of Grace and other vertuous Accomplishments as full of Words Vanity and other vitious Habits and Inclinations Now Sir if you should unhappily Miscarry which the Lord of his great Mercy prevent as it would be the greatest mischief to your self so not only your Parents hopes of your Youth but the Staff and Comfort of their Age will lie a bleeding to their unexpressible Grief and Sorrow These Considerations have very much affected me which I took the freedom to mention to some of your Friends when I first heard of their Design of sending you beyond Sea and upon more due and serious deliberation do now with more considence yet humbly communicate my Thoughts to you upon these Subjects For I am very well assured that considering me as a Divine and True Friend I shall not incur the least suspicion of being herein too bold or presumptuous and will think my self sufficiently apaid if thro God's Blessing I may be an happy Instrument in doing the least good to your Soul. I know it would be the greatest Happiness to your self as well as a Comfort to all your Friends if you be persuaded by any means to fall in love with Religion betimes and remember your Creator in the Days of your Youth Eccles 12.1 This has been for many Ages the glory and support of your Family which has been always eminent for Religion and Loyalty nor could there ever be less Danger of a degenerous Heir not to slatter you Sir nor puff you up nor greater Hopes of its establishment to future Generations But before we come to the Point give me leave to note to you for your greater Security That you 'l be in danger of meeting with many Brokers of Villany whose Trade and Business it is to pervert and do live upon the Spoils and Ruins of Young Gentlemen insomuch that scarce any Person of your Quality can travel into Foreign Parts but he shall be mightily caress'd and treated with so much respect and civility as if it were a pleasure to be seduced We know very well what Stratagems are used by some Men to undermine the sacred Foundations of the Doctrin and Worship of the Church of England insomuch that before his Majesties Declaration of Indulgence neither Laws nor Penalties could restrain them What then will they not dare to attempt within their own Territories and Jurisdictions especially when they meet with Persons of Temper and Quality who are inclin'd and dispos'd as you are to Religion And seeing also they have not only free scope and priviledge but encouragement to seduce so that 't is next to impossible not to be assaulted at least by their close and cunning Insinuations There have been alass too many perverted already the loss of whom joyned with the Churches we have sufficient cause to lament And indeed 't is a great wonder we have lost no more and let us praise God for it considering the importunate Methods and Plausibleness of our Adversaries on the right hand and on the left who like those infected with the Plague have always an itching desire of tainting others Wherefore none can blame the Clergy of the Church of England if we be as zealous for Truth as our Adversaries of Falshood which Argument alone might be a sufficient Apology for this Undertaking I have read Sir of some Countries I wish your Curiosity may not carry you thither whose chief Vertues modestly speaking do very much border either on Impiety or Superstition and yet those very Places as Travellers observe which are most worth seeing are of all others the most contagious Now 't is no small difficulty for a Young Gentleman to be chast and vertuous in the midst of Sodom and few have travell'd thither however they may please themselves with variety of Objects and returned home without some dangerous Tincture either of Sin and Wickedness or Schism and Sedition Thus I have noted in general what Temptations and Hazards you are exposed to amongst Foreigners and the greatest of all is the danger of being corrupted and contaminated in your Religion and Manners And 't is certain tho your Tutors be never so careful yet much must be left to your own Temper and Inclination how to sever Good from Evil For there 's no Man proves Factious Superstitious or extreamly Wicked on a sudden but thro several Declinations falls by degrees from Vertue and Religion Seeing then so many Temptations and Snares may await you in every Place where you come which no Mans Prudence can foresee and your own Heart prove deceitful and forward to betray you Therefore I beseech you be constantly upon your Guard and if your Tutors should either be negligent or persidious as many have been in the like Trust and I could name some of them yet thro the Assistance of God's Grace you may secure your Religion and Conscience inviolable But for the further prevention of their Machinations who lie in wait to deceive and your Establishment and Confirmation in the Religion of the Church of England I offer these Three following Particulars to your serious and impartial Consideration And First I shall give you a true tho short Account of the Constitution of the Church of England both as to her Doctrin and Worship or Discipline which I hope may for ever oblige you to continue in her Communion Secondly We shall enquire a little into the Principles and Practices of the Romish Church and Religion wherein they chiefly differ from Vs A Religion of all others within the Pail of the Christian Church the most pleasing and delightful to Flesh and Blood A Religion which no Man scarce can comply with especially if he has been bred up in the Church of England but must offer violence to his own Reason and Conscience if he pretends to either Thirdly We shall consider the Pretensions Reasons and Arguments which our Brethren of the Non-conformity have urged in their own Defence to palliate their Separation from our Communion and seduce others By all which I hope 't will evidently appear that there cannot be the least colour of Reason nor any thing like Argument to tempt much less to persuade you or any other Person of Parts and Education who is not blinded with Passion Interest or Prejudice to separate from the most truly Orthodox and best constituted Church in the whole World I mean the Church of England Of all these severally And First Of the Religion of our Church both as to its Doctrin and Worship or Discipline And First Concerning her Doctrin Wherein 't is most plain and evident That we have a clear Profession of all Fundamental Truths and Duties both to God and Man in our Creeds Commandments Lords Prayer and the Doctrin of the Two Sacraments which every Orthodox and Believing Christian in the whole World will readily subscribe and say Amen to Our Sabbaths are duly observed and kept with the greatest Reverence and Solemnity God's Holy Word is purely and faithfully preach'd his Sacraments duly
administred according to our Blessed Saviours own Institution We worship God viz. the One Divine Essence and Trinity of Persons in Spirit and Truth in and thro' Christ without the Mediation of Saints and Angels We hope for and believe the Remission of Sins and Salvation of our Souls and Bodies by the Merits of Christ alone thro' the Mercies of God and upon the condition of a sincere and unseigned Repentance Which Repentance in the Judgment of our Church implies a true Sight and Confession of hearty arrow for and the hatred and forsaking of all our former Sins with a stedfast Resolution never to return to them again with any consent delight or approbation and the use of all possible Endeavours to put these Resolutions in practice even to our Lives End So that if we shall at any time fall into the commission of the least Sin or the neglect of any Duty either wilfully or by infirmity and surprize we do again seriously and solemnly renew our Repentance and are never at peace with our Selves and in our Consciences till we be again reconciled unto God or our Neighbour whom we have offended And this we do as well after as before our Conversion not daring to continue in any one sin unrepented of unreformed When we have thus renounced and abandon'd Sin the World and the Devil as our deadly Enemies we think our selves further oblig'd to magnifie and adorn our Profession by the Works and Fruits of Piety and true Holiness Justice and Charity Purity and Sobriety Tit. 2.12 and to perform all and every one of these Duties both to God and Man without Partiality without Hypocrisie This is a short Specimen of the Doctrin and Fundamentals of our Religion which in all and every particular are warranted and recommended to Us by God's infallible Word and the concurrent Suffrages and Confessions of all the Churches of Christ in the Primitive and Purest Ages of the Gospel And as the Doctrin of our Church is Sound and Orthodox so Secondly Our Worship and Discipline is truly Antient and Apostolical For there 's not one single Passage in our Liturgy and Church Service and Circumstantials of Worship our most rigid Adversaries being Judges that is either Anti-Scriptural or Sinful but do all very much conduce to Decency Order Vniformity and the Edification of its Members All which I could easily make appear to you by an Induction of Particulars insomuch that there 's not one National Church under the Cope of Heaven that 's more Orthodox than Ours in Her whole Worship and Politie Consult and examine our Liturgy Articles Homilies Canons and Constitutions Ceremonies c. and there you 'l find a truly Primitive and Apostolical Spirit in the disposition of the several Parts for the Honour and Glory of God and Advancement of his true Religion and Worship amongst Vs And for a further Testimony hereof and your own particular Satisfaction read when you can have the convenience of those Books and leisure to read 'em Hookers Ecclesiastical Politie Dr. Comber's large Volume on our Church Liturgy and Dr. Falkner's Libertas Ecclesiastica which Triumvirate are sufficiently able to answer all the Doubts and Scruples of any unbiast and unprejudiced Reader Besides I can give you a Catalogue of such Books when you please to command it as have treated so learnedly judiciously and convincingly of the Religion of the Church of England in all the Points of Faith Worship and Discipline as will furnish you with such Reasons and Arguments as neither Papist nor Phanatick were ever yet able to answer Let your Religion then and that Church into which you were admitted and initiated by Baptism and in whose Communion you have been hitherto educated be as dear to you as your Estate and Life Remit nothing of your Love and Affection Zeal and Courage to defend it when you are thereunto lawfully called For the Doctrin and Worship of our Church has been transmitted to Us by our pious Ancestors with all the Sanctions both of divine and humane Authority and as sure as there is a God the Religion which you profess came down from Heaven For the everlasting Prince of Peace has consign'd and confirm'd it to Us by the Effusion of his own precious Blood and the Suffrage of many Saints and Martyrs in this Kingdom so that you have not the least reason to scruple your Compliance with and Conformity to it If therefore an Angel or Devil or any ill Men should at any time suggest the contrary to you have no Communication with him but reject him as an utter Enemy and Impostor And when you have more leisure opportunity and experience your Curiosity may lead you to read over and consider the Canons and Constitutions of the Greek and Latin Churches wherein you 'l find the true State of Things and Times the Beginnings Proceedings Increases Encounters Yieldings and Restaurations of the Gospel and what the Primitive Fathers did and suffer'd for the propagation of the Christian Religion and the interest of the Church And herein you 'l also see the Conformity of our Church of England Men since the beginning of the Reformation to the Primitive Pattern And when you have thus made some considerable Progress in inquiring into the Fundamentals and Superstructures of our Religion you 'l be better able to judge of the Opinions and Errors of those that differ from Us. But till you have more time and convenience to inform your self as to the Particulars I shall present you Secondly With a true and brief Account of Popery or the Doctrin and Practices of the Church of Rome as to those Particulars wherein they differ from the Church of England For which cause we are forced to separate from them since we cannot communicate with them without sin nor have we departed further from 'em than they have departed from Themselves and the Truth Now for Method's sake we shall consider also First The Principles or Doctrin And Secondly The Practices of the pretended Catholicks of the Romish Church Whereby 't will evidently appear that Popery if rightly understood is no such beautiful and charming Object as to allure any Man of Reason and Conscience to fall in love with it And First For the Principles of Popery and we are obliged to call them so because they are so esteem'd and accounted by their own Church For since their Council of Trent no Man can properly be admitted into the Romish Communion however in Popish Countries but shall be censured and condemned as a damn'd Heretick unless he believes as followeth viz. That a Mortal Man as the Pope in Cathedra or as some say with his Council of Cardinals is infallible knows all things and can err in nothing that he directs informs animates and commands both in Earth and Purgatory expounds Scripture forgives Sins canonizeth Saints creates new Articles of Faith and in all these and many other of the same Stamp and Character is as absolute and infallible as his Maker But
Which is a confessed Argument of our Charity and Moderation Secondly That the One Church of Christ is more likely to be found in all World than in a Corner As if there were no true Church in the World but theirs Thirdly In all Ages than of later Years Not considering that we had a Christian Church in England before ever Popery was known in the World. Fourthly That this One Church is rather to be found in Vnity than in Division Which we could easily recriminate and retort upon themselves For there are more and greater Schisms and Divisions in the Church of Rome than in any other Christian Church whatsoever Fifthly That they have a Succession of Bishops Priests and Deacons from the Days of the Apostles downward So have we as is fully evident from all our Antient and Authentick Records See Bishop Bamhal's Account of the Schism of the Church of Rome And they have quite forgotten that there were three Popes or Bishops of Rome at the same time What then became of their uninterrupted Succession Sixthly That the Bishop of Rome is the Supreme Head of the Church Vniversal and Christs Vicar in extraordinary upon Earth Which spurious Title and Vsurpation as we noted before is rejected by at least two parts of the Catholick Church at this day and disliked by some National Churches as 't is supposed of their own Communion who are inclinable enough if they knew but how to cast off that Papal and Tyrannical Yoke Seventhly That the Church of England is only a Branch lopt off or a Rag torn from the Coat and that we had no Church nor Religion before Luther This is a most gross and manifest Vntruth For we had a Christian Church in England before ever St. Peter came at Rome founded by Joseph of Arimathea and flourished under King Lucius the first Christian Monarch in the World. And we know very well by what Vsurpations and Encroachments and the time when Popery first got footing in England that Augustin the Monk caused some hundreds of that Order to be slain at Bangor to make way for it And 't is further evident by what Means and Methods the Bishops of Rome did work upon the Weaknesses and Credulity of some and the Necessities of others of our Christian Princes not having the Power or Courage or Resolution to cast off the Popes Supremacy till the Reign of Henry the Eighth King of England A Person whose Temper and Affairs let our Adversaries bespatter him as they please made him a fit Instrument to begin the Reformation which thro' God's Providence and the prudent and religious Conduct of his Successors has been happily carried on and perfected which we hope thro' the Favour and Protection of his Sacred Majesty who now Reigns may be continued a Blessing to Vs and our Posterity Hence therefore 't will appear to you That these are all thred-bare and stale Evasions and Subtersuges to colour and palliate their groundless and unreasonable Pretences to Antiquity Visibility Vnity Magnificence Right of Succession of and in their Church All which have been answered at least an hundred times by Worthy and Learned Authors as you 'l see afterwards But this Controversie has been so well stated and throughly canvassed by our Church of England Men in these last three Years that there will be more difficulty now than ever to persuade any Gentleman of Sense and Ingenuity to believe their incongruous and hateful Absurdities But yet there are some others of the same Foot-mark who having laid aside all Modesty and Candour their Foreheads are so steel'd with Confidence as to affirm That we have neither Church Priests Sacraments nor Religion amongst Vs and are so uncharitable as to load Vs with all the nonsensical and unjust Calumnies imaginable not regarding what they are so they be but spiteful and malicious observing the old Maxim Fortiter calumniari aliquid haerebit Nay they 'l even disclaim their own Popish Doctrins and Practices as the Invocation of Saints Worshiping of Images c. and do tell the credulous People that their Adversaries out of meer Spight and Malice do misrepresent them These Methods have been lately used by an Eminent Papist here of my Acquaintance and Neighborhood to some Persons of our Communion who were formerly my Parishioners and seem'd to be warping towards Popery They acquainted me with it and look'd upon those Sophisms to be nervous and strong Arguments and Motives and so indeed they were if they had been true to persuade them to change their Religion But such shuffling Tricks as these carry their own Confutation along with them for this is an old piece of Legerdemain which one would have thought should have been long since exploded And I find the very same Hocus pocus Illusions used by the Popish Priests about the beginning of the Reign of Q. Elizabeth For we know very well what Priviledges are allow'd them to swear and forswear and not only deny but even rail against their own received Doctrins Practices Church and the Pope himself for the Interest of the Catholick i. e. the Roman Religion Consult Dr. Nalson's Foxes and Firebrands and there you 'l find many of their jugling Devices and being Men of Latitude and Faculties to prepare Dishes for every Palate I have been a little more express in stating these Differences because I know those Popish Emissaries are crept into all Countreys and do every where lie in wait to debauch and corrupt Young Gentlemen both in their Principles and Manners There are not a few Instances of both who have been taken Captives by them I shall name Two particularly The one a Person of good Quality strong and quick natural Parts an excellent Scholar under the Conduct as 't was supposed of a well qualified Tutor well educated according to the Church of England by his pious and prudent Parents and yet for all this was perverted in his Travels and continues a zealous and cunning Papist There was another Gentleman also both of my Acquaintance not inferior to the former and every way as well fitted for Travel yet did contract such a habit of Lewdness and Debauchery to say no worse that in few years an Estate of above 2000 l. per Annum is intirely wasted and nothing remains but a bare puff of Honour without any Estate to support it I could tell you all the particulars by what Methods that unfortunate sweet and ingenuous Young Gentleman was allured and trapan'd into these Mischiefs who also died immaturely c. Which Examples amongst many others have been often in my Thoughts And tho there be not the least grounds of any Jealousie or Suspition of your Miscarriage yet I have set them in your View as Land Marks and Sea Marks to prevent the danger of splitting your Vessel so well built and richly laden either upon the Sands and Shelves of Debauchery and Prophaneness or the Rocks and Splinters of Schism and Superstition Therefore Dear Sir let me beseech you once more to
to be infallible in point of Worship and Discipline which I think the most of them disclaim or for ever quit their Pretensions for a Separation from Us because of the little Errors which they have discovered in our Administrations Having thus fully answer'd the chief Objections of our Brethren for their unwarrantable Separation from the Church of England which I know will fully satisfie you We shall proceed Secondly To draw some clear and undeniable Inferences from the Premises for the prevention of all further Scruples in this Case And 1. It would be a strange Delusion and no less than absolute Prophaneness to cast off all the Publick Ordinances or neglect the Sacred and Solemn Worship of God because some things may be disliked or excepted against in their Administrations 2. The greatest Honour we can ascribe to God is to worship solemnly and devoutly in the Publick Assemblies of the Church And therefore it must be the most heinous Crime to make a Schism and Rent in any particular Church where Christ is effectually present by his Grace and Spirit Nor can any one have a sufficient Plea to withdraw from the Publick Ordinances in any Nation till Christ has deserted them which no Man can object against the Pure and Apostolical Church of England Wherein as before the whole World will acknowledge that the Word of God is purely preach'd and the Sacraments duly administred in that admirable Order and Vniformity which is scarce to be parallel'd in any National Church upon Earth Besides those who are so strait laced as to require absolute Perfection in the Administration of Divine Offices and Church Government must be guilty of that Popish Error in confining the Church with all its Priviledges and Immunities to their own Sect and Party and so cast off a considerable Part of the Catholick Church as the Church of England is at this Day which professes and practises all the Essentials of Faith and Worship Hence we also infer 3. That many great and unavoidable Mischiefs do always attend a wilful and unlawful Separation For a Scissure in and departure from a True Church as the Church of England is and none of our severest Adversaries can deny is most dishonourable and displeasing to God a scandal to Religion hinders the Success of the Gospel opens a wide Gap to Atheism and Prophaneness Heresie and Popery and is a dismal Presage of the removing of our Candlestick Mat. 12.25 Why then should any Persons withdraw and separate themselves from the Communion of our Church for the sake of a few Ceremonies and set up Altar against Altar and hereby put an Opportunity into the Adversaries hands to ruin both us and themselves But 4. Tho all Persons in this Nation are obliged to hold Communion with the Church of England seeing those pretended Defects in her are only modal and circumstantial which no Church in the World can be free from in this State of Tryal and Probation yet we are sorbidden to communicate with any Church in Sin And this is the true reason and ground of forsaking the Church of Rome because her Errors are Fundamental as we have seen already and the Conditions of Communion with her such as we cannot comply with unless we offer Violence to our own Reason and Conscience And we do always solemnly declare that if their New Articles of Faith and unchristian Practices did not hinder Us we should most freely and chearfully communicate with her nor do we further depart from her than she departs from Christ and her Self as to her antient Faith and Worship And again we have so much Love and Charity for our modern Dissenters in England that if any one has a truly tender Conscience so as after a diligent and faithful use of all convenient and necessary Means and Methods for his Conviction as earnest Prayer to God reading of good Books consultation with his Parish-Minister or some other Pious and Learned Divine of the Church of England he still remains scrupulous and unsatisfied yet rather than sin against his own Conscience we do not blame but pity him if he modestly withdraws from our Communion But I am afraid there are some who have not practised these Methods altho I have the Charity to believe that very many have and that most of those who have separated from our Communion have not done it through a wilful Obstinacy but meerly upon the account of Conscience 5. Our Brethren of the Non-conformity might do well to consider also that none gains any thing by a groundless Schism and Separation but that sort of Men whose chief Maxim to promote their own Ends hath always been Divide impera For 't is very observable that the Interest of the Reform'd Religion is daily weaken'd by our unchristian and intestine Divisions And 't is very certain that we cannot do our Enemies greater Service nor more precipitate our own Ruine than by crumbling our selves into Sects and Parties Insomuch that I am afraid that those who now separate from Us and in this juncture forsake our Communion will one day find and feel to their great cost not to mention the present Mischiefs that it were a thousand times better to swallow an innocent Ceremony than rend a Church seeing the greatest Sins shall have a lighter Punishment than Schism and Separation For the Eye that mocketh his Father and despiseth the Garment of his Mother the Ravens of the Valley shall pluck it out and the young Eagles devour it See further upon the Mischiefs of Schism Dr. Falkners Libertas Eccles from the beginning Which brings me to the Third and last thing Which will be to lay down some Rules by way of Caution and Advice which may secure you and by your Influence many others from a groundless Separation And 1. We must be subject to every Ordinance of Man for the Lords sake For they are Gods Ministers and the supreme Magistrate of these Kingdoms is invested with Sovereign Power and Authority to order and administer the Affairs of Government for the peace and benefit of Mens Souls as well as their Bodies and Estates Nor can this seem strange to any one who either understands the Scriptures or Ecclesiastical History For 't is plain that the religious Kings of Judah Israel as King David Solomon Asa Jehoshaphat Hezekiah c. and all the Christian Emperors as Constantine the Great and his Successors till the Bishop of Rome's Usurpation were as much concern'd in ordering of the Affairs of the Church as the Administration of Civil Government And indeed unless this Power and Soveraignty were allow'd to the Supreme Magistrate he should be unable to provide for the benefit of his Subjects nor could there be any such thing as Order and Vniformity in the Churches of Christ the Ecclesiastical Laws being only Bruta fulmina without the concurrence and enforcement of the Civil Power So that from hence it must needs follow that a cheerful Obedience to and a hearty Compliance