the silencing such a number of Ministers on such grounds was a crime of that nature that I would in charity to Mr. K. warn him to draw the guilt of it no further on his own head by undertaking to justify or defend it For the Second That these Ministers tho unjustly suspended were bound to obey the sentence is to give the suspendeâ—s the same absolute Authority câ—aim'd by Popish Prelates and Councils and on the same grounds all the Protestant Ministers in France and other Reformed Churches were bound to cease their Ministry when first suspended by Popish Prelates and so their Reformation was only founded on Church-Rebellion Nay if this be true it will be in the power of a Convocation in England by imposing such sinful terms of Church-Communion as few of the people dare submit to and silencing all the Pastors that will not approve of them to oblige the greatest part of the Nation to live without the publick worship of God as the Popes did sometimes thus interdict a whole Kingdom And he that can believe this may next be perswaded that Christ has put the power of damning men into the hands of a Convocation and the people must not endeavour their own salvation against the will of such a Convocation tho even the Apostles themselves had no power but for Edification 4 Quest Whether an Act of Parliament be not as good in France Spain or Germany for the Popish Religion as in England for Protestancy Answ Mr. K. justly saith that 't is not sufficient the Power which establishes a Religion be competent and the methods of settling it regular but 't is likewise necessary the Religion it self be true p. 33. No humane laws can justly establish a false Religion because God has given no man power to contradict his Revelation and Laws And tho subjectâ—on be due to the Magistrate yet his Authority cannot oblige us to formal obedience when he commands us to profess Error or practice false Worship or forbids us to confess with the mouth what we believe with the heart to salvation The only Quest here is Whether the Popish or the Protestant Religion be the more agreeable to the holy Scriptures the only infallible Test of all revealed Religion Which Quest D Manby shou'd have attempted to resolve by coming to the merits of the Cause and entring into a particuâ—ar discussion of the Controversies betwixt the Church of Rome and those that have embrac'd the Reformation Had he done this he might have spar'd all these impertinent Questions about Mâ—ssion which are but as Mr. K. calls them meer Banter and contriv'd only to divert people from a necessary enquiry into the principles of the Popish Religion Only there is one passage that occasionally drops from Mr. K's Pen in answer to this last Quest which I would take notice of p. 33. 'T is one principle of the Christian Religion that the Professors thereof ought to associate into a body and that Christ the Author thereof has appointed Governors who are to descend by succession and that to these regularly appointed due obedience is to be paid as men value the rewards and punishments of another life 'T is strange to me that Mr. K. should think any man able to know what he meant by these words If he means that all the Christians throughout the world must associate in a General Council to set up some universal Officers that shall govern the Church-Catholick as as one political society subject to them or that the Church-Catholick must become one body by a subjection to any humane Head Pope Council or Colledge of Prelates this is plainly to set up a Vice-Christ and to make a humane center of Unity to the Catholick Church which he seems honestly to disclaim p. 55. If he mean not thus why does he talk of Governors appointed to this Catholick body So for these Governors descending by succession if he mean that none are lawful Governors but such as can plead an uninterrupted successiâ—n of Prelatical Ordination as Mr. Dodwell seems to dream it will hence follow that 't is a meer uncertainty whether there be any lawful Governors in the Church at all and if such Prelates were not known in the primitive Church either they or the succeeding Ages had no lawful Governors So when he makes obedience due to these Governors as men value the rewards or punishments of another life I hope he means obedience to them so far as they deliver those laws of Christ which he enforces with that solemn sanction and not obedience to every unnecessary or sinful injunction of their own And I hope he will not think that Christ has appointed such our Governors whose very office he never instituted And if the meaning of this fine Principle be no more than this that all Christians must unite in Christ as their Head and all endeavour to live under such Pastors as he has instituted and the Pastors endeavour all necessary Concord by their mutual consultations and be careful to provide such as shall succeed them in the same office and that to disobey such Pastors when they urge the necessary Doctrines and Laws of Christ is to forfeit the rewards and incurr the punishments of another life then indeed I see no danger in this Principle But without all this allowance and explication it has a very dangerous sound and Mr. K. was not aware what use D. Manby might make of it For the 2d and 3d Points of Mr. M's Paper about Auricular Confession and the Catholick Church Mr. K's Answer is so judicious and clear bating a passage or two that relate to his schismâ—tical Notion of the Catholick Church that I shall not needlesly undertake what he has so well perform'd The same I may say concerning his Answer to that wild discourse of the Dean's in vindication of the Church of Rome and accusation of the Reformed except what Mr. K. has p. 79 80 81 82. which runs on the mistakes I have already animadverted or And 't is strange Mr. K. should p. 82. quote Phil. 3.15 to that purpose he there does which may be applied to the quite contrary with far greater advantage as the Answerers of Dr. Stillingfleet's Sermon have at large evinc'd The Rule the Apostle there speaks of is what God has prescrâ—b'd to hâ—s Church not the unnecessary and much less the sinful Canons of men And for those that are otherwise minded he leaves them to God's instruction and does not immediately go about to open their eyes by an excommunication ipso facto much less by a Writ de Excom capiendo And if other Church-governors had used the same forbearance there had been fewer Schisms and Divisions in the Christian world For Mr. K's Answer to the Latin Questions there occurrs nothing in them disagreeable to the common Protestant Doctrine which does not refer to the forementioned mistakes Having Honoured Sir offered you my sense of these passages in Mr. K's Answer wherein I thought his immoderate
also the Churches calâ—'d Presbyterian and Independenâ— is united with all other Christians in the participation of the same Sacraments And I doubt not the Presbyt and Indep Churches administer them as agreeably to our Saviours Institution as any other I come therefore to the 4th Quest Whether by the Catholick Church be meant the variety of all Protestants since they want her essential mark Unity Before I consider Mr. K's answer to the Quest I shall offer one that is very obvious and I doubt not more agreeable to the temper of every true Catholick and charitable Christian viz. That all the Reformed Churches whose publick Confessions of Faith are extant are true parts of the Catholick Church tho some of them may be more others less pure and uncorrupted Of Quakers we can make no judgment because we know not what their â—pinions are and 't is well if they do so themselves For Fifth-Monarchy men I know no distinct Churches constituted of them and if they hold no other Notion of a Fifth-Monarchy than the learned Mr. Mede on the Rev. seems inclin'd to believe I hope Mr. K. will not think it inconsistent with salvation If D. M. ask where is the essential mark of the Church Catholick viz. Vnity among the Episcopal Presbyt Indep and Anabapt Churches Answ What Vnity does he mean If an Unity in the essentials of Châ—istian Faith and Holiness let him name me one of these Churches that denys any essential Article of the Christian Religion or one Precept of the moral Law nay or one essential part of Divine Worship as Praise Prayer Preaching or one Sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ For tho the Anabaptists deny the Baptizing of Infants yet they do not deny Baptism it self and however I may judge them mistaken in that point I should think him more dangerously mistaken that should on the account of their Error in so intricate a controversy condemn them as no part of the Catholick Church I will not patronize all the irregularities that may be objected in some of these Churches but my charity does oblige me to add that they are not such as invalidate the credibility of their Christian Profession nor the thousandth part so gross as the corruptions of the Greek and Roman Churches Or does Mr. M. mean by Catholick Unity an Vnity in an humane universal Head of the Church as Pope or Council This is no better than an Vnity in owning a gross Usurper that invades the Prerogatives of our blessed Lord the only Head of his Church that claims an universal power over his Church without any commission from him Or does he mean an Unity in all the Errors Idolatry Superstition and corrupt practices that have by degrees crept into the Church and over-run any considerable part of it I hope he will not make this the mark of the Catholick Church's Vnity no more than he wou'd make mens diseases a mark of their unity in the humane nature This is an Unity to be avoided not courted or desir'd Or does he mean an Vnity in humane unnecessary Canons that shall reduce all Christians to an exact uniformity in the external modes of Religion This is an Unity never to be effected but either by reducing mens judgments to an uniformity about those matters or by forcing them to comply with what their judgments condemn The former is morally impossible considering the different degrees of our knowledge in this imperfect state on earth and one might as wisely attempt to bring all Nations to affect the same civiâ— customs ceremonies or garb The latter is a loâ—ding it over God's heritage and exercising a dominion over the Faith of Christians in the higest degree which the Apostles themselves disclaim and forbid 2 Cor. 1.24 2 Pet. 5.3 An uniformity in humane rites is no unity prescrib'd in the word of God and consequently not necessary to the constitution of the Catholick Church The laws of Christ which alone are obligatory to the Catholick Church have made sufficient provision for its Unity as far as 't is attainable on earth for perfect Unity is the effect of the perfect light and love of Heaven And for any single person or collective body of Pastors to prescribe other terms of Unity to the Catholick Church than Christ has done is not only an usurpation of his legislative power but one of the most effectual methods that Hell has found out to raise Schisms and Divisions in it and thereby to destroy Christian love And he that knows not how fatal an Engine the needless and corrupt impositions of ambitious Prelates and their Councils have been above these 1300 years to deprave and tear the Christian Church under pretence of reducing it to an impossible Uniformity is either a stranger to Church History or has too deep a tincture of that wretched pride and ignorance that has animated imperious Patriarchs and Popes I proceed now to consider Mr. K's Answer to D. M's Quest which I shall transcribe at large Neither are all Protestants Catholick Members of the Church nor they only Those among Protestants that embrace the Catholick Faith and make no separation from their lawful Governors and that live in Vnity of Faith and Charity with their neighbour Churches are catholick members and have that unity which is essential to the catholick church But these are not to be confounded with Presbyterians Independents Anabaptists Fifth-monarchy men Quakers c. since these have separated themselves from their lawful Governors as much as Mr M. himself though their crime be less than his as he is less guilty that makes a rebellion than he who joyns with a Forreigner to enslave his countrey I did not expect a man of Mr. K's abilities cou'd have betraid so much ignorance or uncharitableness or both in answering so easy a Question If the Dissenters be guilty of Schism I am sure 't is nâ—t half so gross and palpable as what this one Paragrâ—ph contains nor so opposite to true christian love Mr. K. who charges D. M for talking of things without clearing them would do well to take his own advice 'T is hard to imagine what he means by Catholick members of the Church Does he mean the same by it as members of the catholick church or no If he do not what signifies his Answer to D. M's Question which was Whether the church catholick contain all the variety of Protestants who want her essential mark viz. Vnity Nay why does he assert those Protestants only whom he here describes to have that Unity which is essential to the Catholick Church For none can be members of the Catholick Church but such as are united with their fellow members in those things which essentially constitute them one Church or Body Catholick members of the Church is no very proper expression 't is like total parts and can have no tolerable sense distinct from that plainer expression Members of the catholick church If Mr. K. make any distinction betwixt these two phrases it must be
church-lands and utensils as Sacriledg and a very horrid sin shou'd see somthing equally hainous if not more so in mens alienating those excellent gifts God has endued them with for the Churches Edification when never justly forbidden the exercise of that Ministery to which they are devoted They who are justly call'd to that office by men are call'd by Christ and are bound to be true and faithful to him And where there is a true necessity of their labours they may answer their unjust silencers as Peter John did Acts 4.19 Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judg ye Timothy who was ordain'd by men yet has that solemn charge given him 2 Tim. 4.1 2. that is sufficient to deter Ministers from denying their Lord the service they have vow'd him to please the unjust will of men I know but one case that will excuse a Minister unjustly silenc'd in forbearing the exercise of his Ministry viz. when there is no necessity of his labours and the exercise of his Ministry would by violating pubâ—ick order do more hurt than good in his present circumstances But 't is too evident this was not the case of those 2000 Ministers siâ—enc'd by the Act of Vniformity To that purpose let the consequences of their continuing or forbearing their Ministry be compar'd What was the inconvenience of their Preaching more than this that a point of humane order was violated some needless impositions to speak the mildest not comply'd with which were design'd to promote an impracticable uniformity but were more likely to prove engines of corrupting and dividing the Church and the unjust will of the Silencers disobey'd What was the advantage of their continuing their Ministry It may be justly said to the honour of God that many thousands of ignorant souls have been instructed in the truths of the Gospel and by true conversion or repentance added to the number of Christ's mystical body the honour of Christianity has been promoted by the purity of their societies through the faithful exercise of Church-discipline the serious practice of Religion has been more effectually maintain'd in a profane and debauched age And what I would chiefly recommend to your consideration a vast number of souls have enjoy'd the sutable and succesful means of their Edification and Salvation who either through the irregularity of Parish-bounds or through their own scruples about the terms of Parish-communion must else have wanted them or through the ill provision of Parish-Ministers must have sat under such Pastors as no man concern'd for his own â—ternal happiness should be satisfied with where he may have better For the truth of these things the silenced Ministers may freely appeal to those that know them and have any serious sense of these matters But they will not much regard the judgment of those who think there is no need of any other conversion than from the external profession of a false Religion to the profession of a true And no Regeneration but external Baptism who account all sufficiently qualified to take a pastoral charge of souls who have got into holy Orders and think the people bound in complaisance to the Patron or the Bishop to acquiesce in their choice tho it deprive them of the most probable means of their salvation and oblige them to sit under those as their Pastors from whose labours little succeâ—s can be rationally expected But for such as understand the real necessities and value of souls and know how much the success of Ministers does ordinarily depend on their moral aptitude and abilities for that sacred Office and have learnt to prefer the Edification and Salvation of Souls before external order when inconsistent with it Let them judge whether the foresaid Ministers had not sinned had they in those circumstances deserted their Ministry and denied their help to those that needed and earâ—estly crav'd it i. e. Whether it were better that in our large Parish-Churches thousands should live without any publick worship of God or means of salvation Or thâ—t all who scruple the imposed conditions of lay-communion shou'd live without Pastors till they can change their judgment Or that the people in a vast number of Parishes should live under such as their Pastors as no serious Christian would commit the conduct of his soul to where he may have better Or that irreligion should prevail through the total neglect of Church-Discipline In a word whether it were better all the souls whom the Nonconformist's Ministry has been the Instrument within these 25 years to enlighten sanctify and prepare for Heaven had never enjoy'd their labours than the external order of Parish-bounds should be violated and the suspected impositions of things own'd by the Imposers for indifferent disobey'd Now if it were sinful for the silenc'd Ministers to desert their office in such circumstances because of an unjust prohibition then no law of God that concerns the Churches peace does oblige them to it And that they were unjustly prohibited the exercise of their office belongs to the next Head. 2. The foresaid Ministers do in the exercise of their Ministry violate no just law of man. The humane Law which they violate enjoyns such conditions of their office as these among others 1. A Declaration of unfeigned Assent and Consent to all things contained in and prescribed by the Book entituled the Book of Common-Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies c. and in the form and manner of making Ordaining and Consecrating of Bishops Priests and Deacons 2. The Oxford Oath or swearing never to endeavour any alteration of the present Church-Government 3. Reordination as to those that had not Prelatical Ordination 4. The Oath of Canonical Obedience c. Now if these conditions of the Ministry be sinful I would gladly know whether any humane law be just that forbids the Ministâ—rs of our Lord Jesus to preach his Gospel unless they will comply with sinful terms or that makes sinning the condition of the exercise of their Ministry I hope none will presume to say that which sets up the authority of Man against God's I would therefore enquire further Ought all to forbear the exercise of their Ministry who are forbidden by an unjust humane Law If so why did not Christian Pastors forbear it under Pagan Emperors or the Orthodox under the Arrian or Reformed Pastors under Popish Princes where the law â—orâ—ids them Or will Mr. K. say all these ought to have forborn and deserted their office What! has God left it at the will of men whether he shall be publickly worshipt whether his Gospel shall be preach'd whether the Office he has call'd men to shall be discharg'd whether souls shall enjoy the sutable means of their Salvation or the number of Ministers shall be proportionable to the real necessity of souls Has he given men any power against his own interest or to promote the damnation of souls by imposing such