Part I.

An Enquiry into the Causes and Origin of
the Separation from and Contempt of
the English Reformed Church.

CHAP. I.

Wherein are represented several things that
are pretended, but are not the true Causes
of our distractions and dissatisfactions;
viz. 1. Corruption in Doctrine; 2. The
too near approach of this Church to the
Roman; 3. The Scandalousness of the
Clergy: All which are disproved.

WE have a Proverbial saying
amongst us, that Every one that
is forty years old, is either a
Fool or a Physician: But without
a Proverb to justifie the
undertaking, there are but few that (at

C4

what age soever) do not think themselves
at years of discretion enough, to pass a judgement
upon, and prescribe to the Body Politick,
whether Church or State. Though it
usually happens, that such Empiricks, either
to shew their wit (suspecting distempers
where there are none) make them; or
whilest they rashly adventure quieta movere,
and like Englishmen will be alwayes mending,
they make work for better skill than
their own; or lastly, if they discover some
small matter amiss, mistaking the cause of
it, not only lose their time and labour
(which would be easily pardonable) but exhaust
the spirits of the Patient with improper
medicines, and purge out the good and
useful juices as noxious humours, and so the
Physician becomes far the greater disease of
the two.

That our Church is of a sound and
healthful constitution, and might have continued
so, had it not met with this fortune,
I think I have sufficiently, though briefly
manifested in the foregoing Introduction:
But some men either loving to be alwayes
reforming, or having first separated from it,
that they may either commend their own
skill, or justifie their own fact, must accuse
the Church.

We read of Brutus, that having killed
Cæsar, he was alwayes after inveighing against
him as a Tyrant, Ità enim facto ejus expediebat,
saith the Historian, It was expedient
he should call Cæsar Tyrant, for otherwise
himself must be a notorious Traytor. So
these men, though the greatest disorders of
the Church be but what themselves have
made, must find faults, that they may not
seem to have raised all the dust, and withdrawn
themselves and others from it without
cause.

1. And in the first place the Doctrine of
this Church is blamed; though thanks be to
God, there are but few that are of so little discretion
as to bring in this charge, and those
that are, will never be able to prove it.

The main (if not the only) thing excepted
against in this kind, is, that the thirty
nine Articles are not so punctual in defining
the five points debated at the Synod of Dort
as they could wish. But this though it neither
needs nor deserves an answer, yet I shall
reply these two things to it.

First, That it is not so with the Doctrine
of Christianity as with common Arts and

Sciences, which depend upon humane wit
and invention, and consequently are capable
of daily improvements: For the mind of
man having not an intuitive knowledge, but
proceeding by way of discourse, discovers
one thing by another, and infers things from
one another; so that there is not a Nè plus
ultrà in those things, but daily new discoveries,
& dies diem docet. Whereto accords
the saying of wise men, Antiquitas
sæculi, est juventus mundi; That which we
call the old World, is but indeed the infancy
of knowledge, and the latter Times must
needs have as much the advantage of truth
as they have of deliberation and experiment.

But it is quite otherwise with Christianity,
for that depending solely upon Divine
Revelation, can admit of no new discoveries;
time may obscure it, and the busie
wit of man may perplex and confound it
with its inventions, but can never discover
any thing new, or bring to light any truth
that was not so from the beginning. For if
we admit of new Revelations, we lose the
old and our Religion together, we accuse
our Saviour and his Apostles as if they had
not sufficiently revealed Gods mind to the
world, and we incurr St. Paul's Anathema

which he denounces against him (whosoever
it shall be, nay, if an Angel from Heaven)
that shall preach any other doctrine than
what had been received. And St. Jude hath
told us the Faith was once, that is either at
once, or once for all, delivered to or by the
Saints. But if we shall pretend a private
Spirit or Revelation to discover and interpret
what was before delivered, we do as bad;
we suppose Christ and his Apostles not to
be able to deliver the mind of God, and we
open a Gap for all Impostures and delusions
perpetually to infest and corrupt Christian
Doctrine.

The consequence of these premises is, that
(contrary to what I affirmed before of other
Sciences) the elder any Doctrine of Christianity
can be proved to be, it must needs be
the truer, and accordingly deserve the greater
veneration from us, as coming nearer the
fountain of Evangelical Truth, Divine Revelation:
and that he that talks of more clear
Light of the latter times, and clearer discoveries
in Religion, talks as foolishly as he
that should affirm he could discern things better
at a miles distance, than the man that hath
as good eyes as himself, and yet stood close by
the object.

This being so, it must needs be the excellency
and great commendation of this Church,
that her Articles of Doctrine agree better
with the first Times of Christianity than the
last Age; and is an irrefragable Argument
that she derived it not from any Lake or lower
streams troubled and mudded with mens passions
and disputes, but from the Fountain of
the holy Scripture, and from those who
certainly had best advantage of understanding
it in its own simplicity, the Primitive
Church. That no one Father or Writer of
the Church, whether Greek or Latin, before
St. Austin's time agreed in Doctrine with the
determination of the Synod of Dort is so notoriously
plain that it needs no proof, nor
can be denyed. And if he (I mean St. Austin)
agrees therewith, yet it is certain that
in so doing he disagrees as much with himself
as he doth with us of the Church of
England. And what if St. Austin, a devout
good man, (but whose Piety was far more
commendable than his Reason,) being hard
put to it by the Manichees on one hand, and
the Pelagians on the other, was not able to
extricate himself, who can help it? Shall his
Opinion, and that which he was rather
forced into by disputation than made choice
of, but especially shall the Determination

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of a few Divines at Dort vye with the constant
Doctrine of the Primitive Church, or
make that an imputation upon our Church,
which is really amongst its Glories? Must
a novel Dutch Synod prescribe Doctrine to
the Church of England, and outweigh all
Antiquity? Shall those that knew not how
God could be just, unless he was cruel, nor
great, unless he decreed to damn the greatest
part of Mankind; that could not tell how
man should be kept humble, unless they made
him not a man but a stock or stone: Shall, I
say, such Men and such Opinions confront
the Antient Catholick Apostolick Faith, held
forth in the Church of England?

Secondly, The Articles of the Doctrine
of this Church do with such admirable prudence
and wariness handle these points we
are now speaking of, as if particular respect
was had to these men, and care taken that
they might abundare suo sensu, enjoy their
own Judgements, and yet without check subscribe
to these Articles. And accordingly
it is well known, that not many years since,
when the Dort Opinions were very predominant
amongst many Divines of this Church,
they used (it may be) a little more scholastick
subtilty to reconcile their own Opinions
with these Articles, but never condemned

the latter for the sake of the former.

And at this day divers good men are in the
service of this Church that are in their private
Judgements of the Dort perswasion, and
yet never thought their subscription to these
Articles did any violence to their Consciences
or Judgements: therefore this can be no cause
of our Troubles, nor ground of Separation
from the Church.

A second pretence against this Church is,
that it is not sufficiently purged from the
dross of Popish Superstitions, that it comes
too near the Church of Rome, and so the
Communion of it is dangerous.

Popery is an odious Name in this Nation,
and God be thanked that it is so, for it deserves
no less: But as Constantine when he
condemned the Arrians and decreed their
Books should be burnt, appointed that they
should be called Porphyrians, a Name sufficiently
detested by the generality of Christians:
So those men that have a mind to reproach
the Church, know no more effectual
way of affixing an Ignominy upon it, than
by laying the imputation of Popery to it.
And indeed if the Charge were as true as it is
false, or if it were as probable as it is malicious,

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it would not only serve to exasperate
the Vulgar against the Church, but to justifie
their Secession from it. But it is hard to say
whether the unreasonableness or the uncharitableness
be greater in this suggestion. For,

1. It is certain there hath been little or
no alteration made in either the Doctrine,
Discipline or Liturgy since the first Reformation;
and therefore if either of them incline
too much that way, they did so from the beginning.
Now that which I inquire into, is,
what should be the causes of the late revolt
and separation from this Church, or what
should make that discernable change in mens
affections towards it, from what was in the
former Age? And he that tells me it was Popishly
constituted at first, gives indeed a reason
(if it was true) why this Reformation
should not have been entertained at first,
but doth not assign a cause why those should
depart from it now, that had imbraced it
with so much zeal formerly. He therefore
that would speak home to this case, must
shew that this Church hath lost its first love,
and hath warped towards the old corruptions
from which it was once purged. But
this is so far from being possible to be shewn,
that it is certain on the contrary, that all the
change that hath been made of late years,

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hath been meerly in complyance with and
condescension to those that object this against
it; and a man would reasonably expect, they
would easily pardon such Innovations.

But in truth the main quarrel is, that
we are not alwayes reforming, but keep to
the old Matron-like Dress, the Queen Elizabeth
fashion. If the Governours of the
Church would comply with the curiosity of
this wanton Age, our Religion would quickly
have the fortune of Apelles's picture according
to the known story. He to deride the
conceited folly of the Age, exposes to publick
view a Master-piece of his work: And
as it usually happens, that every body pretends
to skill in reforming (by the incouragement
of the Proverb that saith, facile
est inventis addere) scarcely any person
that past by, but spent their verdict upon the
picture; All commend it in the general, yet
to give some special instance of their skill,
every one finds some fault or other: One
would have had more Shadow, another less;
one commends the Eye, but blames a Lip, &c.
The subtil Artist observes all, and still as
any passenger had shot his bolt, alters the picture
accordingly. The result was, that at
last by so many Reformations it became so
deformed and monstrous a piece, that not

only wiser men, but these vulgar Reformers
themselves wondered at it, and could now
discern nothing worthy so famed an Artist.
He on the other hand, to right himself, produces
another Piece of the same Beauty and
Art, which he had hitherto kept up by him,
and had escaped their censure, and upbraids
them thus, Hanc ego feci, istam populus,
This latter is my work, the other is a monster
of your own making.

This is our case; Christian Religion was
by holy and wise men our Reformers, devested
of those gaudy and meretricious accoutrements
the Romanists had drest her up
in, and habited according to primitive simplicity;
but this would not please every body,
every Sect and Party would have something
or other added or altered according to
their several phancies and Hypotheses, which
if it should be allowed (the opinions of men
are so contrary one to another as well as to
truth) the true lineaments of Christianity
would quite be lost. Upon this consideration
hath not this Church been very fond
of alterations.

But to all this it is likely it will be replyed,
That now we have more light and discover
blemishes and deformities, which (though

D

they were before, yet) we could not discern
when our selves came out of the dark Den of
Popery. At first, like the man under cure of
his blindness, Mark 8. 24. we saw men as
trees walking, we discovered only some more
palpable errors, but now we discern though
lesser yet not tolerable deformities.

2. To this therefore I answer in the second
place, That it is certain all is not to be esteemed
Popery, that is held or practised by the
Church of Rome, and it cannot be our duty
(as I have said before) to depart further from
her than she hath departed from the truth:
for then it would be our duty to forsake
Christianity it self in detestation of Popery.
To reform is not surely to cast away every
thing that was in use before, unless Barbarism
be the only through Reformation.

The Historian observes of those that spoil
Provinces and ransack Kingdoms ubi solitudinem
fecere pacem appellant, when they had
converted a flourishing Countrey into a desolate
wilderness, they called this a profound
peace. But sure to reform is not to destroy
and lay waste, but to amend. Unless therefore
it can be proved against the Church of
England that she holds or practises any thing
false or sinful, it will little avail them that

object against her, and as little be any blemish
to her constitution, that in some things
she concurs with the Roman. Nor is it reasonable
to say, such a thing is received from
the Church of Rome, meerly because there it
is to be found, unless it be to be found no
where else: for though it be true that many
things are the same in both Churches, (in as
much as it is impossible they should be Churches
of Christ at all else,) yet it is as true that
those things wherein they agree are such (and
no other) as were received generally by all
Christian Churches, and by the Roman before
it lay under any ill character. But that
this Church doth not so syncretize with that
of Rome, as to make its Communion unsafe
or sinful, I suppose the following Considerations
will give sufficient security to an unprejudiced
mind. In the mean time let me
intreat him that hath entertained any suspicions
of that kind against her, to give an ingenuous
Answer of these two or three Queries.

1. If there be such a dangerous affinity
betwixt the Church of England and the Romish,
how came it to pass that the blessed instruments
of our Reformation, such as A.
Bishop Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer and others,
laid down their lives in testimony to this

D2

against that? For if those of the Church of
Rome could have been so barbarous as cruelly
to murder those excellent persons for some
slight Innovations, or for differing from them
in Circumstantials; yet certainly such wise
and good men would not have been so prodigal
of their own blood, nor weary of their
lives as to cast them away upon Trifles. It
is probable at least therefore that those of the
Church of Rome thought the English Reformation
to be essentially different from them;
and it is more than probable that those holy
men aforesaid thought so, and did not offer
to God the sacrifice of fools.

2. Or how comes it to pass that all those
of the Roman Communion withdraw themselves
from ours, and are commanded so to
do by the Head of their Church under peril
of damnation? And on the other side the
true Protestants of the Church of England,
think it their duty to absent themselves from
the Roman Worship, lest they should defile
their Consciences with their Superstitions?
I say how comes this distance and apprehension
of sin and danger reciprocally, if the differences
between them be inconsiderable?

3. Whence comes it to pass, that the Bigots
of the Romish Church have more spite

14

against our Church, than against any Sect or
Party whatsoever? but that they take us not
only for Enemies, but the most mortal and
formidable of all those they have to do
with.

Or Lastly, if both the Church and Church-men
of England are not far enough removed
from any participation with that of Rome,
how comes it to pass that they of all men
most zealously and constantly upon all occasions
stand in the gap and oppose the return of
Popery into England, when other men either
slight the danger, or are so fond of their own
private sentiments, as apparently to run the
hazard of this for the sake of them? Any
reasonable man would think those men have
not really such an abhorrence of Popery as
they pretend, and that there might easily be
found terms of accommodation between them,
when he shall observe them more fond of every
petty Opinion, than concern'd for the
publick Security against that common Enemy;
And that they will rather venture the
danger of that breaking in upon them, than
forgo the least fancy or opinion; nay, will
be instrumental in procuring a Toleration
and suspension of the publick Laws for that,
which they are so jealous others should have
any kindness for. And for proof of this, I

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call to witness the transactions of the last
year, when those very men that would be
thought the Atlas's and only supporters of
Protestant Religion, and would give out as if
their Zeal was the only Bulwark against Popery,
had by their separation from, and enmity
to this Church, weakned the common interest,
and by their restless importunities and
unlimited desires of liberty, in a manner extorted
a suspension of the Laws touching
Religion. Had not His Majesty and His
Parliament timely foreseen the consequence,
and the whole Nation been awakned into an
apprehension of the danger by the serious
and constant admonitions of the Episcopal
Clergy, Popery might have come in like a
Landflood upon us, notwithstanding those
quicksighted Watchmen that can spy Popery
so far off. I say had not the Church-men
especially bestirred themselves, and shewed
both a better courage and zeal against Popery,
and also a better skill in that warfare
than their Accusers, the so much dreaded
Enemy had ere this time been in fair hopes
of attaining his desires.

This was a passage of so much glory to
the true Church-men, and so great and illustrious
an instance of their integrity, that I
am in hope whilest it shall remain in memory,

16

Malice it self will be ashamed to lay any imputation
of inclining to Popery either upon
the Church or Church-men of England.

I shall not need to add to all this, That there
are as understanding men in Religion, persons
of as holy Lives, and of as comfortable
Consciences, of this Churches Education, as
are any where to be found in the world besides.
Which three things together fully
acquit any Church of participation with
Popery. For that degeneracy of Christianity
is for nothing more truly hateful, nor by
nothing more discoverable than by its blind
devotion, principles of immorality, and the
bad security it gives to the Consciences of
men; which who so acquits any Church of,
(as every considerate man must needs do
this Church) he shall after that, very unreasonably
leave any ill character upon her, at
least of that nature we now are speaking of.

3. But there is a terrible Charge yet to
come, and that is against the Sufficiency, but
especially the Sanctity of the Clergy and
Ministry of the Church of England; as if
they, like the Sons of Eli, 1 Sam. 2. 15. made
men to abhor the offerings of the Lord. And
this is made the pretence of resorting to Conventicles,
and forsaking the Church.

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Now if this was as true as it is horribly
false, it might be an Objection perhaps fit
for a Papist to make, who is taught that the
efficacy of all Divine Offices depends upon
the intention and condition of him that administers;
But no Protestant without contradicting
his own principles can make use
of it to justifie his recession from the Church:
For if the efficacy of all Divine Ordinances
depend upon the Divine Institution and the
concurrence of Gods Grace with my use of
them, what can it prejudice me, that he that
administers is an evil or unlearned man, so
long as I prepare my self to receive benefit
immediately from God in the use of the
means appointed by him? This therefore
may serve for a malicious stone to cast at
us from whom they are departed; but no
argument in the cause, nor excuse for themselves.

Yet I confess nevertheless, this way of
arguing (for we must be forced to call hard
words by that name) is of great prevalence
with injudicious persons, and able to prejudice
them against the best Constitutions in
the world. For they not understanding the
reason of things, give reception and entertainment
to any proposition in proportion to

18

the opinion or reverence they have for the
person that recommends it. It is a known
story, how well the Spartans were aware of
this; and therefore if in their Council, a
man of a bad life had propounded excellent
counsel, they would not suffer him, but suborn
some other person of great sanctity to
be the Author of it: Amongst other reasons,
lest the ill opinion that was generally conceived
of the person, should derogate from
the weight and value of the counsel and
advice.

Therefore the more extreamly to blame
are those that acknowledging the truth and
excellency of the Doctrine of the Church of
England, can yet find in their hearts to undermine
the success of it by sowing suspicions
and in raising scandals against them, that
are to propagate it.

It will be to the immortal glory of the
Great Constantine, that when at the Nicene
Council the Bishops and Clergy had exhibited
to him a great bundle of Libels one
against another, he burnt them all together
before their faces, as thinking them fitter
for the fire than the light. And protested
he had so great a zeal for the reputation of
Church-men, and such a sense of the concern

19

and consequence of their good fame and
reputation, that if he should see one of them
in the most scandalous commission, he would
cover such a mans shame with his own
Purple.

But as I doubt in these dayes there is little
of the Spirit and Charity of Constantine, so
thanks be to God, there is little need of it
in this case; for I doubt not to convince this
suggestion against the Church-men of as
much falshood, as the former against the
Church of frivolousness. For though there
want not those in these dayes that are so
quick-sighted as to discover spots in the Sun
it self: Though I say, there be both those
that have great skill in all the methods of
uncharitableness, such as can insinuate little
whispers and jealousies first, and then foment
and hatch them up to a story, and then aggravate
the fact, and lastly make the folly
of some one man, be the scandal of the whole
Order; And also those Atheistical persons
whose interest it is (in order to the extenuating
their own villanies,) as much as may
be to render the persons of those that reprove
them as ridiculous as they can, and to that
purpose are become great proficients of late
in a scurrilous kind of drollery, whereby
they can sublimate their own vices and debaucheries

20

into a kind of vapour, a meer
frolick and Gentile humour, and on the other
side aggravate the meer humane infirmities of
graver men into great deformities: yet all
their combined wit and malice will never
be able to affix any scandal upon the Body of
the present English Clergy.

1. For their Learning and Ability: If the
Preaching of the present Age be not better
than that of former, I would fain know the
reason why the Homilies are in no greater
reputation, and should expect to see the
people desire their Pastors to read them in
the Congregation, and save the labour of
their own compositions.

If the Sermons of foreign Divines be better
than those of the English, what is then
the reason that all Protestants abroad admire
the English way of Preaching, insomuch that
some foreign Congregations (as I am credibly
informed) defray the charges of the
travails of their Pastor into England, as well
as dispense with their absence, that they may
return to them instructed in the method of
English Preaching.

Whether the Preaching in the Church of
Rome be to be preferred before ours, he that

21

hath not a mind to travail into those parts,
may yet indifferently well resolve himself, if
he take but the pains to read a Book written
by Erasmus of the Art of Preaching: which
whosoever hath done or shall do, I verily
perswade my self, he shall quickly be able
to reckon up more follies and ridiculous passages,
than all those gathered together by
the Author of the Inquiry into the Causes of
the Contempt of the Clergy.

Lastly, He that shall take the pains or
have the curiosity to compare the Preachings
generally in our Churches with those ordinarily
in the Conventicles, will either find
them very unequally matcht, or else if he
hath any reason at all, he hath reason to suspect
himself intolerably prejudicate. For
on the one side, he shall find sound Theology,
strength of Argument, gravity of Expression
and distinctness of Method; on the other
side nothing more frequent than puerile and
flat, oft-times rude, and sometimes blasphemous
expressions, Similitudes instead of
Arguments, and either apish Gestures, or
tragical Vociferations instead of Eloquence.

Besides, a wise man may in great measure
take an estimate of the wisdom and abilities
of a Preacher or Writer by the very subject

22

he chooses to discourse on, and not only by the
manner of handling it. And he that shall
impartially apply himself to this little trouble,
may easily observe the Sermons and
Tractates of the Non-conformists generally,
to be either about Predestination, which
(besides the danger of it amongst the people
for mistakes) nothing but unskilfulness could
make any man confident enough to undertake
the unfolding of; or about Union with
God and Christ, which themselves confess to
be unintelligible, and they help to make it
so; or the sweetness, beauty and loveliness
of Christ's Person, which is seldome handled
with any better effect, than the stirring
up some sensual passion or other in the fond
Auditors, as I have seen verified by experience.

God forbid that I should charge all the
Non-conformists with such indecencies as
these; but it is manifest it is such kind of
discourses as I have intimated, that are the
most taking and ravishing amongst them.

But then on the other side, you shall hear
Discourses of the Nature and Attributes of
God, and the reason of Religion deduced
thence; of the Divine Providence, and Arguments
of Contentment, Reverence and Submission

23

inferred therefrom; of the Eternal
reasons of Good and Evil, and indispensable
obligations to Virtue, as the consequence of
that principle laid upon the Consciences of
men; of the nature of Faith, the necessity
of Holiness, of Charity, of Obedience to Governours:
all which are good and profitable,
and of great weight and importance.

If we now compare the Writings of both
parties, the difference will yet be more legible.
Although it hath been observed of
old by a Wise and Great man, That generally
the ablest of men have not been most given
to writing of Books, as being loth to make
themselves Themes for fools to comment upon;
but a middle sort of men are most disposed,
and usually have best success that
way, whose Genius is more adequate to vulgar
capacities: yet let any man of competent
judgement lay passion and prejudice aside,
and say, if the Writings of the Divines of
this Church, both in the Controversies of Religion
and most other parts of Learning,
have not matcht any other Profession, any
other Church, but extreamly overmatcht
their Opponents? It were easie to name Men
and Writings, but I conceive it needless in so
clear a case.

24

2. But then for the lives of Church-men;
Though I will not render evil for evil, nor
retaliate the reproaches cast upon the Sons of
the Church, by ripping up the miscarriages
of the other perswasions: For (besides that
I have not so learned Christ,) I have observed
so much of the world, that such uncharitable
recriminations have not only made an
Apology for the Atheism and Profaneness of
the Age, but afford a pleasant spectacle to all
evil men, to behold Divines coming upon
the Stage like Gladiators, and wounding and
murdering one anothers reputation. To
which add, that I verily hope the Lives, of
the generality at least, of the Clergy of
England are so unblameable and commendable
in themselves, that they need not the foil
of other mens deformities to set them off or
recommend them.