We know beforehand that we and all Men are sinners, and shall sin in what we do: And we may suppose Men will speak as they think: And as we know not but any Man may speak amiss till we hear what he saith, so when we know that the Pastors have tolerable Errors, and will vent them, it will not make us guilty of their sin, nor bind us to depart: We meet to own Christianity, and not all that the Man will ⟨p. 11⟩say or do (known or unknown) I know before that I shall have many faults in my own Prayer (disorder, dullness, &c.) which I do not own, though herein I am guilty.
XII. Yet no Man should prefer worse before better, if all things set together, it be better indeed to the Person at that time.
XIII. God hath by his Son Jesus, and his Apostles, instituted all that in Doctrine, Discipline, Worship, and Conversation, which is obligatory, or necessary Universally to all the Church, over and above, what is required by the Law of Nature. And no Man or Men have power to add any thing of universal obligation.
XIV. God hath by Nature and Scripture obliged Men themselves to choose and determine divers subordinate expressions, significations, modes, circumstances, or accidents of this universal Religion, which are not themselves meet for an universal, and unchangeable, obligation, but local, temporary, and mutable: Some of which every Man may choose for himself, some the present Pastor must choose, some the associated Pastors may choose, and some the Magistrate may choose. These must be added to the universal Duties, so far is such addition from being sin: I have often named many particulars; As the Translation of the Scripture, which to choose: The version of the Psalms in rhyme, or metre, the common use of new made Hymns, the dividing the Scripture into Chapter and Verse; the words of Sermons; their method; the particular Text to be chosen; what Chapters to read; at what hour to begin; how long to Preach; in what words to pray, whether the same oft, or changed; whether fore-studied, or not, whether written, or unwritten: whether studied, and written by our selves, or by others; where the place shall be, where the Pulpit, Font, Table, &c. shall stand; what Ornaments they shall have, Linen, Silk, silver Vessels or otherwise? Whether we be bare-headed, or covered at Prayer, Sacrament, &c. Whether we shall kneel, stand, sit, or be prostrate at Prayer, &c.
We know beforehand that we and all Men are sinners, and shall sin in what we do: And we may suppose Men will speak as they think: And as we know not but any Man may speak amiss till we hear what he saith, so when we know that the Pastors have tolerable Errours, and will vent them, it will not make us guilty of their sin, nor bind us to depart: We meet to own Christianity, and not all that the Man will ⟨p. 11⟩say or do (known or unknown) I know before that I shall have many faults in my own Prayer (disorder, dulness, &c.) which I do not own, though herein I am guilty.
XII. Yet no Man should prefer worse before better, if all things set together, it be better indeed to the Person at that time.
XIII. God hath by his Son Iesus, and his Apostles, instituted all that in Doctrine, Discipline, Worship, and Conversation, which is obligatory, or necessary Universally to all the Church, over and above, what is required by the Law of Nature. And no Man or Men have power to add any thing of universal obligation.
XIV. God hath by Nature and Scripture obliged Men themselves to choose and determine divers subordinate expressions, significations, modes, circumstances, or accidents of this universal Religion, which are not themselves meet for an universal, and unchangeable, obligation, but local, temporary, and mutable: Some of which every Man may choose for himself, some the present Pastor must choose, some the associated Pastors may choose, and some the Magistrate may choose. These must be added to the universal Duties, so far is such addition from being sin: I have often named many particulars; As the Translation of the Scripture, which to choose: The version of the Psalms in rithme, or metre, the common use of new made Hymns, the dividing the Scripture into Chapter and Verse; the words of Sermons; their method; the particular Text to be chosen; what Chapters to read; at what hour to begin; how long to Preach; in what words to pray, whether the same oft, or changed; whether fore-studied, or not, whether written, or unwritten: whether studied, and written by our selves, or by others; where the place shall be, where the Pulpit, Font, Table, &c. shall stand; what Ornaments they shall have, Linnen, Silk, silver Vessels or otherwise? Whether we be bare-headed, or covered at Prayer, Sacrament, &c. Whether we shall kneel, stand, sit, or be prostrate at Prayer, &c.
