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Council defines, that, If any Prefbyter or Deacon, contemning his own Bishop, "fhall feparate from the Church, and, by himself, hold Affemblies and rear another Altar, refufing to obey, his Bifhop once

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and again calling for his Obedience; He "fhall be Depofed, and fhall never be Re"ftored to his Honour, &c. This Canon was "read by Aetius the Arch Deacon, in the 4th

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Action of the Great Council of Chalcedon (Anno 451) confifting of 630 Bishops, who all cried out, This is a fuft Rule: This is the Rule of our Holy Fathers. The 7th Canon of the Synod of Laodicea ( Anno. 367) "Orders "those who return from any Herefy, fuch

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as the Novatian, the Photinian, &c. before "their Reception into the Communion of "the Church, to Anathematize all Herefies, "and particularly that they had been of. "The 9th forbids the Faithful to enter into "the Óratories of Hereticks for any Reli

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gious Office, under the pain of Excom"munication. The 31 makes it unlawful "fo much as to Marry with Hereticks. The 32d forbids to receive the iuλyou of "Hereticks, they being aλoyix Curfes, ἀλογία "rather than Aoyiau, Benedictions. The 33d fays, we muft neither Pray with He"reticks nor Schifmaticks. I might have cited many more fuch Canons. But I have named thefe only, because they were either in Force before, or made much about the time of the Union you pretend (tho' without ground) was made between the Catholicks and the Novatians.

52. Sir,

52. Sir, I cannot forefee any thing you can pretend for avoiding the Force of the Canons I have cited, unless it be that they are generally levell'd_against holding Communion with Hereticks. But I am hopeful your skill in fuch matters, joyn'd with your Candour, will not allow you fo to Trifle. Befides that more than One or Two of them are plainly, and in terminis, levell'd against all Separatists from the One Catholick Communion; you may remember I have already told you that the Original Word αιρετικός fignifies nothing more properly than Schif matick or Separatift; And that in antient times the words Heretick and Schifmatick, as well as Herefy and Schifm, were indifcriminately us'd, as being of the fame fignification. This might be largely prov'd, but 'tis needlefs Take one Evidence for all. 'Tis the fenfe of the fecond General Council, the Council of Conftantinople, holden An. 381. having decreed that Hereticks must not be allow'd to be Accufers of Orthodox Bifhops, Canon 6th, to make their Meaning as plain and diftinct as they can, they define what they mean by the Term Hereticks: Thus, Angelina's λéyquer, &c. We call not only thofe who long ago were out-law'd by the Church, or thofe whom we our felves have afterwards Anathematiz'd: But thefe, alfo, who pretending to profefs the True Faith, have feparated, and fet up Affemblies, in Oppofition to Canonical Bishops, Hereticks. And you may obferve the name Hereticks, beftowed by the Fathers of the Sy

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nod of Laodicea, Canon 7th, juft now mentioned, on the Novatians, as well as on the Photinians. By this time, 'tis clear, I hope, enough, that, had the Conftantinopolitan Catholicks, in thofe days of Perfecution, United in Worship, with the Schifinatical Novatians, continuing in their Schifm, They had gone Counter to the Received Principles of the Catholick Church, Indeed,

53. II. Their Practice had been inconfiftent with the Fundamental Principles of One Communion, fo much already infifted on. If we take our Meafures from what hath been faid concerning the One Body of Chrift, and the One and Only Cement that makes it one Body, Nothing can be more Abfurd than to fay, 'tis lawful to hold Communion with Schifmaticks continuing in their Schifm. 'Tis to make it lawful to drop the one Salutary Communion of the one Catholick Church, and joyn in a Communion that's oppofite to it. Indeed the Abfurdity of doing fo was the very foot on which all the Fathers, in both their private Writings, and their Conciliary Definitions, reckon❜d it fo unlawful to hold communion with Schifmaticks. Many of them thought Schifmatical Communions fo far from being true Chriftian Communions, that they did not own the Validity of Baptifms perform'd in Schifm. They did all fo Unanimously condemn mixing with fuch Communions, that I dare confidently affirm Vincentius's Rule, Quod ab omnibus, quod ubique, quod femper, &c. was never more exactly exemplified in any other

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Inftance. So much for your first Precedent,

54. Your Second, you deliver (p. 11.) in thefe words; The Donatifts united by Fraternal Accommodation, and not by Submiffion. Sir, I am to learn how this, tho' granted to be true, (which you cannot prove) can do you any Service. Our Queftion, you know, is, Whether it be lawful to Communicate with Schifmaticks continuing in their Schifm? Had you prov'd that the Catholicks threw up their own, and went over to the Donatiftick Communion, you had indeed had fomething like a Precedent for your fide of the Queftion: But fo long as it is certain that the Throwing up was on the Donatiftick fide, that none of them were United with, but thofe who left their Schifm; what matters it, whether they United by Fraternal Accommodation, or by Submiffion? Befides,

55. This Precedent is no ways applicable to our prefent cafe. Let it be fuppofed that we ftand for the Donatifts,and you, for the Catholick Chriftians, and I afk, where have you made Propofals for an Union on the foot of Fra. ternal Accommodation? To be fure, not in your Terms of Affumption, An. 1694. For, there, (as has been fhewn in my laft) you require more than an Ordinary Submiffion. Let it be fuppofed on the other hand, that Tou are the Schifmaticks, and We the Catholicks, and you cannot pretend to be in fuch circumftances for a Fraternal Accommodation, as the Donatifts were in. The Donatifts had Bishops: you'll have none. By their having Bishops, the Catbolicks own'd they had Valid Ordinations; you know, 'tis

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very much doubted if this is your cafe. In deed, Sir,

56. This your Precedent, when duly condered, muft make very much against you: For the plain Truth is, tho' the Catholicks, being acted by the Genuine Spirit of Chriftianity, were moft Earneft and Induftrious to have true Chriftian Peace reftored, and One Communion recovered; tho' for this end, they Addreffed to the Imperial Power; and obtained that a Conference fhould be had at Carthage between themselves and the Donatifts, An. 411. Tho' in that Conference (as is to be feen in the Tranfactions of the firft day, Number XVI. and in St. Auguftine's Breviculum) they offered all the condefcenfions, to the Donatifts, which the keeneft Ardours for Union, which could confift with Reason and Catholick Principles, could prompt Men to offer; tho' they gave all poffible Demonftration that it could not be their Fault if an Union fucceeded not: Yet, nothing in the Hiftories of those times more evident than that, fo long as the Donatifts continued in their Schifm, and refused to come over to the Catholick Communion, the Catholicks wou'd by no means communicate with them. And for this their ftanding off, they always infifted on the very fame Principles I have infifted on, and accounted for. I proceed, now,

57. III. To fhew the Grounds on which I charge you with the Guilt of Schifm. Sir, I aim heartily forry that I fhould have any Ground for laying this Guilt at your Door. A

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