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A32880 Notes upon the Lord Bishop of Salisbury's four late discourses to the clergy of his diocess particularly upon the last, relating to the dissenters, in a letter to a friend. Chorlton, John, 1666-1705. 1695 (1695) Wing C3928; ESTC R21864 13,725 38

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Christ The only Separatist here then is He that is No Christian and any one with half an Eye may see to whose share the greatest part of Separatists of this sort will fall Secondly The Church of England may signifie the Christians of England as form'd into distinct Societies for the Worship of God and presential Communion with each other therein Now that the Dissenters are form'd into such worshipping Bodies and consequently not of this sort of Separatists is more visible then many would have it and therefore 't is undeniable they are a part of the Church of England in this Sense also The Separatist here then is he only that though he professeth Christianity doth not ordinarily worship God publickly or with an Assembly united to that End and of this sort of Separatists the Loose Devotees of the Titular Church of England are all that we know Thirdly The Church of England may signifie the Christian Congregations of England as united under the same Civil Government and submitting to it and the Separatists from the Church of England in this sense are chiefly the Jacobites the generality of whom are so far from belonging to the Dissenters that they arrogate to themselves the sole Honour of being the True Sons of the Church of England Yet here indeed it must be confess'd that though the Dissenters have approv'd themselves the fastest Friends to the Civil Government they are really separated from some very Considerable Advantages which it hath thought fit to bestow upon the prelatical Party for whereas the Dissenting Ministers and People enjoy no more than the bare Protection of the Civil Magistrate in their Religious Worship from the Rage of malignant Persecutors the Prelatists have a very considerable part of the profit of the Land assign'd them by Law for the Maintenance of their Ministry vastly exceeding in proportion what is left to the poor Layity The Clergy having a Tenth of the profits of the Land though 't is probable they are not one Man to a thousand All the Separation then that can be found under this Head among the Dissenting Clergy is a Separation from Tithes and Maintenance from Archbishopricks and Bishopricks from Deaneries and Archdeaconeries from Prebends and Parsonages from Masterships and Fellowships and from other such fat Benefices Our Layity too are chargeable with a Separation of this very kind they being separated from all Civil and Military Offices whether those of Justices or Mayors Sheriffs or Recorders Generals or Admirals Colonels or Captains or whatever other honourable or profitable Posts can be thought upon The Sacramental Test having secured all such places to the Members of a distinct Communion This Separation we doubt not but the Conformists though they are never like to be guilty of it themselves will have the Charity to pardon to us because it redounds so very much to their own Advantage Fourthly The Church of England may signifie the Christian Congregations of England thus united under one civil Government as agreeing or disagreeing with each other in Doctrine Church Goverment or Worship for there can be no Separation but that which is local and unavoidable to all farther than they differ in some one of these And here Sir you must own 1. As to Doctrine that the dissenting Ministers by their Subscriptions plainly shew there is no Separation on their part and indeed those that are acquainted with the preaching and writing on both sides will easily judge who keep closest to the doctrinal Articles The Separatists from the Church of England then in this sense are on the one hand the Socinians and Arminians by what Names or Titles soever dignifi'd or distinguisht and on the other hand the poor deluded Quakers and such like Enthusiasts 2. In the Business of Church Government the Dissenters are not asham'd to own a Separation rather do they think they should have great Cause to be asham'd of themselves and their Churches if herein they separated not from the prelatical Party The Dissenters say there 's a great deal of Reason why the power of Governing a Church should be vested in the same person that hath and exerciseth the power of Teaching and administring the Sacraments therein and who can this be but its proper Pastor who best knowing the Diseases of the People is therefore most fit to apply the Remedy The power of the Keys is certainly essential to the Office of a Gospel Minister and whoever ordains him to that Office must of necessity invest him therewith and though he should express a contrary Intention either that Act or the whole Ordination must be a Nullity Every Minister of Jesus Christ hath Authority from him to govern no less than to teach but through the Influence of the Ceremonious Party the Laws of the Land have debarr'd the Pastors of single Congregations in their own Communion from the Exercise of this Power and have made them miserable Vassals to the Hierarchy Here then our Separation is from the Prelates as Creatures impos'd upon the Church and ingrossing to themselves that power which belongs to the Pastor of every Congregation and which 't is naturally impossible duly to apply while it lodges in so few Hands And together with the Prelates the Dissenters acknowledge a Separation from Lay-Chancellors Officials Surrogates Proctors and the whole Gang of Spiritual Court-men whom they look upon as having no Authority from Jesus Christ but as the Spawn of a monstrous Prelacy and the most intolerable Grievance that the Nation this day groans under And as the Dissenters separate from the subjects of this Church-Government the Prelates Lay-Chancellors c. so also do they own a Separation from the Exercise of it as it proceeds from them and is manag'd by them Themselves in the Preface to the Commination acknowledge their want of a Godly Discipline and since they have the Front to own this Defect and never had the Grace to reform it in all the time that is run out since Edward the sixth's Reformation to septimo Gulielmi tertij it would be no less then High Treason against Jesus Christ the head of the Church not to disown and separate so far at least from this imperfect Church as to supply this want by a godly Discipline among our selves There is this further Disorder among them which will very much account for our Separation that whereas they distrust and dishonour the Ordinance of Excommunication by putting all their Confidence in the carnal Sword the Dissenters think the Discipline of Christ sufficient to its own End without such a Supplement as quite enervates the Virtue and obscures the Lustre of it This constrains them to separate from many of the prelatical Canons particularly from those wherein they Excommunicate Persons for saying That there is any thing in the Government of the Hierarchy or in their Articles or in the Book of the Common Prayer that is repugnant to the Word of God And above all the Dissenters hold themselves bound in