A Short View of the Prelatical Church of England 2, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. The Objections.
NOw, we come in the laſt place, to remove ſome Objections, which we ſhall ſhew to be of no great weight, and therefore we uſe the fewer words.
Object. 1 The firſt is from the antiquity of the Service-book to which Doctor Hall Sect. and others have received an anſwer by Sm…ctymnuus; but ſay it had Antiquity without truth, it were no better than a cuſtome of error, Et nullum tempus occurrit Deo, there is no preſcription to the King of Kings.
Object. 2 The ſecond Objection: Many good men have uſed it, and liked it well; for anſwer, Teſtimonia humana non faciunt fidem, Sect. Mans approbation is not current of it ſelf, but as it buts upon the faithfull witneſs, otherwiſe it is an inartificial argument, as Logicians call it; the Patriarches uſed, and did many things that were not approveable; ſome good Kings of Judah, as Amaziah, and Johoſaphat, tooke not a way the High places: 1 King 14 41, 22 3. 2 King 18.4, to 9.were they any whit the better for that? yea, the ſuffering of them is ſet up as the Kings fault; it were better to follow Hezekiah that took them away. Maſter Wommock alleadgeth for the Service book, that Rome is not demoliſhed in the firſt day, & ſo we alleadge againſt it, that good men in mending times, did either ſee as far as their Horizon, or at leaſt as they durſt. So we have more light, and are ſet upon their ſhoulders, therefore it is both ſin and ſhame for us not to ſee more, and do more than they did: Hebeziah did more than Jehoſaphat, and Joſiah more than they both.
Thirdly, Object. 3 it is objected, that it hath many good things in it; that is anſwered already, Sect. the Alcoran and Talmud have many good things in them: yea, the Apocrypha Books have many excellent truths in them, are they therefore to be preſented in Gods worſhip.
The fourth objection is from a more convenient courſe of correctings Object. 4 of it, than of caſhiering of it. For anſwer, what King or Sect. State did ever yet thrive in moyling and toyling themſelves, to make clean the Popes leprous ſtuff, to bring it into the worſhip of God; but all that ever proſpered in that work, made utter exterpation. Popes will be content to hear of reformaon, and give order for it to their Cardinals, but they are joyned to their Idols,Hoſ. 4 17. and God ſpeaks of Ep…raim let them alone.
Secondl…, this is not Gods courſe in reforming of his Houſe▪ as the rubbiſh of the Leprous houſe was to be caſt out into an unclean place, as hath been ſaid: ſo polluted pieces of Idolatrous Service,Rev. 14.13. are not to be brought by any cleanſing, into the Houſe of God; God commandeth his people to throw down the Altars of the Canaanite: where under Altars are comprehended all other abominations; they were not to ſet a new trim upon any of them, but becauſe they obeyed not the Lord, they ſmatted for it. Bleſſed be God, who hath put it into your hearts, to ſtrike at Altars, Railes, Pictures, Croſſes, and all the Popiſh Idols; Judg 2.2.we are in good hope you will not leave a Popiſh Relique in the …and, neither in Church or Street, and then we may be ſure there ſhall no Canaanite dwell in our Land: this ſcraping and picking that Maſter Wommock ſpeaks of, will be no better than paring of the nayles, and ſhaving of the hair, which as the Great Turke ſaid of his Army, will quickly grow again; yea, and grow again the faſter too: good medicines in natural things may be extracted out of rancke poyſons, but ſo cannot pure worſhip out of things polluted, being mans inventions,Eſa. 30 22 therefore the Prophet Eſay tells us, that nothing will ſerve, but the caſting away of the polluted thing, not cleanſing of it.
Object 5 The fifth and laſt Objection, is from Acts of Parliament, Sect. which the Service-book-men make their ſtaff of their confidence; and yet in truth, being well tryed, it ſhall be found, that they abuſe the ſtate, and conſciences of men moſt groſly. Doctor Hall and others, ſtrike much on that ſtring, as Parliamentary Acts, peremptory eſtabliſhment; yet they make but very harſh Muſique. A man would think that Doctor Hall, being a learned Divine, would firſt have laid this worſhip of Liturgy in the …allance of the Sactuary, and tryed the weight of it there and if it had proved too light, (as ſurely it would) then to have counted it a piacle againſt God and man, to offer to make up the weigh with humane Lawes. I… is not unworthy your remembrance, how one of the latter brood of the Scotiſh Prelates, alledging, or rather miſ-alledging before our late Soveraign King James, ſome Act of Parliament for the eſtabliſhing and maintenance of the Prelacy, the King asked a Noble man being by, being a great Legiſt, an Officer of State, what he thought of thoſe Acts? The Noble-man replyed, That it went never well with them, ſince their Church-men laboured to be more verſed in the Acts of Parliament, than in the Acts of the Apoſtles. But to the matter, for all this cry, we are more than half conſident they ſhall have but little wooll for the Service-booke, from the Acts of State, when they are well looked into. We know not any colour of confirmation for the Service-book, 1 Eliz. c 7.except that Stature prefixed to it, which how little it maketh for it, let the words of the Statute teſtifie, of which we ſhall ſet down thoſe that are moſt pertinent; for it is needleſs to write them all. In the fifth and ſixth years of King Edward the ſixth, an Act was made for the eſtabliſhing of a Book, called, The Book of Common-Prayer, the which was repealed…n the firſt year of Queen Mary, which Statute of repeal was made voyd by this ſame Act the firſt year of Queen Elizabeth; and that the aforeſaid Book, with the alterations and additions therein added, ſhall ſtand and be; and all Miniſters ſhall uſe the ſaid Book, authorized by Act of Parliament in the ſaid fifth and ſixth year of King Edward the ſixth, and no other. This is the ſum of the Statute, in relation to the Subject, namely, What Service-book is it that the Statute eſtabliſheth; and for any thing we can ſee, there is not one paſſage or tittle for confirmation, or eſtabliſhing any other Service-book, but that of King Edward the ſixth; divers Miniſters in King James his time urged with ſubſcription, anſwered the Prelates, True it was, that if they refuſed, they ſhould make themſelves tranſgreſſours of the Laws of the Kingdome, in ſubſcribing to another Book than that, eſtabliſhed by Law: the Prelates in preſſing this ſubſcription,13 Eliz cap 12. forced two Statutes, namely, the Statute alleadged by the change of the Book; and alſo another Statute requiring no ſubſcription, but barely to the Articles of Religion, which only concern the Confeſſion of true Chriſtian faith, and the Doctrine of the Sacraments.
Now, to come to further anſwer; let us grant by way of Confeſſion that there were an Act,Sect. or Acts for ratifying of the Book, which in terminis we cannot ſee, (as Statutes uſe to be expreſſed) yet by the Law of charity and duty, we hold our ſelves bound to believe, that a State profeſſing the truth of Religion would never inact ſo, for a Service-book of mans device, as that it might be a ſnare to the People of God, having other ends; as a kind of uniformity, ſupply for want of Miniſtery, and bringing Papiſts to the Church, but not to preſs it in the bulke beyond the ſphear of any mans Conſcience, witneſs a Rubrick in King Edward the ſixth his Book; but give it to ſpeak as punctually for the Book as they would have it, ſhall it be ſimply good? for that, it is only in the power of a divine Statute ſimply to make a thing good; all Divines, Humaniſts and Lawyers that have written on the Lawes, concurr in this Maxime, Omnium l…gum inanis cenſura, niſi divinae legis imaginem gerant, Auguſt de Civit. Dei lib. 9. Cic. lib. 3. de Repub.the power of all Lawes is voyd, except they bear the impreſſion of the …aw of God: the Orator gives a reaſon for it, Lex divina omnium legum cenſura, the divine Law is the ſtandard of all lawes, yea, a thing evil in it ſelf eſtabliſhed by a Law, becometh worſe, as the learned tell us, it becometh armata injuſtitia, an armed injuſtice, or with Lactantius to the ſame purpoſe,Lib 4 Inſt. Lucan lib. 2. May. Legitime injurias inferre, to do in jury in the form of Law, juſt with the Poet, juſque datum ſceleri— well Engliſhed, and licenced.
Which truth alſo is cleared from divine Authority: the Pſalmiſt complaineth of the injurious evil done upon Gods Church and People, aggravating it from this,Pſal. …4 2…. (that is it was framed by a decree; which place, the Authour of Zions Plea, applieth very pertinently to the Hierarchy, proving it to be the Maſter-ſin, wherewith the Church and State are peſtered, and for which eſpecially, God hath a controverſie with us, becauſe it is decreed by a Law; and as a Law for the Hi…rarchy proved of no force to keep it up, no more than the late Lawes of Scotland could uphold their Prelates: ſo grant that there were a Law for the Service-book, the thing being naught, what could it help it? Within theſe hundred years there was a Law in England, for the Popes ſuprem…cy, ſay that were not repealed, ſtood it either with Reaſon, Religion or Loyalty to ſubmit unto it? Yea, ſome fragments of Laws are yet unrepealed in this Land, that no judicious man will obey: neither have we alleadged thoſe evidences upon this ſuſpition to encounter with an Statutes; but to ſtop the mouths of thoſe men, who would make the Statute-Law a blind guide, under which their unlawful callings, and ſuperſtitious ſervice, might march furiouſly againſt the word of truth.
Now,Sect. to come to an end (for we are ſorry we could be no briefer) we will only anſwer this Q…aer…, conſiſting of theſe two heads: Firſt, whether we do approve of any ſet prayer, in a more private way: And ſecondly, whether we do approve of any ſet Litur…y in publi…ue? to both theſe we anſwer ingenuouſly as we think; and for the former, we do think that parties in their infancy or ignorance, may uſe formes of prayer, well and wholeſomely ſet, for helps and props of their imbecility, yea, riper Chriſtians may do well to read ſuch profitable formes, the matter whereof may by ſetting of their affections on edge, prepare and fit them as matter of Meditation the better to Prayer; but for thoſe parties ſo to continue without progreſs to conceived Prayer; were as if children ſhould ſtill be poring upon ſpelling, and never learn to read; or, as if children or weak ſhould ſtill go by hold, or upon cruches & never go right out. We may ſay of ſet-prayer uſed for infirmity as Divines ſay of the legal Ceremonies, in the interim, that they were tolerable, not neceſſary; and ſo whatſoever is, or may be ſaid in the behalf of it, is not ſo much (as we conceive) for the commendation of it, as for the toleration of it for a time; and for giving ſatisfaction to ſcrupulous conſciences, for the warrantable uſe of it in caſe of neceſſity.
To the ſecond head;Sect. for a ſet form of Liturgy in publique, we anſwer, that with all the Reformed Churches we do allow a ſound form of ſet-liturgy, as an exampler, or preſident of our preformance of holy ordinance, but ſo that none ſhould tie himſelf, or be tied to thoſe Prayers, exhortations, and other things, in the Lyturgy, much leſs ſhould it be violently thruſt upon any Miniſter or People; which proves in very deed a limiting of the ſpirit, eſpecially, in a Miniſter able to pray in & by the Holy Ghoſt, yea, it a very tranſplantation of the Eſſence or Nature of Prayer, wherein the words are to follow the affections, and not the affections the words, as it doth in the beſt ſet formes; but for our Liturgy, what can be ſaid for form, or hath been ſaid, that cannot be ſaid for the Popiſh Liturgy, Canon 38.but the clothing it in another tongue? yet this is preſſed under great penalty, upon all the Miniſters; who if they had the tougues of Angels, they ſhould not pray till every rag & remnant of that be ſaid. To ſhut up the buſineſs, if this Liturgy aque caput mali, being the head peece of our evil, be put away,Act. 13.5. we ſhould have no more ado about ſuch a Liturgy, than the Maſters of the Synagogue had, when after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, they deſired Paul to preach, where without queſtion,Calvin. as the learned obſerve, Prayer was not wanting.
FINIS.
End of the text · Richard Bernard, A Short View of the Prelatical Church of England 2 (1661)