People: The People of God, the Church of God, the Church in God, with other fuch like contingents. Some of them (to mention fo many divided disorderly Fractions in the best order I can here) fome of them I fay, avowing themfelves to be above thefe Ordinances of beggarly Rudiments, fome pretending to no other Admi niftration of Doctrine or Teachings, but that of the Spirit, or of the Light within them, who yet in their conftant practice contradict this their foundation Principle, reading and conning the Holy Scriptures in the Tranflation made with the help of human Learning, reading and conning their own Books and Catechifms, holding forth and teaching in their Meetings, and not so much as their A, B, C, doth their Spirit or Light within teach them in other Course, than is used by other Men. Some of them scornful ly decrying the Sacrament of Baptifm as mere Water-baptifm, or fprinkling; fome denying it to Infants. Some in contempt calling the other Bleffed Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, Bread and Wine. The fame Perfons denying the Authority of the Holy Scriptures, (from which alone the true Doctrine is derived) in the Letter; fonte maintaining no conftant Course of Prayer, but only praying when the Spirit moves (as they phrase it,) that is, when the fit takes them. Some wholly difufing the Lord's Supper, though pretending a more Divine Efteem of it, and declaiming against all Forms of Prayer, and even difusing the Lord's Prayer it felf. All of them without any lawfully called Miniftery in fucceffion from the Apostles, and then how shall

they

*

15.

*

Rom. 10. they preach unless they be fent All which Defects (and more) of what was from the beginning, and in all Ages of Chrift's Church are so notorious, that it may puzzel any confiderate unprejudiced Perfon, to difcern to much as the Face of a Church in moft of the Sectarian Societies, for never was there any vifible Church of Chrift, whether planting or planted, whether flourifhing, and in peace, or perfecuted, and under the Crofs, without thefe Ordinances, less or more, as its prefent State would permit, wherein all that owned the Chriftian Name met together to worship God and Chrift, either openly in Churches, upper Rooms, or Oratories, or fecretly, even in Dens and Caves of the Earth, where they could do no better.

But if any of the Sects can lay claim to the Marks of a true Church, it must be the Presby-. terians, who are the most orderly, orthodox, and left fanatical of them all. But to wave what we our felves think to be great Deficiencies in their Conftitution, particularly in their Ordinations, they themselves confeffing our Church to be true and orthodox, they can make no better of themselves than a Set here in England, and in the Primitive Language, an Altar fet up against an Altar, and a Church formed in, and in oppofition to an Orthodox Church, which in no Age could efcape the Cenfure of an arrant Schifm, making a fcandalous Breach in the Church's Unity and Peace. And for their Divine Worship, what a Mixture there is of human Inventions in all their Managements thereof,

and

and how unfcriptural their way of Worship is in 1 the effential Parts thereof, is in my opinion made out by matter of fact compared with the Scriptures, unanswerable in a late Manual of Doctor King, a Reverend Bishop in Ireland, and ours he juftifies to be according to, and in no wife contrary to the Word of God, and without any mixture of human Inventions,

By that and other fuch good Books of small Price, fuch care hath been taken by our learned painful Clergy to inform the common People aright, that whofoever hath Money to purchase, and Eyes to read them, and any competent Faculties to underftand, muft be excuseless, if for want of ingenuous trying all things, he fall into Errour and Separation. Now there are only two things more that I would here fuggeft to the People's confideration, although often men- tioned elfe-where, being in my opinion more adapted to the Countrey-man's capacity, than I much more learned Reasons for their adherence - to the Church of England.

1. Whosoever hath any Reverence to the precious Memory of our glorious Martyrs, not questioning either their Piety, Integrity, or Salvation, can never doubt of either their own Safety or Duty in a firm holding their Communion with it; for the well-meaning fimple Countryman cannot be answered by any leparate Teacher, if he ask him, wherein the Religion of the Church of England at this day differs effentially from that of the Holy Martyrs; or whether this Church's Communion be other than they fettled and left it, or than they lived

C 2

and

and died in and for it, except for the better; and if it was a good Church in their Profeffion and Conduct, why not in ours? And if they were laved in its Communion, why may not we be fo too? And if we can be faved in this Communion, what good Caufe can we have, or how dare we feparate from it? Or laftly, who can feparate from it now, but he must have separated from them, and their Communion upon the fame Grounds upon which he feparates from us, had he lived in their Times?

2. Whofoever hath any Reverence for any other Proteftant Church throughout Chriftendom, must have a like Veneration for ours. For (as Mr. Durell's Book of the Doctrine, Worship, and Government of the Reformed Churches abroad hath left it indifputable,) There is nothing injoined, nothing practifed here but the fame, or, what is equivalent is to be found in them; fo that, upon the fame grounds, that any one difgufts or feparates from the Church of England, he must do the fame in whatever other reformed Church providence may order his Habitation. Now what ferious Chriftian will like of fuch Principles as will render him a Nonconformist or Separatift in whatever Proteftant Church he might have lived, or may happen to live, throughout the whole World?

Now having thus difpatched the fixth Queftion, viz. How a true and orthodox Church may be diftinguished and known from a falfe, here tical or unfound Church? It will (because I have faid that a Man is made a Chucrh-member in his Baptifin), be proper to make this my next Question. Quest. VII

Queft. VII Of what Church is a Man made a Member in his Baptifm? Is it of the Catholick or Univerfal Church, or is it only of the particular Church he lives in?

The Title of this Difcourfe (Catholick Unity, &c.) fuggefts the true Anfwer, or at least the true Answer will warrant the Title, and let but the Reader have an Eye as he goes along to the fore-going Suggeftion, viz. (the Neceffiry of feparating from all other Orthodox and Reformed Churches, upon the fame Grounds, upon which any one feparates from the Church of England) and he will find the Answer very much to favour it,

Anf. My Answer to the Quare then is, that a Man is doubtlefs made in Baptifm a Member of the Church Catholick, even of that Church which confifts of baptized Perfons throughout the whole World, and even of that Church unto which all are, or fhall be added that fhall be faved *. For that Church is all founded on one Covenant, and therefore it is it felf but one Body, however difperfed all the World over, it is but one Church, where ever it is, that God hath purchased with his Blood †, one

For

*

Act. 2.47.

Church whereof he is Saviour, † Act.20.28. being the Saviour of the Body*, * Ephef. 5. from which Myftery the Apoftle argues for a Man's being joined

23, &c.

to one Wife, fo as they twain to be one Fleft; C 3

for