Beams of Former Light, Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. The Fourth Argument. It is deſtructive to that Independency which hath been antiently claimed and profeſſed, by our brethren the Non-Conformiſts.
§. 1.
THere is an exemption, or Independency, in the manage of Eccleſiaſtical matters, pleaded for by thoſe our Brethren, as an immunity or peculiar of the Church and Miniſters (being a Body or Corporation diſtinct from the Civil State) which is utterly overthrown by ſuch an impoſition, as in THIS CASE. A ſole power to determine and order all matters appertaining to the Worſhip and Service of God: Such methods and forms alſo, with the uſage of them, and other circumſtances as are pertinent to the ſame; is placed primarily and independently in Miniſters of the Goſpel, and not in Parliaments or Princes. This hath been conſtantly aſſerted by our Brethren of the Presbyterian perſwaſion, antient and modern, thoſe that have ſuffered, and thoſe that have reigned.Diſcip. of Scot. p. 73 As the Magiſtrate (ſaith the Diſcipline of the Church of Scotland) ought not to preach, Miniſter Sacraments, or Excommunicate; ſo he ought not to preſcribe any rule how it ſhould bee done, but command the Miniſters to obſerve the Rules commanded in the Word. Cartwright againſt Whitg. lib. 1 p. 192As Miniſters meddle not (ſaith Maſter Cartwright) with making of Civil Lawes, and Lawes for the Common Wealth; ſo the Civil Magiſtrate is not to ORDER matters of the Church.Eng. po. Cerem. p. 148 The Civil Magiſtrate (ſaith a Modern Author) may not by himſelf, define and direct ſuch matters as appertain to Divine Worſhip, or make any Lawes thereabout; it belongeth not to Princes to govern and direct things of this nature, even as it belongeth not to Paſtors to govern and direct earthly things, and civil ſocieties of men. The Officers of Chriſt qua-Officers, are not directly and properly (ſay our London Miniſters) ſubject to the Civil power; to whom then?Jus di. regim. p. 89 It is told us, pa. 90. the ſpirits of the Prophets are ſubject to the Prophets, not to the Civil power as ſuch. Argument againſt Cer. &c. Arg. 4.And long before, viz. in Anno 1570. it was aſſerted, that Miniſters ought not to obey Princes when they command Ceremonies and forms, &c. it doth diminiſh (ſaith the Author) the authority of his Office, which is to govern the Church of God, Acts 20. but in this he himſelf and the Church of God is governed by the will of the Prince. This Eccleſiaſtical power (according to them) is in every particular Officer, derived immediately from the Lord Jeſus Chriſt; and to be exerciſed by the Coetus Presbyterorum, which they call the Church. The Synod hath to determine the time, place, and FORM of preaching and praying, &c. for who ſhould be able to know theſe things beſt, according to Gods Word, but they that be Preachers of the ſame unto others? Dr. Fulk his diſc. of Diſcipline, p. 117. If Diſcipline were ſetled (ſaith Mr. Knox) there would need no coming to the Parliament for matters of Religion. Exhor. to Eng. p. 99If the Convocation houſe (ſay others) were ſuch as it ought to be, Sup. to Q. Eliz. p. 45then were it not LAWFUL for the Parliament to eſtabliſh any thing appertaining to the Worſhip of God.
If this be ſo, ſuch a determination as in this caſe cannot be made by the Civil Magiſtrate, without an incroachment upon the priviledges and intruſtments of the Church; contained in the Charter, by which we are Officers and Miniſters of Jeſus Chriſt. For if all queſtions, (as our Brethren of Scotland affirm) about Religion, Declar. of the Com. of the Gen. Aſſemb. p. 26and matters Eccleſiaſtical ought to be determined by the aſſemblies of the Church, as matters Civil by the Parliament (a Parliament is abſolute and independent in its determinations) Then this queſtion, whether ſtinted Forms of Prayer, or inſtruction compoſed by men ought to have a conſtant ſetled uſe, and how frequent or ſeldome to be uſed in the Worſhip of God, and of the ſufficiency or inſufficiency of a Miniſter in any ſuch reſpect: being undoubtedly queſtions of that nature: ſhould firſt have been determined by the Church, (which hath not been done) before the Parliament had medled with it.
§. 2.
Obj. If it be ſaid, the Aſſembly of Divines, diſpoſed & put the principles of Religion into this form or mould, and fitted it for ſuch a method and way of inſtruction, and commended this Catechiſm to the Parliament.
A. 1. So were the forms of Prayer and Homilies compoſed by learned godly men, and out of a good intention, thoſe firſt reformers are acknowledged to be excellent inſtruments raiſed of God, The Preface to the Direct.&c. it is not the matter (in thoſe Prayers and Homilies) that was ſo much blamed; but the end and uſe for which, and the authority by which they were brought into the Church: they are impoſed (ſaith the Admonition to the Parliament) as a ſet ſervice to God, Adm. p. 9though the words or matter be good, the uſe is naught. Our Supplications, Remonſtrances (ſay our Brethren of Scotland, in the aforeſaid Declaration) Acts of aſſembly and Parliament, and our defenſive armes in Anno 1630. and 1640. were not only againſt the Book of Canons, Pag 26.Service-book, &c. for the evil matter there contained, but the manner of introducing the ſame; that is, by a Civil, and not by a Church power.
Anſ. 2. The Aſſembly did never intend ſuch a ſtinted ſtated uſe of it in the ſolemn Worſhip of God, as in the Caſe; according to which a Sabbath is not judged well ſpent wherein the words of this Catechiſm, or ſome part of them are not read or ſaid. And that the not ſubmiſſion hereunto upon any account, ſhould be a ſufficient teſt of a perſons unfitneſſe to enjoy a place or ſtation in the Miniſtry. Such a ſevere ſtrict uſe of it was never adviſed by that Aſſembly; but rather condemned by them, in condemning the like uſe made formerly of ſet forms of the ſame nature.Preface to the Directory. The Liturgy (ſay they) hath been a great meanes, as on the one hand to make and increaſe an idle and unedifying Miniſtry, which contented it ſelf with ſet forms made to their hands by others, &c. ſo on the other ſide, it hath been, and ever would be (if continued) a matter of endleſs ſtrife and contention in the Church, and a ſnare both to many godly and faithful Miniſters, who have been perſecuted and ſilenced upon that occaſion: and to others of hopeful parts, many of which have been, and more ſtill would be diverted from all thoughts of the Miniſtry, to other Studies; eſpecially in theſe latter times, wherein a greater diſcovery of error and ſuperſtition, and more knowledge in the Myſteries of godlineſs, and gifts in preaching and prayer. In another place wee are told in the ſame preface, how by reaſon of ſuch forms, and the not ſubmitting to them, divers able and faithful Miniſters are debarred from the exerciſe of their Miniſtry, to the indangering of many thouſand ſouls in a time of ſuch ſcarcity of faithful Paſtors, and ſpoyled of their livelihood, to the undoing of them and their families.
§. 3.
Theſe were the evils of ſuch a ſtated authoritative uſe of ſet forms in the ſolemn Worſhip of God, obſerved by the Reverend Divines of that Synod. And therefore they adviſe, there may be no more ſuch ſevere injunctions; but inſtead of them a Directory for all parts of Worſhip, in which the Miniſter is left at more freedom; Preface to the Direct.having liberty to furniſh both his heart and tongue with further, or OTHER materials of Prayer and exhortation as ſhall bee needful upon all occaſions. Theſe words of the Aſſembly contain the true nature and notion of a Directory, as it differs from a ſtinted form, and is the ſame with Hookers diſtinction before mentioned.Pa. 58, 59. A preſcript form is ſuch an appointment as every man muſt obſerve. A Directory is a form men may uſe if they pleaſe, or change it and pleaſe themſelves in ſome other if there bee juſt reaſon. Now it is profeſſed by the Aſſembly of Scotland, Act of the Gen. Aſſ. for appro. the Cat.that they receive this Catechiſm under no other notion but as a DIRECTORY for CATECHISING, and not as a ſtinted Catechiſm. And thus the Parliament underſtood the Aſſembly, in all the forms they preſented to them; and condeſcended ſo far as to reaſon with our Brethren of Scotland, and juſtifie the liberty and freedom they had given by the Directory, as being according to the judgement of moderate Presbyterians here in England, When we conſider, ſaith the Parliament, what ſome Miniſters of the Presbyterian judgement (and members of that Aſſembly) in their book ſubſcribed, Smectimnius, dedicated to the Parliament, ſay of the Litourgy then eſtabliſhed by Law [it was never eſtabliſhed to be ſo punctually obſerved, ſo rigorouſly preſſed to the caſting out of all that ſcruple it, Declar. of the Lords and Com. in anſw. to the Scot, Papers.or any thing in it] wee have reaſon well to conſider what we put the ſtamp of publick authority upon, for if this uniformity of the Directory, Church-Government, Confeſſion of Faith and CATECHISE, ſhould produce ſuch a rigid Conformity unto them, it is not eaſie to fore-ſee all the miſchiefs and inconveniences it would beget, though we may eaſily gueſs they would not be ſmall, by what we have felt in the like kind.
Anſ. 3. Wee are told,Eng. po. Cer. p. 154 before Princes Ordinances can bee ſaid to bind us, it must firſt bee ſhewed they have been preſcribed by a lawful Synod of the Church. The Magiſtrates power is only Cumulative, ſo that an Eccleſiaſtical power is firſt to be put forth, by a lawful Synod of the Church. The Aſſembly called by the Parliament was no ſuch Synod, being, 1 Not made up of perſons delegated from the Churches by the intrinſical power received from Chriſt; …en. Aſ…b. of …. Anno 1647. Seſ. 23.nor, 2 Any power of ſuffrage; for the minor part preſented their reſolutions as well, and with as much authority as the major. 3 Nor had they liberty to debate of any thing, but what was propoſed by the Parliament. Hence thoſe Ordinances were examined, and owned by the general aſſembly in Scotland, before they had any ſanction of that State, or reception in their Churches. And we in England having no general Aſſembly ſo eſtabliſhed, the Provincial aſſembly of London took it upon themſelves, and after the Parliament had injoyned us forthwith to practiſe according to their Ordinances: they added conſiderations and cautions before they would receive them. And by conſequence, if no Provincial, a Claſſical Aſſembly may doe the like; and if no Claſſis, each Congregation being furniſhed with a Presbytery, ought to make (if not afore Judgement by their Delegates in ſome greater Aſſembly, yet) an after Judgement (and to accept or refuſe what a Parliament ſhall doe in this kind) by their Presbytery, according to Presbyterial principles: which liberty cannot be enjoyed where Civil powers impoſe with ſuch penalties, as in the caſe.