Uniformity Examined: Whether it be found in the GOSPEL, OR, IN THE PRACTICE OF THE CHURCHES of CHRIST. By WIL. DELL, Minister of the Gospel.  2 COR. 4. 13. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed and therefore have I spoken: we also believe, and therefore speak. 
Published according to Order.  
LONDON, Printed by J. COE for HENRY OVERTON in Pope's Head Alley. 1646.   

Uniformity Examined.  
OBserving that our Brethren of Scotland, together with the Assembly of Divines, and the rest of the Preshyterian judgement, do often both in their discourse and writings, exceedingly press for uniformity; I have been urged in my spirit, to think upon the matter, and to consider whether there could be any such thing found in the word of the New Testament, or in the practice of the Churches of Christ. And for my part, I ingenuously profess I cannot yet discover it, and would be glad if any would instruct me further in this particular, so he do it from the Word.  
Now uniformity what is it, but an unity of form? and the form they mean, no doubt, is outward: for the inward form, as it cannot be known by the outward senses; so neither can it be accomplished by outward power. And therefore (till I know their meaning better) I conceive that by uniformity they understand an unity of outward form in the Churches of God: yea some of them do declare so much, calling the thing they would have, external uniformity.  
Now such a thing as this▪ (after so much meditation and recollection, as my other employments, and the many distractions that necessarily attend my present condition, will permit me) I cannot discern in the word of the gospel. For Christ speaking of the Church of the New Testoment, saith, John 4▪ 23. The hour cometh and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and Truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit, and and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and Truth. In which words it is most evident, that the worship of God in the time of the New Testament, is inward and spiritual, consisting in faith, hope, love, and prayer, the op●ration of the three former, &c. And so, is so far from uniformity as hath been explicated, and as they understand it, that it is not at all capable of it. And therefore I cannot but wonder at the strange workings of darkness in the minds of men, who would have an external uniformity in a worship that is inward and spiritual, and of which the outward form is no part at all, but is merely accidental, and so absolutely various.  
Again, as I find not this Uniformity in the doctrine of the Gospel, so neither in the practice of the Saints, who had the spirit of the Gospel, as that practice is represented to us in the Word.  
In Acts 1. 14. I read how the Apostles being together with the women, and Mary the Mother of Jesus, & his brethren, continued with one accord in prayer and supplication: and Acts 2. v. 44. & 46. how all that believed were together, and continued daily with one accord in the Temple, and did break bread from house to house, &c. And in all this there was Unity, but no external uniformity, neither name nor thing. Again, Acts 4. 23. Peter and John being let go by the Magistrates, went to their own company (which many of our Clergy would term a Conventicle) and reported all that the chief Priests and Elders had said to them; and when they heard it, they lift up their voice to God {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, with one accord, and prayed. Here was inward Unity, in faith, and love, and joy, and spiritual prayer, burr no external Uniformity: and vers. 32. The multitude of them that believed were of one heart, and one soul. Unity still, but nothing of external uniformity. Further, we read Acts chap. 7. and chap. 8. that Stephen and Philip, who by the Church were ordained Deacons and were to serve only for the ministry of the Table, yet by virtue of the anointing, preached the word of God freely, and powerfully: and how all the Members of the Church of Jerusalem, who were neither Ministers nor Deacons, being scattered abroad by persecution, went preaching the Word everywhere, where they came, in that case of necessity: the unction of the Spirit, of which all believers partake alike, being one fundamental ground of such ministry, where there are no Believers to call to the Office: and in all this, though there was unity of faith, spirit, and doctrine, yet I am sure they will say, there was no such uniformity as they would have. Again, Acts 20. Paul the first day of the Week, preached to the Disciples of Macedonia, from the Evening till Midnight (which Dr. Pocklington in a printed Sermon saith, was out of order, that is, out of prelatical order, or presbyterial uniformity) and after broke bread and did eat, and talked with them a long while, till break of day: and going from thence, he arrived at Ephesus, and there called the Elders of the Church together, and appeals to them after what manner he had been with them, to wit, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, (I wish the Assembly would mark that, and mark it again) and with many tears and temptations, &c. and how he had held back nothing profitable for them, but had taught them publicly, and from house to house (which I wish were more in use nowadays, if it might obtain so much leave from uniformity) and had preached to them R●pentance towards God, and Faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, our chief work toward God since our fall and corruption being Repentance, which is the change of the creature towards God, through God's own work in the creature, and this is not done without the sorrow of the flesh; and our chief work towards Christ, who is given to us as a head, being Faith or Union. And in the end, exhorts the Presbyters to take heed to themselves (who according to the Church principles of this age, want no admonition themselves, seeing they are become a peremptory rule to all others) and to the flocks over which the holy Ghost (and not Patrons) hath made them overseers, to feed the Church of God which he had purchased with his own blood, &c. But in all this neither practices himself, nor preaches to them, nor commands them to preach to others, or impose upon others any such kind of thing as external uniformity. And so surely they that so vehemently urge this thing, that they make it all in all in their Reformation, have some other teacher than the Apostle, who being taught of Christ as Christ was taught of God, yet knew no such thing at all in the worship of God, as uniformity.  
And yet further, that the world (if it be possible) may be the more convinced, observe a little more seriously the practice of Christ and the Saints, in reference to this point, and you shall see nothing less than external Uniformity. See this in the prayer of Christ, (prayer for the duty it self being nothing but so much spiritual worship as being the voice of the Spirit in the flesh, both in head and members) This Christ sometimes performed with his eyes lifted up to heaven, sometimes being prostrate with his body on the earth, and so several times several ways: and as he, so the Saints have some prayed standing, and lifting up their hands, as Moses, some kneeling and lifting up their hands, as Solomon, some standing and not lifting up their eyes, as the Publicans, &c. And what external Uniformity in all this? And as for praying so for preaching, Christ sometimes preached in a ship, sometimes on the shore, sometimes in the City of Jerusalem, sometimes in the Temple, sometimes in the desert, sometimes early, sometimes late, as if he intended on purpose to witness against that piece of the mystery of iniquity which in after ages should be called uniformity. So Paul preached sometimes on the Jews Sabbath, sometimes on the first day of the week, sometimes each day of the week, sometimes in the day, sometimes in the night, sometimes prayed in the house, sometimes on the shore; he circumcised Timothy among the weak, refused to circumcise Titus among the perverse, became as a Jew to the Jews, as a Greek to the Greeks, to the weak as weak, to the strong as strong, all things to all men, that he might win some: and what external Uniformity was here? And then for the Sacraments, Christ administered the Sacrament of the Supper immediately after supper, Paul at midnight, and it may be others in the morning, or at noon: and what external Uniformity in all this? And for government; sometimes the Apostles met together into a council and in that council ordered things not of their own heads, or by plurality of voices, but by the Word and Spirit, and what they ordered by the Word and Spirit, they put in execution by the power of the Word and Spirit, and not by the power of the World. At other times Ministers and believers did things by the Word and Spirit among themselves, by the mutual consent of both; or else believers alone among themselves, if there were no Ministers present. And where the number of believers were more, they stood in need of more Officers, and where fewer, of fewer Officers, and all these things are the free ordering of the Churches, who have Christ, the Spirit, and the Father among them and in them, and so are taken out of the bondage of men into the freedom of God. That truly I see not the Gospel more setting its spirit against any thing of Antichrist, then against this point of external Uniformity. For if we have one Lord, Christ, Spirit, Faith, baptism, God, all other things are free to the Churches, as God shall order by them, and no otherwise; and the reason, and wisdom, and prudence of man, have no place in this world, where the Sun of righteousness shines as the only light.  
But against this that hath been said, do lie some objections: as first,  
The Prophet foretold that the Lord should be one, and his Name one, and doth not this imply external Uniformity?  
I answer, nothing less: for the Apostle explicates plainly and clearly, whar it is to have the Lord one, and his Name one among believers, Eph. 4. ch. 4. 5. 6. where he saith, there is in the spiritual Church, one Body, and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in all. Whereby you see, that among believers there is a manifold Unity, but no external Uniformity; yea, the prayer of Christ the Son for the Church, unfolds clearly the promise of God the Father to the Church, John 17. Christ prays, that they all (who are many among themselves according to the flesh) may b● one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, (that is, according to the unity of the Spirit, not external Uniformity) that after this manner they also may be one in us.  
But again it is objected out of 1 Cor. 14. that the Apostle requires that all things may be done in the Church decently and in order: and doth not this imply external Uniformity?  
I answer, that they will hardly admit in their parish Churches such a decency and order as the Apostle there means, neither are they capable of it. For he saith before, When the whole Church is come together into some place, that all may prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all be comforted: and that during this exercise of prophesying, if any thing be revealed to another, the former is to give place; and he must speak that hath the clearest light, seeing the Spirit, to whomsoever it is given to profit withal. And that though all may prophesy one by one, yet all may not prophesy at once, for t●en it would not be order, but confusion, which the Apostle would have avoided, saying, Let all things be done decently and in order. And this decency too he persuades to by the word, he doth not in force by secular power. And if they will call this Uniformity, for Church-members to prophesy one after another, according to the variety of the gifts of the Spirit, and not many or two o● three at once or the same time, we willingly agree with them: but how far this thing is from their sense, every one knows.  
Thus you see these objections answered, and I am confident there are no more can be brought but may as clearly and easily be answered as these.  
And therefore, I say, I wonder and wonder again, that we having covenanted and agreed together solemnly, to endeavour for a Government most agreeable to the word of God, should in the mean time be left so void of the spirit and light of the Gospel, as to fall upon external Uniformity, which is nowhere to be found in the Gospel, nor in the practice of primitive Christians.  
Yea, while I consider more seriously of the Matter, methinks external uniformity is a monstrous thing (how glorious soever in their eyes) and not to be found either in nature or in grace, either in Christ's kingdom, or the kingdoms of the world.  
In nature is no external uniformity extended to all the works of nature, for look into the world and see if there be not variety of forms; heavenly and earthly bodies having several forms; and in the earth each bird, beast, tree, plant, creature, differs one from another in outward form. If the whole creation should appear in one form, or external uniformity, what a monstrous thing would it be, nothing differing from the first chaos? but the variety of forms in the world is the beauty of the world. So that though there be a most admirable unity among all the creatures, yet there is nothing less than external uniformity.  
Again, as there is no external uniformity spread over the great world, so nor yet over the little world, or man. For look upon a man consisting of ●ead and members, unto which the Apostle compa●es the Church, and you shall not find all the members like one another, neither in regard of their outward forms, nor operations: for the hand doth not move as the foot, nor the foot act as the hand; and if all the members should appear and act in one form, what a monster would a man be? And yet among the members though there be no external uniformity, yet there is admirable unity.  
And yet again, look in to the kingdoms of the world, and you shall see no such thing in them as external uniformity: Here in England you shall observe that York is not governed as Hull, nor Hull as Hallifax, nor that as Bristol, &c. neither is one County governed uniformly as another; there is no uniformity in the government of Kent and Essex, nor one town governed like another; in Godmanchester, the youngest son inherit, in Huntington the Eldest, nor one Corporation governed like another, nor one Company in the city governed as another; and yet between all Counties, Cities, Towns, Corporations Companies, there is unity, though no external uniformity. Yea, look upon the famous city of London, and there are, it may be, an hundred thousand families, or more in it, and each one gove●n●d after a several manner, and among all these families there is no external uniformity, and yet they all agree well enough into the unity of a City.  
Nay further, to bring but one man to an uniformity of life and practice, by an outward Law, would be the most absolute tyranny in the world, and make his life worse than death. To compel every man by a Law every day in the week, or every Monday, Tuesday, &c. in the week, to an uniformity of life, that he shall rise at the same time, use the same postures, speak the same words, eat the same food, receive the same physic, sit, and stand, and walk, and lie down at the same set times, who ever heard of such a cruel bondage? What an absurd and intolerable thing than is uniformity in the life of a man, taking away all freedom of the soul? But how much more evil and intolerable is uniformity in the life of a Christian, or of true Churches of Christ, taking away all freedom of the spirit of God, who being one with God, works in the freedom of God, and is not to be bound with any authoritative or coercive power, of poor, dark, ignorant, vain, foolish, proud, and sinful men.  
What now then do the Presbyters mean by uniformity? Would they have the Word preached, and the Sacraments administered, and the Name of God called on, and all this done in spirit and truth in the Churches of Christ? This truly is unity and not uniformity, and such an unity as no man can compel. But would they have the Word preached, the name of God called on, Sacraments administered, the spiritual discipline of the spiritual Church managed, the virtues of Christ, and graces of the Spirit in the Saints exercised, and all this in one and the same outward form, or uniformity? This is the burden of the Saints, the bondage of the Church, the straightening the Spirit, the limiting of Christ, and the eclipsing the glory of the Father. And how wise soever these men may be in natural and carnal things, yet their wisdom is but foolishness in spiritual things, in which there is no more uniformity, then in the workings of the Spirit, who works severally in several Saints, and severally in the same Saints at several times. And therefore they that would tie the Church to an uniformity which works not of it s●lf, but as the Spirit works in it, let them first tie the Spirit to an uniformity, and we are contented. But these men seem to run a sad hazard, who would thus reduce the workings of the Spirit in Christians and Churches, to an outward uniformity, according to their own mind and fancy, and so would rule and order, and enlarge and straighten the Spirit of God by the spirit of man; seeing it is worse to sin against Christ in the spirit, then against Christ in the flesh.  
And therefore till I be otherwise taught by the Word, I cannot conceive that there ought to be or is possible to be any such external uniformity in the Churches of Christ, as these men strive, wrestle, sweat, contend for, I will not say are ready to fight for, but that several Churches of Christ having unity of doctrine, faith, the spirit, ordinances, &c. may have divers forms of outward administrations, as God and Christ by the spirit shall lead them; and that every Church is in these things to be left free, and no Church forced by any outward power to follow or imitate another Church against its will, not being freely led unto it by the Spirit of God.  
Neither do I think that God hath set up any company of men, or Synod in the world, to shine to a whole Nation, so that all people shall be constrained to follow their judgement, and to walk by their light, seeing other Ministers and Christians may have more light and spirit than they. Neither hath Christ promised his presence and spirit to Ministers more than to believers, nor more to an hundred then two or three: and if two or three Christians in the Country being met together in the name of Christ, have Christ himself with his Word and Spirit among them, they need not ride many miles to the Assembly at London, to know what to do, or how to carry and behave themselves in the things of God. And therefore for any company of men of what repute soever, to set up their own judgement in a kingdom, for a peremptory rule from which no man must vary, and to compel all the faithful people of God, who are the very members of Jesus Christ himself, to fall down before it, upon pain of being cast into the burning fiery furnace of their indignation, heated seven times more hot th●n ordinary, through the desired access of secular power to their power, is a far worse work in my eyes, than that of King Nabuchadnezzar, setting up a golden Image, and forcing all to fall down before it; seeing spiritual idolatry is so much worse than corporal, as the spirit is better than the flesh.  
And therefore I do think (let them teach me better by the Word that can) that uniformity (the great Diana of the Presbyterians, and the Image that falls down from the brain and fa●cy of man) hath no footing in the Scriptures, or in the practice of the Churches of Christ: And that the Presbyterian uniformtty is near a kin to Prelati●all co●fo●mity, and is no other ●hen the same thing under another word, after ●●e manner of Prelacy and Presbytery; and do conclude that unity is Chri●●ia●, uniformity Antic●●●●●●an.  
And 〈◊〉 I have 〈…〉 among many occas●ons, to discover to 〈…〉 me still prevail and 〈…〉 very name of Ref●●mation And al●o to give occasion 〈…〉 discourse more fully 〈…〉 power of the Word.  〈…〉 
 
 
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