with them, they may find themfelves obliged to give him fuch Allowances as themselves would think equitable, were they in his Station; but all the reafon, and all the Religion in the World proclaim, that nothing but the Beft fhould be offered to God: Nothing but what is Pure and Reverent, Humble and Grave, Serious and Devout, Proper and Premeditated, Orderly and Well-digefted; nothing but what may become the meaneft of Subjects to offer, and the greatest Soveraigns to accept of. And then,

28. VII. While the Minifter Preaches, he is not my Mouth; he fhould indeed remember that he is the Mouth of God; that as a Preacher he fhou'd, from God's Word, deliver God's Will to his People: But then he is ftill a Frail Man, and he may forget or neglect his Duty; and inftead of the Mind of God he may deliver his own Miftakes, his own Imaginations; and if he do fo, he is anfwerable to God whom he Reprefents, or to his Ecclefiaftical Superiors for it, but in Praying 'tis quite another thing, there the Paftor is the Mouth of the People, he is our Mafter of Requefts. By neceffary Confequence 'tis always to be fuppofed that We the People are to joyn with him; 'tis in Our Names he Prays; they are Our Requests he offers up; this muft neceffarily give us a Right to judge of the Requefts he puts up; and if they are in any wife. Unrighteous or Immoral, in any wife Unchriftian and Unworthy to be Offered up to an infinitely Holy God; as we ought not to join

in

in them, fo we are bound to enter our Pro teftation against them: And how can this be fufficiently done, otherwife than by withdrawing from the Affembly wherein they are offered? We are bound, as we can, to fhew our Abhorrence of them; How can this be done fo long as we adhere to fuch a Paftor, or mix with fuch an Affembly? So long as we do not withdraw, we lie under the Sufpicion of being, if not Approvers of, yet, Connivers at fuch Polluted Devotions: Our withdrawing is neceffary to difcouragè fuch Difhonouring of God; to fhame the Blafphemous Paftor into a fenfe of his Guilt ; to teach others by our Example how careful they ought to be of the Divine Honour; and to preferve in our own Breafts, unweakned as well as unfupplanted, thofe awful and dutiful Impreffions of the Divine Purity, we ought always to entertain. To conclude,

29. VIII. Publick Affembly's are Inftituted for God's Honour and Paftors are or dain'd to prefide in the Affemblies, that none but due Reverences may be performed to the God of all Glory: Publick Affemblies, therefore, wherein, and Paftors by whom, God is Difhonoured, do cross the very Defign for which Affemblies are Inftituted, and Paftors are Ordain'd. And when this is done, I am not further obliged to be, or rather I am obliged no farther, no longer, to be a Mem ber of fuch Affemblies; or an Adherer to fuch Paftors. I might have faid much more; But this, methinks, is enough to be faid to your fecond Question. D 2 30. To

30. To your third Question, which is, What Church or Divine would justify fuch a Separation? The Anfwer is eafy from the preceding Principles. In fhort, what Orthodox Church, what Judicious Divine will not readily acknowledge that 'tis lawful to Separate from a Church when her Worship is Polluted? Hath not this always been one of the Chief Reasons Proteftant Divines have affigned for our Separation from the Church of Rome? Pollution in Worship is a Clearer, and a Distincter Reafon for juftifying a Separation than Error in Doctrine. Concerning many Doctrinal Propofitions it may be juftly doubted whether they are Erroneous or no. Even concerning Erroneous Propofitions (unless Subfcription to them is required as a Term of Communion) it ought to be enquired whether they are of fuch Confequence as that they may juftify a Separation. All Proteftant Divines have hitherto acknowledged, that it is not every Error in Doctrine that can justify dividing from a Church, and fetting up an oppofite Communion. This, you, your felf, own p. 4. 1. 1. &c. and p. 11. 1. 19. But it is far otherwife in Worship.

31. Every Petition, any wife Immoral, or Unrighteous, pollutes the publick Worship of a Church, and makes Communion in it finful. To pray to God, that he would patronize or profper Unrighteoufnefs, in any Inftance, profanes the publick Offices no lefs than praying to Angels or the Saints departed. I an fully fatisfied that to pray to either Saints or Angels

Angels is againft exprefs pofitive Law: But then it is difputable whether there is any more againft it but pofitive Law. It is dif putable, whether to pray to them be Intrinfically Evil: Whether it affronts the Divine Nature, or (abftracting from pofitive Law) it is inconfiftent with the Divine Sovereignty. God allows us to ask of our Fellow Chriftians in the Flesh, that they would interceed for us: How hard then, is it to say that it was not in Gods power to have made it, in fome Cafes, Law-. ful to have afked the fame of Angels, or Saints out of the Body? But to offer up Immoral, Impious, or Unrighteous Petitions to God himfelf, is moft Notorioufly to affront his Nature. It fuppofes that which is inconftent with his Effential Purity; That he is capable of being Unrighteous, or befriending Unrighteoufnefs. And whatfoever ftrikes against the Effential, Impartial, Unalterable Righteoufnefs of God, does equally ftrike against that which, in our way of conceiving Divine things, is founded on his Righteouf nefs, his Sovereign Prerogative. 32. If

you fhall object, that what I have faid makes the Terms of Communion in Worfhip too narrow, or too nice; or lays a Foundation for too much Division among Chriftians: I fhall only afk, How can true Chriftian Unity be founded on other than True Chriftian Principles? And, how can true Chriftian Unity be founded on true Chriftian Principles, if it is not founded on pure and holy Principles? If you fhall object, that what I D 3

have

have faid, feems fairly to import, that it will be no eafie matter to lay a folid Foundation for Communion in Worfhip, without a publick Liturgy; I fhall only afk, where is the Abfurdity? Why deny to folid Principles their juft and native Confequence? What could contribute more for the real Interefts of Christianity, than that all the Chriftian Churches in the World had fo much of the True Chriftian Spirit, as to unite in one common Liturgy, form'd on True Chriftian Principles, and free of all Pollutions? But for my prefent Bufinefs, 'tis enough to fay, That whether the publick Worfhip be regulated by a publick Liturgy; which, without doubt, is the fafeft way? Or, whether it be left to the private Management of every fingle Paftor, which has too much been our Scottish way? Whatever way it is perform'd, Communion in Worship is ill provided for, if every part of the Publick Worship is not truly Chriftian; if the fhorteft Petition in it is contrary to the Divine Purity, or to any Do. arine, Precept or Inftitution of our Lord Jefus Chrift. So much to your Questions.

63. One thing more remains to be confidered concerning this Argument about your Worship. I faid you had thruft out of the Publick Worship divers Things, which all other Proteftant Churches, and particularly our own Reformers, retain'd as very Valuable. I nam'd the Publick Reading of Scriptures, Our Lord's Prayer, the Doxology, and the Creed in Raptifm. To this you have fpoken, but, as I think, not fatisfyingly. For, 34. I