Church of England, I would think my self obliged to preferve my Right, and my Pofterity.

G."

Pray, My Lord, what is there in the Com» munion of the Church of England should make you >> think your Soul in Danger? Would there be any » Hazard of your Soul, if there were no Invocation

"

of Saints, that are Dead, in the publick Offices of » the Church: No Pictures or Images of God to be » feen there? No Elevation of the Hoft, which was » but of late Years brought into the Church? No Prayers for Souls out of Purgatory? If the publick Prayers were in the vulgar Tongue, and if the Sa»crament were given in both Kinds? For these are all » the differences you will find between your publick » Offices, and ours. pag. 2.

L. Sr, I must be very shortfighted to find no more. For first, I think Preaching is a Part of the publick Service of the Church: and there is fome difference between your Sermons and ours. For I never heard our Preachers either call the Pope Antichrift, or Catholicks Idolaters, or the Church of Rone the Whore of Babylon, Neither do we ever hear them tell their Congregation with Dr Tillotson, that Tranfubftantiation is a Controversy of downright Impudence against the plain Meaning of Scripture, and all the Senfes and Reafon of Mankind. Serm. 26. p. 297. Now, to deal plainly with you, I should think my Soul in Danger of Perishing eternally, if I communicated with a Church, that difperfes Libels from the very Pulpit, and preaches Calumnies instead of the Gospel.

But, fecondly, I think the Maß is a very fubftantial Part of our publick Office; and I find it not mention'd in your Queries. You speak indeed of the Elevation of the Host: But that is no Effentiai Part of the Maß; nor is it any Thing to the Purpose

whether it was brought in of late or of Old: tho in
Effect it is Ancienter than your Church by above
900 Years. But if the Church should think fit to
make an Alteration either in that, or any other Ce-
remony, as she may do if she pleafes, my Salvation
would be upon the fame Footing it is now. In like
Manner, if by the fame Authority no Pictures or
Images were feen in our Churches, if the publick
Prayers were in the Vulgar Tongue; and if there were
neither any Invocation of Saints, nor Prayers for the
Dead in the publick Liturgy; finally, if the Sacrament
were given in both Kinds, my Soul would be in no
Danger in the Communion of the Church of Rome.
Because thô her Difcipline would then be changed
her Faith would be the fame, it is now.

But my Salvation would certainly fuffer Ship-
十
wrack, if I should feparate myfelf from her Com-
munion (as the Church of England, and other reform'd
Churches did, and continue to do) by obftinately
Refufing to pay a refpectful Submiffion to the Dif
cipline eftablish'd by her. For I think it but reafo-
nable to allow the Church as much Authority to re-
gulate her own Difcipline, as the State has to make
it's own Laws. And therefore as thofe would be
look'd upon as Factious and Seditious Subjects, who
should difpute this Authority in the State, fo they de-
ferve no better Character, who impeach the Legif-
lative Power of the Church, or by refusing to submit
to it, become guilty of Schifm.

Pray, Sr, do not you argue thus against the Dif
fenters, when they rail at the Book of common Prayer,
or accufe you of Popery for Raptizing with the Sign
of the Croß, Kneeling at the Communion, and Using
many other Popish Ceremonies? And do you not
charge them with Schifm for Separating themselves
from your Church
Church upon
upon these, and other fuch Pre-

tences? Now Sr, I should be glad to know how the Diffenters can be guilty of Schifm in Separating themfelves from your Church, if the first English Refor mers were free from the Guilt of it, when they fe patated themselves from their Mother-Church, the Church of Rome in which they had received their Baptifm, whofe Faith they had profefs'd for many Years, and whofe Laws they were bound to obey as being Subjects and Members of that Church? And if they were Schifmaticks, who first went out of their Mother-Church, they who tread in the Footsteps of fuch Forefathers, and continue the Breach, they made, can be no better. This, Sr, is a fufficient Reason to think my Soul would be in Danger in the Communion of the Church of England, or any other Reform'd Church: and thus your Questions, which a Lutheran, or Calvinist, or Fanatick might have ask'd as well as yourself, are fully answer'd.

But let us now fuppofe, there were no more Difference between your publick Office and ours than you have mention'd, pray, Sr, is there no Difference between us in Articles of Faith? I heartily wish there were not. But I fear there is Difference enough to condemn any Man, that keeps wilfully, on the wrong Side of the Queftion. What do you think of Tranfubftantiation, of Infallibility, Supremacy, the Number of Sacraments, and several others? These furely are Questions of fomewhat greater Moment, than thofe about Pictures hanging in the Church, or what Sort of Language we are to fay our Prayers in. But I prefume they were not fo well calculated for a Jeft, or to laugh a Man out of his Religion.

G. My Lord, the Queftions, I have put to you, are fix in Number. The four firft are concerning Things no where enjoin'd by God, and yet you practife hem. The two last are concerning Things, he ha

Expresfly commanded, [viz. publick Prayers in the vulgar Tongue, and Communion in both Kinds] and yet you for bear, and forbid them. Our Worship is therefore purer, and more Orthodox than yours. Vind.

L. Sr, 'tis false, that publick Prayers in the vulgar Tongue, and Lay-Communion in both Kinds are commanded by God; as I shall demonftrate, when We come to treat of thofe Subjects by themselves, [2. Part. §. 39. 53. ] But, as to the four firft Queftions, which you fay are concerning Things no where enjoin'd by God, yet practifed by us; Pray, Sr, has the Church no Authority to ordain any Thing, but what God has exprefly enjoin'd? Has a Child no Obligation to obey his Parents but in Things, for which there is an exprefs Command of God? Is it lawful for Subjects to refufe Obedience to fuperiour Powers, unless they can prove their Commands from fome exprefs Text of Scripture? May Soldiers lawfully difobey their Officer, when he commands thema to march, or halt, or go upon an Attack, unless he can produce a Text of Scripture for it? Or has the Church less Authority than the State, or an Officer, or private Parent to require Obedience in Things, that are not expressly commanded by God?

Sr, I put these Questions to you to place before your Eyes the frivolousneß of yours, and convince you, that we are bound to do many Things, which God has not enjoin'd us by any exprefs Command, and that by Confequence my Soul may be in Danger by Refufing to obey the Authority, he has eftablish'd. Yet a certain Friend of yours has had the Weakness not only to cry up your Questions as unanswerable, but to Triumph in a very undecent Manner over his Adverfary, because he let them pafs without an Answer. Take this then for your final Answer, that, tho God has not enjoin'd' the

ges

Elevation of the Hoft, the Hanging of Pictures or Ima in the Church, &c. By any exprefs Command, it fuffices that he has commanded us to hear and obey the Church, and not raife Schisms by an obstinate Difobedience to her Laws. God has not enjoin'd you to baptize with the Sign of the Croß, and yet you prac ife ir: Neither has he commanded the Common Prayer-Book, and yet you use it. Suppofe then fome Phanatical Denter should put fuch Queftions as thefe to you. Would there be any Hazard of your Soul's Salvation, if you should baptize without the Sign of the Croß? If the Common Prayer-Book were not used in the publick Service? Or, if you laid afide the many Popish Ceremonies, you fill retain? Pray, Sr, would you think fuch Questions to be unanswerable? Nay would you not rather think them impertinent and frivolous? In short, Sr, it is my Judgment, that I cannot be faved, unless I keep in the Communion of the true Church.

» G. I prefume your Lordship means the Commu nion of the Church of Rome. pag. 2.

L. Sr, I mean the whole Church in Communion with the Church of Rome; whofe Bishop being the Succeffor of St Peter gives her the Authority and Jurifdiction of the Mother Church over all particular Churches, which compofe the great Body or Society of Men call'd in the Nicene Creed the One, Holy, Catholick, and Apostolick Church.