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17Th Century Presbyterians th 17 Century Presbyterians A Dispute Against the English Popish Ceremonies, by George Gillespie (revised edi- tion, 2013) Previously Published A Dispute Against the English Popish Ceremonies, by George Gillespie (1993) Jus Divinum Regiminis Ecclesiastici or The Divine Right of Church-Government, by sundry ministers of London (1995) Lectures on Job, by James Durham (1995; second ed., 2003) Christ Crucified: Or, the Marrow of the Gospel in Seventy-Two Sermons on the Fifty- Third Chapter of Isaiah, by James Durham (2001; second printing, 2007) A Practical Exposition of the Ten Commandments, by James Durham (2002) Sermons Preached before the English Houses of Parliament by the Scottish Commis- sioners to the Westminster Assembly of Divines, 1643–1645, by Alexander Henderson, Robert Baillie, George Gillespie and Samuel Rutherford. Edited by Chris Cold- well. Introduction by Guy M. Richard (2011) A Dispute Against The English Popish Ceremonies Obtruded On The Church Of Scotland Wherein not only our own arguments against the same are strongly confirmed, But likewise the answers and defenses of our opposites, Such as Hooker, Morton, Burges, Sprint, Pay- body, Andrewes, Saravia, Tilen, Spotswood, Lindsay, Forbes, etc., Particularly Confuted. by George Gillespie Edited by Chris Coldwell Historical Introduction by Roy Middleton Jeremiah 9:12–14. Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth? … And the Lord saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein; but have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim…. Naphtali Press P. O. Box 141084 Dallas, Texas 75214 A Dispute Against The English Popish Ceremonies Obtruded on the Church of Scotland. Revised Edition. Copyright © 2013 by Chris Coldwell. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this new edi- tion may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permis- sion, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews and fair use. For information write Naphtali Press, P. O. Box 141084, Dallas, Texas, 75214. ISBN 978-0-941075-31-2 A Dispute Against The English Popish Ceremonies Contents foreword ............................................................................................. xi historical introduction ................................................................. xv overview & analysis........................................................................xxxv to all the reformed churches ........................................................3 prologue .............................................................................................19 order ...................................................................................................21 The First Part: Against the Necessity of the Ceremonies 1. That our opposites do urge the ceremonies as things necessary .................23 2. The reason taken out of Acts 15 to prove the necessity of the ceremonies, because of the church’s appointment, confuted .....................25 3. That the ceremonies thus imposed and urged as things necessary, do bereave us of our Christian liberty, first, because our practice is adstricted ...........................................................................................................26 4. That the ceremonies take away our Christian liberty proved by a se- cond reason, namely, because conscience itself is bound and adstricted ...31 5. That the ceremonies take away Christian liberty, proved by a third reason, viz., Because they are urged upon such as in their consciences do condemn them ............................................................................................41 6. That the ceremonies take away Christian liberty proved by a fourth reason, viz., Because they are pressed upon us by naked will and authority, without giving any reason to satisfy our consciences.................44 7. That festival days take away our liberty, which God has given us proved; and first out of the law ......................................................................47 8. That festival days take away our Christian liberty proved out of the gospel ..........................................................................................................52 9. Showing the weakness of some pretenses which our opposites use for holy days .....................................................................................................60 The Second Part: Against the Expediency of the Ceremonies 1. Against some of our opposites who acknowledge the inconveniency of the ceremonies, and yet would have us yield to them .............................69 2. Against those of our opposites who plead for the ceremonies as things expedient ...............................................................................................82 vii The English Popish Ceremonies George Gillespie 3. That the ceremonies are inexpedient because they are preparatives for greater evils .................................................................................................84 4. That the ceremonies are inexpedient, because they hinder edification .....89 5. That the ceremonies are inexpedient, because they are occasions of injury and cruelty ............................................................................................93 6. That the ceremonies are inexpedient, because they harden and confirm the papists ..........................................................................................95 7. That the ceremonies are inexpedient, because they disturb the peace of the church ..........................................................................................98 8. That the inexpediency of the ceremonies in respect of the scandal of the weak may be plainly perceived, twelve propositions touching scandal are premitted ....................................................................................102 9. All the defenses of the ceremonies, used to justify them against the scandal imputed to them, are confuted ...............................................107 The Third Part: Against the Lawfulness of the Ceremonies 1. That the ceremonies are unlawful, because superstitious, which is particularly instanced in holy days and ministering the sacraments in private places .............................................................................................129 2. That the ceremonies are unlawful, because they are monuments of bypast idolatry, which not being necessary to be retained, should be utterly abolished, because of their idolatrous abuse: all which is particularly made good of kneeling. ............................................................149 3. That the ceremonies are unlawful, because they sort us with idolaters, being the badges of present idolatry among the papists ...........172 4. That the ceremonies are idols among formalists themselves; and that kneeling in the Lord’s Supper before the bread and wine, in the act of receiving them, is formally idolatry ............................................187 5. The fifth argument against the lawfulness of the ceremonies, taken from the mystical and significant nature of them ...........................225 6. That the lawfulness of the ceremonies is falsely grounded upon the holy scripture; where such places as are alleged by our opposites, either for all the ceremonies in general, or for any one of them in particular, are vindicated from them ...........................................................237 7. That the lawfulness of the ceremonies cannot be warranted by any ecclesiastical law, nor by any power which the church has to put order to things belonging to divine worship ..............................................254 8. That the lawfulness of the ceremonies cannot be warranted by any ordinance of the civil magistrate; whose power in things spiritual or ecclesiastical is explained ..............................................................................271 Digression one Of the vocation of men of ecclesiastical order. ...........................................313 viii contents George Gillespie The English Popish Ceremonies Digression two Of the convocation and moderation of synods ..........................................329 Digression three Of the judging of controversies and questions of faith. .............................333 Digression four Of the power of the keys, and ecclesiastical censures. ................................337 9. That the lawfulness of the ceremonies cannot be warranted by the law of nature ...................................................................................................359 The Fourth Part: Against the Indifferency of the Ceremonies 1. Of our opposites’ pleading for the indifferency of the ceremonies ..........367 2. Of the nature of things indifferent ..............................................................368 3. Whether there is anything indifferent in actu exercito ...............................373 4. Of the rule by which we are to measure and try what things are indifferent .......................................................................................................387 5. The first position which we build upon the ground confirmed in the former chapter .........................................................................................390 6. Another
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