Irenicum to the Lover of Truth and Peace, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
Dividing Principles. The firſt, There can be no agreement without Ʋniformity.
THis Principle hath a long time cauſed much diviſion in the Church.1. Dividing Principle. The right underſtanding wherein the weakneſſe and falſeneſſe of it lyes, will help much to Peace, to joyn us ſweetly together.
In the ſubſtantials of worſhip, Unity is neceſſary; there all are bound to go by the ſame rule, and to do to the uttermoſt they are able, the ſame thing.
But the circumſtantials of worſhip have a two-fold conſideration: They are either ſuch, as though but circumſtances to ſome other worſhip, yet have alſo in themſelves ſome divine worſhip, ſome ſpirituall efficacie, ſomething in them to commend our ſervice unto God, or to cauſe ſome preſence of God with us, or to work us nearer to God, by an efficacy beyond what they have in them of their owne natures. As for inſtance, Time is a circumſtance, but the Lords day hath a worſhip in it commending our ſervice to God, and an efficacie to bring God to us, and raiſe us to God: this not from any naturall efficacie of the time,What circumſtanti… of worſhip muſt have inſtitution, and what not. but from Gods inſtitution. Now in ſuch circumſtances as theſe, there ought to be uniformity; for theſe have inſtitutions for their rule, and are not at mans liberty to be altered as he thinks beſt in prudence; But there are other circumſtances which are onelyonly naturall or civill, ſubſervient to worſhip in a naturall or civill way; They are converſant about worſhip, but have nothing of worſhip in them, but are meerely naturall or civill helps to it. When we worſhip God, we do ſomething as men as well as worſhippers; hence we have need of ſome naturall or civill helps. As for inſtance, when we meet to worſhip God, wee being men as well as Chriſtians, muſt have a conveniency of place, to keep us from the weather, to know whether to reſort; and of time to know when.
There muſt be order: Many cannot ſpeak at once to edification; modeſt and grave carriage is required of us, as a ſociety of men, meeting about matters of weight. In theſe circumſtances, and other of the like nature, there is no worſhip at all, there is no ſpirituall efficacie, there are only naturall or civill helps to us, while we are worſhipping; therefore for theſe circumſtances, humane prudence is ſufficient to order them.
The right underſtanding of this takes away a great prejudice that many have againſt ſuch as deſire to keep to Divine Inſtitutions, not onelyonly in Subſtantials, but in the Circumſtantials of worſhip; they thinke it an unreaſonable thing, that divine Inſtitution ſhould be required for every circumſtance in worſhip; this hath bred a great quarrel in the church: and well may it be thought unreaſonable, if we required Inſtitutions for circumſtances in worſhip, which are but naturall or civill helps, and have no worſhip at all in them, for that indeed were endleſſe, and a meer vanity. Certainly Inſtitutions are to be required onelyonly in things that are raiſed beyond what is in them naturally, in tendring my reſpects to God by them, or expecting to draw my heart nearer to God, or God nearer to me in the uſe of them. The contention about Uniformity is much encreaſed for want of a right underſtanding of this difference in the circumſtantialls of worſhip; did we underſtand one another in this, wee might ſoon have Peace as concerning this thing.
In theſe latter ſorts of circumſtances we muſt alſo diſtinguiſh. There are ſome that muſt of neceſſity be determined, as time and place; it is therefore neceſſary, there ſhould be an uniformity in theſe, in all the members of every ſociety reſpectively, that they agree to meet in the ſame place, at the ſame time, naturall neceſſity requires this: but naturall neceſſity requires not the binding of ſeverall Churches to Uniformity in things of this kind. The urging Uniformity beyond the rule in ſuch things, hath in all ages cauſed wofull diviſions in the Church. Euſebius tells of Victor, Biſhop of Rome, about two hundred yeares after Chriſt, broke off communion from all the Churches of Aſia, for not keeping Eaſter the ſame time he did. The controverſie was not about Eaſter, but onelyonly about uniformity in the time. Never hath there been greater breaches of unity in the Church, then by violent urging Uniformity.
But further; there are other naturall civill circumſtances, which need not at all be determined; though there be a liberty and variety in them, yet order and edification is not hereby hindered. As for inſtance, In hearing the word, one ſtands, as Conſtantine was wont conſtantly to do; another ſits; one is uncovered, another is covered; one hath one kind of garment, another, another; yet no rules of modeſty or gravity are broken. Now if any power ſhould violently urge uniformity in ſuch like circumſtances, and not leave them as Chriſt hath done, here they make the neceſſity of uniformity a dividing principle, upon theſe four grounds.
1. This is a ſtraitning mens naturall liberties, without ſatisfying their reaſon.
2. This hath been the in-let to almoſt all ſuperſtitions in the Church; Firſt the plea hath been for decency and order, then there hath been ſtamped a humane inſtitution to raiſe things higher.
3. The urging ſuch things, when there is no reaſon ſeen in the nature of them; why this rather then that, makes men fear there is ſome religious reſpect put upon them already.
4. Here is a ſtretching the power of Authority beyond the limits of it, which Man naturally is very impatient of, not knowing how far it may yet further be extended. As for the practice of Church-Governors, or civill going beyond their bounds, we ſhall ſpeak to in the third Head.
I have read of Solyman the great Turk,Quemadmodum iſta varietas herbarum & florum mirifice oculos recreat, ſic in imperio meo diverſa fides & religio potius uſui eſt quam oneri modo pacate vivant. when he was adviſed by a Mu…hty to compell thoſe of divers Religions in his Dominions to Mahumetiſme; looking out of his window into his Garden, where there was great variety of flowers and herbs, ſaid, As the variety of flowers and herbs ſeeme very delightfull, ſo the diverſity of Religions in my Kingdome is rather uſefull then burthenſome, ſo it be thoſe who profeſſe them live peaceably. I am not of his mind for the variety of ſeverall Religions, of which further by and by; yet certainly in the varity of the practices of Brethren in ſuch things as wee are ſpeaking of, tuned with brotherly love one towards another, there will be a ſweet harmony, when violent urging Uniformity in ſuch things will cauſe a harſh diſcord in the Churches.
When the fore-named Victor of Rome, with thoſe who joyned with him, cauſed wofull diviſions in the Church by ſtanding ſo much upon uniformity, urging there could be no Peace without it, by it they brake the peace of the Church. Iraeneus and others in the ſame time pleaded for the peace of the Church, to be procured by yeelding to difference of practice in ſuch things, in the name of all the brethren in France under his charge, he writes to Victor, and thoſe who joyned with him, and tells them of the variety of practiſes of divers Brethren in times before them, which was very neare the Apoſtles times, who yet were at unity one with another. They who were Biſhops (ſayes he) before Soter, of that Sea which now thou governeſt, as Anicetus, Pius, Higinus, Teleſphorus, Xixtus, were at unity with them of other Churches, although their obſervations were various, and Polycarpus being at Rome in the time of Anicetus, varyed in divers things from him. Although Polycarpus had (ſays he) what he did from John the Diſciple of our Lord, with whom he converſed, yet would he not perſwade Anicetus to the ſame things, but left him to the way of his owne Church, and they communicated lovingly one with another, and parted in a brotherly way. Cannot men walke peaceably in a broad way, though they do not tread juſt in one anothers ſteps? What though there be ſome diſtance in their walke, one towards one ſide, the other towards the other ſide of the way; muſt they needs fall out, becauſe they are not in the ſame path, when the way is broad enough? Indeed if they went over a narrow bridg, they muſt not take that liberty to go abredth; if they keep not cloſe to one anothers ſteps, if they ſtep at a diſtance, they may fall into the River. Thus in matters of divine worſhip, we muſt look to it, that we walk exactly in the ſame ſteps; if there we preſume to take liberty, wee may ſoone fall; but in circumſtances of an inferiour nature, there may be difference without diviſion. We muſt not here take upon us to be wiſer then Chriſt. Melancthon in an Epiſtle to ſome Brethren of differing minds (cited by Gerſom Bucerus) perſwades to unity thus:Cum de praecipuis articulis doctrinae Chriſtianae inter nos conſtet, complectamur nos mutuo amore, ne que diſſimilitas & varietas rituum & ceremoniarum, addam ego & politiae Eccleſiaſticae, disjungere debet mentes noſtras Seeing (ſaith he) wee agree in the principall Articles of Faith, let us embrace one another with mutuall love, the diſſimilitnde and varity of Rights and Ceremonies, (I will adde, ſayes Bncerus) and of Eccleſiaſticall Government, ought not to disjoyn our minds.