Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

House of God must have orders for the government of it, such as not any of the household, but God himself, hath appointed. It cannot stand with the love and wisdom of God to leave such order untaken as is necessary for the due government of his Church. The numbers, degrees, orders, and attire of Solomon's servants, did shew his wisdom: therefore he which is greater than Solomon hath not failed to leave in his House such orders for government thereof as may serve to be as a looking-glass for his providence, care, and wisdom, to be seen in. That little spark of the light of Nature which remaineth in us, may serve us for the affairs of this life." But as in all other matters concerning the Kingdom of Heaven, so principally in this which concerneth the very government of that Kingdom, needful it is we should be taught of God. As long as men are persuaded of any order that it is only of men, they presume of their own understanding, and they think to devise another not only as good, but better than that which they have received. By severity of punishment this presumption and curiosity may be restrained. But that cannot work such cheerful obedience as is yielded where the conscience hath respect to God as the author of Laws and Orders. This was it which countenanced the Laws of Moses, made concerning outward Polity for the administration of holy things. The like some Lawgivers of the Heathens did pretend, but falsely; yet wisely discerning the use of this persuasion. For the better obedience' sake therefore it was expedient, that God should be author of the Polity of his Church." But to what issue doth all this come? A man would think that they which hold out with such discourses, were of nothing more fully persuaded than of this, that the Scripture hath set down a complete Form of Church-Polity, universal, perpetual, altogether unchangeable. For so it would follow, if the premises were sound and strong to such effect as is pretended. Notwithstanding, they which have thus formally maintained argument in defence of the first oversight, are by the very evidence of truth themselves constrained to make this in effect their conclusion, That the Scripture of God hath many things concerning Church-Polity; that of those many some are of greater weight, some of less; that what hath been urged as touching immutability of Laws, it extendeth in truth no further than only to Laws wherein things of greater

fence of

Mini

sters

against

Bridges,

moment are prescribed. Now those things of greater moment, The De- what are they? Forsooth, "Doctors, Pastors, Lay-elders, godly Elderships compounded of these three; Synods, consisting of many Elderships; Deacons, Women-church-servants, or Dr. Widows; free consent of the people unto actions of greatest p. 133. moment, after they be by Churches or Synods orderly resolved."* All this Form" of Polity (if yet we may term that a form of building, when men have laid a few rafters together, and those not all of the soundest neither), but howsoever, all "this Form" they conclude is prescribed in such sort, that to add to it any thing as of like importance (for so I think they mean), or to abrogate of it any thing at all, is unlawful. In which resolution if they will firmly and constantly persist, I see not but that concerning the points which hitherto have been disputed of, they must agree that they have molested the Church with needless opposition; and henceforward, as we said before, betake themselves wholly unto the trial of particulars, whether every of those things which they esteem as principal, be either so esteemed of, or at all established for perpetuity in Holy Scripture; and, whether any particular thing in our Church-Polity be received other than the Scripture alloweth of, either in greater things, or in smaller. The matters wherein ChurchPolity is conversant, are the public religious Duties of the Church, as, the Administration of the Word and Sacraments, Prayers, Spiritual Censures, and the like. To these the Church standeth always bound. Laws of Polity, are Laws which appoint in what manner these duties shall be performed. In performance whereof, because all that are of the Church cannot jointly and equally work, the first thing in Polity required, is a difference of persons in the Church, without which difference those functions cannot in orderly sort be executed. Hereupon we hold, that God's clergy are a State, which hath been and will be, as long as there is a Church upon earth, necessary by the plain Word of God himself; a State whereunto the rest of God's people must be subject, as touching things that appertain to their soul's health. For where Polity is, it cannot but appoint some

* ["The free consent of the People, to be given unto the Church actions of greatest moment, as in elections, excommunications, determination of controversies, or things equal to these, after they be by the particular Churches or Synods orderly resolved, and their exceptions answered." p. 133.]

† [See Note on 1 Pet. v. 3. Book V. sect. 77.]

vi. 39.

v. 14.

to be leaders of others, and some to be led by others. "If Lake the blind lead the blind, they both perish." It is with the Clergy, if their persons be respected, even as it is with other men; their quality many times far beneath that which the dignity of their place requireth. Howbeit, according to the order of Polity, they being the "lights of the world," Matt. others (though better and wiser) must that way be subject unto them. Again, Forasmuch as where the Clergy are any great multitude, order doth necessarily require that by degrees they be distinguished; we hold there have ever been and ever ought to be in such case, at leastwise, two sorts of Ecclesiastical persons, the one subordinate unto the other; as to the Apostles in the beginning, and to the Bishops always since, we find plainly both in Scripture, and in all Ecclesiastical Records, other Ministers of the Word and Sacraments have been. Moreover, it cannot enter into any man's conceit to think it lawful, that every man which listeth, should take upon him charge in the Church; and therefore a solemn Admittance is of such necessity, that without it there can be no Church-Polity. A number of particularities there are, which make for the more convenient being of these principal and perpetual parts in Ecclesiastical Polity, but yet are not of such constant use and necessity in God's Church. Of this kind are, times and places appointed for the exercise of Religion; specialties belonging to the public solemnity of the Word, the Sacraments, and Prayer; the enlargement or abridgment of functions ministerial, depending upon those two principal before-mentioned; to conclude, even whatsoever doth by way of formality and circumstance concern any public action of the Church. Now although that which the Scripture hath of things in the former kind, be for ever permanent; yet in the latter, both much of that which the Scripture teacheth is not always needful, and much the Church of God shall always need which the Scripture teacheth not. So as the Form of Polity by them set down for perpetuity, is three ways faulty. Faulty in omitting some things which in Scripture are of that nature, as namely, the difference that ought to be of Pastors, when they grow to any great multitude; faulty in requiring Doctors, Deacons, Widows, and such like, as things of perpetual necessity by the Law of God, which in truth are nothing less; faulty also in urging some things by Scripture

Rom.

xi. 33,

34.

immutable, as their Lay-elders, which the Scripture neither maketh immutable, nor at all teacheth, for any thing either we can as yet find, or they have hitherto been able to prove. But hereof more in the Books that follow. As for those marvellous discourses whereby they adventure to argue, that God must needs have done the thing which they imagine was to be done; I must confess, I have often wondered at their exceeding boldness herein. When the question is, whether God have delivered in Scripture (as they affirm he hath) a complete, particular, immutable Form of ChurchPolity; why take they that other both presumptuous and superfluous labour, to prove he should have done it; there being no way in this case to prove the deed of God, saving only by producing that evidence wherein he hath done it? But if there be no such thing apparent upon record, they do as if one should demand a legacy by force and virtue of some written testament, wherein there being no such thing specified, he pleadeth, that there it must needs be, and bringeth arguments from the love or good-will which always the testator bore him; imagining, that these or the like proofs will convict a testament to have that in it which other men can no where by reading find. In matters which concern the actions of God, the most dutiful way on our part is to search what God hath done, and with meekness to admire that, rather than to dispute what he in congruity of Reason ought to do. The ways which he hath whereby to do all things for the greatest good of his Church, are mo [more] in number than we can search; other in Nature, than that we should presume to determine which of many should be the fittest for him to choose, till such time as we see he hath chosen of many some one; which one we then may boldly conclude to be the fittest, because he hath taken it before the rest. When we do otherwise, surely we exceed our bounds; who, and where we are, we forget; and therefore needful it is, that our pride in such cases be controlled, and our disputes beaten back with those demands of the blessed Apostle, "How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who was his counsellor?"

BOOK IV.

CONCERNING THEIR THIRD ASSERTION, THAT OUR FORM OF CHURCH-
POLITY IS CORRUPTED WITH POPISH ORDERS, RITES, AND CERE-
MONIES, BANISHED OUT OF CERTAIN REFORMED CHURCHES, WHOSE
EXAMPLE THEREIN WE OUGHT TO HAVE FOLLOWED.

THE MATTER CONTAINED IN THIS FOURTH BOOK.

1. How great use Ceremonies have in the Church.

2. The first thing they blame in the kind of our Ceremonies, is, That we have not
in them ancient Apostolical simplicity, but a greater pomp and stateliness.
3. The second, That so many of them are the same which the Church of Rome
useth; and the Reasons which they bring to prove them for that cause blame-
worthy.

4. How when they go about to expound what Popish Ceremonies they mean, they
contradict their own arguments against Popish Ceremonies.

5. An answer to the Argument, whereby they would prove, That sith we allow the customs of our Fathers to be followed, we therefore may not allow such customs as the Church of Rome hath, because we cannot account of them which are of that Church as of our Fathers.

6. To their Allegation, That the course of God's own wisdom doth make against
our conformity with the Church of Rome in such things.

7. To the Example of the eldest Church, which they bring for the same purpose.
8. That it is not our best Polity (as they pretend it is) for establishment of sound
Religion, to have in these things no agreement with the Church of Rome
being unsound.

9. That neither the Papists upbraiding us as furnished out of their store, nor any
hope which in that respect they are said to conceive, doth make any more
against our Ceremonies than the former Allegations have done.

10. The grief, which, they say, godly Brethren conceive at such Ceremonies as we have common with the Church of Rome.

11. The third thing, for which they reprove a great part of our Ceremonies, is, For that as we have them from the Church of Rome, so that Church had them from the Jews.

12. The fourth, For that sundry of them have been (they say) abused unto idolatry, and are by that mean become scandalous.

13. The fifth, For that we retain them still, notwithstanding the example of certain Churches reformed before us, which have cast them out.

14. A Declaration of the proceedings of the Church of England, for the establishment of things as they are.

great

Cere

have in

1. SUCH was the ancient simplicity and softness of spirit, How which sometimes prevailed in the world, that they whose use words were even as oracles amongst men, seemed evermore monies loth to give sentence against any thing publicly received in the the Church of God, except it were wonderful-apparently evil; for that they did not so much incline to that severity which delighteth to reprove the least things it seeth amiss,

Church.

« ZurückWeiter »