Divisions

"paration, they had made more Papifts than "all their Lives Times, and all their Pains, "could ever hope to recover." So Mr. Baxter, who knew the Matter well enough, declares in his Letter to Mr. Baghaw. Some tell us P. 1. Wonders of thofe extraordinary Means of Grace, which they enjoy in their feparate Congregations; but the fame Ferfon, Mr. Baxter, upon his own Experience, affures us, that the most felf-conceited Profeffours, who will not be Cure of ruled by their Minifters, are the Perfons who Church are most given to Divifion and Separation. Preface. Now, if thefe Things, openly confefs'd by a Perfon of fuch Eminence among those who feparate from the Church of England, are fo; (and every Day proves the Truth of what Mr. Baxter fo ingenuously declar'd ;) what must we conclude from hence, but that thofe, who withdraw themselves from the Communion of their lawful Paftors and Governors, either knowingly, or wilfully, or at leaft effectually, bring a continual Disgrace and Ignominy upon the Reformation, nay and upon all Religion in general?

For tell me, how can any of those who are our Enemies, ever be perfuaded, that we go upon found Principles, while we who all call our felves Proteftants, jar fo unreafonably among our felves? How can they imagine that we all aim at the fame glorious End, when they fee us travel fo many different Ways toward it? How can they dream that we fhould proceed fteadily in any thing, when they fee us go off from our Lawful Inftructors in religious Matters, or liften to one kind of Teachers to Day, and to ano

ther

ther to morrow? It is not only a Scripture
Maxim, but it is obvious even to Natural,
tho' much perverted, Reafon, that the double-
minded Man is unflable in all his Ways. What
Manner of Perfons then must thofe be, who
venerate any Religion for the Giddinefs of
thofe who profefs it? Did we the lawful Pres-
byters of the establish'd Church of England
preach any thing contrary to the Commands
of Almighty God, either implicitly or ex-
prefly, as many now-adays do, it would be
no Crime in them to defert us: But we are
now, and ever have been, willing to put our
Doctrine to the Teft: And as for thofe,
who, to render their own Cafes the more
plaufible, plead that they are agreed with
us in all Doctrinal Points, they cannot im-
plead us, but they muft at the fame. Time
condemn themselves. Well then, can the
Garb of the Preacher, the Gefture requir'd in
the Participation of a Divine Ordinance, one
Ceremony after a Sacrament, and that as
antient as Chriftianity it felf; can any of
thefe Things be fufficient Reafons for pro-
fefs'd Chriftians to defert their lawful Paftors
and Bishops, who are fet over them, not only
by Divine Inftitution, but by thofe very
Laws to which they have given Confent by
their own Reprefentatives? Can the Sign of
the Crofs make that Baptifm which has been
duly adminiftred, lefs a Sacrament, than it
would have been otherwife? Can it alter or
abate the Influence of the Words of Inftituti-
on, or the Promifes made to us in that Sa-
crament? Can Kneeling at the Lord's Supper,
make our Faith the lefs vigorous, our Repen-

tance

1

tance the lefs ferious, our Charity the lefs Catholick, or our Refolutions against Sin and Wickedness, the lefs hearty and fincere? Or must we, upon kneeling in the very Act of Prayer, immediately believe Tranfubftantiation? Again, Shall one of God's Priefts, who has a lawful Call, preach even in a F ol's Coat, or in a Beggar's Garb, would what he fo preaches, lofe any Thing of its real Weight and Truth? Would it be lefs powerful or convincing, or would not God's Bleffing go along with it, as well as if he preach'd in a Gown or Cloak? Oh! could we but once have Patience and Honefty enough to confider Things rightly, to try them by the true and infallible Standard of God's Word; how extreamly trifling, how ridiculous would the Pleas for Separation from our holy Mother the Church of England, appear at laft? What Man who had but any Share of common Senfe, a fmall Pittance of found and unprejudic'd Reason, would not be afham'd to deface and betray the moft glorious and Apoftolical Church in the known World for fuch Caufes? Surely thofe muft imagine themfelves capable of impofing ftrangely upon rational Creatures, who can hope that any fhould think the better of our Religion, or the more honourably of the Reformation for fuch unreasonable and unchriftian Practices, And yet this is moft certain, that as we are obliged to be tender of our own personal Credit and Reputation; as we are bound to protect and promote the good Character or honeft Fame of our Chriftian Brethren; fo we are much more ftrongly obliged to advance,

as

as far as we are able, the Repute and Honour of our common, our excellent Profeffion; to maintain it where it flourishes, to restore it where it is decay'd, that those who are on the contrary Part, may be afham'd, as having no evil Thing to fay of it, nor thofe in particular, of the Roman Synagogue, reap any farther Advantage by our deplorable Divifions.

2. Let it be confidered by all who are Chriftians indeed, (and fuch, I am fure, will confider it,) how much an obftinate Refusal to fubmit to the Doctrine and Discipline of lawful Bishops and Paftors, muft neceffarily contribute to the Encouragement of Popih, or any other Errors, Superftitions or Idolatry. No Man would willingly lie under the Imputation of fuch Guilt; but how heavy will the Charge lie, even against the most ignorant Creature, who contributes to fo great a Mifchief in Effect? It will not be enough, when we come before the dreadful Tribunal of our all-knowing Judge, to plead that we forfook this or the other of God's lawful Ambaffadors, because we had a particular Pique against him, or bore him an Ill-will; because we were difpleafed with thofe Doctrines he preach'd, tho' we could never prove that he had preach'd any thing difagreeable either to the Law or the Gofpel; or because he afferted and prov'd the Lawfulness of fome particular Forms and Ceremonies which we did not like of, tho' we could never prove them to be finful. It won't then be enough to plead that we acted purely by the Light of our own Confciences, when we broke Church Commu

nion, and tore the Seamless Robe of Chrift in Pieces for Reafons purely frivolous and infignificant; or that we aim'd only at greater Holinefs and Purity, and a Service more accep table to God when we forfook their Affemblies, who were regularly appointed by Chrift himself, for our Inftruction and Conduct in fuch a Service. Those who tell us of an erroneons Confcience, and that it does oblige those who are troubled with it, dare not maintain that fuch a Confcience when obey'd, can excuse the Perfon who obeys it either from Sin or Punishment. Those who affert that we ought to be holy and pure, and to endeavour to live fo, as we may be accepted of God, will not tell us, that every thing is holy and pure, and acceptable which we fancy to be fo. And do we feriously think, that the Unwillingness of our Miftakes, fince they really are Miftakes at laft, will attone for thofe real Sins, which we, by our Examples draw others into, or by our Examples encourage them in? Ill Examples, efpecially when given by them from whom better Things might have been rationally expected, have a ftrange Influence upon weak and unthinking People.

Nay, it may fo happen fometimes, that I may do a thing which may not only be innocent, but commendable, confidering my Station and Circumftances; which another who does not understand the Motives and Reafons upon which I acted, could not do, without being guilty of a grievous Sin. Thus it was an excellent Zeal in Phinehas, when he fo fuddenly executed Juftice upon Zimri and

Cozbi,