The English nonconformity as under King Charles II and King James II truly stated and argued by Richard Baxter ; who earnestly beseecheth rulers and clergy not to divide and destroy the land and cast their own souls on the dreadful guilt and punishment of national perjury ...

CHAP. XIV. Point XI. Of rejecting from Communion all that dare not kneel in the act of Receiving. (Book 14)

L.

I Hear that you receive the Eucharist Kneeling your self, and take it for lawful: what then have you against the Canon or Liturgy for this?

M.

I am my self for the lawfulness of Organs, Railes, and Coming up to them, and for the lawfulness of Kneeling when we sing Psalms, or read the Scripture, or hear the Preacher. But I am not for the lawfulness of hanging or damning men that herein are not of my mind: Nor for turning unnecessary things, because they are lawful into conditions, sine quibus non, of Church Communion, and Engines for Satan to divide Christ's Flock by, and persecute men for fearing sin. Paul was for the lawfulness of using, or not using, the meats and days mentioned Rom. 14. 1, 2. But he was not for either judg∣ing or despising one another about them, much less for casting men from the Church and Heaven for them; nor for saying, except ye be Circumcised ye cannot be saved.

L.

Nor doth the Church make Kneeling in Receiving necessary to Salvation, but enjoyne it as a decent Ceremony.

M.

They that make this Kneeling necessary to Church Communion, and avoiding Schism, and make Church-commu∣nion and avoiding Schism necessary to Salvation, do make the said Kneeling necessary to Salvation. But so do the Canonists here: Ergo.

How usually do they apply Christ's words to the Sacrament [Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, ye have no life in you] If Communion herein be not necessary, how

come all the dreadful Sermons, and Volumnes to thunder dam∣nation against those that do but stay away through fear of unpreparedness, and they must be Excommunicated that Com∣municate not twice a year with them; yea though they com∣municate elsewhere with Nonconformists.

L.

Wherein lyeth the sinfulness of Conformity here?

M.

I. In subscribing, Assenting and Consenting to this. II. In practising it against Godly Believers.

L.

I have heard that 1661. at the Savoy they maintained that the Liturgy did not bind you to put away them that do not Kneel, and so you might subscribe to it.

M.

This quibble served mens turn that were resolved it should be served. The case was this: They required us to lay by inconveniencies, and name only flat sins which the Liturgy required; we gave them in a Catalogue of eight. This was the first, Denying the Lord's Supper to all that durst not receive it Kneeling. They were hereupon divided among themselves: Dr. Pierson, and Dr. Gunning and Sparrow who were the Dis∣putants, in policy finding that they should be hard put to it to justifie such rejections devised this evasion, that the Litur∣gy did only bid them give it Kneeling, but did not forbid them gi∣ving it to others. Dr. Morley and others were against their opi∣nion, and so they were divided: But they permitted the Dis∣puters to go on (it being the last day) in the way that served their present turn. But the case is clear.

1. The Canon forbids them on pain of Suspension to give the Sacrament to any that Kneel not. And they all take the Oath of Canonical obedience: And though in Licitis & ho∣nestis be added, the terms signifie that they are to take the Ca∣nons as Licita & honesta: And these Canons, ipso facto, Ex∣communicate all professed Nonconformists.

2. They all subscribe to use the form of administrating Sa∣craments in the Common-Prayer book, and no other.

3. The Church therefore expounds its own meaning in the Liturgy by the Canon, that [give it to them Kneeling] signifies give it only to such.

4. If any doubt of it let them try, and their Suspension ac∣cording to the Canon will expound it to them.

L.

If the practice be sinful in rejecting such, Assenting and Con∣senting and Subscribing to do it must be sinful.

M.

The sin lyeth in what I before said about refusing Bap∣tism. 1. It maketh new terms of Church Communion.

2. It contradicteth Christ's appointed terms, which require all Christians to receive each other in Love and Concord: And Paul expresly decideth such cases, Rom. 14, and 15. Receive one another as Christ received us to the Glory of God. Will Christ that receiveth them to pardon, grace and endless Glory, own these Rejecters and Condemners? Or will he not say, In as much as ye did it to one the least of these my brethren, ye did it to me? And who is he that condemneth, when it is Christ that justifieth.

3. They shall answer for depriving Christ's Members of their right, as truely as if they oppressed Widows, and Or∣phans, and turned them out of their houses, and inheritance.

4. They shall answer for Schismatical tearing the Church by their Engines.

5. And for usurping a needless and hurtful dominion over mens faith, and consciences by their Church Legislation.

6. And for using that office which is made for the edifying and comfort of the Faithful, to drive conscience and obedi∣ence to God out of the world, by making doubtful, ensnaring impositions, and then persecuting and rendring odious all that dare not obey them for fear of sin, while they bear with the Rabble that hate serious godliness, and encourage them by preferring them in their communion.

L.

But what pretence have any against Kneeling?

M.

1. It is not a necessary point of Salvation or communion, and therefore if they err they are not therefore to be Ex∣communicate, unless you will Excommunicate all that have errour and sin, that is, your selves, and every living man.

2. They have the pretence of real fearing that it is a sin to differ in the Gesture from Christ's administration, thinking that a Table gesture was intended by him to signifie his sacri∣fice-Feast.

3. They fear breaking the Second commandment, which is against corporal seeming to worship as Idolaters do though the heart mean better; and so against symbolizing with Ido∣laters,

and against scandalous hardening them in their sin: Because Papists are known to kneel to the Bread as unto God and worship it. And these Papists live among us, and are now hoping to set up their Idolatry. Though for my part I think that the publick Doctrine of the Church, takes off this argument of Scandal, yet it is such as very Lear∣ned and holy men think valid: as you may see in Mr. Ruther∣ford's Letters, and many others.

4. And ad hom̄inem, I see not what the Excommunicators can say for themselves, while they condemn all of Schism that obey not General Councils, especially the four first, and that differ from the Universal Churches customes: And yet the very first Nicene Council, and divers after forbid all Kneeling in adoration on any Lord's day in the year, and on any weeks day between Easter and Whitsunday. And all the Ancients assure us that this was one of the chief ceremonys that the Church then called Universal agreed in. And it was never put down by any other General Council, but at Rome grew out of custome by degrees, and that not till a thousand years after Christ as Dr. Heylin confesseth. And shall these same men that cry up the Church and the Laws of Councils Excommunicate those that obey them as Schismaticks, and pass for the followers of the Church them∣selves?

In a word, I dare no more cast godly Christians from Christs Sacrament, for fearing least Kneeling in Receiving be a sym∣bolizing with Idolaters contrary to the Second Commandment, than I durst turn Widows and Orphans out of their inhe∣ritance for not speaking the same language, or wearing the same fashions as I do.