that neceſſity ſuch, as you wilfully throw your ſelves into againſt all the light of Presbyterian-Conſcience, Prudence and Interest, by a needleſs and ſinful, a ſcandalous and miſchievous ſeparation.]
Anſw. 1. Such confidence upon ſuch inſignificant reaſonings, is a great diſhonour to the wit and humility of the Author. He that no better knoweth their judgments, can tell you, what all the light of the Presbyterian conſcience is.
2. He can prove that our Miniſtery is needleſs, ſinful, &c. becauſe he can call the exerciſe of it ſeparation: As if the paucity of ignorant and ungodly Souls, and the ſufficient number, ability, zeal, and diligence of the Conformiſts made us and our Labours needleſs indeed. Alas, what thoughts have theſe men of ſouls, of ſin, of holineſs, of repentance, and of their own ſufficiency and labours. But, Sir, who made you a fitter Judge of the need of ſouls, than themſelves and all others? Next perſwade us that Tutors are needleſs, becauſe all in England are born learned. I have much ado to get ſervants in my own Family that have tolerable knowledge and piety: And can our Conformiſts alone ſufficiently teach many hundred Families, and prove that other mens help is needleſs? Try firſt whether you can perſwade men, that you alone are ſufficient to teach all the Children in your Pariſhes to ſpeak, and to dreſs them, and feed them, and that all other perſons help is needleſs. Get them to faſt all till you ſeed them your ſelves, and make them believe they need no other meat. We that have conferred with all the people of our Pariſhes when we were permitted, found that multitudes were almoſt as ignorant as Heathens: And yet our excellent ſucceſſours, that do no ſuch thing (as to any two of them that ever I knew or heard of) but ſee their faces in the Church, can prove all our Teaching needleſs to theſe poor ignorant ſouls: Is this humility, and Miniſterial fidelity? Its ſin in us to preach, and duty to the Conformiſts: I am glad they take it yet for a duty to any.
3. But is it not as eaſie for us to ſay, That you have needleſly, and ſinfully, and ſcandalouſly taken our places, (I mean as to the Church-Relation, & not as to the Temples and Tythes,) and drawn ſome of the people to ſeparation from thoſe that were before true Churches? We ſay not ſo; but put not your ſelves on the hard task of diſproving it, if you are wiſe.
4. But our neceſſity Sir, hath viſible Cauſes.
1. God and our own conſent at our Ordination, made our neceſſity of exerciſing our Miniſtry; We are not aſhamed of the Goſpel of Chriſt, nor that it was our choice: But God hath laid this neceſſity on us, and wo be unto us if we preach not the Goſpel, as we have opportunity.
2. The Biſhops to ſome of us, and ſenior Paſtors to others, by Miniſterial Inveſtiture impoſed this neceſſity on us.
3. The great neceſſity of multitudes of fouls (which nothing but groſs ignorance de facto, Infidelity, or Impudency can deny) concurreth to cauſe this neceſſity.
4. The Law impoſeth a neceſſity on us, not to preach among you in the Temples: If then God ſay, Preach, and the Law ſay, Preach not in the Temples, we may conclude we muſt preach out of the Temples; if we have but as much wit as King James's Hounds had, that at a double way, if they find the Hare hath not gone one way, will take it for granted he is gone the other. Here is then but two makers of our neceſſity, the Impoſer and the Reſtrainer; Reproach neither of them if you will take our council.
Sect. 10. He addeth [In vain do you think to help your ſelves, and to ſatisfie the World, by pleading the moderation of your Principles, and that you do believe our Parochial Congregations are true Churches, which the other Sectaries deny: For beſides that many of the Independents acknowledge the ſame, this is the great aggravation of your Schiſm: For why then do you ſeperate from us?]
Anſ. 1. We are glad that you confeſs the Independents themſelves are ſo moderato towards you.
2. We perſwade none to ſeparate from you.
3. Do you ſilence us, and depoſe us from the Miniſtry, and forbid Baptiſm and the Lords Supper to all that have not as wide a ſwallow as your ſelves, and then ask, Why ſeparate you from us?
4. Do you draw Churches to your ſelves out of our true Churches that were before you, and then charge your act on us?
5. Why come not you to the private Churches among you that have all this while been kept up? e. g. In London, why may not Dr. Manton, Dr. Anneſley, Dr. Jacomb, and abundance of ſuch, as fairly charge thoſe that go only to the Temples, for ſeparating from them? They ſay, They are as true Chuches as you. If their not hearing you is ſeparation, why is not your not hearing of them ſo? Big words when men are got into the Saddle make not their Cauſe good.
6. But it ſeemeth that acknowledging you true Churches will not ſatisfie you, without (what?) actual hearing you. But doth not every Chappel, and every neighbor Pariſh then, and all the World beſides your Auditory, ſinfully ſeparate from you? Some men can triumph in ſuch reaſonings for themſelves, as would make another ſick to read them.