than are annexed to baptism. 4. And it is no other than the covenant of grace or of Christianity itself, which this sacrament of the cross doth enter us into, as baptism also doth. It is not made a part of baptism, nor called a sacrament, but as far as we can judge, made essentially a human sacrament adjoined to baptism. The reformed churches which use the cross, we mean the Lutherans, yet use it not in this manner.

§ 24. This is but your unproved assertion, that the fault was not in the ceremonies, but in the contenders: we are ready to prove the contrary: but if it had been true, how far are you from Paul's mind, expressed Rom. xiv and xv; and 1 Cor. viii. You will let your weak brother perish, and spare not, so you can but charge the fault on himself; and lay stumbling blocks before him, and then save him by your effectual rigour, by imprisonment or punishment.

§ 25. Those seem a few to you that seem many to us. Had it been but one hundred such as Cartwright, Amesius, Bradshaw, Parker, Hildersham, Dod, Nicolls, Langley, Paget, Hering, Baynes, Bates, Davenport, Hooker, Wilson, Cotton, Norton, Shephard, Cobbet, Ward, &c., they had been enough to have grieved the souls of many thousand godly Christians; and enough for any one of the reformed churches, had they possessed them, to have glorified in; and many far meaner are yet the glory of the ancient churches, and called, and reverenced as fathers. But we doubt this same spirit will make you think that many hundred more are but a few to be silenced ere long. And then your clemency will comfort the poor people that have ignorant or deboist readers instead of ministers (for too many such we have known,) that it was their pastors' faults that obstinately refused to conform, when they had promised it; that is, that repented of the sin of their subscription when they discerned it: and had they never been ignorant enough to subscribe, they had never entered and the many hundreds which you thus keep from the ministry, you make nothing of.

§ 26. Whether diocesans be a lawful authority as claiming spiritual government, and how far men may own them

even in lawful things, are controversies to be elsewhere managed. We justify no man's leaving his ministry upon the refusal of anything but what he judged unlawful, yea, and what was really so.

27. Whether any offence were given (though not enough to warrant separation) let our argumentations on both sides declare. The said declaration of the church's sense is not the smallest part of the scandal. Calling a human sacrament indifferent, or no sacrament, proveth it not to be as it is called. That the Nonconformists were the cause of separation, who did most against it, is easily said, and as easily proved as the Arians proved that the Orthodox were the cause of the schism of the Luciferans who separated from the church for receiving the Arians too easily to communion.

§ 28. Church matters in this much differ from civil matters; and it is one thing to change a church custom when it dangerously prevaileth to corrupt men's understandings, and another thing when there is no such danger. So Hezekiah thought when he destroyed the brazen serpent, and Paul (who before circumcised Timothy) when he said, if ye be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing. Could men have foreseen that the primacy of the Bishop of Rome in the imperial churches, would have been sublimated to such a challenged supremacy over all the Christian world, we suppose the ancients would have held it their duty to have removed the primacy to some other seat.

§ 29. According to your councils will you be judged of God? The not-abating of the impositions is the casting off many hundreds of your brethren out of the ministry, and of many thousand Christians out of your communion. But the abating of the impositions, will so offend you, as to silence or excommunicate none of you at all. For e.g. we think it a sin to subscribe, or swear canonical obedience, or use the transient image of the cross in baptism, and therefore these must cast us out. But you think it no sin to forbear them, if the magistrate abate them, and therefore none of you will be cast out by the abatement. But it seemeth that your

charity judgeth the bare displeasing of your appetite to the ceremonies, is a greater evil than the silencing and excommunicating all us, your poor brethren, though our imprisonment follow. Nay, this is not all; for your displeasure will be only that another man subscribeth not, crosseth not, &c., while you may do it yourselves as much as you please.

Whether the casting out of so many ministers and Christians, for such things, do more subserve the said ends of public government, than the forbearance would do, if you know not, we leave you to God's conviction. As also whether these things be well imposed, and men's obedience to authority, and the peace of the church, and its uniformity or unity, be well and justly laid upon them. Such concessions indeed might bear you out far.

CONCERNING PARTICULAR CEREMONIES.

§ 30. Why then is it not as meet that one gesture be used by all in singing psalms or hearing sermons? Why doth the minister stand in prayer, even in the sacrament prayer, while the people kneel? We speak against none of your liberty in using either kneeling, or holy days, and perhaps some of us mean to use both ourselves; but only beseech you that they may be no more imposed than the ancient church imposed them, and we desire no more; and, if you reverence antiquity, why will you not imitate it in point of imposition, as well as in the thing itself. But yet that antiquity was against kneeling on the Lord's day at the sacrament, and that they had but few of our holy days for many hundred years, we suppose you are not ignorant.

§ 31. It's well you have no more to say against liberty to forbear the other three ceremonies. The more unexcusable will you be, when you silence and excommunicate those that use them not.

§ 32. And it's strange that meaner understandings than yours cannot see why men should forbear that which is not to be valued with the church's peace. A lie or a false sub

scription, is not to be valued with the church's peace; and is it therefore a wonder to you that men should scruple them? It is fitter matter for the wonder of good men, that after so long experience, those that will needs be the lords and governors in spiritual matters, should so resolvedly lay the church's peace upon such things as these, where they know beforehand, that men of no conscience will all be peaceable, and thousands of godly people are unsatisfied; and that they will needs take all for disturbers of the peace, who jump not with their humour in every ceremony, how willing soever to be ruled by the laws of God.

§ 33. We are glad that you justify not innovation and arbitrariness; and yet desire not such a cure as some do, by getting laws which may do their work.

§ 34. If your want of charity were not extraordinary, it could not work effectually to the afflicting of your brethren and the church; when we tell you what will end your differences, you know our minds so much better than ourselves, that you will not believe us; but you will be confident that we will come on with new demands. This is your way of conciliation! When you were to bring in your utmost concessions, in order to our unity, and it was promised by his majesty that you should meet us half way, you bring in nothing, and persuade his majesty also that he should not believe us in what we offer, that it would be satisfactory if it were granted! You say that it will give dissatisfaction to the greater part of his majesty's subjects! We are more charitable than to believe that a quarter of his majesty's subjects are so uncharitable as to be dissatisfied if their brethren be not silenced and excommunicated for not swearing, subscribing, or using a ceremony, while they may do it as much as they list themselves. And whereas you say, that there is no assurance given that it will content all dissenters; you know that there are many dissenters, as papists, quakers, etc., for whom we never meddled; and we think this an unjust answer to be given to them, who craved of his majesty that they might send to their brethren through the land, to have the testi

1660.] His Majesty's Declaration on Ecclesiastical Affairs. 63

mony of their common consent, and were denied it, and told that it should be our work alone, and imputed to no others.

In conclusion, we perceive that your counsels against peace are not likely to be frustrated; your desires concerning us are like to be accomplished; you are like to be gratified with our silence and ejection, and the excommunication and consequent sufferings of dissenters. And yet we will believe that blessed are the peacemakers; and, though deceit be in the heart of them that imagine evil, yet there is joy to the counsellors of peace: Prov. xii, 20. And though we are stopt by you in our following of peace, and are never like thus publicly to seek it more (because you think we must hold our tongues, that you may hold your peace), yet are we resolved, by the help of God, if it be possible, and as much as in us lieth, to live peaceably with all men: Rom xii, 18.

IX.

His majesty's Declaration to all his loving subjects of his kingdom of England and dominion of Wales concerning ecclesiastical affairs.'-Reliquiæ Baxterianæ, pp. 259-64; Wilkin's Concilia Magnæ Britanniæ, vol. iv, pp. 560-4; Cardwell's History of Conferences, &c., Oxford, 1849, pp. 286-98.

Charles Rex.

How much the peace of the state is concerned in the peace of the church, and how difficult a thing it is to preserve order

A copy of this Declaration was, according to promise, sent by the Lord Chancellor to the Presbyterian Divines-Reynolds, Calamy, and Baxter-on September the 4th, with "liberty to give notice of what [they] liked not." Baxter drew up a lengthy "petition," which was delivered to the chancellor, but was never presented to the king. The ministers were then desired "to "make such alterations in the Declaration as were necessary to attain its "ends;" and on the 22nd of October "the Declaration, as it was drawn up by the Lord Chancellor," was read over in the presence of the king, who listened to a discussion of its various clauses, and finally determined its form. The following notes indicate the alterations which were made in the original draft.

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