I can scarce think a Man intends fairly, who leaves the known beaten Way, to tread unknown Paths; and will speak ambiguously, when he might with as much eafe fpeak plainly. If by worshipping of God with, he means, in the prefence of fuch as are guilty of Schifm, it may alter the cafe: But that which we affirin is, That it it not lawful to join in Communion with Schifmaticks; nor can E imagine how any Man can think it lawful, who doth really judge them to be Schifmaticks. But here I am not to give my own Reafons, but to examine his. In this Senfe he must be understood, if he fpeak to the purpofe; but when he fets himfelf to defend his Schifmatical Communion, he enters the Lifts fo doubtfully, and proceeds fo fhufflingly, and repeats what he had before faid (and is already answered) over and over, and over again, and all wide from the business, that I profefs I am afhamed to fee fo great a Man guilty of fuch trifling. It looks as if he either ftruggled against the Dictates of his own Confcience, or was given over to ftrong Delufions. He fets out very awkwardly, partly denying, partly affirming, but very obfcurely. There are fome (faith he, p. 85.) that are guilty of fuch Schifm, that we may not worfhip God with them. Well then, by your own Confeifion, we are fo far in the right. But he adds, To fay, we may not worship God with any that are guilty of Schifm, is falfe. However implicitly others may be led by you, you ought not to deal fo with us, who you know expect proof. You talk of two forts of Schifm, but do not tell us what they are, nor fet the due bounds betwixt both; and till you do that, your diftinction will be ufelefs, though it fhould be true. I wish you had told us what Schifmatical Communion that is, which a Man may lawfully join in, tho' at the fame time he acknowledgeth it to be Schifmatical. For this

you

you must mean, by worshipping God with Men in Schifm, if you fpeak to the present cafe: And then, I must tell you, that you had been obliged to prove it very well, and clearly, beyond any thing you have done. For he that will advance a novel Notion againft what hath been received for many Ages, and heartily recommended by the wifeft and beft of Men, ought to give in extraordinary Evidence, or he will be thought guilty of unpardonable Prefumption. And this we may more reafonably require of you, because there is juft grounds to fufpect, that you fet up this only for an occafional or temporary, not a durable Notion. I have fome where read of a Cardinal, who being a Fisherman's Son, to make a fhew of great Humility and Condefcenfion, caufed a Fishing-Net to be daily fpread over his Table at Meals; but as foon as he was chofen Pope, he commanded the Net to be taken away, giving this Reafon for it, That the Fifh was caught. You would now perfuade us, that you are monftroufly loving, and are ready to be one with all forts of Men; but by what you have been, and have done, we have caufe to fufpect, that this is all defign; and that when you have obtained your ends, you will be the firft Men that will lay afide this Notion, and moft forward to perfecute any that maintain it. And therefore I wish, that you had diftinguished fo clearly, and proved fo fully, that you might not have been able to have gone from it. But it may be thought unreafonable to require of a Man more than he is able to do; let us therefore try what it will amount to, which he hath done.

(2.) Several Texts of Scripture he fets down, which he faith are alledg'd and mention'd by fome of the Fathers. By this it appears, that they thought they had ground in Scripture for this Opinion, though you confidently fay there is none;

and

and that they proved from Scripture, which I am fure is more than you have done. To those, many more might be added, but that is not my prefent bufinefs; but rather to examine the ftrength of his Objections against them. And in the first place he faith, Tis plain, these and other places which might be added, do not speak in particular of Schifmaticks, but of vifible groß Sinners; of Fornicators, Idolaters, Drunkards, (p. 87.) The contrary is plain: For though fome of the Texts do mention those groß Sinners, yet others of them are plainly levell'd against this groß Sin: And there is not a Text there, but it either directly makes againft Schifm, or in the juft confequence of it may be fairly urg'd against it: I refer to the Texts themselves. But he was aware this Anfwer would not do, and therefore of himself gives it up: But adds, Thofe Texts can by confequence only reach Such Schifm, as is as damning as thofe groß Sins of Murther or Adultery. But what if all Schifm, properly fo called, be as grievous a Sin as either Murther or Adultery? The Scripture doth not inftitute a parallel between Schifm, and Murther or Adultery, but it condemns it as a groß Sin; and no lefs ftrictly commands to avoid the one as well as the other. But after all, the Queftion will be, Whether the prefent Schifm be not as grofs a Sin as Murther or Adultery? And if it be, then the Guilt will lie upon them who are the cause of it. I am fure it hath been the Mother of more Disorders and Confufions among us, of more Heart-burning, Hatred, Malice, Fury and Violence, than either or both of thofe Sins, though they are bad enough, and fuch as no good Man will plead their Caufe, as you do the Caufe of Schifin. But this fhall be try'd hereafter.

(3.) As for the blind Story of an unknown Minifter, whose blind Zeal you deride, it is not worth

notice.

notice. For another Man's rafh Saying is not a Rule to us; and your felf would think it very hard, if you were obliged to defend all the extravagant Sayings and bitter Cenfures, which have been uttered with Rancour enough by many of your Party. But this being trivial, you think to fright us with an oppofite Practice of your Party: For fay you, The Diffenters, who believe if there be a Schifm, that it lies at the door of their fierce Oppofers, will, by the fame Principle, think themselves bound to avoid them, (i. e. the Epifcopal Church) not to worship God with them at all, or have any familiarity with them, (p. 88.) And though you fay, we have not fo learned Chrift, you ought to make an Exception; for many, whom you own of your Party, have fo learnt him, and fo fay, and fo practife; and even of late fo written and publifhed in Print; and I believe them to be much the more fincere Men: For I will fay this for them, that they are right in the general Notion, though they are out in the application of it to their particular Cafe. They ought not to join in Communion with those, whom they really think to be Schifmaticks: For tho' they fhould think and be mistaken in their Fudgments, yet it would be a Sin in them to act contrary to the Dictates of their Confcience. Their Error hath entangled them; and I know no way they have to dif entangle themselves, but by fuch an impartial Search after Truth, as might rectifie their Judgments, and make them forfake their Evil Way. The Cafe of these Men is to be lamented; and it were a moft Charitable and Christian Work to undeceive them.

wrong,

(4.) Against our Opinion of not communicating with Schifm, you next tell us, That it is mainly built upon fome Passages of the Fathers, if not upon Prejudices, or carnal Reasonings, I have known

fome

fome of your zealous Brethren, who have called all Reafonings Carnal, which they could not anfwer. But I hope it is not the worse for us, that we have the Fathers on our fide. In order to take off those, we have all the old ftuff over again: And from what hath been already faid, any one may be furnished with an answer to it; and therefore I fhall be fhorter upon this Head. You coldly tell us, that on our part it's faid, That to worhip God fometimes with thofe that are guilty of Schifm, is contrary to the Rules and Practice of the Primitive Church, which ought to be greatly obferv'd. And truly if there be the fame Reasons against Schifm now as then, if their Rules and Practice were settled upon eternal Foundations, such as are neceffary not only for the Support, but to continue the very Being of the Church, then to deftroy fuch Rules and Practice looks very like a defign to deftroy the Church. You cannot deny, but that the Scripture as much condemns Schifin now as then; nor doth any thing bring in greater Troubles or Disorders, nor is a greater Scandal to our holy Religion; and to communicate in Schifm, is not the way to put an end to it, but to increafe and propagate it, till it eat up the Church, which things, if you had seriously confidered, you might have thought it ill-became any one, who called himself a Christian, to plead the Caufe of Schifin. But fince you have fuffered your felf to be retained on that fide, you fhall be heard what you can fay for it.

(5.) It is with fome Men a great piece of Art, (though no great Argument of Sincerity and Confcience) by all colourable means to disguise the matter in Controverfie; and then to flourish with pretended Reafonings, little or nothing to the purpofe; and fo weak Understandings are either loft in a Wood, or deluded to be led by them: And of this

M

nature