Corinthians again, that fince they fought a Sign of Chrift Speaking in him, they should have it; for as for those who had either formerly or lately 2 Cor. 13.tranfgrefs'd, he affures them, that If he came a2, 3, 11. mong them he would not Spare. And he tells them this, and gives them all Warning, left when he hould come he should be obliged to ufe Sharpness, according to that Power which the Lord bad given him : Which yet, as he adds, was, Not to Deftruction, but to Edification. Now, if the Apostle in this Method of Proceeding fet a good Example; then our Lawful Spiritual Governors cannot be faulty if they follow it, and punifh Sinners with the fame Exactnefs as he did. And if that Advice given to Timothy and Titus, was good, that they should fuffer none to defpife them; we may fuppofe that, it thofe who are guilty of a Contempt fhould be fuffer'd to go fcot-free, it would encourage others to the fame Practice; and fo that Difcipline, which all the Separatifts from the Eftablish'd Church of England of what fort foever, acknowledge with one Coufent to be indifpenfably neceffary to the Well-Being of a Church falls to the Ground at once, or quickly dwindles into juft nothing.

And now, after what has been faid on this Subject, where's all that Perfecution;, which our Spiritual Guides have been fo deeply charged with? What Lands or Goods, what Lives or Eftates are they wont to feize on? Whofe Bodily Health do they impair or prejudice? What Fines do they levy upon Offenders? What Prifons do they confine Men to? Or whofe Wives or Children do they, as Spiritual Governors or by Spiritual Penalties, compel to beg their Bread? Tho Schifm, Herefy, Blafphemy, and all

manner

manner of Immoralities are great and crying Sins, and deferve the utmoft Severities; yet here is no Blood drawn, no Lives, no Limbs taken away: Nor is there any thing done in these Cafes by our Spiritual Governors, but what every one of the Diffenting Parties, as they have gotten any Power into their Hands, have been very forward to exercife upon the reft. And this they are all fo fenfible of, that all who are Men of Thought among them, if fairly ask'd the Queftion, will as freely declare, that they would much rather have the Legally-establish'd Church of England uppermost than any one Party among themselves; which is fo fair a Teftimony given to the Epifcopal Church by her Adverfaries, as fufficiently proves, that all the Diffenting Parties believe in their Confciences, that the genuine Principles of the Epifcopal Church are the most moderate, the most generous, the most charitable and the most truly Evangelical Principles in the World.

But to proceed: In what particular Actions of our Spiritual Superiors does this so much complain'd of Perfecution lie? Does it lie in citing Offenders, or fuppofed Offenders to appear before a Lawful Authority? If fummoning Perfons accus'd in a regular Way to appear before their Lawful Judges be Perfecution; then those who are really guilty of Fornication, Adultery, &c. may fairly plead the fame, for they are cited in the fame Forms, by the fame Authority, and to appear in the fame Court, as Hereticks and Schifmaticks are fummon'd to. Does this Perfecution confift in their being complain'd of or accus'd by thofe, who, by their Offices, are obliged to take Notice of their real or fuppos'd Miscarriages?

1

If the Perfecution lie there; then the most notorious, fcandalous and obftinate Sinners are perfecuted too, if they are complain'd of to fuch as have Power to punish them. Does it lie in that ferious Reproof and Admonition, which, upon their Appearance and Conviction, is given them? If fo, then every private Paftor, who adventures in God's Name to reprove the Sins of his Congregation, or who threatens them with God's Vengeance on Account of their Sins, and compaffionately admonishes them to prevent God's Wrath by a timely and an unfeigned Repentance, immediately commences a Perfecutor: For the Difcourfe, the Defign of it, and the Defign of him who makes it, are the fame, whether from the Chair or from the Pulpit. Does the Perfecution lie in being obliged to pay certain Fees to fuch Officers in the Court as are neither Presbyters nor Bifhops? If the Matter be fo, then every Defendant in an ordinary Law-Suit, tho' he get the better of his Adverfary, yet when he comes to pay his Council or Attorney's Fees is perfecuted, and the Counfellors, Attorneys, Juries and Judges, as being Occafional Caufes of thofe Expences, are all Perfecutors. Or laftly, does this terrible Perfecution begin then, when the Sentence of Excommunication is denounced by the lawfuay deputed Judge, against such as are, upon a fair Hearing, found to deferve it? That, indeed, feems to come nearest to Perfecution. But if that heavy Sentence be denounc'd only against Men of vicious and unchriftian Lives, or of a fcandalous and dangerous Behaviour with refpect to every Chriftian Society, few Men in their Wits, will think fuch Perfons ill us'd, at

all.

If this dreadful Sentence of Excommunication (for a dreadful Sentence it is, how little foever Atheistical Heads may value it) if it be pafs'd upon fuch as call themselves Chriftians in thefe Countries, who refufe to come to our publick lawful religious Affemblies, or to be Partakers of God's Holy Ordinances, thro' the Hands of their lawful Bishops and Paftors; fuch Perfons have the leaft reafon in the World to complain of it; for they effectually excommunicate themselves before; and if we perfecute them in that Cafe, we use them no more unkindly than they use themselves: And it can be no very harfh Dealing, to forbid those to enter into our worshiping Congregations, who had long fince refolved by themselves, that they never would come there. If our Spiritual Governors are Perfecutors in fuch Cafes; they themselves are Perfecutors, and that of themfelves; fince they voluntarily inflict the fame Penalty upon themselves which their Lawful Supeeriors never do, but with the utmost Reluctance and Tenderness.

But let it be farther impartially confider'd; Is it Cruelty in me to forbid that Man my House and Table, who, without any Injury receiv'd from me, had long fince abjur'd them both? Is it Unchriftian Perfecution to put a Bar to their joining with us in Religious Exercises, who always abfent themselves from them, because, as they fay, they are dead, unedifying, fuperftitious, idolatrous Adminiftrations? If this be Perfecution, then let me and every faithful Paftor or Bishop of the Chriftian Church be fuch Perfecutors and only fuch: Let us endeavour

with

with due Courage and Conftancy to purge the Flock of Chrift committed to our Charge from all fuch rotten Members, as only bring Scandal upon Religion and Confufion into the Church of God.

But let it be declar'd at laft, if it can be declared, where or when have the Spiritual Governors of the Epifcopal Church of England profecuted or punifh'd any for well-doing? The Troublers of our Ifrael to be fure will answer to this Demand; that to refuse to worship God in publick by the Book of Common-Prayer, to refufe to officiate in a white Surplice, or to join with them who do, to refufe Kneeling at the Lord's Supper, the Ufe of the Sign of the Crofs after Baptifm, &c. they'll fay, that to refuse to do, or to be concern'd in doing thefe Things, is to do well; that therefore, to pafs Sentence upon them for refufing thefe Things is to punish them for doing well: Now to this Plea, fay I, Let them but prove by Scripture fo interpreted as that it may be always agreeable to it felf, let them but prove by Scripture, that they who refufe to comply with the Prefcriptions of their lawful Superiors, do well in that Refufal; and we'll quickly yield the Caufe: We are all of Gamaliel's Mind, we defire not to be found among them who fight against God. In our Difputes with thofe of the Church of Rome, we ftill appeal to the fame great Umpire, The Written Word of God: And if by that fo interpreted as that it may be all of a Piece, thofe Things do not appear to be really finful which are required by that Church, and which have been rejected by our Reformers, and that beyond all Poffibility of Refutation; let the fiery Zealots of that Church