A N ABRIDGMENT OF THE CONTROVERSY, &c. Neoph. Health in my Life; you for your Fear? Neoph. Very good Grounds; for I could never imagine, that any thing but Sickness could detain you fo long from the public Worship of God, which, I am informed, you have not been present at these three Months. B Iren. Iren. You amaze me, Sir; I have not, to my Knowledge, mifs'd attending the public Service on the Lord's Day, during the laft three Months, and have been pretty conftant on the Week Days: For the Truth of which I appeal to Theodorus, our worthy Paftor. Neoph. Theodorus! AN OLD SCHISMATIC! Why, you had better never go to Prayers, than join with him, or any in Communion with him: He cheats you of Half the inftituted Matter of the Cup, every Time he adminifters the Sacrament; the Elements he distributes are not rightly confecrated; and it were well, if, as the Papifts have struck the Second Commandment out of the Decalogue, he would strike the Article of the Communion of Saints out of the Creed; for by his Practice he denies it. Iren. I cry you Mercy, Sir; are you then one of thofe degenerate Sons of the Church of England, who have lately fet up New Effentials, and in an unwarrantable Manner feparated from the Church, in whofe Communion you receiv'd your Baptifm? If Abfence from your Affemblies be the withdrawing from the public Worship, which you speak of, I own the Charge, and hope, by the Grace of God, never to be fo far a Partaker in Schifm, as to join with you in this unhappy Breach of Church-Communion. Neoph. You talk too faft, Sir; have you ever confider'd on which Side our unfortunate Divi Divifions are to be charg'd? And who they are, that are guilty of the Separation? Have you ever read The Reasons for reftoring the four Points infifted on? Iren. Yes, and the excellent Answer to them, call'd the No Reafons, &c. and in the Fear of God confider'd them; and the Result is, that I am fully fatisfied, that there are no Defects in Effentials, in the Offices of our Church; that, in preffing the Neceffity of the four Points, you teach for Doctrines the Commandments of Men, and by leaving the Communion of the Church, and thinking your felves justified in fo doing, because they are not reftor'd, you make void the Commands of God, which in fuch exprefs Terms condemn all Divifions and Separations, by your Traditions. Neoph. A heavy Charge, if true; but think on whom it will light, if we can prove those things we call Effentials, to be fo. Iren. That you can never do. Neoph. You are very confident; but if you are at Leifure, and willing to difcourfe with me on these Heads, I doubt not to give you full Satisfaction. Iren. I never fhut my Ears against better Information: I am always willing to hear the utmost any Sect can plead for their Tenets, fo that tho' I may be poffibly mistaken, I never will be a Heretic; and if you please to fit down, I am willing to take the prefent Opportunity of hearing all you have to say on B 2 thefe thefe Heads; only I muft beg you not to puzzle me with Criticifms about the Senfe of Words in the learned Languages; but to adapt your Arguments to the Capacity of a Mechanic, who may, I hope, be taught all the Effentials of Chriftianity, without having Recourfe to fuch Arguments, as he is by no Means qualified to be a Judge of. Neoph. I fhall have a due Regard to that, as far as the Nature of the Subject will permit me. Iren. Begin then, and I doubt not to be able to folve all the Difficulties, with which you have labour'd to perplex, what in it self was obvious and clear enough. Neoph. The firft Point infifted on is, The Neceffity of mixing Water with the Wine in the Euchariftic Cup, but it will be proper to confider, as a Preliminary to the Whole, the Neceffity of Tradition to interpret Scripture, To Tradition we are beholden for our Knowledge of the Canon of Scripture, and if we receive Scripture it felf from Tradition, we ought in Equity to have Recourfe to it for the true Senfe thereof. ༡ Iren. I am not for lengthning Difputes unneceffarily, and would therefore wave this Point, fince, if I am not miftaken, the Traditions you plead for, are only fuch, as have been received by all Chriftians, in all Places, and can be trac'd up to the Primo-Primitive Apoftolical Age. Against such Traditions the Church Church of England does not fpeak, neither Neoph. I fhall, and if I prove Water Part of Chrift's inftituted Cup, I think no more need be faid to prove the Neceffity of the Mixture. And that Water was Part of Christ's inftituted Cup, appears from Prov. ix. Wifdom bath built ber Houfe, fhe bath hewn out her feven Pillars: She bath killed her Beafts, the bath mingled herWine, The bath alfo furnished her Table: She bath fent forth her Maidens he crieth upon the bigbeft Places of the City: Whofo is fimple, let him turn in bither; as for him that wanteth Understanding, the faith to him: Come eat of my Bread, and drink of the Wine which I have mingled, v. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Thefe Words are by the best Expofitors interpreted of the Eucha rift; and from the Letter of the Text it is as evident, that the Wine is mix'd, as that the Elements are Bread and Wine: And the eternal Wisdom of the Father does exprefsly here require us all, to drink of the Wine he has mingled, in as plain and ftrong Terms, as to eat |