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Ch, vì, I.

360

Puritanism injurious to all Churches.

BOOK III. they come to allege what word and what law they mean, their common ordinary practice is to quote by-speeches in some historical narration or other, and to urge them as if they were written in most exact form of law. What is to add to the law of God if this be not? When that which the word of God doth but deliver historically, we construe without any warrant as if it were legally meant, and so urge it further than we can prove that it was intended; do we not add to the laws of God, and make them in number seem more than they are? It standeth us upon to be careful in this case. For the sentence of God is heavy against them that wittingly shall presume thus to use the Scripture 67.

The same assertion we

VI. But let that which they do hereby intend be granted cannot hold them; let it once stand as consonant to reason, that because

without doing wrong unto all Churches.

we are forbidden to add to the law of God any thing, or to take aught from it, therefore we may not for matters of the Church make any law more than is already set down in Scripture who seeth not what sentence it shall enforce us to give against all Churches in the world, inasmuch as there is not one, but hath had many things established in it, which though the Scripture did never command, yet for us to condemn were rashness? Let the Church of God even in the time of our Saviour Christ serve for example unto all the rest. In their domestical celebration of the passover, which supper they divided (as it were) into two courses; what Scripture did give commandment that between the first and the second he that was chief should put off the residue of his garments, and keeping on his feast-robe 68 only wash the feet of them that were with him? What Scripture did command them never to lift up their hands unwashed in prayer unto God? which custom Aristeas (be the credit of the author more or less) sheweth wherefore they did so religiously observe 69. What Scripture did command the Jews every festival-day to fast till the sixth hour? the custom both mentioned by Josephus in the

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history of his own life 70, and ριν ἀπονιζόμενοι τὰς χεῖρας, τὸ την καῦτα εὔχονται ; διεσάφουν δὲ, ὅτι μαρτύριόν ἐστι τοῦ μηδὲν εἰργάσθαι κακόν· πᾶσα γὰρ ἐνέργεια διὰ τῶν xeipov yiverai.]

70 [c. 54. τὴν σύνοδον διέλυσεν ἐπελθοῦσα ἕκτη ὥρα, καθ ̓ ἣν τοῖς σάβ

Cartwright's four Canons are Part of Natural Law. 361

Ch. vii. 1, 2.

by the words of Peter signified 71. Tedious it were to rip up вOOK III. all such things as were in that church established, yea by Christ himself and by his Apostle observed, though not commanded any where in Scripture.

maintain,

ought to be

in the Church

commanded

of God:

command

two sorts;

things lawful

are com

the manded, if

not by special

set precepts, yet

by general

word.

VII. Well, yet a gloss there is to colour that paradox, A shift to and notwithstanding all this, still to make it appear in show that nothing not to be altogether unreasonable. And therefore till further established reply come, the cause is held by a feeble distinction; that which is not the commandments of God being either general or special, in the word although there be no express word for every thing in specialty, namely, that yet there are general commandments for all things, to the ments are of end, that even such cases as are not in Scripture particu- and that all larly mentioned, might not be left to any to order at their in the Church pleasure, only with caution that nothing be done against word of God: and that for this cause the Apostle hath down in Scripture four general rules, requiring such things rules in the alone to be received in the Church as do best and nearest agree with the same rules, that so all things in the Church may be appointed, not only not against, but by and according to the word of God. The rules are these, "Nothing scandal"ous or offensive unto any, especially unto the Church of "God";""All things in order and with seemliness 73;" "All unto edification 74;" finally, " All to the glory of God 75." Of which kind how many might be gathered out of the Scripture, if it were necessary to take so much pains? Which rules they that urge, minding thereby to prove that nothing may be done in the Church but what Scripture commandeth, must needs hold that they tie the Church of Christ no otherwise than only because we find them there set down by the finger of the Holy Ghost. So that unless the Apostle by writing had delivered those rules to the Church, we should by observing them have sinned, as now by not observing them.

[2.] In the Church of the Jews is it not granted 76, that the appointment of the hour for daily sacrifices; the building of synagogues throughout the land to hear the word of God and 74 1 Cor. xiv. 26.

βασιν ἀριστοποιεῖσθαι νόμιμόν ἐστιν niv. cf. Acts x. 9.]

71 [Acts ii. 15.]

72 I Cor. x. 32.

73

1 Cor. xiv. 40.

75 Rom. xiv. 6, 7. [and 1 Cor. x. 31. see T. C. i. 27.

76 T. C. lib. i. p. 35. [21.]

Ch. vii. 3, 4.

362 The Puritans, urging General Scripture Rules, BOOK III. to pray in, when they came not up to Jerusalem, the erecting of pulpits and chairs to teach in, the order of burial, the rites of marriage, with such-like, being matters appertaining to the Church, yet are not any where prescribed in the law, but were by the Church's discretion instituted? What then shall we think? Did they hereby add to the law, and so displease God by that which they did? None so hardly persuaded of them. Doth their law deliver unto them the selfsame general rules of the Apostle, that framing thereby their orders they might in that respect clear themselves from doing amiss? St. Paul would then of likelihood have cited them out of the Law, which we see he doth not. The truth is, they are rules and canons of that law which is written in all men's hearts; the Church had for ever no less than now stood bound to observe them, whether the Apostle had mentioned them or no.

Seeing therefore those canons do bind as they are edicts of nature, which the Jews observing as yet unwritten, and thereby framing such church orders as in their law were not prescribed, are notwithstanding in that respect unculpable: it followeth that sundry things may be lawfully done in the Church, so as they be not done against the Scripture, although no Scripture do command them, but the Church only following the light of reason judge them to be in discretion meet.

[3] Secondly, unto our purpose and for the question in hand, whether the commandments of God in Scripture be general or special, it skilleth not: for if being particularly applied they have in regard of such particulars a force constraining us to take some one certain thing of many, and to leave the rest; whereby it would come to pass, that any other particular but that one being established, the general rules themselves in that case would be broken; then is it utterly impossible that God should leave any thing great or small free for the Church to establish or not.

[4] Thirdly, if so be they shall grant, as they cannot otherwise do, that these rules are no such laws as require any one particular thing to be done, but serve rather to direct the Church in all things which she doth; so that free and lawful it is to devise any ceremony, to receive any order, and to authorize any kind of regiment, no special command

evade the Matter practically in Dispute.

363

Ch. vii. 4.

ment being thereby violated, and the same being thought BOOK III. such by them, to whom the judgment thereof appertaineth, as that it is not scandalous, but decent, tending unto edification, and setting forth the glory of God; that is to say, agreeable unto the general rules of Holy Scripture: this doth them no good in the world for the furtherance of their purpose. That which should make for them must prove that men ought not to make laws for church regiment, but only keep those laws which in Scripture they find made. The plain intent of the Book of Ecclesiastical Discipline 77 is to shew that men may not devise laws of church government, but are bound for ever to use and to execute only those which God himself hath already devised and delivered in the Scripture. The selfsame drift the Admonitioners also had, in urging that nothing ought to be done in the Church according unto any law of man's devising, but all according to that which God in his word hath commanded. Which not remembering, they gather out of Scripture general rules to be followed in making laws; and so in effect they plainly grant that we ourselves may lawfully make laws for the Church, and are not bound out of Scripture only to take laws already made, as they meant who first alleged that principle whereof we speak. One particular platform it is which they respected, and which they laboured thereby to force upon all Churches; whereas these general rules do not let but that there may well enough be sundry. It is the particular order established in the Church of England, which thereby they did intend to alter, as being not commanded of God; whereas unto those general rules they know we do not defend that we may hold any thing unconformable. Obscure it is not what meaning they had, who first gave out that grand axiom; and according unto that meaning it doth prevail far and wide with the favourers of that part. Demand of them, wherefore they conform not themselves unto the order of our Church, and in every particular their answer for the most part is, "We find no such thing commanded in the word:" whereby they plainly require some special commandment for that which is exacted at their hands; neither are they content

77 [By Travers, Geneva 1580.]

364 A second Gloss, that Rules must be grounded on Scripture.

BOOK III. to have matters of the Church examined by general rules and canons.

Ch. vii. 5. viii. 1, 2.

Another answer in

the former

assertion, whereby the meaning thereof is opened in this sort.

[5] As therefore in controversies between us and the Church of Rome, that which they practise is many times even according to the very grossness of that which the vulgar sort conceiveth; when that which they teach to maintain it is so nice and subtile that hold can very hardly be taken thereupon; in which cases we should do the Church of God small benefit by disputing with them according unto the finest points of their dark conveyances, and suffering that sense of their doctrine to go uncontrolled, wherein by the common sort it is ordinarily received and practised: so considering what disturbance hath grown in the Church amongst ourselves, and how the authors thereof do commonly build altogether on this as a sure foundation, "Nothing ought to be established in the Church which "in the word of God is not commanded;" were it reason that we should suffer the same to pass without controlment in that current meaning whereby every where it prevaileth, and stay till some strange construction were made thereof, which no man would lightly have thought on but being driven thereunto for a shift?

VIII. The last refuge in maintaining this position is thus to defence of construe it, "Nothing ought to be established in the Church, "but that which is commanded in the word of God;" that is to say, all church orders must be "grounded upon the word "of God 78;" in such sort grounded upon the word, not that All Church being found out by some "star, or light of reason, or learning, "or other help," they may be received, so they be not against the word of God; but according at leastwise unto the general say, ground rules of Scripture they must be made. Which is in effect as much as to say, "We know not what to say well in defence according at of this position; and therefore lest we should say it is false,

orders must

be com

manded in the word,

that is to

ed upon

the word,

and made

the leastwise
unto the

general rules
of Holy
Scripture.
As for such

things as are

found out

by any star or light of

"there is no remedy but to say that in some sense or other it may be true, if we could tell how."

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[2.] First, that scholy had need of a very favourable reader and a tractable, that should think it plain construction, when reason, and to be commanded in the Word and grounded upon the Word are made all one. If when a man may live in the state of matrithey be not mony, seeking that good thereby which nature principally

are in that

respect received so

7 [T. C. ii. 56.]

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