Uniformity in Human Doctrinal Ceremonies, jeanes 7 – hammond 8
Jeanes.
1. That I had no deſign in putting in the word neceſſarily, is evident by my leaving it out in the next words; but that the omiſſion of ſuch ceremonies as ours doth inferre undecency, the Doctor and all his party can never make good. You ſhall have my good leave inſtead of neceſſarily to place truly, or convincingly. Vociferations I have heard many againſt the undecency of Gods worſhip and ſervice amongſt Presbyterians, and when I have called for proof, I have been told, amongſt o…her things, that they Baptiſed without the Croſſe, that they put up prayers unto God without a Surplice; but that God is undecently worſhipped, where ſuch toyes as theſe are omitted, you may ſtoutly affirme, but can never prove, by ſo much as one convictive argument: the word neceſſarily may then very well be inſerted, in oppoſition to the groundleſſe ſurmiſes of the ignorant, and proofleſſe dictates of ſome learned men. Ignorant men may ſurmiſe, and learned men may dictate, that the omiſſion of our ceremonies doth infer indecency, but this ſurmiſe and dictate can never be made good by argument.
2. In Logick, a neceſſary inference is oppoſed unto that which is fallacious, as alſo that which is but probable and contingent; and therefore I wonder why you ſhould quarrell at the word neceſſarily? for doe you think in earneſt, that decency implyes ſuch cuſtomes, the omiſſion of which doth ſophiſtically, or at the beſt, onelyonly probably inferre undecency, you cannot, I know, harbour ſo ſenſleſſe and irrational a thought, and therefore you muſt ſay as I doe, that decency here implyeth onelyonly ſuch cuſtomes, the omiſſion of which, neceſſarily inferre undecency.
3. When you ſay that my rule is in a manner proper to thoſe cuſtoms, which the Law, of at leaſt, laps'd Nature preſcribes, that limitation in a manner is a backdoor, out of which how farre you may run, I know not, and therefore untill you ſomewhere make a ſtand, I ſhall not run after you.
4. Whereas you faſten upon me this aſſertion, that decency here implyeth onelyonly ſuch cuſtomes which are naturally decent, viz. preſcribed immediately by the Law of Nature, and ſo the omiſſion of them naturally indecent, you have for this no colour, but that which you take from the word neceſſarily, and how weak a ground this is for ſuch an imputation, you muſt needs confeſſe, when you remember what I now told you, that neceſſarily here is oppoſed unto fallaciouſly and probably. Dr. Ames himſelf in the diſpute about humane ceremonies, pag. 58. confeſſeth, that comelineſſe, in the very place of the Apoſtle, containeth all naturall and civill handſomneſs; and in his Reply to Mortons general Defence, &c. cap. 3. ſect. 28. he acknowledgeth the womens vailes, 1 Cor. 11. to be an inſtance of this decency; for by the example of it, he concludes that other Churches may be directed ſo farre, juſt as the Apoſtles rule ſtretcheth, 1 Cor. 14.40. Let all things be done comely: when Biſhop Morton deſired to know whether this matter were not a thing indifferent? his anſwer is, it is indifferent in the general nature of it; yet at that time, and in that place, they ſinned that did otherwiſe, even before Paul, or any of their overſeers gave them charge about it. By this his anſwer it is apparent, that he did not think it dictated by Nature unto the Corinthians, before any cuſtome had recommended it unto them. As for my own part you ſhall have here my frank conceſſion, that decency here implyeth even that decency which is introduced by civill cuſtome, provided,
1. That it be, conſuetudo rationabilis; Suarez de legib.for no other cuſtome can have the force and authority of a law, and if you, or any other can bring any arguments, that it was confuetudo rationabilis which introduced our ceremonies, they ſhall have, God willing, an anſwer.
2. That the omiſſion of it renders Gods worſhip undecent: the equity of this limitation appeareth from this reaſon, becauſe the Apoſtles command of decency is not violated but by undecency: This is at large ſet down in Ames his diſpute about humane ceremonies, pag. 77, 78.
Laſtly, your, and my learned friend Mr. Barlow, reſolveth and proveth, Exercit. Metaph. p. 29. every morall evill, every evill of ſin, to be againſt the law of Nature, if not proximè and immediatè, yet mediatè ex interventu legis poſitivae, now the undecency here prohibited by the Apoſtle is a morall evill, a ſin, malum culpae, therefore 'tis at leaſt mediately againſt the Law of Nature. Your great and learned Hooker, pag. 95. of his Eccleſiaſtical Politie ſaith, that this rule of the Apostle is an edict of Nature, a Canon of that Law which is written in all mens hearts; the Church had for ever, no leſſe then now, ſtood bound to obſerve it, whether the Apoſtle had mentioned it or no. And hereupon I ſhall infer, that if you or your party doe not prove or make good, that the adminiſtration of Baptiſme without the Croſſe, that Preaching, Praying, without the Surplice, is againſt the Law of nature, in ſome ſenſe at leaſt, mediately, he is utterly refuted by Mr. Hooker his interpretation of foreign, or notion of decency; and I doe not deſire to live ſo long, as to ſee ſuch a proof as this made.
Dr. Hammond. ſect. 15.
This is indeed his meaning, which (though ſomewhat darkned in that his expreſſion) will appear but conſequent to the two things which he hath premiſed in this matter from Ameſius his notion of decency. p. 64. in marg. 1. that decency requires not that any ſacred things be inſtituted de novo, but onelyonly that thoſe things which are inſtituted by God, be uſed in that manner which is agreeable to the dignity of them. 2. That as order, ſo decency belongs to civil offices, as well as ſacred things, in which indecorum eſt vitium oppoſitum debito illi modo, qui requiritur ad eorum juſtum finem, & uſum conſequendum, indecency is a vice oppoſed to that due manner which is required to the obtaining the just end, and uſe of thoſe things. Now if in the former of theſe, the mode he ſpeaks of, as agreeable to the dignity of thoſe things which are inſtituted, be it ſelf-ſuppoſed by him to be inſtituted by men, then muſt he acknowledge humane power of inſtituting ceremonies, which being ſo contrary to his deſign, I muſt reſolve not to be intended by him; but rather, that as the ſacred things are inſtituted by God, ſo the mode which is conſentaneous to their dignity is inſtituted by God alſo, and that nothing is decent in ſacris, which is not ſo inſtituted. And ſo likewiſe on the ſecond head, that of civill offices. For that indecency, which is a vice or ſin, must be contrary to ſome Law of Gods, and ſo alſo that which is oppoſed to the due manner which is required; and ſo is neceſſary either neceſſitate medii, or praecepti alſo to obtaining a just end, this ſure is more than the omiſſion of an indifferent cuſtome, which may, or may not be continued without any offence againſt nature, even the omiſſion of ſtrict univerſal duty, either natural decency, or ſomewhat that bears proportion with it.