that purpose I not only told him That the peculiar Mysteries of the Christian Religion were the ordinary subject of their Sermons but that once a year at least they constantly went through all the necessary Articles of the Christian Religion in their Publick Catechizing in which the Dissenting Ministers in the North were so particular as to Examine every particular Person of whose knowledge there could be any occasion to doubt Rem p. 85 86. And sure one would think if this be true there can be no Modesty in such a heinous Accusation Let 's then hear what the Bishop has offer'd to Vindicate himself 1. He proposes a Summary of the Principles of our Christian Religion drawn rather from the Kalendar than from the Apostles Creed of which several Articles are omitted because his Lordship could find no Holy-days for ' em 2. He tells us their Ministers have a certain time appointed every year for Teaching each of these Mysteries 3. That there lies no Obligation on the Dissenting Ministers to go thro' these Mysteries in any such time nor in their whole lives 4. That he could not find upon Examination that their Ministers had done it 5. See Adm. p. 145 146 147. He pretends that I endeavour to excuse this by putting him to produce Scriptural Command relating to it Now I would desire him to review this and tell us whether it signifie any thing to take off the plain Evidence I have produc'd of the injustice of his Accusation viz. That their people are in publick Teachings yearly Catechiz'd in which Exercise all the Mysteries of the Christian Religion and particularly those mention'd by his Lordship are explain'd to ' em So that 't is impossible they should attend their Meetings one year but they 'l have the opportunity of learning ' em Is it not strange that the Bishop should overlook so clear a Demonstration against the Truth of his Charge under this Head to which it properly does belong For if this be true there needs nothing more to prove what he has said to be so gross a Calumny as I have represented it His Lordship has indeed thought fit to take notice of this in another place viz. p. 149. where he dare not downright deny it but would gladly insinuate a strong suspicion against the Truth of it His words are these I leave this Matter of Fact with you and know what you must conclude and hope you will be so just to your selves as to determine of what credit this Author ought to be in his Relations I will not derogate from your Ministers labours in Catechizing their people but notwithstanding their pains there are some thousands of Men and Women in this Diocese that profess themselves of your Communion that were never Catechiz'd by 'em c. Now either he means there are so many Persons that were never Catechiz'd in those places where Ministers are settled or in those where there are none If he mean the latter What 's this to the purpose if it were true as I do not find the Dissenting Ministers in his Diocese think it credible if he mean the former they do declare They know of none that were never Catechiz'd where there are Ministers settled but all are ordinarily examin'd once in the year if not oftner So that if any such remain ignorant 't is not for want of their pains to instruct ' em And since he leaves this Matter of Fact with 'em to be determin'd upon their serious consideration he may easily see how contrary their Judgment of it is to his and if he would yield to their Testimony concerning their own Practice I hope he 'l be convinc'd there is some Credit due to my Relations but none to his rash and mistaken Accusations But besides that the necessary Principles of Religion are yearly explain'd in the Catechism I have told him concerning the Dissenters in general that tho' they have no other Rule to direct 'em herein than that of the Holy Scriptures yet they do in their Sermons most frequently insist on the particular Mysteries of the Christian Religion and can appeal to their People as witnesses thereof And that this is true concerning the Dissenting Ministers in his Diocese he may find Mr. Craghead's Account in these words P. 75 76. relating to the fore-mentioned Charge I declare upon certain knowledge that what he has asserted is a most unjust Imputation for which he has reason to ask forgiveness of God and I do appeal to many Thousands now living who are ordinarily witnesses to the contrary and many of the Author's Perswasion know the contrary With what Peace of Conscience can any Man thus impose on Strangers and impress future Generations with that which is so far from Truth it being publickly known that we ordinarily and orderly go thro' all the Heads of our Christian Faith in our Publick Sermons And what if this be nor particularly prescrib'd by the Directory will it follow that 't is not done Or is not the Scripture a sufficient Directory for that purpose And whereas the Bishop insinuates this suspicious Argument of our neglect That he has seen many Sermons printed by our Party and yet does not remember above two or three on these most necessary Subjects viz. the great Mysteries of our Religion Is it not hence evident that he speaks at random of matters that he has little or no knowledge of For I doubt not that instead of two or three there are above two or three hundred Sermons publisht by N.C. Ministers on the principal Mysteries of the Christian Religion including those that he has mention'd What does he think of the first Collection of Sermons in the Morning Exercise on the principal Heads of Christian Doctrine Nay some Divines have printed a large Body of Sermons on the particular Heads of the Assemblies Catechism 176 of Mr. Watson's are now extant How many of those Mysteries are fully treated of in the large Volumes of Dr. Mantons and Mr. Charnock's Sermons Not to mention Mr. Baxter's Mr. Ant. Burgesses Dr. Bates's and many more So that if the Bishop have met with no more than two or three 't is only because he was never conversant in their Writings But why then should he throw about such severe Reproaches in the dark and censure with such assurance what he is so entire a stranger to and what any that ever was in the least acquainted with their Writers can shew him his ignorance and indiscretion in And if the Conformists have printed more 't is no wonder when the Press has been more open to them and they have had greater advantages for appearing in Publick And is it not strange the Bp. should pretend that I alledge what he quotes p. 146 147. as an excuse in this matter when I expresly disclaim the alledging of it for that end because we need no excuse and only produce it as an argument ad hominem which he was concerned to answer on the Principles he
our glorying in the sufferings of Christ and 't is proper to make a Profession of doing so in our Baptism Therefore the Scriptures warrant our use of it in general and particularly at that time Admon p. 181 182 183. Since then may the Papists in Italy or Spain argue 't is our Duty to savour the things of God To have our Lips season'd with Wisdom and Grace To open our Ears to the Doctrine of Christ as becomes his Disciples To preserve our Garments clean by immaculate Purity of Life that we may appear faultless before the Tribunal of Christ To walk in the Light by a blameless observance of our Baptismal Vows that we may with the wise Virgins be admitted to the Heavenly Nuptials Nay since 't is as proper to make a Profession of all this in our Baptism as of Glorying in the sufferings of Christ And since the Scriptures warrant us to make that Profession not only by Words but also by such Actions as the Vniversal custom of our Country has made significant to those Vses we are thereby warranted to use all the Rites forementioned in the Celebration of Baptism since by the universal custom of our Country See Rit Rom. they are applied to signifie our obligation to these undoubted Duties of Christianity Nay the Bishop's Argument will go farther For since 't is as lawful to profess our Glorying in the sufferings of Christ in other parts of Religious Worship as in Baptism and universal custom has applied this Action to signifie our doing so why do we not imitate instead of blaming the Papists for their so frequently crossing themselves in all their Devotions Or rather since the Scriptures command us to express the inward religious sense of our Minds by Actions nay since as the Bishop asserts Scripture-Presidents not only warrant but oblige us to use such actions as well as words as by universal custom signifie our glorying in the sufferings of Christ How come we to lay aside so pious a custom so commendable nay so necessary an Expression of our devout respect to a crucified Saviour which we are not only warranted but oblig'd to use Nay as the Romish Church has in other parts of Divine Worship introduc'd a great number of Actions or Rites to express some part or other of our Christian Duty or Devotion and those Actions are rendred significant to that purpose by universal custom among those of that Church 't is plain by this Argument that all those Rites are warranted by Scripture and our first Reformers seem to have been very unreasonable in their Rejection of ' em So that this loose way of Reasoning will serve to worse purposes than I hope his Lordship ever design'd it For it will altogether as well fit the mouth of a Papist for justifying his observance of most of those numerous Rites and Ceremonies or in his Lordship's language significant Actions which their Church has enjoyn'd as it does his for justifying the Cross in Baptism If the Bishop should pretend that the numerousness of those Rites is the only fault of 'em he would do well to acquaint us where we may stop what number of 'em is innocent and what becomes sinfully excessive Thirdly I come to examine the Propositions the Bishop has laid down for proving the use of the Cross in Baptism to be warranted by Scripture and shew wherein I think his Argument in 'em weak and unconcluding That we are according to Proposition the first to express our inward Reverence or Worship of God by outward Means such as Praise Prayer c. will be freely granted That we are according to Proposition the second and third to express that inward Worship in general by such bodily Gestures as either nature or civil custom direct us to and render most fit to represent and testifie it to others by will be also own'd But I cannot so easily grant That the Scriptures warrant our expressing the sense of our Minds in all Religious Things or Matters by significant Actions The particular Duties we owe to God are almost numberless and if we were warranted by Scripture to express the Thoughts and Sense of our Mind as to each of 'em by some significant Rite and Ceremony the Romish Church would be sufficiently authoriz'd by Scripture in her introducing such a load of significant Rites and Ceremonies into Christian Religion Admon p. 181. especially if as the Bishop observes such significant Actions be more effectual and sincere expressions of the sense of our Minds then words Tho' then the Scriptures enjoyn Bodily Worship in general and consequently warrant all such devout Postures as either nature or civil custom has taught us to express it by as bowing prostration kneeling standing and in these parts of the world the mens being uncover'd yet they do not warrant us to contrive distinct significant Actions to express each distinct part of inward Worship as one to express our Faith in God another to express our Love to him another our Hope another our subjection to his Authority another our resignation to his disposal another our dread of his Justice c. So tho' we may testifie our Worship of Christ as the Incarnate Word by the forementioned Postures of Devotion yet the Scriptures no where warrant our contriving one significant Action or Rite to express but Believing his Gospel another to express our Reliance on the virtue of his Merits and Sacrifice another to signifie out subjection to his Royal Authority another to declare out glorying in his Cross or Sufferings Besides the Religious Postures that are expressive of Worship in general the Scriptures require no other External Rites as Signs of our particular respect to him besides those of being Baptiz'd in his Name and commemorating his Death by receiving the Bread and Wine as the sacred Memorials of it Therefore As to the fourth and fifth Proposition Tho' 't is our duty to glory in the sufferings of Christ yet the Scripture does not warrant much less oblige us as the Bishop adds to contrive any particular Rite or Ceremony to signifie it any more than to contrive such a Rite do signifie but belief of his Gospel or dependance on his Mediation or subjection to his Government The Scriptures command our expressing our inward Worship by Reverence in our Bodily Postures and consequently uncovering the Head is to us a Particular included in that general Precept But the Scripture no where commands us to signifie this particular Duty of glorying in the sufferings of Christ by any External Rites and therefore does not warrant any particular Rite for that end for that would have been to have left a Gap open for bringing in an endless Train of such significant Rites of our own devising into Christian Religion even such as would have made the Yoke of Christianity as heavy as that of Judaism once was As to the sixth and seventh Proposition it plainly follows from what has been suggested That if the Scripture neither
Reverend Mr. Adair of Antrim with the approbation of that Meeting and I shall here subjoin this following Observation he makes in his own words You know also That where the Sacrament is Administred two parts of the Receivers are usually strangers by which it is evident that once Administring according to the custom usual among Christians here where they Communicate with each other in their several Congregations respectively is equivalent to the Administring of it three or four times a year to each particular Congregation where this way is not in use Now as to this the Bishop tells us He has as good opportunity of informing himself in these matters as any can have and has been as diligent in his Enquiries in his Progresses through his several Parishes and on all occasions as he could and he has the following Account returned him from many hands and is satisfied there can be no great mistake in it In these last seven years the Lord's Supper has been Celebrated among you in Derry twice in Clandermot once in Ballindret once at Ballikelly once at Burt twice at Ardstra once at Ahadowy once in all nine times Admon p. 151 152. And p. 153. he adds a significant reason why he cou'd not easily mistake in these matters viz. Because their Sacraments are Administred with such a concourse of Spectators and Hearers that they can hardly escape Observation Tho by the way why the Bishop should suppose this an Abuse brought in by Popery I do not understand for I take it to be a very proper means of exciting in the Spectators Pious desires of becoming Communicants And for the Practice of the Primitive Church in dismissing all that were not Communicants when they entered on the Celebration of this Ordinance I know of no other occasion for it than their care to conceal these Mysteries of their Religion from the Pagans a reason that we are not concerned in But now If after all this diligent Enquiry the Bishop's Informers have grosly impos'd on him in almost every particular of this Account Nay if the Account where it is true signify nothing to the purpose for which 't is alledged and appear highly disingenious then I hope he will think himself under some Obligation to distrust those Informers for the future and will be more cautious of asserting any thing on their Credit to the Reproach of his Brethren And here I would premise That there is an instance of Disingenuity in the Bishop's Method of comparing the Practise of the Dissenters with that of the Established Church too obvious and palpable to be over-look'd In his accounts how oft the Sacrament has been Administred in the Establish'd Church he goes no farther back then the time of his own Advancement to the See of Derry which was soon after the Troubles but in his Accounts how oft it has been Administred by the Dissenters he takes in seven years tho he knows well enough that for two of the seven at least both the Ministers and People were scattered and had no opportunity for Celebrating that Institution and yet he is so imprudent as to make this a great aggravation of their neglect That some of those sevon years being times of afflictions required a more frequent Celebration of this comfortable Sacrament then ordinary See his Errata that refers to p. 27. l. 2. as if he were ignorant that some of their Ministers were fled to Scotland others shut up in the Walls of Derry and their People so dispers't that they could not for any considerable time after the Raising that Siege make up any distinct Congregations again And if the Bishop alledge that at least the Dissenters in Derry during the Siege should have had it Administred I would desire him if he blame them on this Account yet to be so impartial as to give the Conformists there a share in his Reproof for those I have desired to enquire upon the place cou'd not learn that they Administred it any more than the other So that those 2 years of publick Troubles and Confusion ought in all reason to be shut out of his Account And how unfortunate he has been in his particular and exact Account he now pretends to give will appear by the following one that the Dissenting Ministers of his Diocess have after a very particular enquiry given of the year 87 88 91 92 93 94. In the year 87 88. The Sacrament was Administred in Derry twice in Donaghedee twice in Drumrah twice in Ardsta twice in Vrney twice in Donaghmore twice in Lifford once in Glendermot once in all fourteen times In the four last years since the troubles the Sacrament was Administred In Derry four times in Burt thrice in Ahadowy twice in Ardstra twice in Ballindret or Lifford once in Mahara once in Ballikelly once in Donaghmore once in Strabane once in all sixteen times So that for the last Six years in which there can be any pretence for requiring the Administration of the Sacrament from 'em it has instead of nine times been Administred 30. Nay Tho we reckon the two years of the Troubles in which they had no opportunity yet the year 88 falling within the compass of the seven mentioned by the Bishop they had it 22 or 23 times But I have a more just and severe Challenge against the Sincerity and Candour of this Account which the Bishop's Informers have given him viz. That they were not so honest as to acquaint him that besides the two years of Troubles in a great part of the other years several of those Congregations had no Ministers at all whom yet he makes accountable for the Sacrament during 7 years together whereas that Ascertion of mine which the Bishop here undertakes to disprove concerns only such Congregations where Ministers are settled For it were ridiculous to expect Sacraments where there are no Ministers to Celebrate them Now besides the two years of seven that are to be taken off from each Congregation for even Derry itself had no Ministers from the year 88 till after the Troubles the following Congregations had no Ministers for the years hereafter mentioned Glendermot or Clondermot had none at all since the Troubles so that there has been a Minister there only one year of the seven Ardstra had a Minister only two years since the Troubles and in them two Sacraments but had no Minister at all till after the Troubles For Ballindret two Communions were appointed but both prevented by their Ministers being visited with Sickness and 't is a year since he died so that only one Sacrament could be Celebrated since the Troubles For Ballikelly their Minister besides long Sickness after the Siege of Derry has been much in Scotland and elsewhere For Strabane the Minister has not yet been two years there and the true reason why the Sacrament was but seldom Administred there before was besides the Bodily Infirmities of their Minister chiefly the violence of Persecution which forced him out of that Parish And