A Just Defense of Hearing the Sermons, Answer to preface · Section 2 – Section 4
Sect. 2. Of hearing, how instituted worship, and to be devolved on the Scriptures of the New Testament.
Instituted worship of Christ is such, as is by Christs institution. Now institutions, saith a civil Lawyer, are praeceptions by which men are instructed and taught, as the books of Ouintilian inscribed, Institutions of Orators, of Lactantius Divine Institutions, of Erasmus▪ the Institution of a Christian Prince, of Aldus Institutions of Grammer, of Calvin Institutions of religion. Instituted wo…ship of Christ under the Gospel is that which is by Christs praeceptions taught, directed, or appointed in the times of the Gospel since Christs coming in the Flesh. Which may be meant of that natural or moral worship, which belongs to God or Christ, such as are prayers to God, giving thanks to him, & such like. Of this it is true in respect of the explicite way of prayer or thanksgiving in the name of Jesus Christ or such peculiar manner as belongs to the New Testament, the whole thereof is to be divolved upon the Scriptures of the New Testament, that is, as I interpret his words, the direction or precept concerning it, is to be taken from the Scriptures of the New Testament, yet not excluding the directions and precepts of the Scriptures of the Old Testament, nor the light of nature so far as that worship is perpetual and general to all people, and times, as being either natural or moral. Of which sort I take hearing the word of God to be, though some peculiarities there are which the Almighty hath tied us to in the New Testament in hearing: as Mat. 17▪ 5. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him. Luke 10.16. He that heareth you heareth me, and he that despiseth you despiseth me, and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. Yet these passages do not exclude the precepts or directions of the Old Testament, but presuppose them to be heard and learned in respect of the matter therein contained, and the persons that reveal it, so our Lord Christ, Luke 16.29. They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them. 2 Peter 1.19. we have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto you do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place. Nor do I meet with any prohibitions of hearing any but False-Prophets, Mat. 7.15. deceivers, Titus 1.10. that teach other doctrin, 1 Tim 1.3. 2 John 10 another Gospel, Gal. 1.8, 9. Our Lord Christ Caveat is Mark. 4.24. Take heed what ye hear, not warning them to avoid any that preacheth the same truth that he delivers; though he more especially tyed his Disciples to hear his Apostles, and such other as were sent by them to him; yet when all the Church at Jerusalem except the Apostles (which consisted of many thousands) were scattered abroad by persecution, and went every where preaching the word, Acts 8.1, 4. It was no sin to hear them, they were not the strangers meant, John 10.5. whom his Sheep were to flee from, but rather they were bound to hear them in preaching his Gospel, though not by any peculiar calling, designed for that work as their function, it being Christs declaration, that his Sheep hear his voice, John 10.27. Nor are the many precepts or directions in the Old Testament about hearing or reading, Isai. 8.20. in the books of the Psalmes and Proverbs, and other parts of Holy Scriptures vacated, but that they remain still rules to us about hearing in the New Testament times, and therefore it seems not to me to be a reasonable postulatum or demand, that in the present enquiry of the Lawfulness of hearing the present Ministers of England, the whole thereof be devolved upon the Scriptures of the New Testament.
Sect. 3. Hearing not a meer positive or ceremonial worship.
But perhaps the Author means by [instituted worship of Christ] such as is meerly positive, or as we use to speak, ceremonial; such as are Baptism and the Lords Supper, which are only worship of God, by institution in the New Testament, which is probable to be his meaning by what he adds [not perplexing our selves, nor the Consciences of any, with what was (or may be supposed to be) permitted unto the Saints before the time of reformation, whilst the worldly Sanctuary was yet standing, the carnal ordinances pertaining thereunto, in being at least by the providence of God not sully dissolved as afterward, both it and they were, being buried in the ashes and ruines of that Temple, to which they were inseparably annext.] But if he make hearing of the present Ministers, such an instituted worship of God or Christ he seems to me very inconsiderate, hearing of preachers being a moral and perpetual worship common to all times and persons, not a meer positive or ceremonial, as being baptized or receiving the Lords supper are, and therefore by reason thereof it is not a reasonable postulatum, which he demands to be granted him, that in the present enquiry the whole thereof be divolved upon the Scriptures of the New Testament. Yea were it granted him, yet it would disadvantage those separatists, with whom he concurs in Judgment about Nonconformity and separation from the Church of England and the Ministers thereof, who use many places of the Old Testament, not only about the Sabbath and it's observation, but also about Baptism and the Lords Supper. Churches, ministry, and ceremonies in their enquiries, and himself also in the present enquiry, who useth about election of Ministers by the people and other things in this dispute out of the Old Testament, and even the Levitical ordinances sundry places, and therefore I conceive not any reasonableness in his postulatum of divolving the whole upon the Scriptures of the New Testament.
Sect. 4. The judgment of the Antients, not useless in this controversie.
That which he also speaks [not perplexing our selves, nor the consciences of any with the judgments of men in Generations past; (wherein they cannot acquiesce) though to take of the prejudices of some against truth, upon the account of its seeming Novelty, we may here and there manifest their harmony with us, in the main principles of the ensuing structures] may seem to be a reasonable postulatum, or demand in respect of those who are not able to examine what is said by Fathers, Councils, Schoolmen, Protestant and Popish writers, forraign and domestick, and I should have liked it well if he had wholly omitted any such citations in this book, which hath been dispersed so farr as I can learn, chiefly, if not only among such. Nevertheless if we would intimate as if in this and other controversies of the separatists and others, there were not use of studying and alledging those writers, I think his postulatum or demand unreasonable. For as Dallaeus in his Learned Book against Popish worship hath done much service to the truth, in shewing out of the Fathers, that the Popish worship of Saints, Angels, the Host or bread in the Eucharist Crosses, Images and Reliques, according to the tradition of the Latins, was unknown to the Christians of the three first centuries: so it may be of good use to satisfie mens consciences, that no such separation as now is from the present Ministers of England was allowed of by the first Fathers and Writers, or any approved Council, it being a thing of much moment in the arguments about the Lords Day; and other Festivals, the Sacraments, Church and Ministry; to understand what was the judgment and practice of the primitive Christians: with whom Religion was more pure than in after times, though corruptions too soon crept in among them.