THE

Introduction.

I

Am now come with you to the Introduction of your Vindication, where you make a heavy Complaint of the Wrongs I have done both to the Truth, and to you for defending it; which, you fay, may fometimes draw from you a just

Reproof, but you shall not return to me page 14. evil for evil. What wrong I have

done to the Truth, is the matter yet in Difpute be tween us; and to call it Truth, before you have prov'd it to be fo, is to beg the Question. And how much I have wronged you in that Letter, let those that are impartial compare our Notes, and then judge. But if I was therein sharper than you expected, and than the tenderness of your Bile could well bear, I hope you have now requited me Seven fold, tho' you pretend not to return evil for evil. I find little elfe in your Introduction, but the Indecencies of a bitter Paffion, that drew from you nothing that conduces to the Intereft of the Questions before us, but the blowing your Trumpet before your Charitable Contribution to Foreign Proteftants, wherein most of the Church of England-Men have fignalliz'd the partiality of their Charity: And your liberal Promife of enlarging towards me at the fame rate, which Promife you have been very true to in your following Pages; and the Method you propofe

propose to proceed in, in this your Vindication, which is Regular enough, and the only part of your Introduction that was worth fo much Ink and Paper. Viz.

P. 16.

1. To confirm what you have faid of Church-Union.

2. To fet down fome Articles wherein we are agreed concerning Schifm.

3. To examine the things that are chiefly in debate between us on the fame Subject.

4. To review the things that have been faid in de-. fence of the Separation, and confirm your Answers to them.

5. To enquire into other things, which (you say) I have brought into the Controverfy, or which may incidently require confideration. And then proceed to the Conclufion.

So that now we have our Work before us, and which I shall readily attend you in, and in as clean a way as I can walk thro' the Mire and Dirt of your following Lines.

Sect. I. Of the Unity of the Church.

Here at the firft entrance you falute me with your ordinary rude Compliment of Inconfiftence and Self-contradiction; becaufe, you having granted that the Union of the Church does consist in these Three things, Viz. Faith, Love, and outward Worship, and Communion, I had reply'd, That by your arguing on it, you made as if a few variable, unfcriptural, and confeffedly indifferent Ceremonies were the only true Cement and badge of Chriftian Union; which I think I had reafon to fay, 1. Because you feem'd to make fo light of the Two firft of these, and faid you' would but touch on them, but more largly infift on the laft, in which the Controverfy between us is chiefly concerncd. 2. Because you told us, that the meer inward

Difc. p. 9.

Love of Chriftians was not capable of being a publick. badge of their Profeffion, but that without Communion in External Rites and Ordinances, 'tis impoffible, as a vifible Society, to appear in the eye of the world, as one, notwithstanding their agreement in Faith and Affection, and which was the Sum of your Difcourfe from p 115. to p. 130. Indeed what your Metaphyfical Notion of a meer inward Love will fignify, is uncertain, but most certain it is that a Sincere inward Love will naturally discover it felf to the obfervation of others, in all the Lawful and neceffary outward acts of Union and Communion: So that it was not I that did reprefent Faith and Love, or the Publick Worship of God, or any thing elfe that is of Divine Institution, as unfcriptural or confeffedly indifferent Ceremonies, as you fo very unconfequentially fuggeft; but 'twas you that had given the preference of your own unfcriptural Ceremonies, which you confefs to be Indifferent, to thofe Divine Graces of Faith and Love, and without which (you fay) the true Chriftian Faith and Love cannot conftitute a perfon a Member of the Church of Chrift. And yet you have granted over and over, that the Faith of God's Elect is one, and invariably the fame for ever, but thofe Rituals of the Church, which you make the indifpenfible condition of Communion with it, are variable, and varied according to Times and Places. Let any unprejudic'd judge determine then on whofe fide the Inconfiftence, and Self-contradiction lies.

From what I granted you concerning p. 8. the Oneness of the Catholick Church, and of Communicating with any Particular Church in all Externals and Circumftantials, as far as may be done without Sin, (in which cafe only you fay you argue for it) you conclude, That one would think that I had given up the Caufe to you, and put an end to the Difpute: And why would not one as reasonably

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think,

think, that you had given up the Caufe to me, by granting all that I demanded? But it feems this is not to be expected (to return, you your own words) from one that is perpetually at war with himself, and to which I add, from one that hath no better way of arguing, than by begging the Queftion: For you take it for granted, that this Communion may be had by us without Sin, which is ftill the Controverfy between us. Besides,, had it been for your turn, you might have obferv'd that what I there granted was only a Right of Communicating in any Church of Chriftians, whither he fhould come, not that it was any ones duty actually to joyn in External Communion, where the Terms are finful or doubtful. What I there further wrote on this Head, I fhall not here repeat, nor am I yet afham'd to own; but refer the Reader to it.

18,

You cenfure me for imagining that you bold it neceffary that all Churches fhould have the fame Ceremonies; and all the Inferences that I drew from it, you call a fighting with my own fhadow, and that you are not concerned in the fuccefs of the Combat. What the Opinion is which you hold, as a Secret to your felf, I cannot divine but pray confider, Was it not the Unity of the Church that you were there infifting on, and that not of this or that Particular, but of the Catholick Church, however it be difperfed in the World, and that this Catholick is one Political Body. For Difc. p. 29. it is the Univerfal Church, that is faid in Scripture to be one Body. With this one Catholick Political Church, you tell us we muft, on pain of being cut off from Chrift, hold Communion, not only in Faith, and in Baptifm, and the Worship of the One true God, and in all those things that are of the Effence of it as Chriftian, and which are one and the fame all the Chriftian World over; but that we are equally oblig'd to

hold

hold Communion with this Church in all its Rituals and External Modes of Worship, and whatfoever is made and appointed by Men as the Condition of this Outward Communion with it. And *if fo,

1. Do you not then make these Matters and Conditions of Outward Communion as Effential to the Church, as its Faith or any thing else?

2. Is there any of the required Outward Communion to be held with this Church,without a stric obfervance of all its Ceremonies?

3. Is it not necessary then that all these required Conditions of Outward Communion with it, be as Catholick, and as much One, as its Faith, or Baptifm, or any thing else?

If it must be One, is it poffible to deviate from it, or to vary its Forms and Terms of Outward Communion with it, without a Schifmatical Dividing and Rending it in pieces? Muft not all Particular Churches then, which are but the Conftituting, or Integrating parts of the Whole Catholick Church, have the very fame Rites, and Ceremonies, and Conditions of Outward Communion? Or elfe have you gotten the Art of dividing One into an Hundred or more, and yet continue it perfectly One ftill, even in that refpect wherein it is divided ? Dic fades & eris mihi magnus Apollo. Or elfe, will you make your. Catholick Church an Ens Rationis, or a Materia Prima, capable of all Forms to be introduc'd by the Wit and Will of Man? For by the Catholick Church I hope you do not mean that which fome others in the World do.

5. Befides, Was there not a time when the Catholick Chriftian Church was but One Individual Church, yea a Congregation at Jerufalem? If Rites and Ceremonies were as neceffary to Communion with that Church as the Doctrin of Faith, Baptifm, Repentance, or any other thing, would it not have

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