The Reason of Church-governement Urg'd against Prelaty/Book 2 Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
THat which next declares the heavenly power, and reveales the deep mistery of the Gospel, is the pure simplicity of doctrine, accounted the foolishnes of this world, yet crossing and confounding the pride and wisdom of the flesh. And wherin consists this fleshly wisdom and pride? in being altogether ignorant of God and his worship? no surely, for men are naturally asham'd of that. Where then? it consists in a bold presumption of ordering the worship and service of God after mans own will in traditions and ceremonies. Now if the pride and wisdom of the flesh were to be defeated and confounded, no doubt, but in that very point wherin it was proudest and thought it self wisest, that so the victory of the Gospel might be the more illustrious. But our Prelats instead of expressing the spirituall power of their ministery by warring against this chief bulwark and strong hold of the flesh, have enter'd into fast league with the principall enemy against whom they were sent, and turn'd the strength of fleshly pride and wisdom against the pure simplicity of saving truth. First, mistrusting to find the autority of their order in the immediat institution of Christ, or his Apostles by the cleer evidence of Scripture, they fly to the carnal supportment of tradition: when we appeal to the Bible, they to the unweildy volumes of tradition. And doe not shame to reject the ordinance of him that is eternal for the pervers iniquity of sixteen hunderd yeers; choosing rather to think truth it self a lyar, then that sixteen ages should be taxt with an error; not considering the general apostasy that was foretold, and the Churches flight into the wildernes. Nor is this anough, instead of shewing the reason of their lowly condition from divine example and command, they seek to prove their high pre-eminence from humane consent and autority. But let them chaunt while they will of prerogatives, we shall tell them of Scripture; of custom, we of Scripture; of Acts and Statutes, stil of Scripture, til the quick and pearcing word enter to the dividing of their soules, & the mighty weaknes of the Gospel throw down the weak mightines of mans reasoning. Now for their demeanor within the Church, how have they disfigur'd and defac't that more then angelick brightnes, the unclouded serenity of Christian Religion with the dark overcasting of superstitious coaps and flaminical vestures; wearing on their backs; and, I abhorre to think, perhaps in some worse place the unexpressible Image of God the father. Tell me ye Priests wherfore this gold, wherfore these roabs and surplices over the Gospel? is our religion guilty of the first trespasse, and hath need of cloathing to cover her nakednesse? what does this else but cast an ignominy upon the perfection of Christs ministery by seeking to adorn it with that which was the poor remedy of our shame? Believe it, wondrous Doctors, all corporeal resemblances of inward holinesse & beauty are now past; he that will cloath the Gospel now, intimates plainly, that the Gospel is naked, uncomely, that I may not say reproachfull. Do not, ye Church-maskers, while Christ is cloathing upon our barenes with his righteous garment to make us acceptable in his fathers sight, doe not, as ye do, cover and hide his righteous verity with the polluted cloathing of your ceremonies to make it seem more decent in your own eyes. How beautifull, saith Isaiah, are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth salvation! Are the feet so beautifull, and is the very bringing of these tidings so decent of it self? what new decency then can be added to this by your spinstry? ye think by these gaudy glisterings to stirre up the devotion of the rude multitude; ye think so, because ye forsake the heavenly teaching of S. Paul for the hellish Sophistry of Papism. If the multitude be rude, the lips of the Preacher must give knowledge, and not ceremonies. And although some Christians be new born babes comparatively to some that are stronger, yet in respect of ceremony which is but a rudiment of the Law, the weakest Christian hath thrown off the robes of his minority, and is a perfect man as to legal rites. What childrens food there is in the Gospel we know to be no other then the sincerity of the word that they may grow thereby. But is heer the utmost of your outbraving the service of God? No. Ye have bin bold, not to set your threshold by his threshold, or your posts by his posts, but your Sacrament, your signe, call it what you will, by his Sacrament, baptizing the Christian infant with a solemne sprinkle, and unbaptizing for your own part with a profane and impious forefinger: as if when ye had layd the purifying element upon his forehead, ye meant to cancel and crosse it out again with a caracter not of Gods bidding. O but the innocence of these ceremonies! O rather the sottish absurdity of this excuse! what could be more innocent then the washing of a cup, a glasse, or hands before meat, and that under the Law when so many washings were commanded, and by long tradition, yet our Saviour detested their customes, though never so seeming harmlesse, and charges them severely that they had transgrest the Commandments of God by their traditions and worshipt him in vain. How much more then must these, and much grosser ceremonies now in force delude the end of Christs comming in the flesh against the flesh, and stifle the sincerity of our new cov'nant which hath bound us to forsake all carnall pride and wisdom especially in matters of religion. Thus we see again how Prelaty sayling in opposition to the main end and power of the Gospel doth not joyn in that misterious work of Christ, by lowlines to confound height, by simplicity of doctrin the wisdom of the world, but contrariwise hath made it self high in the world and the flesh to vanquish things by the world accounted low, and made it self wise in tradition and fleshly ceremony to confound the purity of doctrin which is the wisdom of God.