The Truth is, 'tis a common Practice for Men to catch at every Expreffion in the Homilies, which they think favorable to their own private Notions; and thereby to drag the Church into the Controversy, merely to caft an Odium upon their Adverfaries, as Apoftates from what they have fubfcribed. And yet the very fame Perfons, when they are preffed 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 deftroys the Force of their own Reafonings 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 falfe one leads us into infuperable Difficulties: and therefore we ought not to prefs a falfe Interpretation upon any fort of Adverfaries, 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 fhall be equally reasonable, and readily acknowledged, in all Instances whatsoever: and then, as we shall not be guilty of ufing diverse Weights and Measures; fo I dare fay, we fhall agree in what our Church teaches, much better than our contending Parties feem to imagin. To evince the Truth of which Affertion, I fhall take the Liberty of quoting and comparing the Words of Two eminent Prelates, whofe Judgment has been (in many Cafes, almoft implicitly) followed by vaft numbers of Admirers, Arch Arch Bifhop Laud was charged at his Tryal (amongst other Particulars) with thwarting the Do&trin 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 Anfwer was, First, That though we Subfcribed generally to the Doctrine of the Homilies, as good; yet we did not exprefs, or mean thereby to juftific and maintain everyparticular Phrafe or Sentence contained in them. And Secondly, That the very Words of the Article to which we fubfcribe, are, That the Homilies do contain a godly and a wholefom Doctrine, and neceffary for those Times. Godly, and wholefom for all Times; but neceffary for thofe, when People were newly weaned from the Worship of Images: Afterwards, neither the Danger, nor the Scandal alike. Mr. Brown in his Reply faid, That fince the Dotrine contained in the Homi Bishop Burnet, in his Expofition of the Thirty fifth Article, which is intituled Of Homilies, faies, By this Approbation of the Two Books of Homilies it is notmeant, thatevery Paffage of Scripture, or Argument that is made use of in them, isalways convincing, orthat every Expreffion is fo feverely worded, that it may not need a little Correction or Explanation. All that we profefs about them, is only that they contain a godly and wholesom Doctrine. This rather relates to the main Importance andDefign of them, than to every Paf fage in them.---------This Approbation is not to be stretched fo far, as to carry in it afpecial Affent to every Particular in that wholeVolume; but a man must be perfuaded of the main of the Doctrine that is taught in them.--------By neceffary for thefe Times, is not to be meant, that this was a Book fit to ferve a Turn; but only that this Book was neceffary at that Time, to inftruct the Nation aright, and Homilies was wholefom and good, it must needs be neceffary alfo for all Times. But this worthy Gentleman is herein much miftaken. Strong Meat, as well Spiritual as Bodily, is good and wholefom; but tho' it be fo, yet if it had been neceffary at all Times, and for all Men, the Apostle would never have fed the Corinthians with Milk, and not with Meat: The Meat always good in it felf, but not neceffary for them which were not able to bear it. Hift. of his Troubles and Tryal, p. 312. and fo was of great ufe then. But though the Doctrine in 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 affure my Reader, it proceeds not from the leaft Difaffection to the Compofers, much less to the Doctrine of it, which is the only thing we are oblig'd to maintain; not the Arguments made ufe of to prove it. I need not observe, that Arch-Bishop Laud, Bifhop Burnet, the aforefaid Author, and my self, do exactly agree in our Senfe of what this Article faies touching the Homilies. I know of no Difficulty that remains, except it fhould be imagin'd, that those who subscribe the Thirty fifth Article in this Senfe, can't honestly read read the Homilies; because, perhaps, whatsoever Homily they read, may contain something which they difapprove. But I defire it may be remembred, that tho' he who is prefumed to preach his own Sermon, is thereby fuppofed to deliver his own Sense in every Clause and Propofition; and confequently muft, to avoid the Guilt of lying, inwardly approve what he utters with his Mouth: yet the Cafe is vastly different, when a Man profeffes, and is understood, to read an Homily compofed by another. For then, tho' he is obliged by his Subfcription to own the general Doctrin, yet he is not esteemed by the Auditory to deliver what is precisely the Senfe of his own Mind; but fuch a Latitude is indulg'd him, that he may in fmaller Matters diffent from the Form he pronounces, without the leaft imputation or color of Infincerity; the bare Sufpicion of which a Clergyman ought to avoid and abhor in the whole Course of his Actions. The THIRTY SIXTH ARTICLE. Of Confecration of Bishops and Ministers. T HE book of Confecration of Arch-bifhops, and BiShops, and ordering of Priests and Deacons, lately fet forth in the time of Edward VI. and confirmed at the fame 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 fuperftitious and ungodly. And therefore whosoever are confecrated or ordered according to the rites of that book, fince the fecond 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 In the Act for Uniformity of Public Prayers paffed in the Fourteenth of King Charles the Second, we have thefe 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 Confent touching true Religion, is in these words following, viz. 66 "That the Book of Confecration of Archbishops, and Bifhops, and Ordaining of Priests and Deacons, lately fet forth in the Time of King Edward the Sixth, and "confirmed at the fame time by Authority of Parliament, "doth contain all things neceffary to fuchConfecration and. Ordaining, neither bath 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 lawfully Confecrated and Ordered. 66 It be Enacted, and be it therefore Enacted by the Authority aforefaid, That all Subfcriptions hereafter to be bad or made unto the faid Articles by any Deacon, Prieft, or Ecclefiaftical Perfon, or other Perfon whatsoever, who by this Act, or any other Law now in Force, is required to fubfcribe unto the faid Articles, fhall be construed and taken to extend, and fhall 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, Priefts and Deacons, in this A&t mentioned, in fuch fort and manner as the fame did heretofore extend unto the Book |