ing and ftrife. But while they treated the Puritans with so great rigor and feverity, they dealt most gently and tenderly with those who were led away with the puny, and almoft harmless mistakes of the Papifts; as we may fee by another Canon of the fame Synod. "Every Minifter being a preacher, and having any popish recufant or recufants "in his parish, and thought fit by the Bishop of the "Diocefs, fhall labour diligently with them from time to "time, thereby to reclaim them from their errors. And "if he be no preacher, or not fuch a preacher, then he "fhall procure, if he can poffibly, fome that are preachers fo qualify'd, to take pains with them for that purpose. "If he can procure none, then he fhall inform the Bishop "of the Diocefs thereof; who fhall not only appoint fome દર neighbouring preacher, or preachers adjoining, to take "that labour upon them, but himself alfo (as his important "affairs will permit him) fhall ufe his beft endeavours, by inftruction, perfwafion, and all good means he can devife, to reclaim both them and all other within his "Diocefs fo affected."* I am far from difliking the Canon ; but I think we had as much reason as the Papifts to expect fuch gentle usage. But let us now return to our Author: If men live in any notorious fin, they are to be kept from the holy Sacrament. He fhould have added too from the xxvii Canon: "If any "will not kneel in receiving the Sacrament, or are "common and notorious depravers of their rites and cere"monies, or any thing contain'd in the Articles. And how they are to be kept from the Sacrament, I fhew'd before. All Perfons of a fufficient age, [that is, the age of fixteen] who do not communicate at Eafter, fhall be cited into the Spiritual Court, to be punish'd for neglecting their Chriftian duty. This piece of Difcipline is now laid afide; nor is any inquiry made into this matter fince the Toleration, which deliver'd the Diffenters from the clutches of the Chancellors, Apparitors, &c. And while fuch Difcipline was used, it gave great occafion for profaning the holy Sacrament. For profligate wretches then, out of the fear of punishment, went to the Sacrament, without any care to prepare themfelves, and to live according to the rules of our holy religion. I fay * Can. lxvi. I fay nothing of Churchwardens, because they are now, for the reafon juft mention'd, at little trouble to return the names of loofe and fcandalous livers into the Bishop's Court; where yet, for ought I can understand, the Bishop has not much to do. Now if the party accused be convicted of the crime before the judge, he is excommunicated, and not admitted to the Sacrament, or any communion in divine offices. There are now very few examples of this nature, tho' wickedness abounds every where. Crimes of a very high nature are punished with the greater excommunication, whereby the offender is cut off from commerce with Chriftians even in temporal affairs. So that the poor creatures muft neceffarily and miferably perish, if the orders of the Church were univerfally obferv'd in fuch cases; fince no one in the nation might fell them food, raiment, or any convenience whatever. If the excommunicated person obftinately perfifts for XL days, the King's writ fends him to prifon, where he is to continue till be makes fatisfaction for bis offence by Penance and humble fubmiffion. Our Adverfaries herein follow the bafe example of the Papists, who call in the aid of the fecular power, and fo inforce their ecclefiaftical cenfures. But this cannot feem ftrange, fince Dr. Nichols confirms for the most part what he fays upon this head by the Popifh Conftitutions, which were made before the Reformation. So that he has very highly applauded the Popish Difcipline, as well as that of the Church of England. Tis indeed the magiftrate's part to appoint penal ties for whatever is prejudicial to the commonwealth. But to caft men out of the Church, and deliver them to be punifh'd by the magiftrate, either for frivolous matters, or for fuch opinions as no way concern the ftate, is very unjuft, and as contrary as any thing can be to the Chriftian religion, and the mind of our Saviour, who would never have his religion fpread by these Mahometan methods. Befides, what advantage can be expected by fuch kind of punishments, but the extorting from offenders an hypocritical profeffion of repentance? And that is what Pastors fhould rather difcourage, than force men to. We are fo far from difliking the practice of requiring a public declaration of repentance from delinquents, that we hear *Pag. 349. Chap. XVI. the DISSENTERS. 283 heartily wish it were more frequent; but to have this turn'd into a money business, seems to me fhameful and fcandalous. But our Author acknowledges,. that so it is in the Church of England: Persons of a fuperior rank, whose bonor would fuffer by a public Penance, are allow'd to ransom themselves from the reproach of it, by a good round fum of money, to be beftow'd either upon the poor, or upon the buildings of the Church. If the cafe be as he fays, our Adverfaries are defervedly tax'd, as guilty of that refpect of perfons, which the Apoftle condemns, Jam. ii. 1, 2, 3, 4, 9. where Dr. Hammond and Dr. Whitby tell us, he has refpect to Confiftories for judicature. And by what authority of the primitive Church will they defend themselves in this practice? There is not a fyllable of pecuniary punishments in any antient Father. Ambrofe was ignorant of this cunning device of commutation of Penance, who, without regard to the honor of the Emperor Theodofius, turn'd him out of the Church, and forc'd him to confefs his fin publicly in the Church; if we may believe Sozomen, who relates the ftory. But the refpect to money is, in this cafe, greater than that to perfons. Whence, if a man has ready money to lay down, he may be fecure of an easy absolution. Which the Diffenters learnt by experience, in the perfecution that raged in the reigns of the two Brothers; when good round fums of money were squeez'd out of them, to be beftow'd upon the poor Judges of the Spiritual Courts, who then made hafte to be rich. But let us hear the reft: If there be any fraud or neglect in these things, 'tis owing to the corruption and knavery of mankind, which prevails more or less in all nations, notwithstanding the best laws that can be made to prevent it. Nay, but 'tis owing to the badnefs of the conftitution; infomuch that we must defpair of feeing any good Difcipline, as long as thefe ecclefiaftical Courts are continued. But no rational man will conclude from thence, that these are fufficient reafons for men to tear the Church to pieces, and quarrel with one another, as if they would mingle heaven and earth together. What the commonwealth is without putting the laws in execution, the fame is the Church without Difcipline; and no rational man will fet any great value upon fuch a Church. Nor are they to be accufed of Schifm, or tearing tearing the Church in pieces, who in this cafe feparate, but they who utterly ruin all Difcipline. Let us hear the furious Author of The Cafe of the Regale and the Pontificate, who thus feverely reflects upon his Brethren: "But if they would " truft to Chrift, and have faith in his promifes, and not "fear to execute the commiffion he has given to them, in "all fobriety and modefty, yet with courage and conftancy, "for the good of the fouls of men; and without doing of "which, they know, they confefs, that they cannot dif"charge that great truft as they ought to do, nor be true "to their mafter, nor to the fouls committed to their charge, many of whom they fee run headlong every day "to all deftruction and perdition, for want of that Difci"pline, which they dare not execute, only content them"felves to wifh every Afhwednesday, that it were reftor'd; "fend one poor longing wifh after it once a year, but "move neither hand nor foot towards it, &c."* Who then will find fault with our people for taking more care of their fouls? What rational man will blame our concern to preferve Difcipline? And fince the restoration thereof by the friends of the Hierarchy feems a thing to be utterly defpair'd of, it would be the prudenteft part for all those, whether Minifters or people, who earnestly long for it, to come over to our fide. The CONCLUSION. UR Author here, in the Conclufion of his work, lets us know his own opinion of it; and what he imagin'd many others, not only among the Diffenters, but the Churchmen, would judge of it. I fuppofe, fays he, by this time I have faid enough in defence of our Church, tho' far fhort of what it deferves. Yet I am afraid I have not fatisfied many, both of our own, and the contrary part, who are too much under the influence of prejudice. Whether he has faid enough in defence of his Church, or less than it deferves, is refer'd to the judgment of all men of candour, who hall perufe this our Answer. What the judgment of his own fide will prove concerning it, is not my bufinefs to inquire. But 'tis worth while to take 285 take notice of the reafon he gives, why he thought we fhould not much approve his performance. I expect, fays he, war from the heated Nonconformists, because I have expos'd the wild freaks of their predeceffors, and taken off the foul reproaches which they have caft upon our Church. There is no great reafon to wonder, if in the management of this controversy, hard words have been dropt on both fides. I could eafily produce, from the writings of the Epifcopal fide, much more fevere expreffions, than what have been used by any of our Authors. But to what purpose fhould I do it? We defire to difpute about the things themfelves, and not about mens characters. Hence I have generally pafs'd by whatever our Author has cited in his margin from our writers; not because I was afham'd of them, for I have defended the greatest part of their affertions, tho' without taking notice of their words; but because it feem'd to me to fignify little in the controverfy. But I defire our Brethren would guefs from Dr. Nichols, what kind of writings thofe are, which the High Church have publifh d against us. How is his own book fill'd with calumnies and reproaches, levell❜d not only against us, but against our Brethren abroad, whom he has chofen Judges in our controverfy? What then may be expected from thofe, whofe cenfure the Doctor expects upon the account of his moderation and gentleness? He has indeed fet out their temper to the life in what he fays next And I forefee at the fame time, that I fhall be attack'd in my quarters by fome of my own Brethren, because I have not been fevere enough upon the books and fermons of the prefent Nonconformifts, but, like a cowardly champion, have trampled upon the afbes of the dead. They will be ready to fay, I should have mufter'd up all the invidious or unwary fayings of the prefent Diffenters, with all the aggravations imaginable, in order to turn the indignation of the Queen and Parliament upon them. Nor shall Ieafily be forgiven by fome, for allowing that there are honest men among Nonconformists, and true lovers of piety; that many of their Preachers are men of great learning; that I applaud and extol fome of their fermons ; that if there be no other way for their admittance into the Church, rather than lose their joint labours with ours in the vineyard of Christ, I would willingly consent, that fome indifferent things, tho' venerable for their great antiquity, fould be either laid afide, or left to the choice of the Minifter, whether he will use them or not. You fee now, Reverend Brethren, the worthy Arbitrators and Judges of our controverly, what fpirits we have to deal with. For thus we find |