with the faults of so few in which he knows they might recriminate with so much advantage especially when such as reproach 'em were so accessary to those faults by unchristian rigor and cruelty And by the way If by their Constitution he means our frame of Diocesan Episcopacy and Government why dos he suggest our concurrence with Papists to pull it down when he knows well enough if the Papists were in power they would continue and uphold the same Constitution and only change the Persons II. For that part of the Conclusion which is addrest to the Dissenting Ministers of Derry FIrst I do fully concur with him in his Advice Not to treat one another with scurrilous and unseemly Reflections But I hope he will not account those such wherein a Man is justly reprov'd for gross Misrepresentations of other Men's Opinions and Practices when he might easily have inform'd himself better or a trifling Argument not always treated with grimace but sometimes with the slight it deserves Secondly I do also heartily concur with him in his request to 'em That they will not make the difference between us seem greater then really it is And I hope he will find it punctually observ'd in these Remarks in which I have so often disclaim'd the Advantage given me by his own Principles to censure several practices in the Establish't Church as unlawful And therefore I hope I may without offence humbly request his Lp. to take his own Advice And truly if he had done so sooner he had spar'd me the ungrateful labour of these Remarks on his late Discourse which I hope may convince him That the tendency of his whole Book is to make the difference between us seem greater then it is partly by misreporting our Principles and Practices and partly by an unreasonable charge of human Inventions in the worship of God that has no other foundation then either those misreports or that necessary use of Christian Prudence in determining some circumstantial modes of Worship which they make as well as we and must be made in order to the Execution of God's own Commands relating to his Worship Nay it seems to be the main purpose of his Discourse to represent the Worship of Dissenters as so corrupted by human Inventions that 't is become vain and unacceptable to God Which is a Censure that Charity forbids me to pass on the Worship of the Establisht Church tho I think I have prov'd that of the Dissenters much more conformable to Evangelical Precept and Pattern For I doubt not a gracious God makes mercifull allowance for manifold culpable Imperfections where the Worship is in the main agreable to his Word and those that offer it thro weakness discern 'em not But I perceive 't is far easier to give good Advice then to take it And for the particular Requests which his Lp. dos here in so friendly a manner address to the Dissenting Ministers of his Diocess I shall take the liberty to interpose my single Opinion As. 1. I can freely concur with him in recommending that use of the Lord's-Prayer which as he justly observes the Directory approves because I take it to be a very comprehensive summary of the matter of Prayer delivered in the most accurate method and order But then I must add that as this use of it in our publick Assemblies is not with any certainty determined in Scripture so 't is a matter wherein good men may well exercise their mutual forbearance and charity 2. I do as freely concur with him in desiring 'em to endeavour the reforming that Irreverent practice which too many of their Hearers seem to endulge themselves too far in viz. Of Sitting in the time of publick Prayer 'T is contrary to the general practise of their Brethern elsewhere and I think of all the Reformed Churches and what is more considerable very disagreable to the Precepts and Examples propos'd in the Holy Scriptures And I hope his Lp. will think the more open Irreverence and Levity too common in many Parish Churches to need as effectual Reformation 3. I do also concur with him in desiring 'em to adhere more strictly to the Advice of the Directory by more frequent celebration of the Lord's Supper in each particular Congregation For tho I am fully satisfi'd by their Accounts of matter of Fact that their Members do ordinarily Communicate more frequently than those of the Parish Churches and that nâ—ne has the name of a Professor among 'em that lives in the neglect of this duty quite contrary to the Bp's supposition yet I look on the practise of their Brethren in England as in this particular more conformable to the rule of the Scriptures among whom 't is administred much oftner in each Congregation For I think it highly probable that it was in the Apostles time one constant part of the Lords day's Worship I know this is not so practicable among 'em while they take so extraordinary pains with the People every time they administer this Ordinance to ' em But I do not see any absolute necessity of that they may continue their stated particular Visitations without making 'em necessary to every Communion And perhaps there may be too great a difference put between this and other parts of Divine Worship by imagining that the frequent Celebration of it wou'd tend to lessen the Reverence due to it To all that are serious the frequent Renewal of their Vows on the Memorials of a Crucified Saviour is the most likely and effectual means to keep their Souls under the constant awe of ' em But the treating this Subject as it deserves wou'd require a large Discourse I shall therefore only fubjoin That I hope his Lp. will take his own Advice by endeavouring to have the Sacrament more frequently administred in the Parish Churches and especially that he will put his Clergy on imitating the Zeal and Diligence of the Dissenting Ministers in their care to prepare their People for so solemn an Institution and to keep those from it whose open and notorious wickedness tends to infect others by the contagion of their Example and to prostitute the honour of Religion to the contempt of an Atheistical and Prophane Age. 4. For this Advice about Reading the Scriptures I shall so far concur with him that I wish the Rule of the Directory for reading One entire Chapter out of each Testament may be observ'd when the shortness of the days will not leave room for Exposition without excluding that other way of reading parallel Texts that occurs in what we call Preaching But I must beg his Lp's pardon for preferring the Reading One Chapter with a clear Exposition of it from parallel Texts to the bare Reading two or three or more without it notwithstanding his so confidently obtruding upon us his former groundless Conceit as if it were an undoubted Truth That 't is a carnal and sinful humour in the People to be fonder of Sermons and Lectures of human Composure then of
Purity of Divine Worship among 'em is highly commendable and wou'd deserve their thankful acknowledgments But if the whole of this heavy Charge be so far from being manifestly true that 't is rather apparently groundless and unjust There will be some occasion to suspect that his Lordships Zeal has more of heat then light in it and is but the Zeal of a Party that often transports Men beyond all bounds of Truth when 't is their design to render those odious whom they account their Adversaries And whether this charge be not so apparently groundless and unjust will appear upon the Review of it For do the Dissenters content themselves to meet together for some years and yet hardly ever see any thing of God's immediate Appointment among 'em when they have every Lords-day Prayer Praise Reading and Expounding and Applying the Word of God and frequently Baptism and the Lords-Supper which are all Duties of God's immediate Appointment Or can he tell us of any other parts of Divine Worship besides these that are instituted by God But his Lordship perhaps does not speak so much of these parts of Divine worship themselves as of the manner of performing ' em For when he comes to make good his charge he tells us A Man may frequent your Meeting some years and never hear a Prayer a Psalm or a Chapter which has been immediatly dictated by God c. But why does he charge the Dissenters for never using a Prayer immediately dictated by God If he speak of Psalm Prayers what he saith is notoriously untrue If he speak of Prose-Prayers why does he make it our Crime to use no such Prayers immediately dictated by God when he cannot produce any shaddow of proof of any such Prayers immediatly dictated by God for the use of the Christian Church unless the Lords Prayer Nor is there any clear Evidence of its being dictated as a Form to be used in our Publick Assemblies Or does he think their Collects any more immediatly dictated by God than our free Prayers are I hope he may from the foregoing Discourse find that the latter are more agreeable to the Precepts of the New Testament and much more to the Pattern of the Apostolick Church than stinted Liturgies Again why dos he tell us that the Dissenters may in several years never hear a Psalm immediately dictated by God When Psalms are constantly sung in their Meetings much more than in the Parish-Churches And can he find any other use of 'em prescrib'd to the Christian Church except that of their being read for instruction as they are among us equally with other parts of the Old Testament Or is he so weak as to imagin that a Prose Version of the Psalms is immediatly dictated by God but a Metre-version is not when God has immediatly dictated neither and when the true sense of the original is as much the word of God when in metre as when in prose Again why shou'd he tell us of our not hearing a Chapter immedialy dictated by God when he never immediatly dictated any such division of the Scriptures into Chapters at all nay when an entire portion of Scripture and usually a whole Chapter and sometimes more is so constantly read and expounded besides the reading so many parallel Texts to explain and urge some doctrine or precept of the Christian Religion i. e. when the Scriptures are read all the several ways we have any pattern for in the Christian Church Again why dos he make it a Crime that we do not bow our knees to God when we either use that posture or that other of standing which is as much a scriptural posture and equally expressive of our religious reverence in all our immediate addresses to God Again why shou'd he accuse those as never seeing one offering to administer or desiring to receive the food of life in the Lord's-Supper who tho they communicate seldomer than other Dissenters yet ordinarily do it oftner then the Conforming Laity in most parts of the Kingdom One wou'd think his Lp. might have spar'd 'em the labour of so obvious and easie an Apology by forbearing such accusations as have not so much as an appearance of Truth or Justice But if he cannot perceive things that are so clear and plain the Dissenters will in requital of his prayer for 'em bag of Gâ—d that he may open the eyes of his understanding And they hope when those scales are fallen off I mean those unhappy prejudices that hinder him from discerning these things in their true light then these melancholly reflections will quickly vanish with which his mind has been so much disturb'd on this occasion For now if he please he may clearly see the Dissenters enjoy already all those divine Appointments which he is so sollicitous to restore to 'em and whatever others do free from any mixture of sinful human Inventions And as they thank him for his endeavour to instruct 'em so they humbly request he wou'd calmly and impartially consider what is here offer'd for their necessary vindication Which if he do they do not despair but it may recover him to a more favourable opinion of his Brethren and a more charitable temper towards 'em and may oblige him as an evidence thereof not only to retract his former uncharitable exclusion of 'em from the Catholick Church but this super-added injury in charging their Worship with human Inventions and so frequently misrepresenting their opinions and practices contrary to plain evidence in order to the countenancing that groundless Accusation For such Justice and Charity towards our Fellow-Christians is most becoming those that profess to expect that great day when the universal Shepherd will appear and call both Pastors and their Flocks to a strict account at that general and final Visitation APPENDIX To the Remarks I have already made on the Bishop's Discourse I think it necessary to subjoyn these two Additional ones I. THat his Lordship has omitted one material part of Divine Worship about the manner of performing which the Contest between the Establisht Church and the Dissenters dos most directly concern this charge of human Inventions in the Worship of God For of those two Sacraments which are the two parts of positive instituted Worship peculiar to the Christian Religion he has only consider'd that of the Lord's-Supper but has said nothing concerning the other which is as undoubted a part of Divine Worship and the very Sacrament of our initiation into the Christian Church viz. Baptism I confess his prudence and foresight seems very commendable in this wary silence and omission For 't is easier to answer such objections as he himself makes for the Dissenters than those they make for themselves But I cannot so much commend his candour and ingenuity in it For he cou'd not be ignorant that here the Dissenters particularly us'd to fix their charge of human Inventions in the Worship of God which the Bp. has been so far from endeavouring to clear their
they might be sung 'T is certainly most agreeable to the example of Scripture to turn 'em into metre for the same end and use III. For Responses There is no doubt that in such places of Scripture as the Bp. has alledg'd 7 Rev. from the 9th to the 13th Tho in the paraphrasing this Text 7 Rev. 11 12. his Lp. commits an odd mistake in supposing the Angels and Elders to joyn in saying what we read v. 12. whereas 't is the Angels alone to whom that part belongs tho they stood about the Throne and about the Elders and the 4 Beasts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 19 Rev. The instance of Miriam The 24th and 118th Ps and especially in the Song of Solomon which his Lp. seems to have forgot There is an Allusion to dramatick writings But 't is observable that there is some difference in the persons introduc'd as answering one another and in the matter spoken that requir'd this alternate way of singing But I see nothing the Bp. has produc'd to make it probable that this way of alternate singing was the ordinary practice of the Christian Church in the New Testament He do's indeed alledg those words of the Ap. Paul to that purpose 1 Cor. 14.31 For ye may all Prophesy one by one c. which he tells us amounts to praising God by way of Responses because prophesying he saith includes Psalms Doctrines Tongues Revelations and Interpretations p. 11. But 't is strange his Lp. shou'd examine his criticisms no better For if he compare the 26 v. of that Chapter with the 6th he 'll easily find that prophesying instead of including all those things mention'd v. 26. is distinguisht from 'em v. 6th And if he 'll compare this 31 v. with those that precede and those that follow it he cannot but see that it imports only a direction to the Prophets to speak in their due order without interrupting one another since that God in whose name they spake was not the Author of confusion but of peace v. 33. And accordingly some judicious Expositors understand these words v. 32. The spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets of those that were inspir'd being capable of refraining to speak even what they had an impulse for till they cou'd do it in regular order IV. For Instruments of Musick there 's no Question of their being us'd in the Worship of the Jewish Church But then it must be consider'd that 't is highly probable these Instruments of Musick belong'd not to the Worship of their Synagogues but only to the service of their Temple And there was a particular Institution for 'em as appears from Numb 10. 32 Levit. 23 24. And those other Instruments of Musick which David appointed 1 Chron. 16.4 5. he is expresly said to have done it upon the Commandment of the Lord by his Prophets 2 Chron. 29.25 And they are on that account call'd God's Musical Instruments 1 Chron. 16.22 and 2 Chron. 7.6 as having the stamp of his Authority Nor dos the single instance of Miriam's Timbrels signify any more to prove that the use of 'em was no part of the Ceremonial Law than the use of Sacrifices before Moses's time can prove that they were not Besides Miriam being there call'd the Prophetess there is just reason to suppose that she us'd those Timbrels upon a particular impulse as David is said to have instituted his upon such a particular command from the inspired Prophets Since then Instrumental Musick belong'd to the Temple-service which was but ceremonial and typical it must be abolisht with that service And we can have no warrant to recall it into the Christian Church without as particular an Institution for it as it had under the Law any more than we have to use other abrogated rites of the Jewish Religion Nor needs there any particular command for laying it aside when the whole Temple-service of which 't is a part is so plainly cashier'd and it was not that we can find us'd in the Worship of the Synagogues from which alone we can pretend to draw any safe Pattern for Evangelical Worship And 't is certain that there 's no mention of it's being us'd in the Worship of the Christian Church And indeed it seems more sutable to divine Worship when there was more of external pomp allow'd in it I confess his Lp. would persuade us the Apostles recommend such musical Instruments because the Ap. James when he exhorts those that were merry to sing Psalms uses the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 5 James 13. which he tells us signifies in the Original singing with an Instrument p. 13. But sure his Lp. can lay no stress on this Argument when 't is so apparently weak and so often concludes wrong Of which I shall give him a parallel instance of his own He tells us p. 111. that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word generally us'd in the New Testament for Worship signifies in the Original to pay homage by kissing the hand And might he not as wisely infer from thence that we are still oblig'd to pay our external homage the same way But if he look again on that passage of the Ap. James he will find this slender criticism too weak a foundation for Organs to stand on because the Apostle cou'd not reasonably suppose all those to have Instruments of Musick by 'em or to be capable of using 'em whom he there exhorts to vent their spiritual joys by singing of Psalms Since then there is no warrant for Instrumental Musick from either precept or example in the New Testament the Bp. is oblig'd by his own principles on that account to turn it out of the Church And indeed for the Cathedral Musick 't is hard to reconcile it with 1 Cor. 14.11 15 26. For the Apostle requires that all things be done to Edification and consequently that no worship be offer'd up but what is clearly understood since if we know not the meaning of the voice of him that speaks he is but a Barbarian to us Now the generality of the people complain that the Chaunters and Choristers are just such Barbarians to 'em because their voice is not so articulate as to enable 'em to understand what they play or sing Secondly Having consider'd the Directions of the Scripture relating to this part of Religious Worship Let us consider the Application thereof to the Praises of God as celebrated in the Establisht Church and in the Dissenters Congregations And before I enter on the Representation that his Lp. gives I shall only briefly suggest That 't is evident from the foregoing scriptural Account That the way of praising God among the Dissenters is exactly suited to the precepts and examples of the New Testament relating to this religious duty For they praise God both 1. By solemn Thanksgivings and those suited to that glorious Revelation of the Gospel and the peculiar Subjects of Praise it furnishes us with not excluding what the Providence of God towards
be instant in season and out of season to reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine For these latter expressions seem to explain the former And I hope he will allow the Apostle Peter to have preacht in the 2 Acts from the 14th to the 40th ver And yet what he spoke is call'd an Exhortation v. 40. Nay to put the matter out of doubt 't is said of John the Baptist 3 Luke 18. That many other things in his Exhortation he preached unto the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Again he saith That interpreting the Scriptures applying 'em and exhorting the people from 'em in a Christian Auditory is never call'd Preaching Now either those many discourses of the Apostles recorded in the Acts are not Preaching or else quite contrary to the Bp's notion Preaching was interpreting the scriptures applying 'em and exhorting the people from ' em For I would fain know what else he can make of the Apostle Peter's Sermon 2 Acts from the 14th to the 40th 3 Acts from the 12th to the end 4 Acts from the 8th to the 20th Of Stephen's 7 Acts. Of the Apostle Peter's 10 Acts from the 34th to the 44th Of the Apostle Paul's 13 Acts in which single instance the Bp. will find almost all his Notions overthrown together For v. 15. After the reading the Law and Prophets the Rulers of the Synagogue send to Paul and his company this Message Ye men and brethren if ye have any word of Exhortation for the people say on The Apostle addresses himself to comply with their proposal And accordingly his discourse contains an Explication of several passages out of the Old Testament relating to the promised seed of Abraham an application of 'em to our Blessed Saviour and an exhortation to 'em from thence to believe in him and not despise and reject him And this very discourse the Apostle calls declaring glad tidings or preaching for the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 32. If the Bp. object this discourse was not in a Christian Auditory 't is easily answer'd What can the difference of the Auditory signify to alter the nature of the discourse As if the very same discourse in a Synagogue shou'd be preaching but quite another thing in a Christian Church 'T is plain here that the Apostle preacht when he interpreted the Scriptures relating to Christ applyed 'em and exhorted the people from 'em so that these are the same thing And if he still pretend that such Exposition and Application had some other name given it when us'd in a Christian Auditory than that of preaching I shall to remove this shadow of a pretence farther add I suppose he will not doubt but the Apostle Paul either found or at least planted a Christian Church at Rome long before his two years expir'd and yet he is all that time said to preach the kingdom of God among ' em So no doubt there was a Christian Churâ—h at Ephesus and yet Timothy residing there is exhorted to preach the word to be instant in season and out of season And in the place I first alledg'd the Apostle Paul was desirous to preach the Gospel to those at Rome whose Faith was already so eminent and so publickly known and celebrated And indeed tho the Gospel be in the strictest sense only news to those that first hear it yet it dos not cease to be good tidings or a joyful message for being often repeated So that since the Bp. has so ill hap in every one of his Criticisms I wou'd advise him to be more sparing and deliberate in offering 'em to publick view for his talent dos not seem to lye much that way IV. The Scriptures have left it to human prudence to determine What portion of 'em shall be read in our publick Assemblys and in what order and method To clear this We must consider there are two ways of Reading the Scriptures in order to the peoples instruction from ' em As either 1. When some considâ—rable portion of 'em is read together As some part of a Book or Epistle a Psalm c. For the division of the Scriptures into chapter and verse are but a matter of late Invention 2. When several passages are read out of several Books of the Old or New Testament which are parallel to each other and serve to explain the same Doctrine or clear and enforce the same duty And tho the phrase of Reading the Scriptures be by common custom appropriated to the former yet if we will speak strictly It dos as truly belong to the latter and 't is of this latter way of Reading the Scriptures for the people's instruction that we have the clearest warrant from the examples of the Apostles and the accounts given us in the New Testament of the practice of the Christian Church Nor do those banish either of these ways of reading either an entire portion or several parallel Texts that interpose an explicatory and applicatory Paraphrase between the several parts that are read Nor dos the Bp that I can find so much as pretend to produce any thing from Scripture against the intermixing such a paraphrase in our reading the Scriptures Now if he consult all the Sermons of the Apostles recorded in the Acts he will find that they did read or what is the same did recite verbatim and propose to the consideration of the people several passages of the word of God all tending to illustrate and prove some truth or duty of the Christian Religion And their practice herein was conformable to that of our Blessed Saviour who employd the first Christian Sabbath I mean the day of his Resurrection not in reading an entire portion of Scripture but in expounding to the two Disciples all those passages in Moses and the Prophets that related to himself and his death resurrection and ascention 24 Luke 24 Luke from the 13th to the 28th Nor do I find in that account given of the Worship of Christian Churches 1 Cor. 14 chap. any mention made of Reading the Scriptures as a distinct thing from Doctrine and Interpretation So that I know of no one precept or example in all the New Testament relating to the Christian Church for this way of reading unless what may be inferr'd from the 4 Col. 16. And when this Epistle is read omong you cause that it be read also in the Church of the Laodiceans and that ye likewise read the Epistle from Laodicea But then we must not urge the Inference from these words too far for I know of none that think themselves oblig'd by it to read a whole Epistle at one time tho no doubt it was fit the Colossians shou'd so read this Epistle then as we shou'd be as forward to read a much longer that came newly to us from the same inspired Pen. And yet because reading an entire portion of Scripture was so constantly practis'd in the Old Testament and the reason of it seems in part to extend to us I do
think 't is very fit that that way of Reading shou'd be also retain'd in our publick Assemblys tho how long an entire portion shall be ordinarily read and in what order must be determin'd by Christian prudence according to the general Rules of Scripture V 'T is granted that the Word of God shou'd be read with great solemnity but there is no particular posture prescrib'd in our hearing of it For tho we read 8 Neh. 5. that the people stood at the opening the Book of the Law yet that posture seems there to refer to the Blessing we read of in the following verse And tho we shou'd grant that the people stood here when the Law was read yet they are elsewhere said to sit Thus 33 Ezek. 30 31. when they came professedly to hear what was the word that came forth from the Lord yet they are describ'd as sitting before him as his people And those assembled in the Synagogue on the Sabbath-day 13 Acts 14 15. are represented as using the same posture as sat down while the Law and Prophets were read VI. For explaining and applying the Scripture by way of Doctrine and Exhortation It was a constant part of their Lord's-day worship in Christian Assemblys in the Apostles time Doctrine is mention'd together with breaking of Bread and Prayers as one branch of their stated devotions 2 Acts 42. 1 Cor. 14 26. Nor do we read of one Christian Assumbly that I remember on that day without it And it appears by the testimony of the Ancients that it was constantly practis'd in the first ages of Christianity as the Bp. himself grants p. 76 their Sermons being usually an explication and practical emprovement of that portion of Scripture which had been read Nor dos what the Bp. suggests p. 75. render it probable that this was not constantly done in Christian Churches For what he produces from 13 Acts 15. concerns the Jewish Synagogues and even the argument drawn from thence is not cogent for tho there had been constant provision for Enlargement yet the Rulers of the Synagogue knowing that the Apostle and his followers pretended to some new Doctrine might send that message to ' em For what he saith from 12 Rom. 6 7 c. That St. Paul supposes him who Teaches and him whose office it was to exhort distinct from him that ruled and ministred And it dos not appear that every Church was furnisht with all these Officers I shall only answer It dos not appear from this place that these four things requir'd four distinct Officers We read only of two ordinary Officers in the Christian Church viz. Elders or Bishops and Deacons See 1 Tim. 3. 1 Tit. 1 Phil. 1. 20 Acts 28. To the latter ministring to the poor belong'd To the former Teaching Exhorting and Ruling and as these were several branches of the same Office so probably since there were many such Bishops or Elders constituted in every particular Church 14 Acts 23. 1 Tit. 5. Some might have their talents and abilities more suited to one part of their work and others to another and accordingly they might ordinarily divide their ministrations and each attend what he was qualify'd for And accordingly the Bp. well observes that that the Apostle Paul conjoyns Doctrine Exhortation in his charge to Timothy 1 Tim. 4.13 And 't is probable both are included in the Apostle Peter's Exhortation to Elders 1 Pet. 5.1 2 3. Lastly I do agree with him that there shou'd be such a summary of the principal doctrines of the Gospel as our Catechisms and Confessions of Faith usually contain Which form of sound words shou'd be held fast Tho that the 6 Heb. 1 2. contains that form mention'd 2 Tim. 1.13 is but doubtful and 't is much more doubtful whether that 6 Heb. 1 2. contain'd six distinct principles or heads of doctrine Of which more afterwards Having consider'd the Directions of H. Scriptures in reference to Hearing I shall now examine the Application the Bp. makes of 'em to the Practice of the Establisht Church and that of the Dissenters IN representing the practice of the Dissenters he promises to do it with the same Candor and Sincerity that he has hitherto endeavour'd to observe What sort of Candor and Sincerity that is the Reader has already had a sufficient tast of and he will find the Bp. dos not in this Chapter vary from the Precedents he had given in the former For how little regard he has had to Truth in the following Accusations will appear upon a particular review of ' em I. He charges the Dissenting Ministers with disregarding Scripture-Rules and Example and with laying aside all those methods of Instruction the Scriptures recommend to us except it be that of Exposition and Exhortation Insomuch saith he that tho a man frequent your Meetings all his life yet he has no security or hardly possibility of learning from your publick Teachings all the great mysteries of his Religion or the necessary principles of his Faith For which he alledges these two things for proof 1. For first your Teachers are entirely left to their choice what place of Scripture they will explain or what Subject they will handle And hence it happens that hardly any one man in his life ever goes thro the necessary Articles of Faith or of Practice in his publick Sermons And for the truth of this he appeals to our selves 2. You have no sumary of Principles enjoyn'd to be either read or taught in your publick Assemblys Answ There are some Accusations so gross and shameless that 't is hard for a man to treat 'em with decency and to such Accusers we are often forc'd to apply the Archangel's language Ep. Jude v 9. But our Author has that peculiar infelicity that the more notorious untruths he delivers he is still the more confident in 'em and nothing will serve him but appealing to thâ—se for the truth of what he says who most certainly know it to be false For with what face can the Bp. say That a man may frequent the Dâ—ssenters Meetings all his life-time and yet have no security or hardly possibility of learning from their publick Teachings all the great mysteries of his Religion or Principles of his Faith and appeal to our selves as witnesses that hardly any one man in his life ever goes thro the necessary Articles of Faith or of Practice in his publick Sermons Dos he indeed hope to persuade the world that the great mysteries and Principles of the Christian Religion Fx. gr the doctrine of the Trinity in Unity the Incarnation of Christ his Offices as our Mediator Faith in him and Repentance towards God or Regeneration and Conversion the priviledges of all Believing Penitents their Pardon and Justification their Adoption and Right to the heavenly Inheritance the office of the H. Spirit as our Sanctifier and Comforter the necessity of his supernatural Aids the different future states of the Righteous and the Wicked the general Resurrection and
as once a Quarter So that if the Bp. speak here of the generality of Dissenters as we have reason to suppose because he does not here as elsewhere confine his Charge to any part of 'em To reproach them as guilty of rare or no Communion not to be precedented among the most degenerate and barbarous People that were ever called Christians is a Calumny of such a hainous nature that I shall in meer Civility and respect to his Character forbear to treat it as it deserves and shall only desire him to bring the Parish-Churches to that frequency of Communion so generally practised among the Dissenters before he treat us any more with such rude Language as we might with so much advantage retort If his Lordship pretend that he design'd to confine this to the North of Ireland tho' he has exprest no such thing yet how little ground he had for this heavy Charge will appear upon a due Examination of matter of Fact Of which I have this Account given by those that know it much better than he can pretend to do 'T is so far from being true that 't is rare if once in a year or two a Communion be celebrated in their Meetings that it 's universally usual in every Meeting where an ordained Minister is settled to have the Lord's Supper administred constantly Once a year and Twice in the larger Towns And what is more considerable where-ever 't is administred 't is usual for Two Thirds of the Congregation to be Strangers For 't is their Custom in the North to have very large and numerous Communions so that when the Sacrament is administred in one Meeting 't is usual for most of the Members of Neighbouring Parishes to frequent it To which purpose they bring Certificates or Communicatory Letters from their own Ministers So that the generality of 'em as I am assur'd do communicate four or five times in a year many of them do it much oftner and all of 'em have the opportunity of doing it ten twelve or fifteen times a year if they will take the Advantage of receiving it as often as 't is administred within a few miles of their respective Habitations And they alledge these two or three Reasons that have induc'd 'em to this Method 1. That hereby the vast Number of Communicants tends to increase the Solemnity of the Institution and represents in a more affecting manner the Communion of Saints 2. That every Parish having usually but one Minister 't is requisite the Ministers of Neighbouring Parishes should assist 'em on that occasion and consequently they usually bring their People along with ' em 3. That the Ministers of particular Congregations prepare their own people for it by visiting 'em round examining every particular Member anew about their spiritual Estate and making due Enquiry about their Conversation all which takes up a considerable time This being a just account of their practice tho' I must freely profess I do prefer the general practice of Dissenters elsewhere of administring the Lord's Supper in each Congregation once a Month and cou'd heartily wish it were made a constant part of the Lord's-day Worship yet I see not with what tolerable Justice the Bp. cou'd upbraid 'em with their rare or no Communion when the Members of their Meetings do generally communicate much oftner than the Members of the Parish-Churches Nay when their Ministers not celebrating it in each particular Meeting is occasion'd by so extraordinary care taken to prepare their People for it Whereas there can be no other Account given why the Parish-Ministers who take no such pains with their People administer it so seldom but either their own Laziness or the People's Indevotion And whereas he saith A man may live among 'em with the reputation of a Professor to Thirty or Forty Years and never receive at all If he mean by a Professor a Person accounted truly Religious they declare they know not of one Instance of that kind And whereas he saith Not one in ten that go to their Meetings receive through the whole course of their Lives they do profess that by the best computation they can make there is not one in ten or rather in 20 or 30 that do not receive except such as are with-held for want of competent Knowledge or on the account of Scandal and those that communicate once do it ordinarily on all following occasions So that upon the whole the Bp. is much more concern'd to find a Precedent for the generality of the Members of Parish-Churches in their rare or no Communion than the Dissenters are for the Members of their Congregations And much more is he concern'd to find a Precedent for himself in his so rarely speaking truth concerning the Dissenters and I fear that he will hardly find any if I may return him his civil expressions except among the most degenerate and barbarous Writers that were ever called Christians I mean those Romish Priests who in their writing against Protestants have acquir'd a peculiar dexterity in the practice of that Unchristian Maxim Calumniare fortiter aliquid adhaerebit Throw dirt enough and some of it will stick REMARKS on the CONCLUSION 1. FOr that part of it which contains his Lp's Advice to those of his own Clergy I shall take no farther notice of it than as it concerns the Dissenters P. 166. He tells 'em They are never to despair whilst they have God's Truth on their side tho' whole Provinces should fall off from the Church as all they in Asia did from St. Paul 2 Tim. 1.15 Tho' none should believe our report as it happened to our Saviour himself Answ This looks too like his former Language when he so uncharitably excluded us from the Catholick Church For does he indeed think that Men's going to the Dissenters Meetings is a defection from Christianity and turning Infidels to the Doctrine of the Gospel as the expressions he alludes to import Since we agree in the Articles of Religion profest by the Establish'd Church to which by the way the Dissenters of the two more strictly adhere since as himself owns p 4. we agree about the inward part of Divine Worship Nay since we agree in the same external parts of it Praise Prayer Hearing and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper and only disagree about the mode of ordering those external Duties Is it not most unreasonable and contrary to Christian Charity and I might add to common sence to speak of such as in these Circumstantial Modes differ from him as fallen off from the Church and dis-believing the Report of the Gospel What is this but to turn the Circumstantial Modes of Worship into Fundamentals and thereby to turn the Reformed Church in this Kingdom into a Sect and Party i. e. to incur the grossest sort of Schism and most opposite to Christian Love I hope I have in these Papers shewn our manner of performing these Duties to be more agreeable to Scriptural Precept and Pattern
and yet I wou'd sooner suffer my Right Hand to be cut off than that any such Expression should drop from my Pen that should thus confine the Church of Christ to the Dissenters and censure others as fallen off from it For I honour the Parish Churches as a very excellent part of the Catholick Church and such as compar'd with the Roman Greek Abissine c. Churches has attained to an excellent degree of Reformation P. 167 168. He suggests to his Clergy That they cannot be supposed to be zealous in their Office out of any private Interest or prospect of particular profit because their Maintenance and Preferments are ascertained by Law and depend not on the voluntary Contribution of the People and he insinuates on the other hand That the Dissenters are more liable to be acted by other Motives since they must attain to Honour or Support by making or gaining a Party Answ If the Dissenting Ministers be acted in their Nonconformity by a Regard to Temporal Interest they deserve to be begg'd for Fools Does he think that upon their Conforming they might not aspire to Ecclesiastical Dignities and Preferments as well as others if their Judgments cou'd comply with all the Declarations and Subscriptions that are requir'd How many cou'd I name him no way inferiour to his Lp. in any Ministerial Abilities who never had so much as 100 l. a year from their People while he enjoys by common Report a Bishoprick worth 2000 Not that they envy him his Wealth but they think it unreasonable he should upbraid them with their Poverty as if it laid 'em under Temptations to counter act their Judgments to serve their Interest when if they cou'd have done so they never needed to expose themselves to those Necessities For it 's plain that quite contrary to what he suggests the Temptation of Interest lies chiefly on the other side What Interest can influence those Dissenting Ministers to make or gain a Party who are sure to be Losers by their adhering to it and have all possible prospect of bettering their Condition by forsaking it And how much greater danger are those in of being influenc'd by it whose excessive Preferments depend on their turning the Church into a Party by keeping up narrow uncharitable terms of Ministerial Communion And why should he think the Inferior Clergy may not be mov'd to be zealous in their Office from a prospect of Interest and Profit Does he think himself and his Brethren Immortal May they never expect a Fall of Church-Preferments Or are those Preferments so corruptly distributed that no diligence of an inferior Clergy-man in his Office will signifie any thing to recommend him to ' em Does Favour or Bribes so entirely prevail as to exclude all consideration of Merit Either he reasons very weakly here or else he insinuates what is very little to the credit of the Church P. 88. He does well to remind 'em that they are Ministers of the Gospel not of a Party Answ But why then does he speak of all that dissent from 'em as fallen from the Church and become Infidels He also in the same page justly speaks of our differences as of little concern comparatively with the common Interest of Holiness and Religion But when he tells us of these differences being insisted on only as the occasions Badges of those People who being resolved to separate themselves are oblig'd to take up little differences for a distinction I would gladly know who are most chargeable with taking up little Differences to make 'em the Distinguishing Badges of a Party They that arbitrarily impose such Unnecessary Terms of Ministerial and Christian Communion as our Common Lord never requir'd and so make their own dividing Hedge and Enclosure in his sacred Vineyard or they that only scruple compliance with these suspected Terms and desire that the Common Rule of Christianity may be the only Rule of Conformity They that on the account of these Differences cry up themselves alone as the Church or they that plead only to be a part of it or at most a more uncorrupted part One wou'd think the former look more like persons resolv'd to separate themselves especially when they contrive such Racks for mens Judgments and Consciences as the Act of Uniformity contains And the latter cannot reasonably be supposed so obstinate unless he imagine 'em fond of Poverty and Misery and in love with Separation for its own sake P. 169. He suggests That while they have been defending their Common Christianity against Papists Deists and Socinians the Dissenters have taken that advantage to undermine 'em with their People nay that some of 'em have even joyn'd with those Enemies to pull down their Constitution Answ I think it is apparent that the Dissenters have rarely wrote in defence of their own Cause without being assaulted first It was he first started the Controversie in this Kingdom by excluding 'em from the Catholick Church It is he has again renew'd it by a fresh Charge of our Worship having little of God's immediate Appointment but abundance of Humane Inventions Now if we be guilty 't is indeed reasonable we should be silent But if innocent does he think our Reputation too inconsiderable to be worthy of a Defence against the most severe and yet the most unrighteous Accusations And if he did formerly with the same Sword attempt to stab his Popish Adversaries and his Dissenting Brethren can he blame them for warding it off themselves especially when at the same time they warded it off from the generality of the Reformed Churches whose Reputation he must have wounded through our sides and directed the point of it more fully against the Papists But I would gladly know who those Dissenters are that join'd with the Papists Deists and Socinians in a Confederacy to pull down their Constitution For I cannot imagine what ground he has for this Charge unless he refers to the attempts made in the late King James's time towards the Repeal of the Penal Laws and Test And if he intend that dos he not know That there were far more of their Clergy even the Dignitaries of their Church that join'd in that design with the Court then of Dissenting Ministers of whom I could never hear of above One or Two concern'd and even they had been both exasperated by the barbarous Execution of those Laws upon themselves And was it more criminal in them to attempt to burn the Rod that had so unmercifully lash't 'em then in those to join in that design who had no other temptation then hope of Court-Favour and Preferment Nay dos he not know that the Body of the Dissenting Ministers and People generously refus'd to concur in that design when earnestly solicited to it meerly because they valu'd the general Interest of the Reformed Religion before any seperate Interest of their own And wou'd not a man of candour and ingenuity have rather commended the carriage of the main body of 'em then reproach't 'em
require 3. That particular Churches their respective Elders and Members ought to have a Reverential regard to their Judgment so given and not dissent therefrom without apparent grounds from the Word of God These are Propositions of the same import with those in the Reflections and they are so far from being inconsistent with any Principle of those call'd Presbyterians that the most eminent of those at London have subscrib'd ' em 'T is true indeed the Presbyterians do assert more then this and the Assembly of Divines in their humble Advice concerning Church Government have some Assertions to which the Congregational Divines do not fully assent But as to these Differences as I have not in the foremention'd Book declar'd my own Judgment so I know no right the Bishop has to declare it for me when he dos not know it I have indeed quoted the Judgment of Archbishop Vsher concerning the Antient Councils which he thought were not for Government but Vnity c. And if he will on this account rank that Venerable Primate among the Congregational Divines they will no doubt think themselves greatly honour'd with his company But for my own Thoughts I shall freely subjoin that I am greatly inclin'd to think That the difference between those that make Synods only Consultative Meetings and those that call 'em Church Judicatories and ascribe a Governing Power to 'em is in a great measure rather verbal then real For those that make 'em Church-Judicatories assign 'em only a Ministerial and Declarative Power and never imagin'd that the People ow'd a blind obedience to their determinations And those that make 'em only Consultative Meetings for preservation of Concord yet assert such a deference due to their Judgment That it shou'd be complied with both by particular Pastors and their Flocks in all things not repugnant to the Word of God Nor do they deny that such Synods may disown such particular Pastors and their Flocks as walk disorderly by rejecting their just and necessary Determinations as no Members of their Association or that they may entirely disclaim Christian Communion with those particular Churches that persist impenitently in maintaining such corruptions in Doctrine and Worship as directly strike at the very Vitals and Essentials of the Christian Religion And I see not what those can justly attribute to such Synods more then this who make 'em Governing Assemblies or Ecclesiastical Judicatories Nor do I know any great difficulty there is in moderate and wise men's joining in all the real use of such Synods in order to the preservation of the Churches peace notwithstanding these different Names or Notions they affix to such Ecclesiastical Assemblies and their Determinations Of which more may occur when I consider what his Lp. objects against the Principles he ascribes to me On the other hand The Bishop has not truly stated the difference between the Presbyterians and Prelatists when he tells us 'T is concerning these particular Districts namely Whether the government over 'em ought to be in a Presbytery with a Bishop as President and Governour by Christ's appointment or in a Colledg of Presbyters absolutely equal Answ Dos not his Lordship know that our Modern Prelates not only pretend to a distinct and superior Office and not meerly a higher degree in the same Office but assume all Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction to themselves Do they not plainly exclude all Presbyters from any share in it Are not all Church Censures past by the Chancellor solely in the Bishop's name without any concurrence of the Presbyters of the Diocess who have no voice in 'em nor are so much as call'd or requir'd to be present in the Spiritual Court Nay If this be all that our Prelates pretend to viz. To be Presidents in a Diocesan Synod in which the Presbyters of the Diocess share in the Government How came they to reject Archbp. Vsher's model of Episcopacy that allows such a stated Presidency to Bishops when this was offer'd by the Divines call'd Presbyterians at the memorable Savoy Conference as the ground of Accomodation For tho those Divines did not think such a stated Presidency of one Person of immediate Divine Appointment yet they thought it such a prudential human Constitution as they cou'd for peace sake submit to But he knows the Bishops rejected that Offer with scorn nay wou'd not stand to the King's Declaration about Ecclesiastical Affairs that gave 'em much more of power then Archbp. Vshers model So that his Lp. seems not to understand the Principles of his Brethern and I am beginning to hope is of more moderate Sentiments in this point then those Commissioners at that Treaty were It remains only under this Head that I consider what he has to object against those Principles of mine as they are now truly cited from the Reflections For I hope he dos not think me oblig'd to defend Positions that are none of my own Now it is manifest saith he That these Principles of theirs-are much more different from your Principles then ours are And the difference is much greater and more material For it 's possible on your Principles and ours to preserve Vnity and keep up some value for Excommunication since he who is censur'd in one Church cannot be received in another neither with you nor us Whereas in the Congregational way he that is Excommunicated in one Congregation may remove to another or set up one for himself if he pleases At the worst if he shou'd it wou'd be counted but an irregularity These Principles are destructive to the Peace and Unity of the Church as well as to our common Cause Answ For the Congregational Divines I see no difficulty in clearing their Principles from these invidious consequences he draws from 'em for all of 'em assert that he who is justly Excommunicated in one Church ought to be receiv'd by no other whatever But for my own which I am only here concern'd to defend I wou'd desire his Lp. to review his Arguments and tell me where the force of 'em lyes What Vnity of the Church are those Principles lay'd down in the Reflections destructive of Is it destructive to the Churches Unity to assert That the Light of Nature and general Rules of Scripture oblige the Pastors of the Church to associate for it's preservation by their mutual Consultations And that the Judgment of such associated Pastors shou'd be submitted to whenever 't is not repugnant to the Word of God Nor do I disallow but approve of Associations in those lesser or larger Districts and the regular Subordination of the lesser to the greater What then can he find in my Principles destructive of the Churches Unity unless he imagines it to be so That I assert That the People do not owe a blind Obedience to such Synods and that such associated Pastors have their power for Edification and not Destruction And dare he pretend the contrary Dos not the Church of England declare That all Councills may err and will he assign
great source of the deplorable degeneracy and corruption of our Youth And I heartily wish the Clergy were herein more exemplary to the Laity by making their Houses lesser Churches and fruitful Seminarys of Religion I hope the Dissenters of that Diocess as well as in other parts of the Kingdom set 'em herein a Pattern worthy their imitation But why his Lordship shou'd in their Family-Prayers seem to confine 'em to the words of the Church I see no reason unless he supposes those Forms such a Catholicon in Devotion as some boast their Recipe's to be in Physick that will suit all particular Diseases 2. In his exhorting 'em not only to Innocency of life but to Christian moderation too For certainly when our Zeal instead of being lay'd out to promote the great and important Interests of our common Christianity is chiefly spent about lesser matters disputable among truly good men It turns into a praeternatural and feavourish heat that preys on the Vitals of Religion But I must add That I understand not Why Innocency of Life and moderation in the Conforming Laity shou'd any more convince the Non Conformists of the unreasonableness of seperation from them then the like Innocency and moderation of the Non Conformists shou'd convince their Conforming brethren of the unreasonableness of seperation from them And no doubt but all good men on both sides enjoy that Communion of Saints which our Creed speaks of And where their difference of Judgment about some modes of Worship unavoydably occasions that difference of Practise which some improperly call difference of Communion yet there is no reason it shou'd disunite their Affections They retain Communion in the Essentials of Belief Worship and Holiness and are cemented by those common bands of Christian Unity mentioned 4. Eph. 4 5 6. One Body one Spirit one Hope of their Calling one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father And so far as they are acted by the genuine Spirit of Christianity they will endeavour to preserve this Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace by mutual Forbearance as to that diversity of external Rites and Modes about which it cannot be Expected but that the different apprehensions of pious men will occasion diversity in their practise especially where any unnecessary or suspected Rites are imposed IV. For his Advice to the Dissenting Laity of Derry I Shall only offer the following Remarks 1. His Lp. dos well to refer 'em to their Bibles as I have also done in this Discourse and I hope they will herein imitate those noble Beraeans by examining what is said according to that unerring Standard and Test of Divine Truth 2. That Men are more fond of their own Inventions then of God's Commands is a Truth that Experience puts out of all doubt But that all those Popish Corruptions of Image Worship Prayers for the dead Purgatory the Intercession of Saints Half Comunion and Worshipping the Host were meerly introduc't by the violent fondness of the People for 'em against the will of the Church Governours who generally oppos'd and condemn'd 'em is an Observation that I can see little ground for in Church-History As to some of 'em I think it far more probable that they had their rise either from the imprudent Zeal or the politick Contrivance of the Clergy who found 'em Serviceable to squeeze the Purses as well as enslave the Consciences of the People 'T is certain that when those corruptions were once entertain'd the Clergy were generally the most violent defenders of 'em and the most cruel persecutors of all that made any Attempts towards Reformation But the Bp. applys this Observation to Extemporary Prayers which as he supposes to be an human Invention so he tells us The People have brought 'em into practise against the Opinion and Constitution of the Church Covernours and of the first Reformers who all did settle Liturgys in the Churches which they reform'd This Knox did in Scotland whose Liturgy we have ready to produce to the Conviction of those who pretend to be his Successors and yet condemn Forms of Prayer as unlawful This Luther did for Germany and Calvin for Geneva and for the French-Church whose Liturgys are still us'd by ' em Answ I hope I have already sufficiently prov'd That Praying without Forms is as much of Divine Institution as Praying with 'em and consequently the Bishop has no more reason to call the one a Human Invention then the other Nay since there is not the least evidence of any stinted Liturgy prescrib'd or recommended to the Christian Church by Christ or his Apostles but so strong presumption to the contrary that in the Apostolical and I may add in the two or three following Ages even ordinary Pastors us'd free-prayer or prayed in the exercise of their own Abilities There is much more reason to rank such stinted Liturgies among the Bishop's sort of Human Inventions For they have certainly neither precept nor pattern for 'em in the New Testament as us'd in the Christian Church and we do in the use of 'em vary from Apostolical pattern And I take this account he has given us of the Original of what he calls Extempore-Prayers to be a very lame and untrue one For if free-prayer unconfin'd to a stinted Liturgy was the practice of the three first Centuries and Dr. Comber's proofs to the contrary are I think invalidated by his modest and learned Examinator to the full satisfaction of an unprejudic'd Reader Then the Bp. is first concerned to acquaint us how such stinted Liturgies were brought into general use And if he will take the Opinion of the learned Capellus in this matter even in that very Disputation in which he so severely censures the Compilers of the Directory prescribed Liturgies were unknown to the Apostolical and succeeding Ages and were not introduc'd till those Persecutions ceas'd which kept alive the Zeal of the Primitive Christians and till through the favour of Christian Emperors the Number of Christians Encreas'd but the Fervour of true Piety and Devotion was Allay'd And then they were gradually introduc'd for the use of simple and unlearned Ministers who through their Sloth were unfurnish'd with Gifts and through their Ignorance in danger of venting such unsound Notions as subtile Hereticks might instill into ' em †See Thes Sal. p. 657. But it was much later before stinted Liturgies came into general use even in those Ages the Fifth Sixth c. in which the Clergy gradually degenerated into Laziness and Ignorance as well as Worldliness and Pride and true Devotion sunk into Formality and Superstition And hereby the ruling part of the Clergy had the easier opportunity to propagate all their gainful Errors and Superstitions among the People by infusing the poyson of 'em into the Publick Offices of Devotion For such prescribed Liturgies were first set up in Patriarchal and Metropolitan Churches such as Rome Alexandria Antioch Constantinople c. And there was very great diversity of 'em
of enquiring into any scandalous miscarriages among 'em and suiting their admonitions to the case of such Offenders and judging whether there be or be not a credible profession of Repentance made by ' em Nor can there be any danger of their abusing that sacred censure of Excommunication by being too rash in it for that danger is fully obviated by the method propos'd in the foremention'd model of AB Usher which refers the decreeing that sentence to the monthly Synod of the Ministers in that Precinct or part of the Diocess of which the Suffragan or Chorepiscopus is the Moderator In the mean time we cou'd wish that Parish-Ministers were more effectually urg'd to observe the 20th Canon which charges 'em not to admit to the holy Cammunion any of their Cure or Flock which â—e openly known to live in notorious sin without Repentance tho we can expect no very considerable effects of such a temporary suspension when it obliges the Minister to turn Informer against such Offenders in the Spiritual Court where they are sure to be put to great charges by which method he is but like to alienate their hearts from him and frustrate the success of all those admonitions by which he shou'd endeavour to recover 'em to Repentance 7. They wou'd farther humbly desire that some more effectual care may be taken for the tryal of those that are to be admitted into Holy Orders For the 32d Canon enjoyns the Bishop to examin 'em in the presence of those Ministers that shall assist at the Imposition of hands or at least take care that those Ministers shall examin them yet we understand this is too often put off to an Archdeacon or one of his Chaplains and at best but too superficially perform'd And we humbly conceive the Canon it self is very defective in not recommending such particular Tryals as are fit for such Candidates of the Ministerial Function to undergo in order to their giving a sufficient specimen of their proficiency in the study of Divinity and in the knowledge of the holy Scriptures And herein we wou'd humbly recommend to 'em the excellent method propos'd by the Westminster-Assembly in their Propositions relating to Church-Government and Ordination viz. That such Candidates be examin'd touching their skill in The Original Languages by Reading the Hebrew and Greek Testaments and rendring some portion of 'em into Latin They are to be examin'd also what Authors in Divinity they have read and trial shall be made of their knowledge of the grounds of Religion and ability to defend the Orthodox Doctrine in 'em against all unsound and erroneous Opinions especially those of the present Age of their skill and sense in the meaning of such places of Scripture as shall be propos'd to 'em in cases of Conscience and in the chronology of the Scripture and in the Ecclesiastical History They are to expound some difficult place of Scripture they are to frame a discourse in Latin upon some common-place or controversy in Divinity and maintain a Dispute upon it and they are to Preach a practical Sermon before the people those concern'd in their Ordination being present This method is so exactly follow'd among the Dissenters that those they ordain commonly pass twice thro these Tryals both when they are first allow'd to Preach as Candidates and at their Ordination And as 't is the most effectual that can be propos'd for preventing an ignorant and insufficient Ministry so 't is the more requisite that the like care shou'd be taken in the Establisht Church where so many are tempted to croud into the Sacred Office by the lure of secular interest and so many Parents from the prospect of preferment thrust those of their Children upon the service of the Church whom they are at a loss how to dispose otherwise of 8. We cou'd heartily desire some more effectual course were taken for the Reformation of such of the Clergy whose scandalous lives stain the honour of their profession For the infectious examples of such Clergymen are far more powerful to spread the contagion of wickedness and vice among their Flock than their doctrine to propagate piety and holiness And 't is no wonder that either the offerings of the Lord are abhorr'd by the people when they see 'em presented by so unhallow'd hands or that they run without restraint into all excess of Riot when they do but herein follow their spiritual Guides 'T is great pitty therefore that the 42d Canon which threatens such scandalous Clergymen with Ecclesiastical censures is not more faithfully executed And it seems unaccountable why it shou'd not as expresly order the suspension and deposition of such as are found incorrigible as other Canons of the Church of England order their suspension and deposition for no greater faults than Omitting the use of any form of Prayer or any other Rite or Ceremony prescrib'd by the Service-Book or appointing or keeping Fasts either in publick or in private houses without the Bp's leave For this is to lay greater stress on the Churches Injunctions than on God's commands and to punish non-conformity to the former more strictly than disobedience to the latter We shall only add that if the Law of Moses so carefully provided that its Preists shou'd have no blemish or deformity on their bodys sure much greater care shou'd be taken that those who serve at the Christian Altar shou'd not be persons of deformed souls and of a tainted conversation And we are heartily glad that their Majesties by their Royal Commission have begun so necessary a work in this Kingdom as the purging the Church from such scandalous Clergymen as have too long been the blemishes of their holy profession and hope it may extend to all other parts where there is the like necessity for it as there appears to have been in the Diocess of Down and Connor 9. They wou'd also earnestly desire that so gross a corruption as that of Pluralitys and Non-Residence so universally complain'd of may be at last effectually reform'd In order whereto they desire it may be seriously consider'd whether our Canons themselves do not rather confirm than reform these Abuses For by the 36th Canon every Master of Arts that is a publick and sufficient Preacher is capable of Pluralitys The Time which he that enjoys 'em is to reside in each of his Benefices is not determin'd And by the 41 Canon of the Church of England I find no other bounds set to the number of Benefices than that they must not be more than thirty miles asunder And tho every such Bluralist be requir'd to have under him in the Benefices where he dos not reside a lawful and sufficient Preacher yet it is both unreasonable in it self that such a sufficient Preacher shou'd sacrifice his painful labours to pamper the avarice and ease of another And 't is too notorious that such Pluralists for the most part give so despicable and stingy allowance to their poor Curates that it cannot reasonably