maticalSucceffors, to have been as good and valid as their own. But whatever Fault was committed here, by their being difmiffed from Epifcopal Jurifdictions in their feveral Dioceses,that lay all at the Door of the Civil Government. The Clergy in general mourn'd for it: Several purely out of Confcience, out of true and real Confcience, refus'd to accept of thofe Dignities which they knew thofe excellent Men were unjustly depriv'd of, and yet continued quietly in the Exercife of their own Functions, and in their lefs envy'd Stations. And why? Suppofing those put in their Places to have been Schifmatical Ufurpers; why fhould all thofe Reverend Prelates who fubmitted to the then Government upon fuch Reafons as were fatisfactory to themselves, be branded as Schifmaticks? Muft I commence a Schifmalick, only because I differ from fome of my Brethren in Points purely Political, tho' I conform entirely to all the Orders of the fame Church, worship God by the fame Liturgy, and acknowledge and affert the fame Church Government, and that only to be of Divine Right. The complying Bifhops thruft none of those who did not comply, out of their Sees; they never fet up Altar against Altar; they never impeach'd or rejected any Article of our Creed, nor took up any other Rule of Faith befide the Word of God: All their Fault was, that they were not as refolute Statesmen, as they were found Divines. Well, but tho' they were not Schifmaticks themselves, yet they held Communion with those Schifmatical Ufurpers, who had unlawfully enter'd upon their Sees. Well; but fuppofe they did not believe them to be Z 4 Intru Intruders, Ufurpers or Schifmaticks; fuppofe nothing was written by the fuffering Side, which could make that Matter fo clear as the Lawyers fay, a good Evidence ought to be; muft a Man prefently be a Schifmatick,because he has not Capacity enough to fathom the Bottom of every Argument? The Complying Bishops never broke Communion with the Noncomplyers: They often took fweet Counsel toge ther, and walk'd in the Houfe of God as Friends: The Non-Complyers broke thofe Friendly Meafures, and let the World fee they were but Men. But there were feveral who never did, nor would hold any Communion with thofe Bifhops who came into the Sees of fuch as were deprived, till every Man of thofe depriv'd was dead. No Matter for that; They held Communion with fuch as held Communion with Schifmaticks. At this Rate, indeed, it is hard to escape the Lafh of these rigid Difciplinarians. The Apoftle did not oblige his Corinthians, not to keep Company with the Fornicators of this World, because he knew it was impoffible to avoid it, unless they would go out of the World: He therefore would not have look'd upon every Man as a Fornicator, who had been in Company with a Fornicator, But fince Communion in Chrift's Inftitutions is neceffary to Salvation, and Perfons lawfully ordain'd, are always attending at God's Altars for this very Thing; would thefe Men have them neglect thofe Ordinances altogether, or come only to them for them, from all Parts, while they, by the Smalnefs of their Numbers, by concealing themselves and their Charact ers, ers, as far as they can, render conftant Communion with them impracticable? But now when thofe excellent Bishops were disabled as to exercifing Epifcopal Jurifdiction in their proper Diocefes, would they have had their poor Flocks, (fince they would not adventure to feed them themselves, not fo much as by Paftoral Letters,) would they have had them wander like Sheep without Shepherds If they did not believe themselves oblig'd to run themfelves upon the greateft Dangers, nay, upon the most cruel Deaths, rather than their Flocks fhould be ftarv'd or poifon'd, as it is plain they did not; then they had no more Reafon to condemn thofe of Schifm who took Care of them: And whatever the Perfonal Failures of any of them might be, yet they kept up the true Form of Church Government, and fed them with the fincere Food of holy Scriptures, found Articles drawn from thence, an excellent Liturgy, and fuch Homilies as may always ferve for an Antidote against all false Doctrines and the bold Suggeftions of Hereticks and Novices. In fhort, the Silence of the ejected Bishops for fo long a Time, the compleat Acquiefcence of fome of them in what the Civil Powers had done; the Brotherly Correfpondence which they held with thofe whofe Sentiments were very different from theirs, is a fufficient Proof that they did not then think their Brethren involv'd in a damnable Schifm, whatever Notions fome late appearing new Lights may have fill'd the weak Heads oftheir unthinking Followers with. But now, that thofe great Bifhops are all dead, and unable to vindicate themselves from thofe thofe falfe Imputations which their pretended Followers lay at their Doors; fome Fiery Spirits, but fick equally of Ignorance and vain Prefumption, take upon them to denounce all the prefent Legal Hierarchy of the Church of England involv'd in damnable Schifm; all their Adminiftrations null and void, nay and the Church to be no Church, nor any of the Members of it capable of Salvation, till fuch Time as they reconcile themselves to them, and acknowledge their Schifm, and be receiv'd as Penitents under their Difcipline, who are far enough from being atUnity among themselves; and tell them, that till this is done, according to their Prefcriptions, they are all excommunicated ipfo facto, and to be avoided as far as poffible by all Chriftians. As I muft confefs, I never thought it poffible, that any of thofe who had a true Sense of Religion could ever have fallen into fuch a Frenzy fo I know not whether I fhould look on their Management with more of Pity, or of Indignation; ity, to fee them imagine, that fuch BruteThunders fhould make any Impreffion upon Men of fober Principles; or Indiguation, that those who neither have, nor can have any Canonical Authority to cenfure those who were never under their Jurifdiction, should take upon them to declare them Schifmaticks, and as it were in their Power to act the Roman Pontiff's Part, and to lay all the three Kingdoms at once under an Interdict. As for their Pretence to an Excommunication, we hope it is not latâ Sententiâd,as the Canonifts call it: Their Principle of Unity, whoever he is, certainly would not carry his Extravagance fo far, or 7 if he fhould, it would deferve just as much Regard as Victor Bishop of Rome's Pretence to excommunicate the Afiatick Bishops for not keeping the Eafter Feaft upon the fame Day with him and his Western Brethren, for which he was defervedly lafh'd by Polycrates in a Synodical Letter from thence, and by Ireneus, Bishop of Lions in France. If we are only excommunicated ipfo facto by Virtue of the Second Canon, they'll do well to clear themfelves from the Force of the Ninth, Eleventh and Twelfth of the fame Canons. But is it not a Melancholick View which they would give us of Things, when thofe who have always profefs'd an Abhorrence of Schifm and all Things tending to it, are themselves endeavouring to tear out the Bowels of their unhappy Mother the Church of England? Had we not Enemies enough before, while those of the Church of Rome attack us with the utmoft Force and Subtilty on one Side; the feveral Clans of Diffenters, with a Crew of Atheists at the Head of them, on the other; and we have fo many falfe Brethren waiting always for an Opportunity to betray us to either Parties, according as they can find their Account moft advantageous? Doubtless it is a Penal Infatuation laid by God upon those who carry Things to fuch Extremities, only to fatisfy their unreafonable Averfion to the publick Communion of the eftablifh'd Church, when by the Death of thofe Bishops whom they pretended to follow, (tho' none of them had ever been Canonical Members of their Flocks,) God open'd the Way to them to return to the Communion of their Brethren. And there can be 1 |