been as neceffary that all its Rites and Terms of Outward Communion fhould be afcertain'd, and enter'd into the Canon, that all the Particular Churches that fhould ever fpring from her, might know how, and wherein to hold Communion with. her, and not be damn'd for Schifmaticks? For

how is it poffible for any Particular Church to feparate from her in the matters of Outward Communion, and yet be therein One'with her? Now, Sir, with whofe Shadow it is that I have been fighting, let others judge, and how far you are concern'd in the iffue of the Combate.

7. 19.

P. 21.

But whatever your Premises were,

you now hope to fet all right by denying the Conclufion; and tell us that you never held it neceffary that all Churches fhould have all the fame External Rites; or that any One of them fhould be the Oracle, or give Laws to all the reft. And you tell us too, that this is the Senfe and Practice of the Church of England, as it was of the Ancients in things of this nature. And that the Churches of diftant Countries may differ in their Ceremonies, and yet maintain the Catholick Unity. But methinks the Confiftency of This, and of your Notion of Catholick Unity is not fo very clear. For you have not yet told us, on what Reason, or by what Law, or Right, any of thofe Churches that firft iffued, and were numerically divided from that Original Catholick Church and Congregation, did vary, as to their Rites, and Terms of Cutward Communion, from that out of which they sprang, or how it could be done without what you call Schifm. Were they not, by your Hypothefis, bound, while they continued in that Church, to obferve all the Rites and Ceremonies of it? How then came they at this Liberty of taking, or leaving, or altering or adding of thefe things, when feparated from

it? Yea, were not all the Defcendent Particular Chriftian Churches in the World, in the fame relation to that first Catholick Church, as the Members of any Particular Church are to it? And fhould not the Catholick Union be as entirely preferv'd, by your Principles, in Rites and Ceremonies, as in Faith, &c. Unless you can produce the Licenfe from that Mother Church, Authorizing them fo to do; or unless you will grant they did it by vertue of a Natural Right, and Power in themfelves fo to do, immediately on their being thus feparated from it. And if fo, then 'tis but for a Church to feparate from another, to which they once belonged, and they are at Liberty, as to Rites and Ceremonies, and yet fafe as to Catholick Unity: And this, perhaps, is the bottom and truth of the cafe. All particular Churches, being of equal Power and Authority inter fe, have a Natural Right to order all matters that are but of Humane Institution, and allowable by the general Rules of the Scriptures, according to occurring Circumstances of Times and Places, for their own particular Edification, and to alter and change them as the Cafe of the Church fhall require. And then I hope you will give me leave hence to infer, That all other, efpecially Reformed Churches of Chrift in the World, whether Lutheran or Calvinistical, have an equal Right and. Intereft in this Liberty, as the Church of England: And then Geneva and Scotland, and the poor envied Churches of the Presbyterians (to defcend no lower) in England and Ireland, are juftify'd in their Ecclefiaftical Conftitutions, as out of the danger of being cut off as Schifmaticks from the Union of the Catholick Church, notwithstanding they are not of the Church of England's Communion in Rites and Ceremonies, unless you will adventure to fay, that our not having Bishops, that is, Diocefan Bishops, over us, is that which will

B 4

inevitabl

inevitably destroy us; and if fo, then farewel to all the Reformed Churches, befides yours, and the Luther an. But could we have obtain'd but one good Bishop to have caft off all these controverted matters, and fo to have been our Head, we had been fafe, unless you would throw the Bishop into Hell with us for a Schifmatick too. And if this

be not, pray tell us what is, the fense of

ings.

your Argu

Will you be fo kind, as to grant, what I think you cannot well deny, That fuch a Liberty as this may be allow'd, Provided that this Separation, or Divifion of a Church into more Particular Independent, or Co-ordinate Churches, be made by the Authority and Establishment (for perhaps meer Toleration will not do) of that Church out of which the Division is made, as in the Propagation of the Church in Foreign Dominions, and under diftinct Civil Governments; or by a Neceffity, as in cafes of Perfecution? Then I will ask you, (1.) What Provifion you will allow in fuch Cafes of neceffary Reformation, as cannot be effected without Separation, which, you know, was the cafe of Proteftant Reformers? Were they Schifmaticks because they feparated without the confent, or Authority of that Church they separated from? If fo, you will do well to reconcile us again to our Old Mother; but that which justify'd that Reformation, will justify another. (2.) If this Liberty muft depend upon, and be determin'd by the bene placitum, and Extent of the Empire of the Civil Government, then, either thefe Rites and Ceremonies, about which the Liberty is concern'd, are no Sacred things, or elfe it is a profaning of that which is Sacred, and a justifyIng the Whore of Babylon,in extending the Cup of her Fornications according to the bounds of the Empire on which the fits. (3.) If the cafe of Perse-cution will do it, as it did at Jerufalem, then have

the

the Nonconformifts of this and of the paft Age enough to say on that Head too, for their juftification.

The next thing you prefcribe to us, p. 23. is a Catbolick Antidote, or Prefervative

of the Unity of the whole Body, which is a Compofition of thefe Two Simples. The Firft is, That every Chriftian actually Communicate with that found Part of the Catholick Church, which he finds where he refides, or Divine Providence cafts his Lot. The Second is, That Private Chriftians obey the Spiritual Guides, that are therein lawfully establish'd.

The following part of this your First Section you bestow not in the Explication, which one would think were very neceffary, but in the Confirmation of it, right or wrong, which indeed is a very quick, but not fo fafe a way of Preparing a Medicine of fo great a Title..

1. On the First, I find very little you have to fay, only you pretend to prove it, and that Clearly: For you fay, To clear this, it is to be obferv'd, That there is a nearer Alliance amongst the Faithful remaining in the fame place, than can be exercis'd amongst thofe that are of diftant Countries. So then your Argument runs thus.

There is a nearer Alliance amongst the Faithful remaining in the fame place, than can be exercis'd amongst thofe of diftant Countries. Ergo, It is the duty of every Chriftian actually to Communicate with that found part of the Catholick Church, which he finds where be refides, or where Divine Providence cafts bis Lot. Baculus ftat in angulo, ergo, pluit. What Alliance there is between your Argument and your Conclufion, I must confefs my felf too dull to comprehend. You fay, we ought to Communicate with any Jound part of the Catholick Church where ever we are, and where-ever we come, at home or abroad, because we have nearer Alliances at home, than abroad. Is not this

Quidlibet ex quolibet? One would think you had now a mind to Lampoon upon your felf. But perhaps by your Clearing of this your Position, you did not mean to Prove it, but to Clear your hands of it, which, in my judgment, you had done more clever ly, if you had faid never a Word to it. But to let your Argument alone, wherein I am as little concern'd, as that which you pretend to Clear by it.

However, This First Ingredient of your Prefervative, must be better examin'd and duly corrected before it can fafely enter into this your Compofition Ex duobus. You fay, That to preferve the Unity of the whole Body, it is requifite that every Christian actually Communicate with that found part of the Catholick Church, which he finds where be refides, or where Divine Providence cafts his Lot. Now

1. By Communicating, in this Proposition, you muft give me leave to conjecture, that you mean Communicating, not only in Faith and Love, &c. but in all External Rites and Ceremonies, of what number or kind foever they be, fo that they do not destroy the Truth of the Church; I fay, the Truth, unlefs, by your found part, you mean the Purer part, which I fuppofe is too Puritannical to be your meaning: And,

2. How far you will allow the Church of Rome, or any of the Armenian, Greek,or Lutheran Churches to be found parts of the Catholick, I cannot tell; you had dealt more openly with us, if you had defcrib'd, or told us more plainly what Churches, or whether any befides your own, you take to be Sound Parts; or what degree of Soundness it is that will ferve your turn; or by whom the Soundness of it is to be judg'd; or whether every Chriftian be bound to take the Churches own word for its Soundness, without asking any Question about it, tho' for Confcience fake, which laft would found very harfhly in every Ear that hath any ferious concern for his

own