his Answer and more largely without excepting the Winter Quarter since in his Diocess all the Dissenting Ministers except one continue their Lecturing thro the whole year Now this matter of Fact all the World must allow to be directly contrary to his severe charge so that if it prove true His Lordship could have no pretence to complain of my Reproving him for offering such barefac't untruths for undeniable matters of Fact Let 's then enquire what he hath said to make good his Charge and to that purpose he alledges Two Things 1. That the Reading the Scriptures should be so ordered That the diligent Hearers may in a competent time be acquainted with the whole Body of them Whereupon he challenges me to produce one Meeting in the North where this has been observed Admon p. 144. Answ As to this Allegation 't is evident That it concerns not the matter of Fact in Dispute at all which is Whether setting aside a verse or two for a Text or Quotation at the discretion of the Teacher the voice of God is never publickly heard among them and a Man may attend most Meetings many years and never hear an entire Chapter read in them For the Allegation concerns only the manner of Reading them whereas the Accusation supposes them not Read at all except a verse or two for a Text or Quotation c. so that I might justly dismiss any farther Consideration of it but since the Bishop gives me this occasion to compare their Practise and ours I shall suggest to him That tho we Read not so much of Scripture as they in such entire Portions as whole Chapters yet we Read the Scriptures more regularly then they and a Man may sooner hear them Read through in a Meeting than he can in most of the parish-Parish-Churches To clear this I must premise That in the generality of the parish-Parish-Churches through the Kingdom there is no Divine Service Read except on Sundays Now if we consult the Calender in the common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book we shall find That excepting the Psalms there is never read from one generation to another but about 104 Chapters of the Old Testament and that in such order or rather disorder as breaks the Coherence of the Sacred History So that a Man may if he lived to 80 years attend the Publick Worship in most Parish-Churches all his Days and never hear the 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th Chapter of Gen. and so on See the Lessons proper for Sundays and how is the New Testament Read This Sunday we have the Matt. 1. and the Rom. 1. Read the next Sunday the 8th of each and next 15th Four Months hence the 3d of Matt. and the 4th of Rom. So that in the generality of the parish-Parish-Churches the Scriptures are Read most confusedly so that the Hearers are incapable of observing the admirable Connexion of its parts and in most Parishes the far greater part of them is never read at all Whereas in the Meetings 't is the general Practice to Read on a Book in order and tho their Exposition hinder them from Reading so large a Portion for which there is abundant Compensation by their Expounding what is read from Parallel places of Scripture yet they will in the course of some years be read all over which they never are nor can be in the generality of the Parish-Churches that are shut all the Week But as this first Allegation had it been true signifies nothing to the purpose 't is brought for so let us see whether the other be more considerable 2. The Bishop Appeals to our selves Whether any of our Ministers ever read one Portion of Scripture but what was either designed for a Text to a Lecture or Sermon or a Quotation If any one pretend the contrary he desires me to name the time and place that he may reprove those Informers which I affirm have so grosly imposed on him Admon p. 144. but till the time and place be named his Assertion he saith is literally true and in a larger sence then he expressed it Ans I must desire his Lordship to review this passage and tell us Whether it be literally true that except a verse or two for a Text or Quotation the voice of God is never publickly heard in their Meetings when 't is as Mr. Craghead informs him their ordinary Practice to Lecture every Lord's Day and usually to Read a whole Chapter or divide a long one that 's full of Textual difficulties Is a whole Chapter or half a long one only a verse or two for a Text Nay is it literally true That a Man may go to most Meetings many years and neuer Hear an entire Chapter Read when in the generality of them he shall most commonly Hear a whole one Read every Lord's Day But what does he mean when he challenges me to name the time and place in which any entire Portion of Scripture was Read but what was either designed for a Text to a Lecture or a Sermon What is this to the matter of Fact that he Ascerted For besides that a Text to a Lecture is a new Phrase Is a whole Chapter or half a long one only a verse or two Or is a whole Chapter never Read because 't is always read with a design to Expound it Nay is this so deplorable a fault as he has suppos'd it that we never Read an entire Portion of Scripture without intending to illustrate the sense of it by comparing parallel Scriptures with it for that 's all his Lordship can mean by making it a Text to a Lecture Is it not rather our great commendation That the Scripture is always Interpreted as well as Read and rather matter of Reproach to others that 't is barely Read without giving the People such help to understand it And shall our extraordinary diligence be made our deplorable crime and their sloth so great a virtue And upon the whole would it not have been more ingenuous in him to own that his Informers had grosly imposed upon him then to persist in so plain a mistake and then colour it over with an Apology the weakness and unreasonableness whereof had been so largely and justly exposed in that part of the Remarks to which he has not yet thought fit to give any Answer But tho' the Bishop be in the wrong as to the Substance of the Accusation he seems very confident of what he has said to vindicate that Circumstance of it viz. That in all the Meetings of the North in a whole year perhaps there is not so much Scripture read as in one day in the establisht Church This he pretends to prove so fully that by his Computation there appears to be four times more Scripture read in the establisht Church than in all the Meetings of the North. To this purpose he pretends to take my own Computation of half a Chapter read in each Meeting for three quarters of a year and so in the nine Meetings in his Diocese he computes
dissatisfaction with his Lordship will be easily inclin'd to believe this genuine Account of the Matter That he has mistaken their Silence for their Ignorance and concluded they could not repeat their Catechism because they would not admit him to be their Catechizer 2. He computes that there being but nine Meetings in the Diocese and taking one Meeting-house and one Lord's-day with another not 300 at each Meeting and there being 30000 Dissenters in the Diocese Admon p. 136. it may be thence concluded that only one in ten or thereabouts go to worship God any where on the Lord's-day And this he professes was a great grief to him Now as to this matter of fact I hope the Bishop cannot take it unkindly that I endeavour to allay his grief by offering him the following Account from the Dissenting Ministers in his Diocese In the Parish of Temple-more alias Derry there are two Meetings in which there will be found above 2400. who ordinarily worship God every Lord's-day For tho' every one of these does not attend every Lord's-day because some of 'em must be left to secure their houses yet these and more are ordinary Hearers as the Ministers of those two Congregations can undeniably prove by their Examination Rolls Nay the least Congregation among us are ordinarily 600 and some above a 1000 that do worship God every Lord's-day together So that where Ministers are settled in Parishes we do not know of one in 20 that do not ordinarily attend on publick worship And for those which the Bishop saith have not been at any publick worship these seven years we know none such of our Communion And for those places that are not furnisht with Ministers the Ministers that are setled supply 'em as frequently as their work in their own Congregations can allow Now if this Account be true the Bishop's Computation and the Conclusion he draws from it is far enough from being so And that there are yet some Congregations that want Ministers and can only have occasional supplies is much more their grief who are doing all they can to remedy it than it can be supposed to be his Lordship's who does all he can to lessen the number of their Meetings by obliging his Tenants to suffer neither Ministers nor Meeting-houses to be upon his Land 3. The Bishop pretends that his Book contains an Answer to what he found objected by those of the Dissenters Admon p. 137. that he convers'd with against the ordinary Lords-day worship in the establisht Church and that he confin'd himself to what he had seen and known to be their Opinion and Practice Ans 'T is evident by Mr. Craghead's Reply to his Discourse which Taxes him with the same Calumnies as the Remarks that if those Dissenters he Convers't with gave him that Account he pretends of these matters they were such as understood not the known Opinions or Practises of their own Teachers As when they alledg so many Reasons either against the lawfulness of all Forms of Prayer and against joyning in publick worship where they are used or against the publick reading the Scriptures or against all bodily worship c. And therefore if the Bp. had been ingenious in prosecuting what he now saith was his design he should have told us that he intended only by this Book to Correct the mistakes of a few Ignorant People that neither knew the Judgment of their Pastors nor the common Practise of the Congregations they Joyned with And that he intended not to charge the generality of the Dissenters even not those of his own Diocess with those weak Opinions and weaker Arguments and Objections which he endeavours to censure and confute But he has been so far from doing this that tho in the Conclusion of his Book he particularly Addresses himself to those of his Diocess yet in his very Entrance on his Subject he undertakes to represent the Practise of Dissenters in general or in his own terms of them that differ from the Establish't Church Nay Where he supposes his charge only to be true of those in the North of Ireland he takes care to confine it to them and therefore he gives us just ground to conclude that where he mentions the Dissenters without any such Restriction he is to be understood as speaking of the whole Body of them according to the very Titles of his several Chapters Praise Prayer Hearing Bodily Worship how practist among Dissenters And to Convince him of the Reasonableness of this I shall put a Parallel case to him Suppose I should write a Book about Ecclesiastical Discipline how Practised in the Establish't Church and among Dissenters and in the Account of the Practise of the Establisht Church should represent the sad neglect of all the Duties of their Function both by Bishops and Priests and accordingly should charge the Bishops with so many years Non-residence in which there had been no Consecration of Churches nor Confirmation of Children nor Ordination of Priests and the Priests with such neglect of their Cures as a great many in the Diocess of Down and Connor were Accus'd of And suppose I should particularly address this Book to the late Bishop and Clergy of that Diocess Would his Lordship in this case think me Excuseable from the guilt of Calumniating because I had particularly addrest this Discourse to them when I have not in the Body of the Book confined my Accusations to them but speak all along of the faults of the Conformable Bishops and Clergy in general without any such particular limitation or would he think me Ingenuous in producing such Arguments as the Bishop and Clergy of the forementioned Diocess may alledge to excuse themselves as the common Reasonings of the Conforming Clergy And yet this were of the two more justifiable than the Bishop's management of this Charge against Dissenters in which he has wronged the generality even of those to whom he now pretends that this Discourse was confined but much more the generality of the Dissenters against whom the greatest part of his Book is levell'd without any Distinction I confess to have told us plainly that he only Confuted the weak Discourses he had met with among some few of the Dissenting Laity would have lessened the Character of his Book by supposing the cause of the Dissenters to be little concerned in it and so probably the main Design of it to blast the Reputation of the whole Party had been frustrated by such an ingenuous Confession But without such an ingenuous Confession I do not see how 't is possible to excuse his Discourse from untruth and disingenuity either in attributing to Dissenters in general what is peculiar to those in the North of Ireland as in the Head of Frequent Communion or in ascribing to a whole Party without distinction so many Opinions Arguments and Practises as either none at all or none but very Weak and Ignorant People are chargeable with of which there are so many to be found in
executed without the determination of 'em and yet are not in particular determin'd in Scripture must be determin'd by Human Prudence and that to call such Circumstantial Modes when determined agreeable to the general Rules of Scripture Human Inventions is a very improper sense of the word and to make 'em sinful is a Principle fit only for the wildest Sectaries since it would condemn a great many prudential orders practis'd both by them and us and indeed by all Churches in the World And if the Bishop pretend to disprove this Assertion he must produce us particular Precept or Pattern from Scripture for his beginning Publick Worship at nine or ten in the forenoon rather than twelve for his meeting at the Cathedral rather then in another place for his using the old Translation of the Psalms and the new one of the rest of the Bible for his using at the Sacrament Loaves rather than Cakes and using one sort of Wine rather then another and employing Peuter or Silver Vessels rather than Wooden or Golden ones So that what I assert is not only very innocent and free from any such dangerous consequences as the Bishop suggests but indeed too obvious and plain for any Man of sense to doubt of it and his Lordship could never have begun any new Dispute about it if he had not rais'd a mist by misunderstanding the sense of as clear Expressions as could well be us'd on this Subject Since then he has so plainly mistaken in ascribing such a Rule to me as I no where laid down but have so fully disclaim'd all the consequences he draws from it either to his own Advantage or our Prejudice fall of course and I am no way concern'd in 'em as consequences drawn from any Opinion of mine For 't is plain the Rules laid down in the Remarks do not justifie all the Modes of Worship practis'd in the establisht Church neither that way of singing the Prose Psalms that excludes the generality of the People nor the Cathedral Musick nor the confining all Publick Prayers to stinted Forms nor reading the Apocripha nor bowing towards the East or Altar or at the Name of Jesus nor Reading one part of the Prayers where many of the People cannot hear 'em nor the use of the Cross or our sort of Sponsors in Baptism nor so much as kneeling in the Act of Receiving These and many more particular Modes are not defensible by any Rule I have laid down tho' I have shewn him that our own Practices are Nay no Rule I have laid down will defend all sort of Holy-days nor any Determinations relating to Habits Place or Utensils that are contrary to Edification or to Order and Decency But whereas the Bishop pretends That 〈◊〉 those particular Rules and Directions he had produc'd from Scripture Adm. p. 43 44. relating to the several parts of Worship The Letter of Scripture is clearly on his side and I have not oppos'd Scripture to Scripture but have declin'd the literal sense in many cases without reason and have preferr'd the determinations of Human Prudence in others as being more for Edification than the Scripture Examples and particularly in the singing of Psalms I must needs on this occasion acquaint him that I think the quite contrary to what he Asserts will appear to any that impartially compare the Remarks and his Discourse together at least I hope his Lordship does not expect we should take his peremptory Assertion for a proof of it but since he supposes this Observation to be manifest in reference to that particular Mode of Praising God by singing of Psalms I should add that I think it not so ingenious in the Bishop to Assert this with such assurance when I have in the Remarks taken such particular pains to shew That our ways of singing Psalms is most conformable to the only Precept in Scripture that relates to the use of 'em in our Praises 5 Eph. 19. 3 Col. 16. to which he has yet vouchsaf'd no Answer He has been told That the Precept enjoyns vocal singing which bare saying 'em no way Answers p. 13 14. That since the Psalms of David were wrote in such sort of Metre and Verse as was then us'd and since the knowledge of their Musical Tunes and Instruments is quite lost to suppose us oblig'd to an exact imitation of 'em were to suppose us oblig'd to impossibilities That therefore the Command which obliges Christian Churches to sing Psalms necessarily obliges us to turn 'em into such sort of Metre and Verse as will best accommodate 'em to be sung by the People Whereas to put 'em into no other Metre than the pointed Psalter in the common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book is to exclude the generality of the People from any capacity of complying with God's own Command for singing ' em And as the Tunes of those pointed Psalms are quite different from Hebrew ones so they are as much a Human Invention as the Tunes of the Common Metro-Versions and therefore do set up that pointed Psalter in the Service-Book whose Tunes the Body of the People cannot follow to the Exclusion of those Metre-Versions according to which they can joyn in singing Psalms as the Bishop seems to design is in his language to set up an Human Invention to the violation of a Divine Command by rendring the Peoples observance of it impracticable p. 189 190. And should not his Lordship in all equity and reason have attempted a clear refutation of this Argument before he had ventur'd to say That in this particular of singing Psalms the Scripture is on his side and that I prefer the determinations of Human Prudence before Scripture Examples when I have so plainly shewn him That the Example or Pattern of Jewish singing is unimitable by us because unknown to us but that the Precepts of Scripture plainly obliges us to this way of singing because 't is most generally practicable among us To what purpose is it to reason in these matters if the Bishop think his bare Affirmation sufficient to weigh down all Arguments And why does he call this Admon p. 164. Our manner of singing Psalms when 't is theirs as well as ours and tho' he has ventur'd to exclude it from being any substantial part of their Worship and made it a meer Diversion yet he has done it without any Authority or Commission from the establisht Church by whom it seems allow'd as a stated part of Worship And as the Bishop has ascrib'd to me a Rule about Worship that I never laid down so he stiffly pretends to adhere to his own when yet what I had alledg'd against it as unhappily worded by himself has so far convinc'd him that he found himself necessitated to enlarge it He had before said That all ways of Worship are displeasing to God that are not expresly contain'd in the Holy Scriptures Disc p. 3. or warranted by Examples of Holy Men mention'd therein He had us'd the phrase ways of Worship frequently to signifie
circumstantial Modes of it I had told him That if his words be taken in this strict sense they contain such an Assertion that if a man believ'd it he would find it hard to joyn in any Assembly in the Christian World and must renounce Communion with the Parish Churches For many circumstantial Modes of Worship are practis'd there which are neither expresly contain'd in the Scriptures nor warranted by any Examples of Holy Men that have us'd those particular circumstantial Modes ex gr The singing Psalms as appointed in the common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book or in the Metre compos'd by Sternhold and Hopkins the use of a stinted Liturgy in general and particularly our English one Reading the Apocrypha bowing at the Name of Jesus kneeling at the Sacrament c. But his Lordship instead of taking any notice of this objection against his Rule very silently now extends it Admon p. 165. only to make those things unlawful that are not contain'd in Scripture or warranted by Example of Holy Men in it or may not be deduc'd by clear consequence or parity of Reason from them Now 't is evident that many things may be drawn by clear consequence and parity of reason from the Precepts of Scripture that are not expresly contain'd in ' em And the same may be said of Scripture Examples So that the Bishop has now really charg'd his Rule by this new comprehensive Addition to it and as 't is now laid down 't is much the same with what I have asserted tho' I think not so clear And now he will find there 's nothing in our Worship but what is easily justifiable by his own Rule in this just latitude For our manner of singing it self which is the Instance he so often insists on may be drawn by just consequence and by parity of reason both from the Precepts and Examples of singing in the Holy Scriptures For if we must sing Psalms and that in a way most conducive to general Edification we must use such Metre and Tunes as the People can joyn in And if the Jews us'd such sort of Metre and Tunes as were most known and common among them we may by parity of reason choose those that are most familiar to us And now I hope the Bishop will upon the review see how little reason he had to except against this part of the Remarks when they have really oblig'd him to reform and correct his own Rule and bring it up to that I had laid down tho' to conceal the matter he has thought fit to misunderstand and pervert mine or rather to coyn a new one for me 2. The Bishop alledges That I endeavour to perswade the Dissenters of his Diocese that the greatest Exception against joyning with the establisht Church is not the matter of their Publick ordinary Worship On which he makes several Observations Before I consider 'em I must premise that 't is true I have told his Lordship that the Contest between the establisht Church and Dissenters does not lye chiefly about their ordinary Lord's-Day Worship but what occurs in other Offices and chiefly about the corruptions and abuses of Discipline and 't is no more than has been frequently suggested by the most judicious N.C. Divines that have wrote on the Subject of our Differences But why does he pretend that I diswade any Dissenters from joyning with the establisht Church if he mean it concerning all occasional Communion with 'em when I have so expresly declar'd my Judgment for it and in vain urg'd him to the like declaration of his Charity towards us and never pretend to alledge our Differences in Reference to Worship or Discipline as any Argument against such occasional Communion in their ordinary Lord's-Day Service There is no reason then to pervert what I have offer'd to such an uncharitable purpose so that his following Observations are founded on a mistaken supposition And therefore I shall content my self with these short Remarks on ' em 1. I did then and do still think it requisite to acquaint the Reader that the Bishop had not in this Discourse so much as touch'd the Principal Matters in Difference between the establisht Church and the Dissenters and particularly those to which this charge of Human Inventions does most properly belong And whereas be now tells us that if he writ about Discipline we should be less pleas'd with his performance Adm. p. 165 166. because he must look on the general Frame of our whole Constitution as a meer Human Creature c. I must so far agree with him That if he treat that Subject in the same manner that he has done this about Worship we shall certainly be less pleas'd with it because all those faults that occur in the manner of handling this Subject will be the more aggrevated if he repeat 'em on another 2. Whereas the Bishop pretends I desire to shift ground and thence presumes I apprehend some disadvantage in it I do not find he has any reason for such a Triumph for my having avoided the consideration of any thing in his Book that carried the face of an Argument Nor have I any need to multiply Matters of Controversie from any Answer that his Lordship has yet given to the Remarks Admon p. 46. And whereas he saith That I attempt not to justifie their sitting at Prayers nor their omitting to add their Amen to their Prayers nor the manner and frequency of their Communion nor their way of singing Psalms I shall only add That for sitting at Publick Prayer I was no more oblig'd to defend any particular persons in that posture that indulge it out of sloth than he to defend the Toying or Laughing that 's too often us'd in their Churches But his Lordship was oblig'd either to defend his charging this upon our Opinion as if we taught That no postures of Reverence may be lawfully us'd and condemn'd such as standing and kneeling as Relicks of Idolatry or else to retract so hainous Calumnies as these must be if they are untrue and groundless For adding Amen I shall if that will please the Bishop concur with him that 't is more agreeable to Scripture Pattern that the People pronounce it more audibly but I hope this omission signifies nothing to his Charge of Human Inventions For the Matter of Celebrating the Lord's-Supper if it refer to the posture I hope the Bishop is convinc'd that ours is more agreeable to Scripture Pattern For the frequency of it I hope hee 'l allow the generality of the Dissenters have much the advantage above the generality of the Parish Churches by communicating much oftner And for what concerns the Practice of the Dissenters in his Diocese it has been already consider'd in the Account of Matters of Fact and I have there shown that their way of Administring it once a year is equivalent to its being Administred thrice in the Parish Churches as to the frequency of their Members Communicating And for singing Psalms I have already
said enough to shew him that our Practice needs no Reformation but rather his unreasonable prejudices against this part of Divine Worship common both to them and us 3. The Bishop need take no pains to prove That my demands about the Reformation of the Discipline of the establisht Church are not Arguments against all occasional Communion with ' em For they were never propo'd for that end but then I must tell him That where there are in a Kingdom two Parties or Bodies of Protestants in one of whom both the Worship and Discipline of Christ is more fully restor'd to its primitive simplicity and purity in the other there are some defects and corruptions left in their Worship and Discipline almost entirely neglected or perverted and abus'd I think every considerate Christian should prefer the stated Communion of that Party in which necessary Reformation has made a happier progress and those better Reformed Churches have no reason to subject themselves to those corruptions they have rejected And moderate and wise men will separate from the Churches of neither Party as if they were no true Churches and no part of the Church Catholick but will rather to shew their regard to Truth more statedly communicate with those on whose side it lies in the Matters in Difference and yet to express their Charity maintain occasional Communion with the other so far as they can do it without Practising what themselves think unlawful 4. Whereas the Bishop is so much displeased with those Requests that I have offer'd to the Conforming Clergy relating to those Practices wherein we chiefly desire some Reformation of their present Discipline and thinks me very unreasonable in proposing 'em and cannot see to what good purpose they can serve I shall to give him all the satisfaction I can acquaint him with the true Reasons of my offering ' em 1. I take the Abuses of which some Reformation is there requested to be the chief Obstacles to that happy Union among us which has been so long the earnest desire of all good men and I hope I can most sincerely say my own So that I think none who have that end in their Eye can be reasonably blamed for humbly proposing to Publick Consideration so proper and effectual means to attain it from which I thought his Lordship's Discourse had some tendency to divert the minds of men by amusing 'em with a new Dispute of Human Inventions And therefore I thought this a very sutable occasion to lay open the main grounds of our unhappy Differences that if any charitable Persons should think of any attempts to compose them they might by a true view of the Disease judge of the Remedy proper to heal it And truly 'till these Corruptions be reform'd I see as yet little reason to hope for any concord in our practice tho' I would hope to see much greater in our mutual Affections 2. I take these to be abuses which the generality of the most judicious and learned as well as sober and charitable of the Conforming Clergy and Laity are sensible of and would readily concur in their desires and endeavours to reform if they had a fair opportunity for it so that I did not believe these Requests would be any matter of just offence to them nor do I yet find that they are And for the offence of any that would perpetuate our Divisions by keeping up those Corruptions that are the chief Engine of 'em because they are serviceable to their Secular Interest I think not my self much oblig'd to regard it The Glory of God and Concord of Christians are so much more valuable an Interest that we may justly pursue it tho' it should clash with the Humours the Ambition or Avarice of Men to which too many even of the Clergy have too long Sacrific'd the more precious Concernments both of the Churches Purity and Peace There are two things indeed which the Bishop Accuses those Requests of which I am concern'd to consider 1. That some of 'em are founded on most unjust Representations of their Practices and Principles which if truly Represented needs no Reformation as may appear saith he from his adding to Admon p. 171. and taking from our third and fourth Canons p. 179. And may farther appear in the 2d 3d 4th 7th 8th 11th 12th and 13th Requests Now I have review'd all these and can see no such unjuct Representations in ' em So that I think his Lordship had been more just if he had either never advanc'd this Charge against me or had taken the pains to prove it Particularly I cannot imagine wherein I have added to these two Canons in what I have cited of 'em or why I must be said to take from 'em because I only cite that part of 'em which my Discourse there led me to take notice of 2. He is pleas'd to insinuate That I give ill Language in those Requests and to that purpose faith That I expose the Kingdom and Protestant Inhabitants of it as again overspread with Swearing Profanation of the Lord's-Day Vncleanness Pride Luxury c. An Imputation saith he which I can by no means allow to be general there being I am perswaded by the goodness of God a manifest abatement of these in this Diocese Answ I should be glad to hear of such an Abatement of these Sins in his Diocese and doubt not if true that the Dissenting Ministers have been no way negligent to contribute towards it But if the Bishop deny the Truth of this Complaint concerning the generality of the Protestants of this Kingdom as 't is there deliver'd he sees with other eyes than any sober Person I have yet convers'd with For Swearing and Profanation of the Lord's-Day no good Man can converse in any part of the Kingdom without being a sorrowful Ear and Eye-witness of it Nor does there appear any considerable abatement of those other Crimes from what was before besides what the diminution of mens Estates have necessitated them to So that I cannot imagine what ill Language it should be to mention and lament the revival of these Vices and request all Ministers to concur in their endeavours to preserve or reclaim those under their care from ' em And I fear that the generality of Protestants among us need the loudest call we can give 'em to Repentance instead of such an undeserved Commendation as tends to perswade 'em there is not so great and general a necessity of it The common guilt is too great and too deeply aggravated to be either conceal'd or extenuated and deserves a fuller Description and a severer Reproof then I had then occasion for III. The third Allegation which the Bishop saith I use to take off the force of his Book is That he hath omitted to handle that part of the Worship of the establisht Church Admon p. 54. against which the Dissenters have the greatest Exception and particularly what refers to Baptism Answ I felt no such force in his Book