Hiera dakrya, Ecclesiae anglicanae suspiria, The tears, sighs, complaints, and prayers of the Church of England setting forth her former constitution, compared with her present condition : also the visible causes and probable cures of her distempers : in IV books / by John Gauden ...

CHAP. V.

TO which temper and method of Ecclesiasticall Unity, Order and Authority, as piety, policy, honour and gra∣titude do invite the wisdome of this Nation, (which I have hitherto in many instances demonstrated;) so my next endeavour is to encourage all sober and good Christians to desire and advance, in all worthy waies, that hap∣py Restitution and Primitive settlement in our Religion, by setting before you and them the possibility of effecting so great, so good, so necessary a work; while many difficulties do not yet run us upon that rock of utter despaire which shipwrecks all industry, but they are easily counterpoised by that not onely possibility, but hopefull probability, which seems to appeare in the inclinations of the wisest and best men of all Religious interests and parties in this Nati∣on, who have learned wisdome either by their own or other mens follies.

For this Good the wise God hath brought out of the evill of our follies and miseries, that the sad consequences (possibly not intended by many, but) pursuing our late deviations and transports on all sides in this Church, (where the projects and practises of particular men rather served their private passions and presumptions, than the Di∣vine Institutions, Christs glory, or the Churches generall good,) these have already so fully confuted their Authors and abettors confi∣dences, by the sin, shame, weaknesse and fatuity of them, that they need no blacker marks or deeper brands of dislike, than those which they have with their own hand set upon their fore-heads; having brought the things of Religion to so great a deformity as it is this day, by their praeter, subter or super-conformities, either beyond the use, intent, or indulgence of the lawes, or beyond the constitutions and customes and interests of this Church.

Thus while either restive and sullen, or busie and pragmatick Spi∣rits will needs be breaking that hedge which their wise fore-fathers made, serpents have bitten them: while they would take burning coales from the Altar without tongs, (which the Seraphin used as the ordi∣nary meanes) they have shrewdly burned their own fingers, in so much that many, if not most of them, I believe, would be glad they were every way fairly healed, to as great a soundnesse of Order, Honour and Unity, as they formerly enjoyed; of which they were as weary as unworthy, whose indiscreet forsaking that medium and measure of their happinesse, which was wisely established by pub∣lick counsell and authority, hath been of late so many waies unblest and unsuccesseful, that their very going out of the right way which was the way of Peace, Truth, and Order, hath somewhat prepared their feet for an happy returne. Every one that is so blest as to see their unlucky extravagancies, hath learned to esteem the good old way better than heretofore they did; when private presumption

tempted them to preferre their own novell fancies before the pub∣lick establishments of such a famous Church and renowned Nation as England was.

I make no question but many men are grown wise by their own woes; others at a cheaper rate have bought wisdome by observing the fruits of their neighbours folly, rashnesse and weaknes. Some have deeply suffered for their former Hydropick fullnesse, restivenesse and lazinesse in Religion, contracted by long peace, great plenty, and high preferments; which it is farre more honour to use pi∣ously and profitably, moderately and wisely, than to enjoy pom∣pously, superciliously, luxuriously and idly: others are brought al∣most to utter consumptions of Religion by their own Calentures, and those Hectick fevers which have so long afflicted themselves and (as contagious or spotted sicknesses) infected others. Some of all sides and sorts have suffered. I am sure all are threatned, because each par∣ty hath by their passionate transports rather studied to advance their private opinions, parties and interests, than the common and publick good of this Church and Nation; mutuall sufferings (which have taken from all sides the confidence of their innocency) have so wrought upon all men of serious piety and honest purposes, as by this fiery triall to purge them from their drosse of common infirmi∣ties, and to refine them for some further service to this Church and State. Nor do I doubt, but as other wise and good men, so particularly Ministers of parts and piety, could they once amicably and authoritatively meet, confer and correspond together, would sincerely and cheerfully (by Gods blessing) agree upon some expe∣dient to recover the truth, order, honour, peace, uniformity and authority of the Reformed Religion and its Ministry in this Church and Nation; that neither they, nor you, nor your posterity may be ever thus possessed, distorted, torne and tormented with evill Spirits, which sometimes cast us into the waters of cold and Atheisticall irre∣ligions, otherwhile into the fires of intemperate zealotry and contenti∣ons. For so hath the Church of England passed through all the poetick racks and tortures, which (if not remedied) will be the por∣tion of your posterity, one while rolling Sysiphus his restlesse stone of endlesse Reformation, whose recoilings and relapsings sink the true Reformed Religion to lower deformities than ever it was in: af∣ter this they must be put upon Ixions wheel, tossed up and down with continuall circulations and giddinesse of Religion, as every mans whimsicall braines list to turne it round; whereas Religious orderly motions ought to have, as their due bounds and circumference of truth, so their fixed centre of Christian unity and publick commu∣nion, both which would in no long time (by Gods blessing) be re∣gained in England, if some mens private policies and sinister pro∣jects did not (as wedges) still hinder the closing and agreement of honest and impartiall men, in such waies as would restore Religion to its just honor, Authority and consistence; from the enjoying of which, after all the specious pretences made on all sides, we are still as

far remote, as Tantalus was from eating those fruits or drinking those waters, which onely deluded, but never satisfied his famished soul.

Yet many good grapes and some faire clusters are still left upon this battered vine of the Church of England, in which I hope may be a blessing, which neither the little foxes of peevish Schismaticks have much bitten, nor the greater bores of Romish seducers have wholly subverted. Many well-meaning people, and not a few Preachers too, who formerly had their Midsummer-fits, and shorter Lunacies, as to their religion, are now so sober in their senses, and well recovered to their right wits, that having once tried that vanity and vexation, that froth and futility of Spirit, which attends all factious inquietudes, and exotick innovations obtruded upon a well-setled Church, they are resolved ever hereafter to avoid and abhorre them; as being no better than specious poysons, delicate delusions, spirituall debaucheries and religious lucuries, which growing from plethorick tempers in mens soules, (especially where they are high fed with duties) do easily tempt them that are lesse cautious and moderate both to wandrings and wantonnesse in Religion, first to simple fornications, and at last to grosse and foule adulteries; to which men (otherwise of commendable strictnesse and purposes) are easily betrayed, if (as Dinah) they give way to the temptations of novelty, curiosity, popu∣larity, and ambitious vanity in Religion, there, where it hath been well and worthily setled by publique counsell and joynt consent; yea and hath been happily enjoyed for many Ages, with almost mi∣raculous, I am sure very marvellous prosperities, so as it was, beyond all dispute, here in the Church of England. The inconsiderate ruf∣lings and disorderings of whose religious constitution, many men (of all sorts) are now ready to recant and expiate, if by any honest en∣deavours they may recover the order, unity, beauty, authority and stability of Religion in this Nation.

To whose Ecclesiastick communion I perceive many (heretofore more warme than wise, more credulous than considerate) are now cordially returned, as to their judgements and consciences; to which, no doubt, their conversation would willingly conforme, if once they could see any ensigne of religious uniformity authoritatively set up in England.

Many Ministers would willingly recant and return from their vio∣lent and vulgar transports, if they could but have a protection for their foreheads, or a skreen to hide that shame and discountenance, which they feare hangs over them for their levity, from the common-peoples censures and scorns. Not a few Ministers (sometimes order∣ly and regular enough) would fain get free from those popular lime∣twigs, which have too long held them, if they did not feare to lose some of their feathers, either as to their reputation or maintenance; who flying from that good sense which was heretofore set in the Church of England for their defence, would needs light on that bare hedge for their refuge and perch, which proves to most of them no

better than the beggars bush, fuller of gins and snares than of berries or food.

O how glad would hundreds of popular preachers and preaching people be, to be commanded by superiours to make (not verball, but) reall retractations of their errors, seductions, surprises, schismes, and apostasies? that so their variablenesse in Religion might seem to arise not from their private innate levities, but from either fatall or soveraigne necessities; which are alwaies good salvo's, and go for cur∣rent excuses among common people, either to plead for their ex∣travagancies, or to justifie their changes, especially when they are reduced to the better.

Many Ministers of Presbyterian and Independent practises rather than perswasions or principles, now (together with their followers) who formerly were highly a-gog, (even when they were yet in their downe, pin-feathered, and scarce fledge) in those fine speculations and rare projects which they had fancied for erecting new models of Church-work, after the formes of Consistories and Elderships, Classes and congregations of Corporal Spiritualties, & Spirituall Corporati∣ons, which were to be reared out of the ruinous, nay out of the most intire parts of the Reformed Church of England, which was by them to be wholly ruined, though it were by the Lawes of God and man, by constitutions Ecclesiasticall and Civill, both wisely formed and happily fixed in the Primitive and Catholick form of order and dependency; yet even these men and Ministers of destru∣ction, not edification, with their late Chappels of Little-Ease, would I am confident be now very glad to be handsomely sheltered under the protection of some such Episcopall seat, faire Cathedrall or Mo∣ther-Church, with which England formerly abounded, to the great honour of the Nation, no lesse than of the Clergy and Ministry of all degrees: the Slips and Shrubs of Churches, (which some have late∣ly planted) thrive so ill, that they wish them fairly removed and rein∣grafted into that ancient stock, that goodly and venerable tree of Episcopacy, which was so flourishing and so fruitfull to all orders of Christians in England, and in all ancient Churches, ever since the first plantation of Religion in this Island, or the other world.

O how would all sober Ministers and others rejoyce to come un∣der that shade and superintendency which might not sadly over∣drop, but gently protect every Minister and member of the Church, in their severall branches and boughs? Who sees not by experience that verified which St. Jerom told them long agoe, That a regular Episcopacy is the best, if not the onely defensative, both in the Ca∣tholick and particular Churches, from the scorching heates of factions and schismes, to keep men from those shiftings and tossings in Religion, from those uncharitable rendings and separations, which are so uncomely and inconvenient, yea so noxious to the Churches of Christ, and therefore to be conscienciously avoided by all good Christians?

Besides, this constitution containing in its bosome the true inte∣rests

of Presbyters and people, as well as of Bishops, redeemes the Cler∣gy, beyond any other form of Church-order and Government, from that which is very intolerable to men of learned piety and ingenu∣ous Spirits; that is, the sordid dependence upon, yea and slavish sub∣jection (even in religious concernments) unto those Lay-dictators, and plebeian humors, who are generally very crosse-grained and spite∣fully peevish to men of more learning than themselves. Vulgar minds are alwaies contemptuous to their teachers, and rugged to their Monitors, but most unsufferably insolent, when they find ei∣ther Magistrates or Ministers dependants upon their benevolence; never triumphing more unfeignedly than when they see those defor∣med spectacles which this last age hath oft shewen them, name∣ly, those grave and worthy Ministers, who taught them in the name of Christ on the Lords-day, the very next day pale and trembling, to appeare before them in some Country Committee, compoun∣ded of Lay-men, yea and of some Trades-men, who are generally not guilty of much learning in any kind, and least in Divinity: yet these are the men that must catechise, examine, censure and condemn Ministers in the sight of their people, both in points of Doctrine and in practises Ministeriall, for which some one Minister is able to say more in one houre, than most of those Assessors or silly Spe∣ctators can understand in ten, or ever have read in all their lives.

What ingenuous Christian blusheth not to see Ministers of excel∣lent learning and lives so disparaged, so degraded, so discouraged, by the Incompetency of those who must be their Judges, when ma∣ny of them cannot so much as understand the state of the question or matter in dispute? What Christian is there of so popular, ple∣beian, triviall, and mechanick a spirit, as not to desire to see pro∣per and meet judges set to examine and determine matters of Re∣ligion, for doctrines, manners, and discipline? in all which there are many cases so obscure and intricate, that they require men of very good learning, of composed minds, of sober judgements, and unbias∣sed consciences, to debate and determine them, being very dubious and disputable in truth and holinesse, in faith and morality; which when some silly Saints and devout bunglers will undertake to ma∣nage and modelize beyond their line and measure, after their rash, rude and slovenly fashion, it is not to be expressed how much de∣triment both Religion and its sacred Ministry suffer through the ig∣norance and passion, the rusticity and confidence, the petulancy and impertinency of such ridiculous arbitrators and incompetent judges, who are so farre from being fit for any such Authority and Judica∣ture, that they are not onely not equals, but in most points very much inferiours to those whose doctrine and manners, whose cal∣lings and consciences they presume not so much to search as to in∣sult over, with as much unfitnesse and unreasonablenesse, as if Di∣vines should arrogate to themselves the Judicature of Common-Law, or of persons and cases Martiall; so that both Pleaders and Judges, Souldiers and Commanders should fall under Ministers decision in

all debates incident to their functions and affaires.

Every man not ambitiously vain and fulsomely foolish, doth now wish in his soul to see that grave, solemne, idoneous and equable dis∣pensation of Religion, both in its Mysteries and Ministry, its Doctrine and Controversies, its Scandals and Indignities, as may best become the Honour and Majesty of Christianity, most avoiding those im∣proprieties and absurdities, which have been sufficiently manifest∣ed in our late confusions; which have chiefly risen from want of that wise settlement in Religious administrations which would lay out every part and parcell of them, so as is proper for them both as to persons, places and proportions, after the order and method an∣ciently▪ used both in Gods Tabernacle and his Temple.

Indeed nothing can be managed orderly and happily in Church or State, in Civill or Ecclesiastick affaires, unlesse they passe through such wise hearts and pure hands, as can both well understand them, and discreetly discharge them; so as may conciliate in all mens mindes an inward reverence to their persons that do dispence them. Which respect ariseth not from parchment Commissions or popu∣lar approbations, but from personall and reall sufficiencies; which appearing to all sober men both in reason and Religion, give them the greatest satisfaction, and thereby as it were charme the com∣mon people not more by feare, than love and shame, to preserve that peace, and to observe those orders which they see wisely setled, and authoritatively used in any Church or Christian Common-wealth.

Notes

• The hopefull possibility of restoring true Religion to u∣nity and set∣tlednesse in England.