and religious have the same violent passion for prescribed Forms 3. We must beg his Lordships pardon if we cannot easily believe 't is only Conscience that makes the Conforming Clergy so generally decline Extemporary Prayers For if by Extempore Prayers he means such as are free and unconfin'd to any prescribed Forms he seems himself to own p. 54. That there are some occasions that require it even in publick p. 54. and I see no ground to doubt but that they are ordinarily more convenient then set Forms if those Prayers be most convenient that tend most to raise true Devotion in the minds of the People But we must much more beg his Lp's pardon for not believing what he adds for Confirmation of this account of their disusing free Prayer For it seems a very surprizing Discovery that he has made to us when he tells us p. 186. 'T is manifest that Extemporary Prayers wou'd be much more easy to most of us and less burthensom then the service we use You may think otherwise but assure your selves that you are mistaken And I dare appeal to those that have tried both whether is most easie There are such both amongst you and us that have made the experiment And I dare refer it to 'em to declare on their Consciences which of the two Services they look on to be the greater burthen to him that performs ' em Whatever you may think if we wou'd indulg our selves It were no hard matter for the meanest of us to pass an Extemporary Prayer on our Auditory or turn the heads of our Sermon into one Ans We pay a great deference to his Lp's Judgment but we cannot without offering great violence to our own understandings bring 'em to assent to so incredible a Paradox meerly because 't is deliver'd with so extraordinary an Air of assurance much less can we entertain that as a manifest Truth which to us seems so contrary to common sense For we cannot imagine what unsupportable burthen it shou'd be for a man to read the Service of the Church when he has the Book before him unless when he is pain'd with sore eyes or terribly hoarse with a great Cold For then it may possibly be some considerable Trouble to him But for a Minister to deliver a free Prayer in a Publick Assembly And the Bp. knows the Dissenters are seldom accused for theirs being too short requires both serious Meditation before hand to suit it to the occasion and to the state of his People and the Laborious Exercise of his Judgment his Invention and Memory which is a real burthen and difficulty to those that are not by deep Study and frequent Exercise habituated to it Nay tho the Dissenters shou'd Pray in that new way his Lp. has contriv'd for 'em by patching together several pieces of old Forms to make a new dress of it yet this wou'd require some Exercise of their Judgment and Memory to tack 'em right together and to repeat 'em without hesitation And this sure is not so easie a matter as what he cannot deny every School-boy to be capable of viz. to turn over the leaves and Read what is usually in a fair and large Print His Lp. may if he please appeal from common sense to Experience but by all that I have yet convers'd with on this Subject his assertion seems as strange to them as it does to us Nor can I meet with any of these Vertuoso's in Devotion that pretend upon any Experiments they have made to give their suffrage to his new Observation We do not indeed doubt of his Lp's Abilities but he must allow us to doubt of those of the body of the inferior Clergy who I fear wou'd think it a severe imposition upon 'em if their Diocesans shou'd oblige 'em to the frequent Exercise of their Talents this way For I have heard several Clergy-men of no mean parts complain of the unhappy inability for free Prayer that general disuse had brought upon 'em and I believe I might herein with much better reason appeal to Experience But since his Lp's hand is in for Paradoxes I think he shou'd have added one more viz. That 't is manifest that 't is a far greater burden for the Clergy to Read the Homilies of the Church or other Mens Sermons than to Preach Sermons of their own and I doubt not he may with as much reason appeal to the Experience of those that have tried both to attest the Truth of it And if he can make good the Truth of these two Paradoxes the N.C. Ministers will hence forward pass for lazy Drones while the poor Readers of the Church are accounted the truest Labourers But to give the latter their due the most of 'em take too much pains for that sorry hire that 's allow'd 'em by such of their Brethren as are laborious enough to engross Church-Livings but too far consult their ease to make the Duties of their Function any burthen to ' em Lastly For his Request to the Dissenting Laiety That they wou'd believe he heartily desires and studies the good of their Souls I hope they are willing to gratify him herein as far as rational Charity can allow Only it wou'd greatly facilitate their Belief of it if they found him more tender of their good Name and just Reputation And they are sory to find that notwithstanding all his professions of good-will he shou'd shew so little regard to that not only in a continued Series of unjust Accusations through his whole Book but especially in the following words in which he has drawn up a comprehensive Summary charge sufficient to render 'em odious if it be believ'd but they are confident too apparently groundless to gain credit with any that will pass a Righteous and Impartial Judgement on these matters His Lp's words are For how is it possible that any Man that has a Zeal for the Purity of God's worship shou'd not have his Spirit mov'd within him to see a well meaning People so strangely mis-led as to content themselves to meet together perhaps for some years with a design to worship God and yet hardly ever see any thing of God's Immediate Appointment in their Meetings Now to my thoughts this is manifestly the case of many of you since a Man may frequent some Meetings among you for some years and never hear a Prayer a Psalm or Chapter which has been imediately dictated by God and never be call'd on to bow his knee to God or see either Minister or People Address themselves to him in that humble posture Lastly never see any body offer to Administer or desire to Receive the Food of Life in the Lord's Supper These are melancholy Reflections to me who believe that God has requir'd these in his Worship And therefore I hope you will take it in good part that I Endeavour to Restore them to you Ans If the Case of the Dissenters be truly such as the Bp. Represents it His Zeal to recover the
his Church or towards our selves do's suggest as matter of our grateful acknowledgments And these are so stated a Part of our Worship that the Directory requires the Minister either in his Prayer before or that after Sermon to offer such Thanksgivings and accordingly suggests these Heads of 'em admirably agreeable to the strain of the Gospel He is to give thanks for the great Love of God in sending his Son Jesus Christ to us For the Communication of his H. Spirit for the light and liberty of the glorious Gospel and the rich and heavenly Blessings reveal'd therein as namely Election Vocation Adoption Justification Sanctification and hope of Glory For the admirable goodness of God in freeing the Land from Antichristian Darkness and Tyrany and for all other National Deliverances c. and for many temporal Blessings 2. By singing of Psalms Hymns and spiritual Songs in which duty they consult the Peoples edification by putting such Metre versions of the Psalms of David into their hands as adapt 'em for this use of 'em which the Scripture enjoyns And I am sure those in use among 'em as the Scots Barton's or Patrick's versions are incomparably better then that obsolete one which is still retain'd in the Parish-Churches tho for what reason is hard to imagine unless it be from a spleen against Reformation of which some think the least step very dangerous One would think then our manner of Praising God were unexceptionable But his Lp. it seems has very different apprehensions of this matter of which he gives us this Summary and very strange Account The Case then between our Church and you in this point I think impartially stands thus Our Church Praises God every Day with 5 or 6 Psalms besides other Hymns of his own Appointment and in his own Words and Method and yet is deserted and condemn'd by you in this very point as teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of men Whereas you who only Praise him in a piece of a Psalm of a few verses and in a method of your own finding out persuade your selves that you keep the Ordinances of God pure and unmixed from human Invention And this his Lp. Recommends to the serious consideration of Dissenters as they will herein expect to bear the Tryal of God's Judgment in this matter p. 24. Answer I must confess my self amaz'd to read these words and am willing rather to impute 'em to his forgetfulness and inconsideration then to arraign his judgment or sincerity But he is so far from having sum'd up this matter with the impartiality he pretends to that he has been so unfortunate as scarce to have said one true word in his Representation on either side As will appear upon a particular Examination Our Church saith he praises God every Day with 5 or 6 Psalms besides other Hymns of his own Appointment and in his own words and method What do's his Lp. mean Has God indeed appointed the Psalms of David to be the stated Forms of Thanksgiving in the Christian Church as Thanksgivings are distinguisht from Psalms Hymns and spiritual Songs as I have shewn him they plainly are He is so far from having prov'd any such thing that since his Lp. has learnt us the way of challenging I must use the freedom of demanding his Proof of it For I take it to be a rash Assertion and of dangerous consequence I have shewn him already that the New Testament recommends no other use of the Psalms of David in our publick Praises except singing 'em Nor indeed are they expresly mention'd at all tho we suppose 'em intended in 5 Eph. and 3. Col. But when the Ap. Paul so often commands us to to give thanks for all men In all things to give Thanks to joyn Thanksgiving with all our Prayers he never recommends the Psalms of David as Forms of such Thanksgivings And no wonder For besides that we have frequent particular Occasions of publick Thanksgiving which there is nothing in the Psalms adapted to even the Psalms themselves do not contain the principal matters of Christian Thanksgivings For they make no express mention of the infinite love of God the Father of our Ld. J. Christ in sending his own Son as our great Prophet to reveal his will to us and dye for us as our Attoning Sacrifice that he might redeem us by his precious blood in raising him from the dead exalting him to such glory and dignity as the Head of his Church and Head over all things to it and in appointing him the Author of Eternal Salvation to all that believe and obey him Nor do they so clearly mention these great and precious promises made to us thro this Mediator of a better Covenant especially those that relate to our adoption and to the heavenly glory And yet these and the like instances of the matchless love of God discover'd to us in J. Christ that glorious mirrour of divine love are so proper matter for our express grateful acknowledgments that they shou'd make up the principal part of our publick Thanksgivings as they do in all those solemn ones recorded for our imitation in the New Testament And indeed without 'em this part of Worship in a Christian Church wou'd be most grossly defective and unsutable to the Gospel as the last and clearest Revelation of the will of God I deny not but we may in our Christian Thanksgivings make use of the expressions of H. David when we celebrate God's works of Creation or of his common or special Providence because so far they contain sutable matter of Praise for a Christian as well as for a Jewish Assembly But for celebrating the great work of Redemption which ought to be the chief work of our Praises on that day which is now call'd the Ld's day as being consecrated to the glory of our Redeemer as Lord of the New Creation 't is evident the Psalms of David cannot serve us but we must derive the subject of those Praises entirely from the New Testament And therefore to suppose as the Bp. here dos that the Psalms of David are to be the chief stated part of our Christian Praises is no better than to reduce the Christian to the imperfection of the Jewish Church And this is so plain that as I observ'd before when the Ap. recommends the singing the Psalms of David yet he joyns Hymns and Spiritual Songs with 'em which no doubt were to run in a strain more suited to the Evangelical dispensation I confess the Bp. has found out a wonderful knack of turning the Psalms of David into Christian Hymns by adding the Gloria Patri to 'em as if that Doxology alter'd the matters of Praises contain'd in ' em So when he saith Our Church praises God with 5 or 6 Psalms and other Hymns of his own Appointment Why dos he call the Thanksgiving of Zacharias the Virgin Mary and Simeon Hymns which the Scripture calls not so And why dos he take it for granted instead of
in respect of the sitting at the time of receiving Ans That the Dissenters generally sit at the thanksgiving or blessing before Receiving or at the thanksgiving after it is again notoriously contrary to matter of fact If this be practis'd by some in the North of Ireland they are singular in it nor shall I undertake to excuse 'em in it For tho they alledge for it not only the example of the multitude's sitting at a common meal when our Saviour gave thanks 14 Matth. 19. but that there 's no evidence of the Apostles discontinuing their Table-gesture when Christ past from the Celebration of the Passover to the Celebration of his holy Supper For the Text saith As they were eating Jesus took the bread and blest it c. without any mention of a change of their posture yet because this is but a doubtful matter I think it far safer to use the postures of Reverence more generally recommended to us in our Thanksgivings and Prayers by the Scripture than to venture to omit them on so uncertain a ground But I wonder why the Bp. shou'd so positively assert that the Directory imposes on Communicants this posture of sitting at the Thanksgiving and Prayer before Receiving For I can see no ground for it from their own words which I perceive his Lp. was too wise to quote and I shall therefore cite for him and leave the judgment to every indifferent Reader After this Exhortation Warning and Invitation The Table being before decently cover'd and so conveniently plac't that the Communicants may orderly sit about it or at it The Minister is to begin the Action with sanctifying and blessing the elements of Bread and Wine set before him The Bread in comely and convenient Vessels c. Now 't is plain that these words about ordering the Table come in as a parenthesis and can import no more than that the Table must be so plac't that the Communicants may sit at or about it but that they must actually sit during the Blessing or Thanksgiving is no way affirm'd much less impos'd and I am sure the quite contrary is generally practis'd But for sitting during the time of Receiving the elements that indeed is suppos'd tho not enjoyn'd by the Dirâ—ctory and is generally practis'd by Diss nters I hope his Lp. dos not think our practice herein unlawful since he declares p. 118. 'T is not his intention to assert that the Scriptures require kneeling at the Lord's Supper p. 118. If then the debate be whether our posture or theirs comes nearer to the practice of the Apostles and is more sutable to the nature of the Institution it self I think the Dissenters will have the advantage And since his Lp. has stated the controversy thus I shall carefully examine what he has here offer'd in favour of their practice as preferable to ours He tells us p. 118 119. That the Altar was of old the Lord's-Table from whence his Attendants were fed from 1 Mal. 7. That on this account the Israelites came to the Altar and worshipt before it as being God's Table on which the sacrifice was presented as his meat of which they were permitted to partake From 2 Chron. 6.12 13. and in 1 Kings 8.54 2 Kings 18.22 That the Communion-Table is call'd the Lord's-Table 1 Cor. 10.21 That the Israelites partaking of the Altar is propos'd as an example for our partaking of the Lord's Table 1 Cor. 10.16 18. That in 22 Ps 29. there is an allusion to this religious eating with bodily worship That we must receive the Eucharist in remembrance of Christ's death whom we are commanded to worship 45 Ps v. 11. See p. 118 119 and 120. Answ His Lp. has so ill hap in his Criticisms that he has directed us here to one of the strongest arguments that I know of against himself And to make this good I must set this account of the Jewish Sacrifices in a clearer light which he has treated so confusedly The Learned Dr. Cudworth in his excellent Treatise on the Lord's-Supper as a Feast upon a Sacrifice divides the Jewish sacrifices into three sorts 1. Such as were wholly offer'd up to God and burnt on the Altar and these were call'd Burnt-Offerings 2. Such wherein besides something offer'd to God on the Altar the Priests had also a part of and these he subdivides into the Sin and Trespass-Offering 3. Such wherein besides something offer'd to God and a portion bestow'd on the Priests the Owners themselves had a share and these were call'd Peace-Offerings Now in all Sacrifices there was a Feast upon ' em For the first sort of sacrifices viz. Burnt-offerings had always Peace-offerings annext In the 2d sort tho the Owners did not eat of it themselves as not being perfectly reconcil'd because of some legal uncleanness yet the Preists did eat of it as their proxys But in Peace-offerings the Owners are suppos'd fully reconcil'd and were admitted to eat of the Sacrifice themselves as a foederal rite of amity and peace between God and them For God entertain'd 'em as his Guests at his Table and feasted 'em with his provisions according to the custom of those Oriental Nations of confirming Covenants by eating and drinking together Now Christ's offering himself a sacrifice on the Cross was most directly typify'd by the Burnt-offering and the Lord's-Supper is a mystical Feast upon the memorials of that Sacrifice in allusion to these religious Feasts upon Sacrifices under the Law of Moses From hence it plainly follows that if the practice of the Jews in reference to their Feasts upon the legal Sacrifices be the fittest pattern for ours in our Feast on the memorials of the Sacrifice of Christ in the Lord's-Supper as the Bp. dos with very good reason assert when from 1 Cor. 10 16. he tells us That the Israelites partaking of the Altar is propos'd as an example of our partaking of the Lord's-Table p. 119. then we must use the same posture in our receiving the Lord's-Supper which they us'd in those Religious Feasts upon Sacrifices of which the Lord's-Supper is the Antitype If then the Jews celebrated those Feasts in a Table-gesture we shou'd use the same gesture in our celebration of the Lords-supper The Bp. wou'd indeed persuade us that the Jews did not because we read of acts of external Worship paid to God at the offering up of sacrifices But 't is plain this argument has no force in it unless he cou'd prove they continu'd in that worshipping posture during the time of their eating or feasting on the things that had been offer'd But of this he has not brought us the least shadow of proof as he may see if he review his own discourse on this head Nay we do in our celebration of the Lord's-Supper first offer up acts of Worship to God I mean solemn thanksgivings and prayers in which we celebrate his infinite mercy in giving his Son to dye as the great propitiation for our sins and by Faith as it
the pure Word of God in it's naked simplicity For if he mean by it That 't is a carnal and sinful humour to be fonder of having the word of God read explained and applied then barely read as certainly he must if he speak any thing here to the purpose This is as I have already shewn him no wiser a conceit then if he shou'd tell us 'T is a carnal and sinful humour to be more affected with the word of God when we clearly understand it then when we do not And if so why shou'd this sinful humour of the People be indulg'd by preaching at all Why shou'd any pains be taken to inform their Judgments by leading 'em into the true sense of it Or rather why shou'd the Bp. so weakly oppose the purity and simplicity of the naked Word of God to a clear Exposition of it which us'd to be oppos'd only to the mixture of other doctrines that are either contrary to or at least not deliver'd in those inspired Writings For tho Sermons and Lectures be in part of human Composure yet such as truly answer that Character are nothing else but the naked and pure Word of God explained and enforc't upon the Consciences of the People without any mixture of foreign or corrupt doctrines For even in their Sermons themselves a great part of the time is spent by the People in consulting and comparing various parts of the word of God And if such human Composures adulterate the simplicity of the Word of God Why shou'd they not be excluded altogether and the Clergy be turn'd into meer Readers Or rather may we not in such confus'd and deceitful Reasonings as these suspect a carnal humour in men's crying up the bare Reading the Word of God to shift off the unwelcom Labour of Expounding it And therefore I shou'd rather recommend the practise of the Dissenters in their constant Expounding as well as Reading to the imitation of the Conforming Clergy And I wou'd particularly advise his Lp. not to speak so slightly on all occasions concerning Sermons because Preaching has hitherto been accounted the most valuable Talent that he is master of 5. For his 5th Advice 'T is indeed true that many learned and sober Non Conformists have judg'd occasional Communion with the Parish-Churches in the ordinary Lords day worship lawful and have advised their People to practise it where they cou'd have no other opportunities of Publick Worship Nay many of 'em have vindicated and practis'd such occasional Communion with 'em in the Lords Supper tho I question whether any of 'em fully approve it in reference to Baptism And tho I have no pretence to the first of the characters he gives such Non Conformists yet he will find the same charitable temper and practise recommended in the Reflections on his Answer to Dean Manby p. 64. But methinks his Lp. shou'd when he considers the truly christian moderation of such Nonconformists reflect with some concern on his own uncharitable Principles towards 'em in that Discourse which he has never yet disown'd And it wou'd seem very unreasonable in him to be too peremptory in demanding this from the Dissenters unless he wou'd express equal charity on his part and declare the lawfulness of Communion with their Churches And since he cannot deny but that he has so fair Examples of Catholick Charity set before him I hope he will follow 'em For otherwise this Request will appear on his side very partial and unreasonable And I hope this discourse may convince him that we have no sinful human Inventions among us to affright him from Communion with us Much less do we make such Inventions the Conditions of our Communion in any part of Gods instituted Worship Nay since he so earnestly urges our occasional Communion with them I wou'd desire him to render it more practicable by removing that unhappy Bar to it which the 5th Canon of the Church of Ireland lays in our way For by that Canon All are denounc'd Excomunicated who shall affirm and maintain that there are within this Realm other Meetings Assemblys or Congregations then such as by the Laws of this Land are held allow'd which may rightly challenge to themselves the name of true and lawful Churches and 't is order'd that such be not restor'd till they repent and revoke their Error Now he knows we all affirm and maintain our Churches to be true and lawful ones and therefore are by the Canon Excomunicated Nor can we be without a plain violation of this Canon readmitted without retracting what we are so far from accounting an Error that we think the contrary Opinion a very uncharitable one So that to invite us to Communion with 'em while this Canon stands in force against us is but to tantalize us and offer us with one hand what they withhold with the other And there are but two ways to remove this obstacle to our Communion with 'em viz. either to discard that rigid and sour Canon or to procure an Act of Indulgence and then our Assemblys being allow'd by the Law will not come within the reach of it 6. For his Advice to the Dissenting Ministers of Derry to warn their People against such Books as maintain principles contrary both to theirs and those of the Establish't Church since he is pleas'd to name one of my own I am more particularly concern'd to consider what dangerous principles it contains Now of the principles lay'd down in those Books and the principles common to him with the Presbyt Ministers in the North to which they are contrary his Lp. gives this Account You are sensible that among those Protestants that Dissent from our Church some are Congregational and others Presbyterians You of this Diocess where I am concern'd profess to be of this latter sort and agree with us in owning that by Christ's Appointment the particular Churches in convenient Districts ought according to Scripture precedents to associate under one Government and these again to unite themselves into greater combinations of Provincial and Nâ—tional Churches The difference between you and us is concerning these particular Districts Namely Whether the Government of 'em ought to be in a Presbytery with a Bishop as President and Governor by Christ's Appointment or in a Colledge of Presbyters absolutely equal So then we both own National and Provincial Churches as well as single Worshiping Congregations But the Congregational Dissenters deny that Christ instituted any other Church besides a single Congregation and affirm that all other Churches such as Classical Provincial or National are human Inventions and that every single Congregation is independent and may indeed keep a fair Correspondence with it's neighbouring Congregations but it is not under any common Government with ' em These last are the Avowed Principles of Mr. Baxter Dr. Owen Mr. Lob Mr. Humphrys Mr. Boyse Mr. Alsop Mr. Clerkson and generally of all the late Defenders of the Dissenters Cause in England and Ireland that I have met
in Order or Office as Mr. Humphreys has largely prov'd in a late Book called the Healing Attempt We wou'd humbly desire 'em to use their interest that that unhappy Clause may be ras't out of the Preface to the present Book of Ordination in which 't is so peremptorily asserted That 't is evident to all men diligently reading the H. Scriptures and ancient Authors that from the Apostles time there have been these three Orders in Christ's Church Bishops Priests and Deacons That by three Orders they mean three Offices is plain from the very following words which Offices were evermore had in such Reverend Estimation c. Now it seems to us very unreasonable that all Ministers shou'd be by the Act of Uniformity oblig'd to profess their Assent to this proposition when 't is so contrary to the current judgment of the generality of the most Eminent Protestant Conforming Divines in those 3 foremention'd Reigns to whom we might add several very learned ones in the Reign of K. James the first and K. Charles the first and 2d but especially when 't is a Proposition at best disputable both among learned Protestants and Papists and as far as we can judg rather evidently contrary to the holy Scriptures and to the first and purest ages of Christianity So that we fear that few Ministers can sincerely profess their Assent to this Assertion who have taken the pains to make any impartial enquiry into this matter And we are the more desirous of having this Clause ras't out because this new Opinion of Episcopacy being a distinct Order and Office from Presbytery is the ground of that uncharitable practice of the Establisht Church in requiring Reordination in all such at home as have been ordained by Presbyters i. e. true Scriptural Bishops and Pastors as a necessary condition of being admitted to the exercise of their Ministerial Function nay in urging Reordination too on all the Ministers of Reformed Churches abroad who never had Diocesan Bishops among ' em As if all the administrations of those Eminent Ministers in France who are now so honourable Confessors in the cause of Reformed Christianity were mere Nullitys till Prelatical Hands were laid upon ' em 2. Since the Archbishops and Bishops claim the Government of the Church as their Province we humbly wish they wou'd endeavour to recover the spiritual part of their Authority out of their Chancellor's hands who have so long usurpt the keys of sacred Discipline and have hitherto so scandalously manag'd 'em as to bring the solemn censures of the Church into general contempt And no wonder when they are prostituted to so vile a purpose as that of filthy lucre and thereby the Temple of God is turn'd into a House of Merchandize We do not speak this against the power of the Spiritual Courts in those Civil Causes or in those Ecclesiastical ones which their Majesties in pursuance of their just power circa sacra may authorize 'em to determine but only their assuming the cognizance of all cases of scandal so far as they subject men to the censures of the Church and being entrusted with the infliction of those censures even in reference to all the numerous causes that come before 'em so few of which properly belong to an Ecclesiastical Judicatory For besides that we think That the power of inflicting those censures belongs to Pastors and cannot be delegated by 'em to a Layman it seems a certain and unavoidable tho pernicious consequence of such Spiritual Courts being entrusted with the sentence of Excommunication to enforce all their Decrees that the most awful judgment on earth is like to use my Ld Bacon's expressions to be made an ordinary process to lacquey up and down for fees * Consider for the better establishing the Ch. of Engl. We doubt not their Lp's have read Bp Bedel's Life wrote by the present Bp. of Sarum wherein there is so loud and just a complaint of the gross abuses of this kind and so noble an example set 'em of zeal for the Reformation of ' em And no doubt if they wou'd concur in their imitation of it they might do it with rational prospect of greater success and be happily instrumental to wipe off some part of that stain brought on the Church by her tolerating these corruptions which as the foremention'd Bp of Sarum relates pious Archbishop Usher so greatly lamented and apprehended it wou'd bring a curse and ruine upon the whole Constitution See Bp. Bedel's Life p. 86 87 3. We cou'd heartily wish that when their Lp's have recover'd their own Authority out of their Chancellors hands they wou'd exercise it in concurrence with the Presbyters of their several Dioceses And herein also the foremention'd Bp. Bedel set 'em an excellent pattern Ib. p. 90. And we hope the Bp of Derry will urge 'em to an imitation thereof since he has laid it down as their common Opinion and Judgment p 175. That the Government of the Church in such districts as those of our Dioceses ought to be in a Presbytery with a Bishop as President and Governour by Christ's Appointment 4. We wou'd also humbly desire 'em to restore that Godly discipline which the Common-prayer-book tells us was in the primitive Church for bringing such as were convicted of notorious sin to publick profession of their Repentance For since the Church in the Office of Commination yearly declares that the Restoration of the said Discipline is much to be wish't It will look like a mocking of Heaven yearly to repeat such lazy wishes of it when there are no serious attempts made towards it And we can seee no reason why the Curses peculiar to the Mosaical Dispensation shou'd be substituted instead of it 5. We cou'd wish that part of the Office for Visiting the Sick might be review'd which concerns Absolution For since there is no other Absolution own'd in the Reformed Churches but either publishing the conditional offers of pardon in the Gospel or a ministerial releasing those from the Censures of the Church on whom they had been inflicted before We think it dos too much countenance the judicial power of Absolution claim'd by the Romish Priests for the Minister to absolve the uncensur'd in so peremptory terms I absolve thee from all thy sins in the name of the Father c. For they seem to make the Minister pass a more positive judgment of the sick man's Repentance than he is capable to do 6. In order to the more effectual exercise of that godly discipline foremention'd We wou'd earnestly request that the Parish-Ministers may be restor'd to that Pastoral power which Archbishop Usher in his model of Episcopacy shews that they were invested in according to the former Book of Ordination but of which they seem now depriv'd by the many changes made in the new See the Healing Attempt p. 57 58 59 c. 'T is certain they are most capable of a personal inspection of the lives of their Flock and consequently
be expected any man of tolerable abilitys shou'd be contented with it and so to feed the covetous humour of such mercenary Pastors as the Council of Trent it self calls Pluralists their Flocks must be betrayd by being committed to the care of such whom their ignorance renders the Reproach of their profession and who indeed are fit for no other sort of Preaching than this new one the Bp. of Derry has found out viz. The Reading a Chapter out of the Bible Nor do we think the Canons about the Clergy's Residence less exceptionable For the 37th Canon supposes some persons to be Benefic't that are not allow'd to be Preachers tho contrary to the soresaid Bp's notion they are allow'd by the English Canons to read plainly and aptly without glozing or adding both the Scripture and Homilys And of these Incumbents that are unlicenst to Preach no more is requir'd than that they procure Sermons to be Preach't once a month in their Cures and that too if the Living will bear it And the same Canon only requires every Benefic't man that is licenst to provide for the Benefice he resides not on a Preaching Curat on the same condition that the worth of the Benefice will bear it As if the souls of the people were of so little value that they must rather perish for lack of knowledg and instruction than such a Pluralist's avarice be crost by resigning the Benefice to one that will take care of the people's souls provided he may enjoy the Stipend the Law has assign'd for the encouragement and subsistence of such a one 10. They wou'd humbly desire that the Bp's wou'd use their interest and endeavours that the rigor of the Act of Uniformity may be abated in its requiring so express a Declaration from every Minister of his Assent and Consent to all things câ—ntain'd in and prescrib'd by the Book of common-Prayer and the form and manner of making and ordaining Bishops Priests and Deacons For as far we can judge there are many things in those Books which the more judicious and charitable of our Conforming Brethren do not heartily assent and consent to but wish the alteration of And therefore such cannot make the said Declaration without doing it in in fo lax a sense as too much countenances Equivocation in such important matters as these are 11. They wou'd also earnestly entreat their Conforming Brethren to use their endeavors to restore to their people that right of choosing their own Ministers which the Canons of so many Councils celebrated in the purest ages of Christianity have so fully and frequently confirm'd to 'em At least we wou'd desire that some effectual provision may be made against Pastors being impos'd on 'em without their own consent For we wou'd not in this request entrench on the power of Patrons any farther than to desire it may be rendred consistent with this undoubted priviledg and right of the people which no human Laws can justly deprive 'em of For since the people have souls whose welfare so greatly depends on the helps and advantages that a judicious and serious Ministry dos furnish 'em with to promote it 't is most reasonable that their Votes and Suffrage shou'd be allow'd in the choice of the person to whose Pastoral care they entrust the conduct of ' em If it wou'd be a very unjust thing to impose Physitians Lawyers or Tutors on others where far lesser interests are concern'd how much more unjust were it for the people to have their Salvation so far put into the Patrons hands as to be oblig'd to acquiesce in whomsoever they present tho the choice be never so apparently prejudicial to their eternal interest A negative voice is the least that can in this case be allow'd to the people unless the Patron that presents were to be responsible for their souls at the day of Judgment or cou'd secure 'em from all the pernicious effects that an ill choice is attended with to their irreparable loss and detriment 12. We wou'd also humbly request that that incapacity for Communion with the Establisht Church may be taken off which their own Canons lay the Dissenters under There has been occasion given already in this Discourse to take notice of one of 'em viz. the 5th which excommunicates ipso facto all that shall affirm or maintain that there are within this Realm other Meetings Assemblys or Congregations than such as by the Laws of this Land are held and allow'd which may rightly challenge to themselves the name of true and lawful Churches And sure they cannot expect we shou'd forbear to vindicate our own Innocence to escape this unjust censure or that we shou'd voluntarily condemn so many Excellent Churches to avoid the Condemnation of this uncharitable Canon But our Incapacity for communion with 'em is encreast by the 3d Canon which also Excommunicates ipso facto not only all that shall preach but all that shall by other open words declare or speak any thing in derogation or despising of the Service Book or any thing contained therein For we cannot possibly give to our Brethren any account of our dissent from 'em either in writing or private conversation without speaking open words in derogation from some thing contain'd in the Service-book We cannot complain of the use of the Cross or of that sort of Sponsors in Baptism which the Service book requires nor blame those uncharitable Rubrics that debar the most serious Christians from those Sacraments that do but scruple crossing sponsors and kneeling we cannot mention any of those numerous defects in the Liturgy contain'd in the Exceptions given in at the Savoy-conference without coming under the terrible sentence of this Canon In a word we must either never speak our judgment concerning that Book tho our own necessary Vindication never so apparently require it Or if we do we are as far as the power of that unmerciful Canon can reach Excomunicated i. e. in the language of the Establisht Church in her form of Excommunication cut off as dead members from the body of Christ Again we are Excommunicated if we affirm any of the 39 Articles to be in any part such as we cannot with a good Conscience subscribe to tho 't is known we cannot subscribe to the Disciplinary ones tho in England they have already done it to the Doctrinal ones And that our business may be yet more effectually done We are again excommunicated by the 4th Canon if we affirm that those who are consecrated according to the Rites of the Ordination-Book are not lawfully made nor ought to be accounted either Bishops or Deacons i. e. If this Canon speak of Scriptural Bishops or Deacons For 't is sufficiently known we neither account the Office of a modern Diocesan Bishop nor that of a Deacon in the sense of the Establisht Church to be either of 'em of Divine Institution Now we think it most reasonable that those who so often urge us to their Communion shou'd remove such