The Account Audited and Discounted, Exercitation 2 · Section 14-15
Sect. 14, 15. The fourth reaſon, becauſe by this way, that very obſcure place may be conveniently underſtood, &c.
WE have been very long upon the laſt Section, we ſhall be eaſed by the ſhortneſs of this: The Doctor puts it off, as ſpoken to before; and ſo do I; onelyonly I cannot but adde to what I ſaid before, theſe few things. 1. That the Doctor begs the queſtion, in this argument, if you will but grant him his good ſenſe of Will-worſhip (which is generally denied) then this obſcure place may be conveniently underſtood, which hath poſed ſo many. 2. The conſequence is nought; for grant him his good ſenſe, yet it followes not, that ſuch Doctrines are deſtructive onelyonly, becauſe they obtrude them as Divine precepts in this place; for they are held out as doctrines and commands of men; and if not held out as precepts of God, but only as parts of Worſhip, acceptable to him; the place may be as well and better underſtood. 3. Here he limits the text, to out-dated Judaical conſtitutions: but oftentimes in this his account, he ſayes, p. 103. n. 5.[the Seducers ſpoken of in this Chapter, were the Gnostick Heretiques,] who abſtain'd from marriage alſo, which the Jews never did. But enough of that, as ſpoken to before.
In proſecution of my 15. Sect. he grants, and [willingly confeſſes, that foreign, p. 150. n. 2.is capable of an ill-ſenſe, i. e. when the Worſhip is forbidden or falſe; then being ill, the voluntarineſs can infuſe no goodneſs into it: as when it is good of it ſelf, the uncommandedneſs cannot make it ill.] Here is an heap of Incongruities. 1. That here he confeſſes, foreign, Will-worſhip, to be capable of an ill ſenſe; which he formerly denied, p. 96 n. 6. [That performing any ſort of Worſhip forbidden by God, (which yet is not truly Worſhip) is not capable of the title of Will-worſhip.] Yet now ſayes, it is capable of an ill ſenſe, when the Worſhip is forbidden. 2. If Will-worſhip be ill when the Worſhip is forbidden and falſe; it muſt be ſo taken here, becauſe thoſe Abſtinences made Worſhip were ill. 3. If the forbidding and falſeneſs of Worſhip, make ill Willworſhip▪ I ſay, all will-deviſed Worſhip is ill, (and ſo again the Will-worſhip here is ill; becauſe it is forbidden and falſe. 4. When he ſayes, [It being ill, the voluntarineſs can infuſe no goodneſs into it,] it is dilute dictum; he ſhould have ſaid, the voluntarineſs infuſes much ill into it, (as after he ſayes.) 5. In the next words, [When the Worſhip is of it ſelf good, the uncommandedneſs cannot make it ill.] He ſpeaks as improperly; firſt, ſuppoſing (which is falſe) that any Worſhip is good, which is not commanded. 2. That, were it granted good in it ſelf, the uncommandedneſs could not make it ill; whereas were it never ſo good (as the Ceremonial out-dated Worſhip was) yet the very uncommandedneſs of it, if made Worſhip by men, would certainly make it ill; as he will confeſs ere long. But I ſhall prove it thus, from himſelf: [All forbidden, or falſe Worſhip, is ill; but all uncommanded Worſhip, (that is made Worſhip by the will of man) is forbidden and falſe; ergo, it is ill.] The major is his own conceſſion here; the minor is proved from his own Gloſs upon the ſecond Commandment, [God muſt be worſhipped in a way, appointed by him.] Then all Worſhip not appointed by him, is forbidden and falſe.
For the ſenſe of the firſt part of the word, foreign, [That it ſignifies no more, but doing ſomewhat voluntarily, without any neceſſity to do it,] is another miſtake; For a man may do a thing voluntarily, Vide Eſtius in v. 18. foreign, in Epiphan. ſignifies, one affecting Wiſdom. Theol. dives Theb. ſapiens. Auſt. p. 150. n. 4.and yet muſt do it, of neceſſity alſo: This is true, in all Commanded Worſhip; and beſide I gave an inſtance, in foreign, which ſignifies a willing ſervant, not in reſpect to the ſervice of his maſter, deviſed of his own head, which no maſter would endure, but in reſpect to his own willingneſs, to do his maſters commands; as I ſaid above, ad p. 98. n. 13. But take the Doctors ſenſe of the word; [this notion is, that it ſignifies Worſhip not Commanded by God.] That's juſt the ſenſe againſt which I diſpute, Will-worſhip is Worſhip not Commanded by God; ſuch was the Abstinence, from meats (and marriage) continued as a Worſhip of God; this Worſhip, the Apoſtle condemnes as Will-worſhip, Worſhip not Commanded by God, but by men; ergo, Will-worſhip muſt needs be taken in an ill ſenſe. And let him once more look back to the 18. verſe. foreign, ſignifies a voluntary in Worſhip of Angels; that was a Worſhip, not Commanded by God, and evil; juſt ſo were theſe Abſtinences, made Worſhip, not now Commanded by God; ergo, If he ſay, (as he does ſomewhere) the Worſhip of Angels, was more then not commanded, it was forbidden: ſo ſay I of thoſe Abſtinences, as made a Worſhip of God, The Dr. himſelf ſayes, they were outdated and forbidden. p. 19. n. 32 and often. n. 5.they were more then not commanded, forbidden. And I adde, all uncommanded Worſhip is forbidden; yea forbidden, becauſe it is not Commanded by God: God muſt preſcribe his own worſhip; ergo, any Worſhip preſcribed by man, is falſe and forbidden. The Doctor therefore beats himſelf, by ſticking to this ſenſe of the word, [foreign, (ſayes he) ſignifies one that doth any thing from his own, not anothers will and command; but the word to ſignifie voluntary in performing commands, is foreign,] But ſay I, firſt, to do any Worſhip from his own will and not from the will and command of God, is forbidden; ergo, it is ſinful and wicked Worſhip. 2. He grants, that there may be a voluntarineſs in performing commands; yet that implies, a neceſſity; which he oppoſed afore, n. 3. Let not the Doctor now come and tell me, he means it not of Worſhip, but of Circumſtances of Worſhip; for he pleads hitherto for Will-worſhip, uncommanded Worſhip. Indeed, as aſhamed of this, p. 151. n. 6.he qualifies it, a little after, [Willworſhip, i. e. a performance voluntarily taken up, without any command of God;] and thus he ſhifts and hides himſelf often hereafter. For, the word performance is too general, and may reach to civil things of the ſecond Table, left indifferent; but we ſpeak of Worſhip, which is more ſpecial; let him ſpeak out and ſay, [Will-worſhip is a Worſhip voluntarily taken up, without any command of God,] and then he ſpeaks like himſelf, that is, unlike to all Reformed Divines; if he will undertake to maintain ſuch Will-worſhip to be lawful. Nor do I diſpute againſt this ſignification of Will-worſhip, as if I thought the Dr. p. 151. n. 7.did not take it in that ſenſe, for Worſhip not commanded by God; for I tell him [that ſenſe of the willingneſs of the Perſon in Commanded Worſhip, will not help him.] For he takes it in the other ſenſe, I diſpute againſt his ſenſe, as juſtifiable in this text: that the word taken for uncommanded Worſhip, ſhould be taken in a good ſenſe, if VVill-worſhip ſignifie uncommanded Worſhip, (as the Doctor takes it) it cannot be taken in a good ſenſe: becauſe all uncommanded worſhip is forbidden, as I have too often ſaid, being neceſſitated to follow him, in his often repititions. I knew he took the word to ſignifie voluntary uncommanded Worſhip, but I knew withal that he hath condemned all uncommanded Worſhip, in his former Tract, and that makes me ſtand amazed, that he ſhould defend it here.