strength of the Church will abate whilst the number of Dissenters is so great Gross errors will prevail much while Dissenter is the common odious name of all and bad men will influence when the terms of union are so hard as to exclude the good Let the terms of peace be once such that wise and good men need not scruple and separation will grow so odious a name as will expose the guilty were the tolerable entertain'd how would love flourish and aâ—l be usefull to the Churches real interest shall we then provoke God to desert us by our quarrels and loose the very name of Protestant by contending for things that are of no use to us either as protestants or Christians The Kingdoms interest concurr's as an argument to it Where could be the policy of cutting off so considerable a part of the nation from servicableness to the state because they could not agree to some forms Which had no influence to make them good Christians or good Subjects Strange was the impression of the Clergy or some others that the fittest man must not serve the State if he scrupled the Cross in Baptism Tho I am no Errastian yet I cannot but perswade the Magigistrate not to interrupt trade harrase his Subjects keep his Treasures empty give his enemies the advantage of a discontented party tempt them to irregularities and dislikes of his Government and all this for some Oathes and Ceremonies valluable only as the outworks of excessive grandure or a distinguishing mark between them that fear an Oath and them that fear it too little May not we expect the Government to say in due time it can be no sin against God to take away those things which the lovers of them call indifferent and therefore cannot quarrel against the removall of nor seperate if they be removed It is not our interest to keep out so great a body of Dissenters whose compliance it is vain to expect when they suffered so many years testifying against them as sinful Let therefore the peace of the Church and prosperity of the State be provided for by things of more moment and less disputable 4. The terms that would be comprehensive of the most considerable part of Dissenters are neither difficult nor dangerous It was not peaceable or prudent Suggestion that every little change is fatal tho mens interest do not tempt them to make it so Must the body die if the hair or nails be par'd I will not dare to make proposals so unseasonably But I think it easy to demonstrate that no greater a change is needful than will consist with decency in worship restraint of fundamental errors the Churches peace and truest glory the Magistrates tranquil security and the just credit and power of the Clergy It s our temper or selfish respects not our differences which have kept us so long asunder Could we but stoop less than our Lord's example calls us to when he wash'd his Disciples feet the debates would soon be at an end Were we weaned from the love of Dominion which he expresly forbids and inspired with that love he declares so essential to his followers it were impossible for us to unchurch each other who can subscribe all the Articles of the Church of Ireland and all the Doctrinal Articles of the Church of England as we can and will do I might hope a little prudence which God seems about to furnish us all with could not fail to make us one in the mean while as fit means conducive to it let us attend to our more needful work valuing each others as Christian societies tho under some pardonable mistakes That God would shew all of us the pattern of his house and establish us in his truth is the prayer of him who longeth to see peace within the gates of Zion owneth all for Catholick members who are baptized visible Christians tho fixed in no particular Church and so not subject to any stated Pastors blesseth God for our reformation tho instruments might be culpable acknowledgeth all Christian societies to be Churches where the Word is truly preached and Sacraments administred by duly qualified Pastors tho a Canonical right be disputable so that no contradictory thing be added which dissolves their Church-state and dare not exclude from the Catholick Church forreign Protestants who reformed by God's word tho without the consent of the major part of a corrupt Clergy yea will not stake the Reformation in our Lands on a casting Vote in the Convocation but its correspondency to Christ's rules who alone is supreme Ruler in his house and by whose laws the fidelity of his Stewards and their actings is determined SIR I Have according to your desire perus'd D. Manby's Considerations and Mr. King's Answer and shall here give you my thoughts of them For the D's Considerations I never imagined the Protestant Cause in any danger by so weak an Assault If these be the strongest reasons he has to produce he seems to be as yet but a Novice in the Roman School and arriv'd no higher than the young fry of Missionarys whom the Fathers furnish with such Questions as these to accost ignorant people with There is nothing in that Paper but what more learned Champions for the Church of Rome have more plausibly urg'd and our Protestant Divines both at home and abroad as solidly refuted So that it seem'd to me a needless expence of time to repeat the Answers so often given to those Questions because Mr. M. was pleased to ask them over again And I should have been still of that mind if Mr. K's Answer had not alter'd my thoughts 'T is indeed judicious and clear enough wherever he defends the Church of England upon those principles which are common to her with other Reformed Churches but where his narrow affection to a Party has byast his judgment he has unhappily founded the justice of the Reformation on such principles as are only calculated for the vindication of the Church of England and what is much worse such as cast disingenuous Reflections upon the rest of the Reformed Churches I shall therefore in these Remarks suggest such truly Catholick Principles as justify all the Reformed Churches both as to their Reformation and their claim to be a true part of the Catholick Church which if I mistake not Mr. K's as well as Mr. M's Paper wouâ—d exclude some of them from for the Notions of the one as well as the other turn the Catholick Church into a Sect and are injurious to Christian Charity in its due extent tho not both in an equal degree And I undertake this the more willingly because 't is truly Catholick principles must cement the affections of Protestants and dispose them to as near an union in practice as can be expected under the unavoidable dâ—fferences of our Judgment about matters of less importance And in pursuance of this desiâ—n I shall follow the order of Mr. K's Answer who puts D. M's Paper into all the
of his Church The Major number of Pastors shou'd depose the Minor for doing their duty or without a just cause their doing so is a bold and wicked usurpation for which they may expect their Lord will call them to an account as he threatens the evil servant who unmindfull of his Lord 's coming begun to smite his fellow servants 24. Matth. 48 49 But for the innocent Pastors thus wrongfully deposed to disobey their usurping deposers is to obey Christ who never warranted them to desert their office and bâ—tray Souls because they are unjustly forbidden to do what his charter has made their duty 'T is therefore the unjust deposers are the Rebells against Christ and their usurpation is as if the Mayor of a County town shou'd without any orders from the King presume to turn out all the Mayors of the particular Corporations in that County at his own pleasure and I imagine the King wou'd in all probability take him for the Rebell who wou'd thus under pretence of his Authority usurp a power never given him and exercise it to the violation of his Charter and the Laws of the Land. This is the true state of the Case and Mr. K's mistakes about it are so palpable that 't is a wonder how a man of his judgment cou'd fall into them And I must needs add here that as the Dissenters were never the Bishops Subjects as they are any officers of Christ and Mr. K will never prove them to be so So they will be more afraid of submitting to their usurpation if they arrogate to themselves such an unlimited power of deposing his undoubted officers particular Church Bishops and claim a blind obedience to their deposing Sentence be it right or wrong And 't is but fidelity to our Lord to disown such palpable and dangerous usurpation The grounds then of Mr. K's principles being false they will not serve him to condemn the Presbyterian Ministers as either Schismaticks or Church-Rebels and the charge is likelier to faâ—l heavy on those that presum'd to suspend them against the known laws of Christ from whom they received their Commission Mr. K. very gravely takes for granted what he will never prove 1. That the Convocation are by the laws of Christ the Supreme Governours of all the Christians in England 2. That either the Convocation did justly according to the laws of Christ suspend the Nonconfâ—rming Ministers or that an absolute obedience was due to their Censure whether just or unjust 1. He takes it for granted That the Convocation are by the Laws of Christ the supreme Governours of all the Christians in England Does not Mr. K. know that the Divines of his own Church are not agrâ—ed about this matter The Reverend Dr. Stilling when posed by Mr. Baxter about this Quest Who was the Ecclesiastiâ—al governing Head of the Church of England as one body politick Uureas of Seper p 127 128. does very fairly deny that the Church of England has any such Head or Regent part nay denies the necessity of such an Head. So that according to him the Church of England can be no Politicall Church made up of a Governing and a governed part And consequently all the noise of it's Government Constitutions and Laws as such a politicall Church is at an end But now Mr. K. comes and tells us without Scruple That the supreme Government of our Church has always been in a National Councel or convocation of our Clergy If so I wou'd gladly know whether Mr. K does think that the laws or Canons of a Convocation wou'd obâ—ige the Consciences of all the Christians in England tho they were not enacted and ratified by the civill Authority If they wou'd nor 't is evident that the Church of England has no Ecclesiastical Head of Government because none that can make laws obligatory to all the Christians in England And so the Convocation are but the King 's Ecclesiastical Council which is indeed the true Notion of them to advise him what Laws he shall establish by civil Authority relating to Church Government If he say the Canons of the Coâ—vocation wou'd oblige whether the civil Authority ratified them or no I ask Quo jure All obligation to obey any Church-governors as such must arise from the command of Chrisâ— Now where has he commanded that in every Nation such a small part of the Clergy as our Convocation consists of shall be supreme Governours of all the rest When perhaps they are as unfit to represent the judgment of all the Pastors not to mention the people in England as â—he Council of Trent all the Churches in Euroâ—e I am confident besides the 2000 silenced Ministers the far greater part of the Conforming Clergy would never have consented to all the late excommunicating Canons had thâ—ir Vote been requir'd And the chief members of the Convocation are so far from being Christ's Officers that I despâ—ir thâ—ir ever defending the lawfulness and much more the divine r ghâ— of their Office against Mr. Baxter's Arguments in his forâ—said Treatise of Episcopacy Neither the light of nature nor general laws of Scripture wou d suggest such an Assâ—mbly as the governing Head of the Church of England A duly â—l cted Synod of Pastors in a Nation to endeavour the nearest Unity and Concord of the particular Churches as far as 't is to be expected on earth by their amicable consultations we grant to be most desirable and eligible wherever it may be had and the judgment of such a Synod should be comply'd with in all things not râ—pugnant to the word of God. But we cannot say so of an Assembly compos'd chiefly of men whose Office is not only an Usurpation but such as renders true Church-government impossible and whose interest and grandure inclines them to keep up the divisions and corruptions which they have made And to such a Convocation's being entrusted by Christ with the National Church-government which Mr. K. is pleased to assert I oppose the judgment of the truly learned Archbishop Vsher which he often profest to Mr. Baxter viz. That Church-Councils are not for Government but for Vnity Not as being in order of Government over the several Bishops but that by consultation they may know their duty more clearly and by agreement maintain Vnity and to that end they were anciently celebrated 2. Mr. K. takes it for granted also That either the Convocation did justly according to the laws of Christ suspend the Non-conforming Ministers or that those Ministers were bound however to obey their sentence whether right or wrong For the first If he will indeed prove their silencing to have been just i. e. that the Non-conforming Ministers were guilty of such male-administration as forfeited their office and warranted the Prelates by the laws of Christ to depose them I will assure him they will quit their office rather than rebel against Christ or any just deposing sentence of men But I have already prov'd the sentence to be unjust And
Repentance of others If any say the meaning of the Oath is only that they will never endeavour this by any sinful means or beyond their private sphere Why could not these necessary words be put in And that this dangerous sense was never intended by the Convocation is evident from the 7th Canon where they thus speak Whosoever shall hereafter affirm that the Government of the Church of England under his Majesty by Archbishops Bishops Deans Archdeacons and the rest that bear Office in the same is Antichristian or repugnant to the word of God let him be â—xcommunicate ipso facto and so continue till he repent and revoke such his wicked error They that thus suppos'd nothing in their Government repugnant to the word of God did without doubt intend to bind the inferiour Clergy from all attempts to alter it and so contriv'd this Oath that an Allegiance might be in these Nations sworn to the Bishops as well as the King. For the 3d. viz. Reordination The Divines of the Church of England generally own it unlawful and consequently the imposition of it supposes Ordination by Presbyters a Nullity For such therefore as were so ordain'd to consent to Reordination is to own the Nullity of their former Administrations and cast the basest slurr on a great part of the Reformed Ministry And this reminds me of a passage in the Preface to the Book of Ordination which acquaints us with the judgment of those that compos'd it Viz. And to this intent that these Orders be reverently esteem'd No man shall be accounted or taken for a lawful Priest in the Ch. of Engl. or be suffer'd to execute the Function except he be called according to this form or hath had formerly Episcopal Ordination And this we must profess our Assent and Consent to which he that can do and makes conscience of declaring nothing but what he really believes has either a large stock of ignorance or very little charity as will appear by what is said on the Head about Mission The Authors of that Preface cou'd not but foresee that such Declarations would effâ—ctually choke a great part of the Ministers in England and Ireland and 't is hard to imagine what other design they could have in requiring their Assent and Consent to such passages as these For the Oath of Canonical obedience viz. That the Priests or Deacons will reverently obey their Ordinary and other chief Ministers to whom is committed the Charge and Government over them I suppose 'T is meant of obedience to their Ordinary in what he prescribes agreably to the Canons which are the known Rule he governs by And so we should be obliged to read the sentence of excommunication against all that the Bishop or his Chancellor may according to those Canons excommunicate now he may excommunicate all Nonconformists And we that know them to be men of holy and blameless lives must swear to obey the Bishop by publishing his schismatical sentence I might have added several things more on this Head were it necessary I know some have told the world â—reely that in their Declaration of Assent c. they intend no more than to receive those Books as an Instrument of peace so that they will not preach against any thing contain'd in them as some subscribe even the Articles themselves To which I need only answer 1. It us'd to be acknowledg'd by Prot. Casuists as 't is largely asserted by Bishop Sanderson de Juram That to stretch the words of Laws Oaths and Promisâ—s to meanings different from their common use is sinful and a practice fitter for those that own the Doctrine of Equivocations c. than sincere Christians or good subjects Now if to Assent and Consent to all things contain'd in and prescrib'd by a Book be not an Assent to them as true and Consent to them as good or lawful 't is impossible to understand the sense of those two words And what might not a man in this lax sense declare his Assent and Consent to tho never so much against his judgment provided he did not think himself oblig'd to speak publickly against it That the Parliament never intended that lax sense appears hence That when the House of Lords added a Proviso that the Declaration in the Act of Uniformity should be understood but as obliging men to the use of the Book the House of Commons refus'd it at a Conference about it and gave such reasons against that sense and Proviso to the Lords upon which they acquiesc'd and cast it out 2. Whatever meaning be put on the forementioned declarations and oaths None can exercise his Ministry in the Church of England without denying the priviledges of Christianity to those that have a right to them and without quiting an essential part of his office as Pastor of a particular Church or incurring the danger of suspension for doing otherwise And the Ministers of Christ must not put themselves under such a necâ—ssity of acting uncharitably and schismatically towards his true Members nor thus wiâ—fully maim and deprave their Pastoral office I appeal then to the Judgment of all Whether if these conditions of the Ministry be sinful That Law be just that shall enjoyn them and make mens forswearing themselves necessary to the preaching of the Gospel I am very sorry Mr. K. and some of his Coat should so often necessitate their Brethren to harp on this ungrateful string They pay too great a deference to the Laws of the Land to cast any needâ—ess Reflections on them But men ought not to bear silently the charge of Schism and Church Rebellion who are no way guilty of it Especially when their silence and neglect to vindicate themselves may tempt others who are not acquainted with their case to censure and hate them wrongfully as cloth'd with these odious characters I hope the precedent discourse has evidenc'd the charge to be undeserved and false And therefore whatever expressions seem to grate on the Laws must be imputed to the unhappy necessity put upon them to give a true representation of their case by the virulent accusations of their brethren from whom one wou'd think they might rather expect some pitty I doubt not but the moderate and charitable part of the Conforming Clergy have other apprehensions of their brethren and are asham'd of these passages in M. K's Answer But for those that approve the silencing Laws arraign their Brethren as Church-Rebels for not obeying them and condemn those societies that need and embrace their help meerly on that score as no parts of the Catholick Church even when they exclude not the Popish Churches It will appear I think from this Paper that their Arguments are not so strong as their Passion and a little more charity wou'd advance the reputation of their Intellectuals as well as Morals Such men may long exclaim against our divisions but their own principles and temper are the most insuperable obstacle to the healing of them Having considered the Questions
them their Office. Many of them try'd his remedy they represented these things to their Ecclesiastical Superiors as Luther to the Archbishop of Mentz and the Bishop of Brandenburg and the Pope himself But they soon learnt by dear experience how averse the Court of Rome was to any Reformation and how little it was to be expected from the Prelates who either had no will or no courage to attempt a Reformation against the will of the Pope Luther and all his followers in stead of prevailing with those that had the conduct of the Church were excommunicated as Hereticks Now according to Mr. K's principle these Reformers being censured and suspended by the Prelates to whom they were subject were discharged from the execution of their Office and should no more have made a Schism in the Church to regain it than one must make a Rebellion in the State to regain a Civil Office. And since they did not desert their Office but went on to preach against the Constitution of the Romish Church and the will of their Superiors the Popish Prelates they were no better than Schismaticks and Church-Rebels Nay if his Notion of the Catholick Church be true the people that separated from the Popish Prelates and adher'd to their excommunicated Pastors ceast to be members of the body of Christ And how great a part of the Reformed Churches and their Pastors fall under this heavy charge And will Mr. K. own all these unavoidable consequences upon mature deliberation What if we should once more have a Popish Convocation in England and these should restore the Romish Religion and suspend aâ—l the present Parish-Ministers whom Mr. K. thinks now lawful Pastors According to his Principle they being but Presbyters and the Bishops Subjects must not preach against the Constitution of the Church of England declaring her judgment by a Convocation in whom the supreme Government of the Church is lodg'd they must therefore cease their Ministry and no more make a Schism by the exercise of it than they must make a Rebellion in the State to regain a Civil Office. Nay to separate from such Governors of the Church of England will prove those that do it no Catholick members of the Church The same principles may be apply'd to the Arrians who got Imperial Councils and consequently the Government of the Imperial Church into their hands and for such Pastors as Athanasius to preach against Arrianism which was then the Doctrine of the Church was Schism and Church-Rebellion In a word According to these Principles 'T is in the power of a Convocation to damn many thousand souls by suspending an Orthodox and substituting a corrupt Ministry and for those Orthodox Pastors when suspended to endeavour their salvation by the exercise of their Ministry is to be Schismaticks and Church-Rebels And what is this less than to set up the will of such Church-Governors above the will and laws of Christ above the Salvation of Souls and above the Interest of Truth and Holiness Therefore 3. Let us examine the Grounds of this strange Assertion viz. Because there is a regular way for reforming abuses And for particular Presbyters to do it against the will of the Bishops whose Subjects they are is like reforming abuses in the state in spight of the King a remedy generally worse then the disease c. Answ 1. All that these reasons prove is that Reformation shou'd be first sought by humble addressing to our Superiors But Mr. K. plainly leaves it impossible if they refuse 2. They are founded on this wretched mistake that the Authority of Bishops in the Church does resemble that of a King in the State and so to reform abuses in the Church against their will is like reforming abuses in the State in spight of the King. Whereas t is Christ's Authority in the Church that does resemble the King 's in the State. And therefore if he wou'd rightly state the comparison it runs thus Christ the King of his Church requires all his Officers to preach the pure Doctrine and administer the pure institutions deliver'd in his Gospel which is his universal law Let us suppose there are in this or that particular part of the Church dangerous corruptions crept in The law of Christ obliges these his officers to disown them and reform them but the Major part of these will not but presume to silence those that do it according to his command Now the Quest is whether those that obey the command of Christ be the Rebells against him or those that neither will obey his commands themselves nor allow others to do so One wou'd think that such as refuse to reform and silence all that in their own place attempt it according to the tenour of their Commission are like to prove the Church Rebells But no doubt the Pastors of a Church may disown and excommunicate one that abuses his office to the perverting the Church and for him to continue to p rvert the Church by such male-administration is to Rebell against Christ and his laws The charge of Rebellion therefore must arise from the vioâ—ation of Christ's Authority not mens which the Major part of Pastors may be guilty of in a Nation as well as the lesser 3 He seems to confound a private and a publick Reformation 4. The Reason given why a Bishop or Presbyter when censur'd is discharg'd from his Office viz. Because to regain it is like making a Rebellion to regain a Civil Office does suppose two great mistakes 1. That the Ordainers give a Spiritual office in the Church as the King gives a Civil office in the State And this is no less a mistake then to set the Ordainers in the place of Christ T is his Charter gives the sacred office as the King 's does the Civil and the Ordainers do but for orders sake approve and ceremonially invest the person as the Recorder does the Mayor of a Town whom the Burghesses choose And herein Mr. K. seems to own that very error which is the ground of all Mr. M's impertinent Questions 2. He supposes that the Bishops who ordain Presbyters have equal power to depose them from their Ministerial office as the King has to take away a Civill Commission And thus p 27. he teâ—ls us That the present Dissenters were the Bishops subject accountable to them as their Superiors and liable to be discharg'd from their office and the benefits of the Communion of the Church by their Censure Whereas T is plain that it is the Charter of Christ gives the sacred office as the King 's does the Civil And as none can take a Civil Commission given by the King to any Subject but by the King's orders and Command So none can take away that spiritual Commission Christ has given any officer in his Church but by his orders But now he has given none leave or Authority to depose his officers but for evident Male-administration as preaching Heresie gross scandal c. And if in any part