Concerning Liturgies and their Imposition, Chapter 8
CHPA VIII.
Of the Authority needful for the constituting and ordering of any, that is to have relation to God and his Worship. Of the power and authority of Civil Magistrates. The power imposing the Liturgy. The formal reason of religious Obedience. Vse of the Liturgy an act of civil and religious Obedience, Mat. 28. 20. No Rule to judge of what is meet in the Worship of God, but his Word.
BEsides the Regulation of all our proceedings and actions in the Worship of God, by the command and prohibitions insisted on, in the fore-going Chapter, there are two things indispensably necessary to render the prescription of any thing in religious Worship allowable, or lawful to be observed, both pointed unto by the Testimonies produced. And these are, First, An Authority to enjoyn; And Secondly, A certain Rule to try the injunction by.
The Worship of God is of that nature, that whatsoever is performed in it, is an act of Religious Obedience. That any thing may be esteemed such, it is necessary that the Conscience be in it subject to the immediate Authority of God. His Authority alone renders any act of Obedience, Religious. All Authority is originally in God, and there are two wayes whereby he is pleased to exert it. First, By a Delegation of Authority unto some Persons for some ends and purposes, which they being invested withall, may command in their own Names an Observance of the things about which by Gods appointment their Authority is to be exercised. Thus is it with Kings and Rulers of the Earth. They are powers ordained of God, having Authority given them by him. And being invested with power, they give out their commands for the doing or performing of such or such things, whereunto their Authority doth extend. That they ought to be obeyed in things good and lawful, doth not arise from the Authority vested in themselves, but from the immediate command of God, that in such things they ought to be obeyed. Hence Obedience in general unto Magistrates, is a part of our Moral and Religious Obedience unto God, as it respects his Command, whatever the nature and object of it be. But the performance of particular actions, wherein by their determination our Obedience exerts it self, being resolved into that Authority which is vested in them, is not Religious but Civil Obedience, any otherwise then as in respect of its general nature it relates to the Command of God in general. No act I say, that we perform, whereof this is the formal Reason, that it is appointed and commanded by man, though that man be entrusted with power from God, to appoint and require acts of that nature, is an act of Religious Obedience unto God in its self; because it relates not immediately to his divine Authority requiring that act.
Secondly, God doth exert his Authority immediately; and that either directly from Heaven, as in the giving of the Law; or by the inspiration of others to declare his will, unto both which his Word written answereth. Now whatever is done in obedience to the Authority of God thus exerting it self, is a part of that Religious duty which we owe to God; whether it be in his first Institution and Appointment, or any duty in its primitive Revelation; or whether it be in the Commands he gives for the Observation of what he hath formerly appointed. For when God hath Commanded any things to be Observed in his Worship, though he design and appoint men to see them observed accordingly, and furnish them with the Authority of Commanding to that purpose, yet the interposition of that Authority of men, though by Gods Institution, doth not at all hinder, but that the duty performed is Religious obedience, relating directly to the Will and Command of God. The power commanding in the case we have in hand is mans, not that of the Lord: For though it be acknowledged that those who do command, have their Authority from God; yet unless the thing commanded be also in particular appointed by God, the Obedience that is yielded is purely Civil, and not Religious. This is the state of the matter under Consideration. The Commanding and Imposing Power is variously apprehended. Some say it is the Church that doth it; and so assert the Authority to be Ecclesiastical; every Church, say they, hath Power to order things of this nature for order and decency sake; when it is enquired what the Church is that they intend, there some are at a loss, and would fain insinuate somewhat into our thoughts that they dare not openly assert and maintain. The truth is, the Church in this sense is the King, or the King and Parliament, by whose Advice he exerts his Legislitive Power. By their Authority was the Liturgy Composed, or it was Composed without Authority: by their Authority it must be Imposed if it be Imposed; what is, or was done in the Preparation of it by others, unto their judgement hath no more influence into the Authoritative imposition of it, when the act of a Person learned in the Law, drawing up a Bill for the Consideration of Parliament, hath into its binding Law Power, when confirmed. In this sense we acknowledge the Power ordaining and imposing this Liturgy to be of God, to be good and lawful, to be obeyed unto the utmost extent of that Obedience, which to man can be due, and that upon the account of the Institution and Command of God himself. But yet supposing the Liturgy to fall within the precincts and limits of that Obedience, yet the observance and use of it, being not Commanded of God, is purely an act of Civil obedience, and not Religious, wherein the Conscience lies in no immediate subjection to Jesus Christ. It is of the same general nature with the honest discharge of the Office of a Constable; and this seems in consistent with the nature of the Worship of God.
But whatever be the immediate imposing Power, we have direction as to our duty in the last Injunction of our blessed Saviour to his Apostle, Matth, 28. 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded. In things which concern the Worship of God, the commanding Power is Christ; and his Command the adaequate Rule and Measure of our Obedience. The Teaching, Commanding, and enjoyn…ng of others to do and observe those Commands, is the duty of those entrusted with Christs Authority under him. Their Commission to Teach and Enjoyn, and our Duty to Do and Observe, have the same Rules, the same Measure, Bounds, and Limits. What they teach and enjoyn beyond what Christ hath Commanded, they do it not by vertue of any Commission from him; what we do beyond what he hath Commanded, we do it not in obedience to him; what they so teach, they do it in their own Name, not his; what we so do, we do in our own strength, not his; nor to his Glory. The Answer of Bellarmine to that Argument of the Protestant Divines from this place, against the Impositions of his Church, is the most weak and frivolous, that I think ever any Learned man was forced to make use of; and yet where to find better will not easily occurre. Our Lord Jesus Christ saith, Go and teach men to do and observe whatever I have commanded you, and so I am with you; To which he subjoynes, It is true; but yet we are bound also to obey them that are set over us, that is our Church Guides; and so leaves the Argument as sufficiently discharged. Now the whole Question is concerning what those Church Guides may teach and enjoy…, whereunto we are to give Obedience, which is here …presly restrained to the thing… Commanded by Christ; to which the Cardinal offers not one word. The things our Saviour treats about, are principally the Agenda of the Gospel, things to be done and observed in the Worship of God. Of these, as was said, he makes his own Command the adaequate Rule and Measure. Teach men to observe foreign, all whatsoever I command; in their so doing alone, doth he promise his Presence with them; that is, to enable them unto the discharge of their duty. He commands, I say, all that shall to the end of the World, be called to serve him in the Work of the Gospel, to teach. In that Expression he compriseth their whole duty; as their whole Authority is given them in this Commission. In their Teaching indeed they are to command with all Authority; and upon their non-obedience of men unto their teaching, either by not receiving their word, or by walking unworthy of it when it is received in the Profession of it, he hath allotted them the course of their whole proceedings; but still requiring that all be regulated by what they are originally commissionated, and enabled to teach and command. Let then the Imposition of a Liturgy be tryed by this Rule. It was never by Christ Commanded to his Apostles, cannot by any be taught as his Command, and therefore men in the Teaching or Imposing of it, have no promise of his Presence, nor do they that observe it, yield any obedience unto him therein. This I am sure will be the Rule of Christs Enquiry at his great Visitation at the last Day; the things which himself hath Commanded will be enquired after, as to some mens Teachings, and all mens Observation, and those onelyonly. And I cannot but admire with what peace and satisfaction to their own Souls, men can pretend to act as by Commission from Christ, as the chief Administrators of his Gospel and Worship on the Earth, and make it their whole business almost to teach men to do and observe what he never commanded, and rigorously to enquire after and into the observation of their own commands, whilest those of the Lord Jesus are openly neglected.
But let the Authority of men for Imposition, be supposed to equal the fancy of any who through ignorance or interest are most devoted unto it; when they come to put their Authority into execution, commanding things in and about the Worship of God, I desire to know by what Rule they are to proceed in their so doing. All the actions of men are, or ought to be Regular. Good or evil they are, as they answer to, or dissent from their proper Rule. The Rule in this matter must be the Word of God, or their own Prudence. Allow the former to be the Rule, that is revealing what they ought to command, and there is a total end of this Difference. What a Rule the latter is like to prove is easie to Conjecture; but there is no need of Conjectures where Experience interposeth. The great Philosopher is blamed by some for inserting the determination of men Wise and Prudent, into his definition of the Rule of Moral Vertue. For, they say that cannot be certainly known, whose Rule and Measure is fluctuating and uncertain. If there be ground for this Assertion in reference to Moral vertues, whose Seed and Principles are in-laid in the nature of Man, how much more is that Rule to be questioned when applied to things whose spring and foundation lies meerly in supernatural Revelation. How various, uncertain, and tumultuating, how roving this pretended Rule is like to prove, how short it comes to any one single property of a sufficient Rule, much more of all things that are necessary to compleat a Rule of Prorocecome in such cases, were easie to demonstrate. What good and useful place that is like to obtain in the Worship of God, which having its Rise in the Authority of man; is framed by the Rule of the wisdome of man; and so wholly resolved into his Will, I may say will be one day judged and determined, but that it is so already sufficiently in the Word of Truth.