The Account Audited and Discounted, Exercitation 1 · Section 37-39 – Section 40-42
Sect. 37, 38, 39 And now we are come to another conſideration of the laſt way, that he ſuppoſes, may be called Superſtition, that is, becauſe men place Holineſs in ſome obſervances, &c.
HEre he ſaid, [The onelyonly inquiry will be, by whom, and how far any thing is thus ſeparated; by Christ, or the Apoſtles, &c.] To which I anſwered, [He tells us here, p. 87. n. 12.by whom the ſeparation is made; but not a word, how far, or in what difference, a thing ſeparated is made holy, by the ſeveral Authors: whether, onelyonly gradual, or ſpecifical, &c.] To which he returnes not a word of anſwer: which yet is a thing of very great concernment: That we may know what degree, or kinde of Holineſs we put upon things; So himſelf ſaid, [The way to diſcern, whether we exceed, and place more Holineſs then is due to them, is to account them Holy, in a degree proportionable to the Authority of him that ſeparated them.] This is a blind; we ſhould know what is the degree of Holineſs, proportionable to every one of their Authorities; elſe we may place as much Holineſs, in the inſtitutions of a private man, or a particular Church, as we ſhould place only in thoſe of Divine inſtitution, by Chriſt and his Apoſtles. And ſo commonly men do; account the Church as Holy, as the Temple was: and Feſtivals as Holy, as the Lords day, and are not by the Doctor taught their due proportions. Many things were there propounded to his conſideration, Sect. 39. which we cannot but take ill, to be ſlighted, as not concerning him to take notice of; firſt, whether any but God can make a thing properly Holy. 2. What proper Holineſs is. 3. The diff…ence of Holineſs given by the different Au… &c. and the reſt there propounded. The Doctor waving all theſe, (for what reaſon, he beſt knowes) catches at an advantage from ſome words of mine. I ſaid, [In times or places ſeparated by God or men, there is this difference, (beſides others) that thoſe ſanctified by God, require holy duties to fill them up: but thoſe by men, are to wait upon holy duties.] This, he ſayes, (without conſideration) is not ſo: [Prayer and Faſting, &c. were not appointed for time or places ſake, &c.] He clearly mistakes me; for I meant thus: The Sabbath, and the Temple being made Holy by God, required Holy Services to fill them up: But times and places, ſet apart by men, have reſpect to the Worſhip of God; and are appointed for the Worſhips ſake, not the Worſhip, for the time and places ſake: That's it that I ſaid a little afore; men cannot make any thing properly Holy, but onelyonly improperly, with reſpect to Holy things or Duties. And that is, to make any time or place, when and where thoſe duties are performed, as Holy as any other time or place, that is, the one no more Holy then another. But this Holineſs, I doubt, will not ſerve the Doctors turn; yet it muſt, if he be conſtant to his principles: For he profeſſes not to make his time and place, (Feſtivals and Churches) parts of Worſhip, but circumſtances onelyonly of Worſhip; which any Day, or place, is as well as his ſeparated Dayes and places; and ſo one as Holy as another. p. 87. n. 13.But to this he hath to ſay, [The time and place inſtituted by God himſelf, is as truly a circumſtance of Worſhip, as when inſtituted by men; and duty is equally the Subſtance, &c] This is another of his miſtakes; not that time and place inſtituted by God, are not as truly Circumſtances, as thoſe by men; but that they are more, even parts of Worſhip; ſo was the Sabbath and Temple: but ſo are not his Holy-dayes, and our Churches. [Art thou a Maſter in Iſrael, and knoweſt not theſe things?] And now he may take home his *The Doctor uſes the word (till) for, fill; the Printers fault; to give me a flout, and that twice.Abſurdity put upon me, to himſelf.
I ſaid, [I had thought Apostolical and Divine, had been both one with the Doctor, (and ſo they are ſometimes) but I perceive he makes them differ, &c.] He anſwers, [It is ſoon diſpatcht, p. 88. n. 14.by ſaying, I do not think the Apoſtles to be God.] Too ſoon diſpatcht indeed; Did ever any man charge him to think ſo, when he made Apoſtolical inſtitutions to be Divine and infallible? Is not this a miſerable ſubterfuge? when he knowes well enough how to diſtinguiſh, between Immediately Divine, (ſo were Chriſts own Inſtitutions;) and mediately, The Scripture was foreign, of Divine inſpiration, or God inſpired; yet writ by holy men, 2 Pet. 1.21by commiſſion from him, and Inſpiration from the Holy Ghoſt; ſo were the Apostles, Divine. Why then did he ſpeak thus? Sure it was, either to bring Apoſtolical down to Eccleſiaſtical, or to advance the latter, to the Authority of the former, and to make them equal. But is it not uncharitable for me thus to judge? No, not at all, knowing him ſo well as I do. For he ſayes expreſly hereafter, [His Feſtival and the Lords day are founded both on the ſame Authority.] Feſt. 5.57. Then, either Eccleſiaſtical is Divine, for ſo is Apoſtolical; or Apoſtolical is but Humane, for ſo is Eccleſiaſtical; unleſs the Doctor will joyn with Papiſts, and make the Churches Sanctions to be Divine; as was ſaid afore. But more of this hereafter.
Yet before we part with this Section, one thing the Doctor is deſired, in his next, to ſatisfie, how he will avoid that in the cloſe; [By this diſtinction (aforegoing) of his, the Papiſts may excuſe their groſſeſt Superſtition, in placing Holineſs in things, times, places; they may borrow the Doctors anſwer; They may ſay, they account them Holy, but either by the authority of the general, or particular Church of Rome; and that is no Superſtition, ſayes he, ſay they.] Something would be ſaid to this.
Sect. 40, 41, 42. But he goes on: [If my voluntary oblation, I perform as a voluntary oblation, &c.]
THeſe three Sections, the Doctor paſſes over, with an eaſie touch: becauſe it touches too near upon his Will-worſhip; and therefore tells me, [I beg the queſtion, p. 28. n. 15.to take it for granted, that his voluntary oblation, is an eminent ſpecies of Superſtition, againſt which puniſhment is denounced in the ſecond Commandment; when his whole Tract of Will-worſhip, undertakes to demonſtrate the contrary, &c.] I could anſwer for my ſelf, that at my firſt draught, I placed his and my own Tract of Will-worſhip, before that of Superſtition, (as he did) and ſo took it for granted, I had proved his Will-worſhip to be a Species of Superſtition; But I ſay, the place is proper enough here, having in my diſcourſe of Superſtition, held out Will-worſhip to be a ſpecies of Superſtition, by the Judgement of of the beſt Divines, though much more remaines to be ſaid of it. And I adde further, that the Doctor hath yielded, Ʋncommanded Worſhip to be unlawfull and ſuperſtitious: but his voluntary oblation, (Worſhip he meanes) is Uncommanded Worſhip: ergo, let him take heed of the puniſhment threatned to ſuch Worſhip. Yet I ſhall ſay, I am not much troubled that he reſerves this to the next Exercitation, if I were ſure, he would look back to theſe three Sections, and anſwer them there: but this I fear, is but an avoidance of what he is not willing to anſwer. We ſhall obſerve his performance.