not understand one Word, and therefore cannot give Attention to it? And these are the greatest w Number, viz. of the common People, who cannot read, and fo cannot carry private Books of Devotion with them. Tho if they did, it would « not be joining with the Priest, nor could these be call'd common Prayer, which are offer'd up with one Accord, purfuant to Saint Chryfoftom's Prayer, # with which our daily publick Prayers do conclude, pag. 191, «

L. Sr, tho a Man were both Deaf and Blind, and could fay nothing but the Lord's Prayer, yet the conftant Repeating of that Prayer in Union with the Prayers of the Congregation is truly Praying with one Accord in the Judgment of any Man, that has not abjured common Sense; For 'tis the Prayer of the Heart, that God regards, and the Heart of fuch a one is as much United in Devotion with the whole Affembly, as if he repeated the fame Prayers Jitterally with them. This, Sr, anfwers your curioas Obfervation concerning thofe in our Communion who cannot read: whom by an Hyperbole of a more than ordinary Size you have render'd at least fifty to one more numerous than they really are.

As to what you have quoted from Suarez, I may reasonably prefume his meaning is either; that in voluntary Diffipations of the Mind (during which no Man thinks of what he peaks) do not hinder the Ef fect or Fruit of Prayer; and this is the Doctrine of all spiritual Writers; or that the Mind may be raised to God, and by Confequence perform the effential Duty of Prayer, without an actual Attention to the Words that are pronounced. And do's this deserve to be ridiculed with your fenfelefs common Topic of opus Operatum? Is this Praying like a Parrot, or like thofe, who are Talking of Bufineß, or Chatting

5.52. of News, who only deferve to be driven out of the Church? However I fuppofe you intended this for a charitable Infinuation to all good Proteftants, that this is the common Way of Praying amongst Papifts: for which I return you my moft hearty Thanks; and fo take my Leave of you, fince we have now gone through all the Points difputed between the two Churches.

1.G. I hope, My Lord, we shall one Day meet together in the Unity of Faith.

L. I heartily wish the fame. But then it must be in the Faith of that One, Holy, Catholick, and ApofBolick Church; which St Paul calls the Pillar and Ground of Truth. 1. Tim. 3. v. 15. to which Chrift has promifed his perpetual Affiftance. Math. 28. ✨. 20. and against which the Gates of Hell will never prevail. Math. 16. 7. 16. For this is the Church establish'd by Chrift to be our Guide to Heaven; and he, who will not follow this Guide, runs into everlafting Perdition, and will have his Portion with Heathens and Publicans. Math. 18. v. 17.

FINI S

) 21

"

THE POSTSCRIPT.

CONTAINING SOME REMARKS upon the Gentleman's Conclufion in the former Converfation.

H

AVING follow'd the Gentleman Step by Step for a hundred and ninety one Pages, I did not think my felf bound to continue the Converfation any longer. For the Difpute in the Gentleman's Cafe ftated ends page 191. and the twenty laft Pages contain little more than a Recapitulation of what he has faid against the Pope's Supremacy, the Church's Unity, and in Defence of private Judgment against the Authority of the Church. To speak pro perly, the main Subject of those twenty Pages is a triumphant Recital of the great Feats the Gentleman has done. He appears big with the Success of his Performance, and gives himself the Airs of a Conqueror returning loaden with the Spoils of a Vanquish'd Foe whilft his Lordship is remarkable for nothing but his stupid Silence, and might, for ought I know, have been condemn'd to be prefs'd to Death for a Mute, were it not for about half a Dozen Lines of Nonsense utter'd by him in the whole twenty Pages. I may indeed juftiy compare him to a Criminal conscious of his Guilt, standing at the Bar with Eyes caft down to the Ground, whilft the Judge is Summing up the Evidence against him, and giving Directions to the jury to bring in their

Verdict. Nay we have nothing less than the Gemleman's own Word to affure us (and the Word of a Gentleman will furely not be queftion'd) that he has all the Fathers on his Side against the Pope's Supremacy, and all the Reason in the World on his Side againft fubmitting to the Authority of the Church. He reminds his Lordship of his having proved this and ha, and the Lord knows what. He has put fuch an Thing out of all Difputes and made other Things plain to a Demonftration. And what then had his Lordship elfe to do but to fubmit to his hard Fate with a refpectful Silence! I shall however venture to make fome Remarks upon this Piece, which the Gentleman introduces in the following Manner. And now, My Lord, upon the whole, if the Advantage do's not seem to your Lordship to lye on our Side in all the particulars before mention'd › yer can you have any Doubt of the Safety of your Soul in our Way? Since all our Danger is in Omitting fome Things that might be profitable, but cannot be call'd necessary. Whereas if the Error lies of your Side, you are involved in manifold Superftitions, and of Adding so, and substracting from the Word of God. p. 191.

192.

Here the Gentleman either speaks of Particulars relating to Faith, or Difcipline only (for he is a great Dealer in double Meanings) if he speaks of the former, his Question how his Lordship can have any Doubt of the Safety of his Soul in the Proteftant Way, anfwers itfelf. Because his Lordship has already inform'd him, that the Belief of all Articles of Faith is neceffary to Salvation, when they are duly propofed by the Church. And he is fure that many of the Articles denied by the Gentleman are of this Na

Ture.

But if he speaks of Matters of Difcipline only, sho they be not in themselves necessary to Salvation,

yet

yet Obedience to the Commands of the Church even in Things that are of themselves indifferent is neceffary to Salvation, as his Lordship has fully shew'd in his Anfwer to the Gentleman's preliminary Quef

tions in the Introduction.

Let us fuppofe a Puritan should argue thus against the Gentleman in his own Language. Baptizing with the Sign of the Croß, Ufing the Common Prayer-book, and keeping holy Days for Saints and Angels, &c. may be profitable, but cannot be call'd neceffary: whereas if the Error lies on your Side, you are involved in manifold Superftitions, by Adding to the Word of God. Suppofe, I fay, a Puritan should argue thus against the Gentleman, he would either be put to a Non-plus, or forced to give him this Popish Answer; that the Church is wife enough to regulate her own Difcipline. That her Children are bound in Confcience to conform to it. That Schifmn is a moft grevious Sin, and to break Communion under Pretence of Understanding Scriptures better than the Church is but Adding Prefumption to Difobedience, This I think would be a folid Answer to the Puritan, and the Gentleman is de fired to accept of this Anfwer as abundantly fufficient for all Objections he can make against Communion in one kind, the Liturgy in Latin, the single Life of the Clergy, the Use of Images in our Churches, of the Sign of the Croß, of holy Water, Benedictions, &c. All thefe being purely Mat ters of Difcipline.

But fuppofe an Arian should take the Advantage of the Gentleman's Argument, and retort it thus upon him. All our Danger is in Omitting Confubftantiality, the Belief whereof is not neceffary. Whereas if the Error lies on your Side, you are involved in manifeft Blafphemy and Idolatry. I leave the Gentleman to confider, what Anfwer he would give; and whether his Anfwer would not be a Cap to fit his own Block, II. Part..