A serious exhortation, with some important advices, relating to the late cases about conformity recommended to the present dissenters from the Church of England.

V.

Fifthly, We desire them to-Consider, Whether it be not a Just Prejudice to their Cause, and that which ought to prevail with Men Modest and Peaceable, that in those things, wherein they differ from us, they are Condemn∣ed by the Practice of the whole Catholick Church for Fifteen Hundred Years together. This, were I mind∣ed, might afford a large Field for Discourse, but I shall instance only, and that very briefly, in a few Particulars,

And First, We desire them to produce any settled part of the Christian Church, that ever was without Episcopal Covernment, till the time of Calvin: it be∣ing then as hard to find any part of the Christian World without a Church, as to find a Church with∣out a Bishop. This is so evident in the most early An∣tiquities of the Church, that I believe our Dissenters begin to grow sick of the Controversie. And if Blondell, Salmasius and Daille, (whose great Parts, Learning, and indefatigable Industry, could, if any thing, have made out the contrary) have been forced to grant, That Episcopacy obtained in the Church within a few Years after the Apostolick Age; We are sure we can carry it higher, even up to the Apostles themselves. There are but Two passages,

that I know of, in all Antiquity, of any Note, and both of them not till the latter end of the Fourth Century, that may seem to question Episcopal Autho∣rity: The One, That famous and well known pas∣sage of St. Jerom, which yet when improved to the utmost that it is capable of, only intimates Episcopacy not to be of Apostolical Institution. And very clear it is to those that are acquainted with St. Jeroms Writings, that he often Wrote in hast, and did not always weigh things at the Beam, and forgot at one time, what he had said at another; that many expres∣sions fell from him in the heat of Disputation, accord∣ing to the warmth and the eagerness of his Temper, & that he was particularly chafed into this Assertion by the fierce opposition of the Deacons at Rome, who be∣gan to Usurp upon, and over-top the Presbyters, which tempted him to Magnifie and Extol their Place and Dignity, as anciently equal to the Episcopal Office, and as containing in it the common Rights and Privi∣leges of Priesthood. For at other times, when he Wrote with cooler Thoughts about him, he does plainly and frequently enough assert the Authority of Bishops over Presbyters, and did himself constantly live in Communion with, and Subjection to Bishops. The other passage is that of Aerius, who held indeed that a Bishop and a Presbyter differed nothing in Or∣der, Dignity, or Power. But he was lead into this Error meerly through Envy and Emulation, being vext to see that his Companion Eustathius had gotten the Bishoprick of Sebastia, which himself had aimed at. This made him start aside, and talk extravagant∣ly; but the Church immediately branded him for an Heretick, and drave him and his followers out of all Churches, and from all Cities and Villages. And Epi∣phanius, who was his Contemporary, represents him

as very little better then a Madman; and adds, that all Heresies that ever were from the beginning of the World, had been hatched either by Pride, or Vain Glory, or Covetousness, or Emulation, or some such Evil Inclination. But his Heresie, it seems, was not long-liv'd, for we hear no more concerning this matter, till the Reformation at Geneva.

Secondly, We desire them to shew any Christian Church that did not constantly use Liturgies, and Forms of Prayer, in their Publick Offices and Admi∣nistrations of Divine Worship: I take it for grant∣ed, that there were Forms of Publick Prayer in the Jewish Church; and I make no doubt, but that the use of such Forms, was, together with many other Synagogue-rites and Usages, transferred into the Practice of the Christian Church, and did actually obtain, in the most early Ages in all Churches, where there were not Miraculous Gifts: and every where as soon as those Miraculous Gifts ceased, it being very fit and proper, and agreeable to Order and Decency, that the Peoples Devotions should be thus Conducted and Governed in their Publick Ministrations. Not to insist upon the Carmen, or Hymn, which even the Proconsul Pliny, says, the Christians upon a set Day were wont, one among another, to say to Christ, as to their God; Apparent footsteps of some Passages of their Ancient Liturgies, are yet extant in the Writings of Origen and St. Cyprian: And when Euse∣bius gives us an account, how Religiously Constantine the Great ordered his Court, That he was wont to take the Holy Bible into his Hands, and carefully to Meditate upon it, and afterwards to offer up Set or Composed Prayers, together with his whole Royal Fa∣mily; he adds, He did this after the manner, or in imitation of the Church of God. Nazianzen tells us of

St. Basil, That he composed Orders and Forms of Prayer, and appointed decent Ornaments for the Al∣tar. And St. Basil himself reciting the manner of the Publick Service, that was used in the Monastical Ora∣tories of his Institution, says, That nothing was done therein but what was Consonant and Agreeable to all the Churches of God. And the Council of La∣odicea, holden much about the Year 365, expresly provides, that the same Liturgy, or Form of Prayers, should be always used both Morning and Evening: That so it might not be lawful for every one that would, to compose Prayers of his own Head, and to repeat them in the Publick Assemblies; as both Zonaras and Bal∣samon give the reason of that Canon. Further then this we need not go, the Case being henceforward evi∣dent beyond all Contradiction.

Thirdly, Let them shew us any Church, that did not always set a part and observe Festival Comme∣morations of the Saints: besides the more solemn times for Celebrating the great Blessings of our Re∣deemer, his Birth Day and Epiphany, Easter in Me∣mory of his Resurrection, Pentecost or VVitsuntide for the Mission of the Holy Ghost, they had Annual days for solemnizing the Memories of the Blessed Apostles; they had their Memoriae and Natalitia Martyrum, whereon they assembled every Year, to offer up to God their Praises and Common Devotions, and by Publick Panegyricks to do honour to the memory of those Saints and Martyrs who had suffered for, or Sealed Religion with their Bloud. Not to mention their Lent Fast and their Stationary Fasts on VVednesdays and Fridays, which Epiphanius more then once ex∣presly says, were a Constitution of the Apostles. But the less need be said on this head, because few that have any Reverence for Antiquity, will have the hardiness to oppose it.

Fourthly, We desire them to produce any Church since the Apostles Times, that had not its Rites and Ceremonies, as many (if not more) in number, and as liable to exception, as those that are used in our Church at this Day; nay, there are few things, if any at all, required by our Constitution, which were not in use in the best Ages of Christianity. This, were it my design, I might demonstrate by an Indu∣ction of particulars, but it is fully done by other Hands. I shall therefore, only as a Specimen, in∣stance in One, and the rather, because 'tis so much boggled at, (viz.) The Sign of the Cross in Baptism, which we are sure was a Common and Customary Rite in the time of Tertullian and St. Cyprian, the latter whereof says oft enough, that being Regene∣rated, that is, Baptized, they were Signed with the Sign of Christ; that they were Signed on their Fore∣heads, who were thought worthy to be admitted into the fellowship of our Lords Religion. And St. Basil plain∣ly puts it amongst those Ancient Customs of the Church, which had been derived from the Apostles: Nay, Tertullian assures us, that they used it in the most common Actions of Life; that upon every mo∣tion, at their going out, and coming in, at their going to Bath, or to Bed, or to Meals, or whatever their Oc∣casions called them to, they were wont to make the Sign of the Cross on their Fore-heads; and therefore 'tis no wonder, that they should never omit it in the most Solemn Act of their being initiated into the Christi∣an Faith. And now let our Dissenting-Brethren seri∣ously reflect, whether the Constant and Uniform Practice of the Church in all times, be not a mighty Testimony against their Separating from us, upon the account of those things, which were used in the wisest, best and happiest Ages of the Gospel; and

when their Separation upon this account, can in point of Example, pretend not to much more then a Hun∣dred Years Countenance and Authority to Support and Shelter it. And yet it has not that neither; for I could easily shew, that most, if not all, the Usages of our Church, are either practised in Foreign Churches, or at least, allowed of by the most Learn∣ed and Eminent Divines of the Reformation, whose Testimonies, to this purpose, are particularly enume∣rated, and ranked under their proper Heads, by Mr. Sprint, in his Cassander Anglicanus, which they that are curious may Consult.

Notes

• Idem Pres∣byter, qui Episcopus, & ante∣quam di∣aboli in∣stinctu stu∣dia in re∣ligione fie∣rent, &c. Hier. in Epist. ad Tit. c. 1.
• Cont. Aer. haeres. 75.
• De vit. Constant. lib. 4. c. 17.
• In Sanc∣tum Basi∣lium Orat. 20. Bas. Epist. 63.
• Can. 18. conf. Conc. Milev. can. 12. Conc. Carth. 3. c. 23.
• Serm. com∣pend: de Expos. fid. p. 466. adv. Aer. Haeres. 75.
• Cypr. adv. Demetr. p. 203. de Ʋnit. Eccl. p. 185. vid. de Laps. p. 169. Bas. de Spir. S. c. 27. Tert. de Coron. mil. c. 3.
• See Durels view of the Govern∣ment and publick worship of God, 1662.
• p. 123, 124, ctc.