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A52414 The charge of schism continued being a justification of the author of Christian blessedness for his charging the separatists with schism, not withstanding the toleration : in a letter to a city-friend. Norris, John, 1657-1711. 1691 (1691) Wing N1245; ESTC R40651 37,244 145

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THE CHARGE OF SCHISM CONTINUED BEING A Justification of the Author of Christian Blessedness for his Charging the Separatists with SCHISM notwithstanding the Toleration In a Letter to a City-Friend LICENS'D Decemb. 8. 1690. LONDON Printed for Samuel Manship at the Black Bull over-against the Royal Exchange in Cornhil 1691. SIR THE Information you give me concerning the great Clamour that is made by some in the City against our Friend the Author of Christian Blessedness for continuing the Charge of Schism at this time against the Separatists from the Church of England I am the more ready to believe because I find he meets with a great deal of the like Treatment in the Country as far as the Sphere of my Acquaintance or Intelligence reaches I can hardly put my Head into any Company but where I hear him either Passionately rail'd at by Popular uneducated Tongues or gravely Condemn'd by those of more sober and improved Understandings who though no Enemies to his Person have yet but little Charity for his Cause Nay several who know nothing at all of the Book and so cannot directly and expresly condemn it do yet shew how ready they would be upon occasion to do so by declaring their Judgments against the Proposition maintain'd in it For I find 't is a thing generally taken for granted that the Dissenters are now no longer under the guilt of Schism however they might be charged with it before For say they the Tables are now turn'd They have now an Authentick Patent for their Separation and may divide from you by Authority And therefore let your Indictment run never so high and be otherwise never so well proved their Liberty will be their immediate Discharge For Sir you must know that the Toleration is generally supposed to lay all in Common to put the Church and the Conventicle upon a square and to acquit those that Separate not only from the Penalty but from the Fault of Non-conformity This Notion I perceive has found entertainment not only in Vulgar Heads who seldom think distinctly about any thing but confound all things whose Difference is not to be felt and handled but also among those of good Natural sense and who have taken a Turn or two of Scholastick Education and understand something of the Measures of Reason and Consequence Particularly I find this Conceit passes very current among Ladies and Gentlemen who for want either of Leisure or Ability or Attention seldom examine things to the bottom but judge according to Outside and Appearance But this I do not so much wonder at when I observe that Men of profess'd Study and considerable Learning are carried away with the same Fancy which I find gets ground every day and let me tell you Sir among some others besides those whose Interest is concern'd to have it true I find some of these begin to talk very odly and untowardly in this matter and not according to their usual Clearness and accuracy of Judgment which they still retain in their other Discourses But as for the Interested Parties they catch at this Popular Plea of the Toleration with all the greediness imaginable and insist upon it mightily an Argument by the way that they distrust their other Defences and are become downright impatient of the Charge of Schism and think themselves not only highly Affronted but greatly Wrong'd and Injured whenever they are tax'd with it and as you know Sir are very angry with our Author for continuing the Charge What Charge us with Schism at this time of day Now we are in Favour Now the Government smiles upon us Now we have the Law on our Side c. How far they have the Law of their Side will be better understood from what is to follow In the mean time I with that some of those who are so incens'd against our Author and so free in their Censures upon that part of his Book would have took the Courage to appear against him in publick which would have been a much fairer and more manly way than either to rail at him in Corners which by the way are as little sought for by Charity as by Truth or to pester him with Scurrilous and abusive Letters without Names This argues their Fear to be as great as their Malice and that they diffide either to their Cause or to their Skill in managing it The truth is they ought for their own Credit as well as in Justice to the Author either to have Suppress'd their Resentments or to have Vented them in Publick Which if they had done I dare undertake they should not have been disappointed of an Adversary But it seems they have thought fit to make use of another Method which though not equally declarative of their Sense yet with the help of a little Spelling and Collating things together may serve to pick out enough of their Meaning For as far as I can gather from what I observe and from what I hear the Sum of all that they say against our Author bating impertinent Cavils and Foul-mouth'd Reflections may be reduced to these three Heads 1. The Falsness of his Charge 2. The Uncharitableness of it 3. The Unseasonableness of it Which Treble Censure is grounded upon one Common Argument because say they the Dissenters are Now by Vertue of their Toleration upon Equal Terms with the Church But Sir in the First place how can that be when One is Establish'd and the Other only Tolerated Is not Establishment more than Liberty If by Liberty here were understood Allowance or Warrant to act which is the highest Sense of the word that the Persons concern'd stand for it would yet fall much short of Establishment which does not only Allow or Permit but Enjoyn and Require Much more then if Liberty here be found as I believe it will to ●ignifie only a Capacity of acting without Punishment Liberty of Allowance is much short of Establishment much more Liberty of Impunity And how then are the Church and the Dissenters upon Equal Terms Some therefore who better understand what they say chuse to express themselves thus That the Dissenters have as much Authority for their Liberty as the Church has for her Establishment Which implies not Absolute Equality but only Equality of Proportion Now this I readily admit But what then Therefore they are not guilty of Schism in Causelesly dividing from her Communion I interpose the Term Causelefly not without reason For if they say they have sufficient Cause for dividing from us then they no longer stand to their Plea of Toleration but put their Cause upon another Issue which I think has been already sufficiently examin'd and exposed But that which they stand for now by the nature of their Appeal seems to be this That they are not guilty of Schism because of the Liberty they have by the Toleration which must therefore be supposed to excuse them from Schism though they Causelesly divide from us For if they had just Cause for their