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Nature or Heinousness of a Sin, when at the fame time we are endeavouring to acquit all Men of it? I find that fometimes Men are apt to conceal the true Reafon of their Proceedings, left it should be injurious to their Defign: And therefore I am inclinable to think the true Reafon of his declining the Difcuflion of this Point was, that it would have touched his Beloved Brethren to the Quick, and he feared they would be caft upon the Tryal; and then, let the Sin be what it will, they would have been found the Guilty Perfons. It was therefore a more Politick courfe, and more ferviceable to his Friends, to represent the present Schifm as no Sin, than to hazard his whole Party by failing in his proof, that the Diffenters were not Schifmaticks. As for what he faith concerning their mutual charging each other with Schifm, I did never expect that fuch hardy Men as his Diffenters fhould give up their Caufe, and plead Guilty, whom I have often known to out-face plain Truth. But if the Queftion had been difcufs'd, and fet in a clear Light; unprejudiced and impartial Perfons might have made a right Judgment, and it might have been useful to fuch as are doubtful, and to those who came after; and fo have help'd to heal in time. But feeing he will not do this, I muft follow him in what he will do.

(4.) Two Affertions he lays down as the Subject Matter of his Book: 1ft, That they who are guilty of Schifm, live in a courfe of Sin as damning as Murther or Adultery, and are in a state of Damnation. 2dly, That we may not worship God with them at any time. And this Courfe he makes choice of, because (as he faith) few, if any, have exprefly treated of thefe, (p.2,3.) But this pretended Reafon hath more of Confidence than Truth in it. For many of the Ancients have not only afferted, but

proved this Charge against Schifin, and none more fully than St. Cyprian, with whom in this matter all the Orthodox Chriftians of his Age agreed: And then nothing is more common than to find them all with one Voice condemning all Communion with Schifmaticks, and proving it with all the force of Argument. And indeed if the first be true, the fecond is the direct and natural confequent of it: For we ought not to worship God with any, at any time, in a finful and unwarrantable way. But the Ancient Fathers were mere Children, compared with the mighty Men of thefe bleffed Times, and Mr. Tallents, with his new Light, difcovers them all to be in the wrong, and will prove against them all, and all others, that Schifm in these Days is no fuch dangerous Sin. Well then, bic Rhodos, bic Saltus, let us fee what will come of it.

(5.) He fets out with a fpecious Pretence, That it is only a certain Perfuafion of the Falfenefs of thofe Things, and a Zeal to unite the Servants of Chrift, that puts him upon this, (p. 3.) I cannot fay, how far mighty Prejudice, or (which is worse) the being given over to ftrong Delusions, to believe a Lye, may prevail upon Men. For we are told in holy Writ, that the Perfuafion of fome Men had wrought them up to fuch a Zeal, that they thought to kill the Apostles of Chrift would be to do God good fervice: And we have known Men, who call themselves the Servants of Chrift, and who would be the only Saints of the Age, who have murthered their Lawful Sovereign, and the best of Kings at his own Door, and butchered or ruined his Faithful Subjects. And if fome fuch Servants of Chrift (if without Horror they can be fo called) be not now at work again, I am much mistaken; and is it not pity but fuch fhould be united, that their fanctified Designs for the

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Ruine of Church and State may be more eafily and furely effected? But as for our Author, the Truth of his Perfuafion, and the Warrantablenefs of his Zeal, will beft appear from the Soundness of his Argument; which we fhall now come to examine.

(6.) It would look ill (faith he) in Diffenters to Jay, the Schifm of those that procured fevere Laws to be made against them, is as damning as Murther or Adultery: Truly I think fo too. But then here is a whole Clufter of falfe and malicious Suppofals. ift, That a certain Set of Men enviously procured thefe Laws, which were certainly fome wicked Churchmen. 2dly, That thefe Laws were fevere, tho' they have not been fevere enough to cure the Evil. 3dly, That thefe Procurers were Schifmaticks; and then doubtlefs the Makers of those Laws, who were of the fame Mind, and did the Mischief, could not be lefs guilty. And thus the King and Parliament, and all our Governors, are condemned for Schifmaticks; and fo fhall doubtlefs all, who fhall dare to disturb thefe Troublers of Ifrael. 4thly, That the procuring and making thefe Laws was a great Sin, though at prefent they are fo favourable as not to proclaim it as damning a Sin as Murther or Adultery; but if we may guefs at what may be, by what has been, it is very probable they may alter their Opinion, when they get the Power in their hands. These are fine moderate Infinuations, of which we may feel the bleffed Effects in time. But if it were not dangerous to speak Truth, when it is in prejudice of our pious Diffenters, I fhould tell them, That it was Rebellion and Treafon, and their ungovernableness and turbulency both in Church and State, which procured thefe Laws, and deferved feverer. For though Mr. Tallents and his Saints may be of another Perfuafion, yet I do and fhall think, that Re

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bellion and Treafon are as damning Sins as Murther or Adultery. But after all, this makes nothing towards the proof his Affertion, though it well ferves to difcover his fecret Spite.

(7.) You have now feen how much this their great pretended Charity amounts to, which muft needs require a fuitable return from thofe he calls their High Oppofers. But he goes on, and though at prefent he finds it not expedient to parallel their Sin with Murther and Adultery, yet he plainly tells them, That they have greatly finn d by caufing fuch needlefs, doubtful, or finful things to be impofed, on purpose to throw out abundance of useful Minifters, &c. (p. 3.). I have obferved, that both Papifts and Diffenters have certain ftated reproachful Terms, which they muft by no means forego: Thus here it muft not be faid, that fuch things are required or commanded, but that they are impofed. Now an Impofition (as it is commonly underftood in this cafe) doth fuppofe not only a hardship in the thing it felf, but a ftretch of Authority beyond its due bounds in the impofing, and confequently renders both the Thing required, and the Perfons requiring it, odious: This Term therefore must be conftantly made ufe of to alienate the Hearts and Affections of the People from their Governors, whether Ecclefiaftical or Civil; it is a dangerous thing, and favours of a Seditious Spirit, when the lawful Commands of Superiors are conftantly reprefented as Impofitions. But our Author, to make good his Charge, hath followed the old Track, when he should have gone a new Way. For certainly he forgot his own defign, and what it was his butinefs to defend, when he accufeth them of finful Impofitions. For if the Terms of Communion be finful, what fhall become of his Occafional Conformity? For, unless his Saints have a peculiar Privilege to fin occafionally, I fee

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not how Communion is juftifiable at any time, where the Terms are finful. If he had well confidered the matter, he would certainly have dropt this Plea at this time; it may ferve for downright Work, but not for undermining, which is the prefent bufinefs; and they might have had a fit occafion to refume it again, when they had been either prepared for open Defiance, or had the Power in their hands. However, when he shall prove fuch things finful, I will renounce fuch a Communion, though I fhall not then be of theirs, for Reasons I fhall give hereafter.

(8.) I could wish our Author had farther explained himself, as to the things he calls doubtful. For prefent things, in their own nature, are not doubtful, but certain; if they be doubtful to us, it is by reafon of the weakness of our Underftanding, or for want of Information. And if the matter be in aquilibrio, the fafeft way is to follow Authority. But fome Perfons are fo full of Scruples, or are fo eafily made fo, that if Authority fhall command nothing, against which they shall raife a Scruple, or fhall have it put into their Heads by others, there is an end of all Authority.

(9.) The third thing which he objects against his Impofitions, is, that they are needlefs; which I take to be a very needlefs Objection. For if the Cafe were put, with refpect to other matters, I verily think Mr. Tallents would not be eafily perfuaded to part with many things, which may be accounted needlefs. He would hardly be pleafed to be confined to have neither any more Money, nor any more Clothes, than juft what was needful. The Prodigal may have more Money than he needs, and yet that will not excufe his profufeness, and vain lavishing it away. The Countryman, who went to fother his Cattle with the laft Bottle of

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