Five Disputations of Church Government, Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. Prop. 12. It may be very sinfull to command some ceremonies, when yet it may be the subjects Duty to use them when they are commanded.
§. 1. I Add this Proposition as necessary both for Rulers and for Subjects: For Rulers; that they may not think that all may be lawfully Commanded which may be lawfully done when it is commanded. And for subjects; lest they think that all things are unlawfull to be done, which are sinfully commanded.
§. 2. Some Governors think, that the Sermons and Arguments that charge the people with sin for disobeying them, do all justifie them for making the Laws, which others should obey: And all the words that are spent in aggravating the sin of the disobedient, they think are spoken in justification of their commands. And on the contrary, many people think that all that is said against the laws or penalties, is said in justification of their disobedience. And they are so lamentably weak that they cannot discern, how that can lawfully be obeyed, that is sinfully commanded: when yet the case is very plain.
§. 3. If a thing be simply unlawfull, as being forbidden by God himself, there no command of man can make it lawfull. But if it be but inconvenient or evil only by some accident or circumstance, it is possible for the commands of Governors to take off the accidental evil, and make it become a duty. For example, It is not lawfull for me to travail one mile in vain: nor is it lawfull for a Prince to command me to travail a mile in vain: And yet if he send me such a command, to appear before him at such a place, (yea though it be many miles) it may become my duty to obey him. Otherwise subjects should not be bound to appear before any judicature, till they were satisfied of the cause, which is absurd. I a Prince command his officers to execute some unjust sentences, if they know it not, at least, it may be no sin of theirs, (in many cases) though it be his. Every war that is unlawfully undertaken by the Prince, is not unlawfull in all his Souldiers: Some of them that have not opport…nity to know the evil of his undertaking, may be bound to obey (the case of others I determine not.)
§. 4. So if a Pastor call the Assembly at an inconvenient hour, or to an inconvenient place, though it be his sin to do so, yet is it their Duty to obey. If in the manner of Prayer he (tolerably) miscarry, they may not therefore refuse to join with him. If of two Translations of Scripture, or two versions of the Psalms, he use the worser, (so it be tolerable) they must obey.
§. 5. Yet if the miscarriage be so great in the ordering even of these circumstances, or in the Manner of Duties, as shall overthrow the Duty it self, and be inconsistent with the ends, or bring greater evils upon the Church, then our refusing to obey the Pastors (in those cases) can do; then (as I have before shewed) we are not bound to follow him in such a case: But otherwise we are.
§. 6. The Reasons of this are obvious and clear. Even because it is the office of the Governours to determine of such Circumstances: It is the Pastors office to guide and ove…see the flock. And so the determining of Time and Place of wo…ship, (thats undetermined) belongeth to his office: and the choice of the subject on which he shall preach, the leading them in prayer, and praise, and choice of versions, translations, and other ordinary helps in his work. And therefore when he determineth these, he is but in his own way, and doth but his own work: and therefore he is therein the judge, if the case be controvertible. If none shall obey a Magistrate or Pastor in the works of their own office, as long as they think he did them not the best way, all Government then would be presently overthrown, and obedience denyed. We are sure that God hath commanded us to obey th…m that are over us in the Lord, (1 Thes. 5.12. Heb. 13.7, 17, &c.) And therefore a Certain duty may not be fo…born upon uncertain conjectures, or upon every miscarriage in them that we owe it to. This would unchurch a…l Churches (as they are Political Societies) For if Pastors be taken down, and the work of Pastors, the Church is taken down: And if Government and obedience be taken down, then Pastors and their work is taken down; Which will be the fruit of this disorder.
§. 7. And the things in which the Pastor is now supposed to err, are not of themselves unlawfull; but only by such an accident, as being over-weighed by another accident, shall cease to make them unlawfull. For instance: If the Pastor appoint a more imperfect version of the Psalms to be sung in the Church (as is commonly done in England,) the obeying of him in the use of this, will not bring so much hurt to the Church as the disobeying on that account would do: For besides the sin of disobedience it self, the Church would be in a confusion, if they forsake his conduct that preserves the union; and some will be for this, and some for that, and so the worship it self will be overthrown. But if the Pastor would command a version so corrupt as would overthrow the duty it self, or be as bad as non-performance, the Church is then to seek redress, and not obey him. So if he command a Time inconvenient, but tolerable (as to meet at sun rising or sun setting) it were better obey then dissolve the Church (if we cannot be otherwise relieved) But if he appoint a Time thats intolerably unfit (as at midnight) I would not obey (except in s…ch necessity, as leaves to that time or none) the same I spoke before of other circumstances.
§. 8. On the other side, if Magistrates or Pastors shall think their Imposition lawfull, because the people may lawfully obey them, they are as much mistaken. Even many of those Divines that wrote for conformity to the late Ceremonies, did take it to be … sin of those that imposed them, as they were imposed, and would have written as much against the Imposition, if they … but had liberty: I m…an such writers as Mr. Sprint, Mr. Paybody, Dr. Iohn Burgess (who told the King of Pollio's glasses that were broken by Caesar, that no more anger and danger of mens lives should follow; and would have had him so to have used our Ceremonies.) So Zanchy that judged the Ceremonies such as might lawfully be used, did write to the Queen to take them down, and not leave them as snares to cast out the Ministers, and at the same time he wrote to the Ministers to use them, in case the Queen would not be perswaded to forbear the imposing and urging of them.
§. 9. If I be bou…d to obey a Governour if he set me to pick straws, or to hunt a feather, it followeth not that he may lawfully command it. I have heard many pleading for Ceremonies say, that if the Magistrate commanded them, and would not otherwise permit them to preach the Gospel, they would preach in a fools Coat, and a fools Cap with a feather, rather then forbear. But I do not think that any of them would justifie that Ruler that would make such a Law, that no man should preach or celebrate the Sacraments, but in a fools Coat and Cap: such might expect to be judged by Christ, as the scorners of him and his Ordinances.