Five disputations of church-government and worship

5. Let neither of them (that can competently worship God without it) use it Constantly; but sometime use it, and sometime forbear it. And this is the main point that I intend in this Proposition, and therefore shall now briefly give my Reasons for.

Reas. 1. The constant use of forms (and so of Ceremonies and ⟨p. 383⟩any Indifferent things) doth potently tend to persuade the people that they are matters of Necessity, and not indifferent. All the words that you can use will not satisfy them that it is indifferent, if you use it not Indifferently. We see by experience the power of custom with the vulgar.

Reas. 1. The constant use of forms (and so of Ceremonies and ⟨p. 383⟩any Indifferent things) doth potently tend to perswade the people that they are matters of Necessity, and not indifferent. All the words that you can use will not satisfie them that it is indifferent, if you use it not Indifferently. We see by experience the power of custome with the vulgar.

But you will say, What if they do overvalue it as necessary, what danger is in that? I answer very much. 1. They will offer God a blind kind of service, while they place his worship in that which is no part of worship (as forms are not, as such) but an indifferent circumstance. 2. They will be hereby induced to uncharitable censures of other Churches or persons that think otherwise, or disuse those customs. 3. They will be strongly induced to rebel against their Magistrates and Pastors, if they shall judge it meet to change those customs. 4. They will turn that stream of their zeal for these indifferent things, that should be laid out on the matters of Necessity: and perhaps in vain will they worship God, by an outside hypocritical worship, while they thus take up with mens Traditions. 5. They will forsake Gods own Ordinances, when they cannot have them clothed with their desired mode. All this we see in our days at home. The most ignorant and ungodly do by hundreds and thousands, reject Church discipline, and Sacraments, and many of them the Prayers and Assemblies themselves, because they have not the Common Prayer, or because the Churches kneel not at the Lords Supper in the act of Receiving, and such like. So that it is a grievous plague to our peoples souls to be led into these mistakes, and to think that Circumstances and things indifferent, are matters of Necessity.