The Truth is, 'tis a common Practice for Men to catch at every Expression in the Homilies, which they think favorable to their own private Notions; and thereby to drag the Church into the Controverfy, merely to cast an Odium upon their Adversaries, as Apostates from what they have subscribed. And yet the very fame Persons, when they are pressed upon other Heads, with Arguments drawn in the very fame Manner, from the very fame Homilies, have the Face to interpret their Subscription to the Thirty fifth Article exactly as I have done, tho' that Interpretation destroys the Force of their own Reasonings in behalf of their beloved Tenets. It certainly becomes good Christians always to argue fairly, and not to triumph in an Authority, which, as they manage it, is as often against them, as for them. We are ready enough on all fides to receive the true Interpretation of our Subscription with refpect to the Homilies, when the false one leads us into infuperable Difficulties: and therefore we ought not to press a false Interpretation upon any fort of Adversaries, when the true one does not affect them. Let us take due Care to state, what we mean by the Church's Doctrins, in fuch a Manner, as shall be equally reasonable, and readily acknowledged, in all Instances whatsoever: and then, as we shall not be guilty of using diverse Weights and Measures; so I dare say, we shall agree in what our Church teaches, much better than our contending Parties seem to imagin. To evince the Truth of which Assertion, I shall take the Liberty of quoting and comparing the Words of Two eminent Prelates, whose Judgment has been (in many Cafes, almost implicitly) fol. lowed by vast numbers of Admirers, Arch Arch-Bishop Laud was charged at his Tryal (amongst other Particulars) with thwarting the DoCtrin of the Homilies, which are confirmed in the Thirty fifth Article, upon the account of his countenancing Images in Churches, &c. To this he replies, My Answer was, First, That though we Subscribed generally to the Doctrine of the Homilies, as good; yet we did not exprefs, or mean thereby to justific and maintain every particular Phrafe or Sentence contained in them. And Secondly, That the very Words of the Article to which we subscribe, are, That the Homilies do contain a godly and a wholesom Doctrine, and necessary for those Times. Godly, and wholefom for all Times, but necessary for those, when People were newly weaned from the Worship of Images: Afterwards, neither the Dan ger, nor the Scandal alike. Mr. Brown in his Reply faid, That since the DoCtrine contained in the Homi Bishop Burnet, in his Exposition of the Thirty fifth Article, which is intituled Of Homilies, saies, By this Approbation of the Two Books of Homilies it is notmeant, thatevery Passage of Scripture, or Argument that is made use of in them, isalways convincing, orthat every Expression is so severely worded, that it may not need a little Correction or Explanation. All that we profess about them, is only that they contain a godly and wholesom Doctrine. This rather relates to the main Importance andDesign of them, than to every Paffage in them.---This Approbation is not to be stretched so far, as to carry init a special Affent to every Particular in thatwholeVolume, but a man must be perfuaded of the main of the Doctrine that is taught in them.------By necessary for these Times, is not to be meant, that this was a Book fit to serve a Turn; but only that this Book was necessary at that Time, to instruct the Nation aright, and Homilies was wholesom and good, it must needs be necessary also for all Times. But this worthy Gentleman is herein much mistaken. Strong Meat, as well Spiritual as Bodily, is good and wholesom; but tho it be fo, yet if it had been necessary at all Times, and for all Men, the Apostle would never have fed the Corinthians with Milk, and not with Meat: The Meat always goodin it felf, but not necessary for them which were not able to bear it. Hift. of his Troubles and Tryal, p. 312. and fo was of great use then. But though the Doctrinein it, if once true, must be always true, yet it will not be always of the fame Neceffity to the People. p. 375.376. I will add, that the Author of The Herditary Right of the Crown of England afferted, having confuted diverse Mistakes in the Homily against Rebellion, excuses himself by saying, p. 63. If any should be offended with the Liberty here taken with the Homily, I must again assure my Reader, it proceeds not from the least Disaffection to the Composers, much less to the Doctrine of it, which is the only thing we are oblig'd to maintain; not the Arguments made use of to prove it. I need not observe, that Arch-Bishop Laud, Bishop Burnet, the aforesaid Author, and my felf, do exactly agree in our Sense of what this Article saies touching the Homilies. I know of no Difficulty that remains, except it should be imagin'd, that those who subscribe the Thirty fifth Article in this Sense, can't honestly read read the Homilies; because, perhaps, whatsoever Homily they read, may contain something which they disapprove. But I defire it may be remembred, that tho' he who is prefumed to preach his own Sermon, is thereby supposed to deliver his own Sense in every Clause and Propofition; and confequently must, to avoid the Guilt of lying, inwardly approve what he utters with his Mouth: yet the Cafe is vastly different, when a Man professes, and is understood, to read an Homily composed by another. For then, tho' he is obliged by his Subscription to own the general Doctrin, yet he is not esteemed by the Auditory to deliver what is precisely the Sense of his own Mind; but such a Latitude is indulg'd him, that he may in smaller Matters dissent from the Form he pronounces, without the least imputation or color of Infincerity; the bare Sufpicion of which a Clergyman ought to avoid and abhor in the whole Course of his Actions. ******** ***************** Moopoo and ordering of The THIRTY SIXTH ARTICLE. Of Confecration of Bishops and Ministers. HE book of Confecration of Arch-bishops, and BiPriests and Deacons, lately set forth in the time of Edward VI. and confirmed at the same time by authority of Parliament, doth contain all things necessary to fuch confecration and ordering; neither bath it any thing that of it felf is superstitious and ungodly. And therefore whosoever are confecrated or ordered according to the rites of that book, since the Second year of the aforenamed King Edward, unto this time, or hereafter shall be confecrated or ordered according to the fame rites, we decree all fuch to be rightly, orderly, and lawfully confecrated and ordered. In ६ In the Act for Uniformity of Public Prayers passed in the Fourteenth of King Charles the Second, we have these Words following. Provided always, That whereas the fix and thirtieth Article of the nine and thirty Articles agreed upon by the Archbishops and Bishops of both Provinces, and the whole Clergy, in the Convocation bolden at London, in the Year of our Lord One thousand Five hundred Sixty two, for the avoiding of Diversity of Opinions, and for eftablishing of Consent touching true Religion, is in these words following, viz. "That the Book of Confecration of Archbishops, and " Bishops, and Ordaining of Priests and Deacons, lately " fet forth in the Time of King Edward the Sixth, and " confirmed at the same time by Authority of Parliament, “dothcontain all things necessary to fuchConfecration and. “Ordaining, neither hath it any thing that is of it felf “ Superftitious and Ungodly; and therefore whosoever “are Confecrated or Ordered according to the Rites of " that Book, fince the Second Year of the aforenamed King Edward unto this time, or hereafter shall be Confecrated or Ordered according to the fame Rites; “We decree all fuch to be rightly, orderly, and law" fully Confecrated and Ordered. It be Enacted, and be it therefore Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That all Subscriptions hereafter to be bad or made unto the faid Articles by any Deacon, Priest, or Ecclefiaftical Person, or other Person whatsoever, who by this Act, or any other Law now in Force, is required to fubscribe unto the said Articles, shall be construed and taken to extend, and shall be applied (for and touching the faid Six and thirtieth Article) unto the Book containing the Form and Manner of Making, Ordaining, and Confecrating of Bishops, Priests and Deacons, in this Act mentioned, in such fort and manner as the same did beretofore extend unto the Book 1 i |