Church. Certainly, in this Refpect, our Constitution was very far preferable to yours.

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108. IV. Tho' We had Defects (and what Oburob in Earth is abfolutely Perfect?) yet we had none that made us unworthy to be reckoned a found part of the One Church Catholick; none that made it Dangerous to continue in Communion with us. Our greateft Defect (fo far, at leaft, as at prefent I can think on) was, that we wanted a Liturgy, and the beft Reason that can be affign'd for our wanting One, was our Tenderness of you, who reckon of fuch a want, as no Defect but a Perfection: We were willing to continue under fuch an Inconvenience, rather than fright you from us.

109. V. We had no Sinful Terms of Communion; you might have continued with us without being obliged to fwallow down any thing that was Poyfonous. We did not require of you, no not in Order to Minifterial Communion (as now you do of us) that you fhould Profefs a particular and peremptory Belief of every Propofition contain'd in our Confeffion of Faith, which we had from our Reformers, and which is on many accounts preferable to yours. We did not oblige you to joyn with us in any Corrupt Worship; our Worship cou'd not be charged with having any thing Idolatrous or Superftitious, Immoral or Unchriftian, in it. Many Intelligent People a live have been frequently at both Worships, Yours and Ours; and I hope, fuch of them as are Impartial and Ingenuous will readily acknow

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acknowledge that our Publick Devotions were as Pure, and Holy, and Chriftian, and Grave, and Well-digefted as yours are. Set Forms we had but Few, and these Few ufed in all other Churches. Ceremonies we had none; no Church on Earth has, no Church ever had lefs of Pomp and Gaudinefs, or more of Plainnefs. and Simplicity; our Excefs, if we had any, lay this, not that way. Who can contrive Terms of Communion, Smoother, Eafier, lefs liable to Exception? And then,

110. VI. As our Faith, our Worship, and our Government were truly Pure and Catholick, fo we had One other moft amiable Mark of a True Chriftian Communion; we had no Schif matical Principles, no Principles that tended to Form or Fofter Divifions: For making a found part of the One Church Catholick, 'tis as neceffary that a Particular Church's Principles be fuch as may Encourage Catholick Unity; as 'tis that her Faith be Sound, or her Worfhip Pure, or her Government Unchallengeable; and (bleffed be God for it) when you Separated from us, we had no Dividing Principles: So far as we might do it without Sin, we were for entertaining Communion with all other Particular Churches, all the World over. We were not for breaking the Peace of the One Body of Chrift, for Trifles, for Maggots, for Handfuls of Moonshine, for Matters of none or little Moment. We could have willingly continued in Communion even with the Church of Rome, if, by requiring Sinful Terms us, fhe had not forced us from her: Let

of

her

her Purge her felf of thofe Corruptions which Defile her Communion, and we are ftill ready by Principle to hold Communion with her as a Sifter Church; and no Law of God, no Principle of Catholick Communion obliges us to more: We did not think, as many have done, that we cannot Separate far enough from her; I mean, that we are not Right if we Run not into a direct oppofition to her, even in things not neceffary: No, we did not, we do not like that Principle; it feems to have too much of the fenfuality of Schifm, and too little of the Unitive Spirit of the Gofpel in it: We are forry that she should keep at fuch a diftance from us. On Condition fhe wou'd be at Peace with us, we cou'd heartily comply with every thing that's Innocent. In short, our Arms are stretched out to Embrace as our Chriftian Brethren, and we are ready to Communicate with all those who are willing to Profefs the Faith, and joyn in the Worship, and fubmit to the Government which obtain'd in the Catholick Church, during the firft Four Centuries; with all fuch we are forward to Unite, we are earneft to give them the Right hand of Fellowship, and hold Communion with them. Nothing grieves us more than the Divifions of Chriftendom: To conclude,

III. 7. Our Communion, when you Separated from us, was fuch as cou'd not but be owned to be a Lawful one, by all thofe Proteftant Churches which approve of the Communion of the Church of England; even

to your felves, 'twas liable to fewer Exceptions; and 'tis Certain your Brethren, the English Prefbyterians (if we may take their word for it) wou'd have complyed with it, and continued in it. And, which is yet our greater Comfort, our Communion was fuch, as we have no manner of reafon to doubt, wou'd have readily been own'd for a True, Lawful, Orthodox, Chriftian Communion by the Catholick Church, in the Days of the 1. Council of Nice, and upwards to the Days of the Apostles.

Lay thefe Things together, Sir, and confider them without Partiality and Prejudice, weigh them in a juft Ballance; and then fay, if you dare, that your Separation was not Cauflefs.

I have only One Thing more to add before I end this Letter: I wish you had either foreborn to hale the Admirable Mr. Dodwell into this little Scuffle between you and me; Or that, at leaft, you had treated a Perfon of fuch Merit, more Civilly and Honeftly, than you have done, p. 12. l. 5, &c. I with you had not nam'd him with fuch Innuendo's of Contempt, and to bring only two Maim'd Sentences of his, without fo much as once taking Notice of the Principles they were founded on, has very little of the Air of Fair Dealing. Come, Sir, Gird on your Armour, and take to Task only Two of his Books, his Separation of Churches from Epifcopal Government, as Practifed by the prefent Nonconformifts proved Schifmatical, and that which you

have

have nam d, his Difcourfe of One Altar and One Priesthood, in which Two you have his Principles fully and plainly Digefted. Confute them folidly, Rout them throughly, and then Laugh as long as you lift at his Inferences; by doing fo you'll exceedingly Honour your Chair, and do an Extraordinary Service to your Party.

I ask your Pardon for the Length of this Letter, the Subject was fuch as that I could hot quicklier get Rid of it.

LETTER IV.

SIR 1. TN Two former Letters, I have endeaI voured to Justify my Cenfure of the first Thing I took Notice of in in your Sermon. I am now to try how you have Vindicated the Second, which was, That the Opinion of thofe who maintain fuch a neceffity of Epifcopal Ordination as Nullifies the Miniftry and all the Ordinances difpenfed by fuch who want it, is an Opinion that fhould not be Tolerated in any Proteftant

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