Scripture, will be much to the fame purpose as that of the Jews, The Temple of the Lord, The Temple of the Lord, even while they profaned it. That Schifm is a Sin, Mr. Tallents not only confeffeth, but proves from Scripture; but he has a great mind to make it an odd fort of an infignificant Sin. The fear of Popery perhaps hath scared him from taking up the diftinction of mortal and venial Sin; and yet he would have it as like this latter as one Egg is to another. For the fake of the Diffenters, it must be accounted fuch a pretty harmleßß Sin, that it is not worth while to charge any Men with it, or to difcourage them from it. But it feems there are other Men, who are not of his mind; and therefore the question must be, Whether Schifm be as great a Sin as Murther or Adultery? Now fuppofe, that in this particular the Scripture hath made no diftinct Comparison between these Sins, nor faid which is the greater; muft we therefore never judge of the greatness or heinoufnefs of any Sin, with refpect to others, unless the Scripture have gone before us in that matter, compared them together, and determined the Cafe? May we not judge of a Sin by its Nature, by its mifchievous Effects, and the like, without being faid to judge against Scripture? And when Scripture not only condemns a thing as a Sin, but reprefents it as foul and abominable, and paffionately deters from it, (as it doth in the cafe of Schifm) may not this be fome ground for our proceedings? The Scripture expofeth Schifin as a great_Sin, and among his many forts Mr. Tallents hath found out one fort of Schifm, which he confeffeth to be worse than Murther or Adultery, (p. 9.) and I hope he of all Men living would not do this, unless he had fome ground from Scripture; and therefore by his own Confeffion it cannot be univerfally true, That this horrid Opinion (as he will call it) is full againft Scripture,

Scripture, and hath no ground in it. This the force of Truth drew from him: But for the fake of his Cause he must either diftinguish it off, or directly unfay it again; and how he behaves himself under that Circumstance fhall be now enquired into.

(2.) When he had told us, that this Opinion bath no ground in Scripture, but is full against it. I did expect to have found fuch plain convincing Texts produced, as fhould have put an end to the Controverfie. For if it be thus full againft Scripture, that might have been eafily done; and as it would have been the readieft way, fo alfo the most fatiffactory. But Saying and Proving are two things; and fome Men had rather you should take twenty things upon their bare word, than put them upon the proof of one. This would have been an uneafie tafk; and therefore he takes another course, and endeavours to invalidate fome particular Texts and Reafons, which are urg'd by his Adverfaries. Now when a Man fhall pick and choofe, and represent his Antagonist as he lift, he may, if he have any Brains, make his own bufinefs eafie; but fuch skimming over a Controverfie will never bring it to a Head and Determination. However, we must follow him in the way he will go: And the firft Text he would wreft from them is, I Cor. 13. 1, 2, 3. Though I fpeak with the Tongues of Men and Angels, and have not Charity, I am become as founding Brafs, or a tinkling Cymbal. And though I have the Gift of Prophecy, and understand all Myfleries, and all Knowledge: and though I have all Faith, fo that I could remove Mountains, and have no Charity, I am nothing. And though I beftow all my Goods to feed the Poor, and though I give my Body to be burnt, and have not Charity, it profiteth me nothing. He truly calls thefe awakening Words, and I heartily wish they might throughly awaken

both

both him and his Party. For if these words are fpoken upon a Suppofition, that those who are the Caufes of Rents and Schifms cannot be endued with true Chriftian Charity; and that therefore their Sin is fuch, that neither miraculous Gifts, nor the greateft Knowledge, nor the most compaffimate Relief of the Poor, no, nor even Faith nor Martyrdom it felf, can ftand them in any ftead, I think this will plainly appear to be fome ground to cenfure fuch a Sin, as being as great as either Murther or Adul tery. And that this is the Sense of this Text, I think may be easily made evident; but first I must fee what he hath to fay to the contrary. And he very unadvisedly begins with themselves: If (faith he) a Diffenter, whatever his appearance in Religion be, have not this Charity, he is nothing, he will be undone for ever. Have a care, left you burn more than your Fingers. The very purport of this Text is to prove, that fuch a Person cannot have this Charity. Nor have you any other way to avoid it, but by fhewing the unlawfulness of the Authority and Communion your Diffenters have departed from, which I am confident they can never do; and as for any Occafional Conformist, he ought not fo much as pretend to it. For if the Authority and Communion be unlawful, it can never be lawful to join in it. This, I think, is to mend the matter Tinkerwife, and not to make their Cafe better, but worse. After this flight touch at the Diffenters, he falls foul upon all manner of Conformifts: If (faith he) one that's zealous for the Church by Law established, and communicates with no other at any time, have not this Charity, &c.- And all Rulers and Churches, that impofe finful, doubtful or needlefs things, &c. if they have not this Charity; -and they that write concerning Schifm, and damn thofe that differ from them, if they have not this Charity; all these (faith he)

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are nothing, but will be undone for ever, (p. 20.) Now fuppofing all this be true, what is it to the purpofe? Is this any proof, that this Text is not levelled against Schifm? But it matters not whether it make any proof or not, fo long as it ferves another defign, which is to represent all Perfons, who think or fpeak any thing hardly of Diffenters, as Men void of Chriftian Charity, and confequently in a damnable Condition; if you do not speak all foft and kind things of them, you must be undone for ever, i. e. damn'd: A very proper Speci men of Diffenters Moderation and Charity both! But he is mistaken in his Charity: For it is not Charity, but at the best no better than fupine Negligence, Cowardice and Folly to footh Men up in their Sins, and encourage them in an evil Way, which tends to their utter Ruine: In this cafe it is rather Charity to warn them of their Sin and Danger, and where Compaffion prevails not, to pull them out of the Fire, if it be poffible; to expofe their Sin, fo as to make them fenfible of it, is the greatest Charity in this cafe that can be to their Perfons, by endeavouring to reclaim them from it. But I need not pursue this any farther; for in the very next words he confeffeth, That it is not to the purpose, for which we alledge it. And therefore he proceeds thus: Many who are void of this Charity, nay and hate their Brethren, may live quietly in a Church, &c. (p. 20.) I fear they will not live very quietly, or not very long fo, who hate their Brethren. But we may give him that this being as little to the purpofe as the other. For did we ever fay, That there is no Sin inconfiftent with Charity but Schifm? Or doth what he fays prove, that Schifm and Charity are very confiftent, and that this Text doth not prove the contrary? He takes great pains to reconcile Charity with Schifm, and at the fame time grants Cyprian

Cyprian to be against him. For he tells us, That He (i. e. St. Cyprian) presses this, but overstrains it, as Some good Men after him have done; but he did not prove, as he ought, that none can have true Charity, who feparate from a true Church. He muft either not have read St. Cyprian, or read him with a ftrange Prejudice, who faith this of him. For I do not know any of the Fathers that more fully proves it, or more frequently urgeth this very Text to this purpofe, as will be evident to any, who will confult his Epiftle ad Jubajanum, and his Book de Unitate Ecclefia, de bono Patientia, & de Zelo & Livore. In all which places this Text is brought to prove, that Violaters of Unity have not this Charity. And who are Violaters of Unity, if Schifmaticks be not? Nay, Mr. Tallents himself lays this down as an undoubted Truth, That the Life of Schilm lies in Uncharitableness, and the Venom of it in Hatred, (p. 8.) Now when by his own Confeffion the Crime in its own nature is fo oppofite to Charity, that it cannot have Life or Being but by the extinction of Charity, how is it poffible to free the Criminal, and to make him a charitable Perfon, whofe Sin extinguifheth Charity in him?

(3.) Having given Anfwer to his feveral Objections, which indeed are strangely loofe and wide from the purpofe, I fhall, though as briefly as may be, endeavour fomewhat farther to clear the Meaning of this Text; and fo to fhew, that it hath been very pertinently ufed by others in this cafe. Corinth, the Metropolis of Achaia, was a City of great Trade, rich and populous; and Wealth is very apt to make People think themselves wife, and on that account to ftart new Opinions, and be tenacious of them, which confequently breeds Feuds and Disturbances. Thither alfo flock'd many Jews, a Mercurial People, for the benefit of Trade, who E 2

were