be no greater Evidence of fome malignant In fluence refting upon them, than thofe barbarous Reflections which now after Death they make upon the precious Memories of Archbifhop Sancroft, Bishop Kenn, Bishop Frampton, Mr. Dodwel, and Mr. Nelfon, only for being wifer than themfelves, as being the Friends of Peace and fincere Promoters of Charity and Unity in this poor diftracted Church.

But we will for once fuppofetheir whole Management and all their fevereft Cenfures to be juft and reasonable; we will fuppofe,that we have no true Bifhops, no true Presbyters, no true Deacons, nay no true Chriftians, in what we call the lawfully eftablifh'd Church of England, nor any valid Adminiftrations whatfoever; but that all the three Kingdoms are funk at once into Paganifm and Infidelity: Suppofe all this, (and certainly they can't either fay or think worfe of us than all this amounts to;) Suppofe again, that they are the only little Flock of Chrift; that the true Succeffion of Bishops and Presbyters is only continued among them; that they only can baptize, confecrate the Lord's Supper, confirm, ordain, excommunicate, reconcile, and that none but thofe who communicate with them, and with them only,are in a State of Salvation: Let all this, or what they will more be fuppos'd; what a horrid Reprefentation of themselves do they exhibit to the British World? What? do they live among us, and know us all to be no better than Infidels, and have they no Bowels of Compaffion for us? Can they fee us tumble down by Heaps into eternal Perdition, and not do all that lies in their Power to fnatch

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us wretched Firebrands out of the Fire Will their little private Conventicles do any thing toward relieving thofe Spiritual Neceffities we lie under? Is there no Appearnce of a Harveft? Are we all fhut up in invincible Ignorance and Unbelief? If they don't think fo hardly of us, why don't they tell us who and where their Primate, and their Epifcopal College is? Why don't they ordain and fend' out Labourers into their Lord's Vineyard? Why don't their Bishops vifit their Diocefes, perform all the Duties of their Function, that fo we may by their Affiftance, have true Minifters, true Sacraments, and true Difcipline exercis'd among us? for upon their Principles, Difcipline may be exercis'd in its primitive and full Extent. Our bleffed Mafter acted by other Measures: He was fent principally to the loft Sheep of the House of Ifrael, and he was always in Motion doing Good, afferting his facred Character, calling all who were weary and heavy laden to come to him, and he was always preaching to them in the Temple, and in the Synagogues, whither the Jews always reforted, and in private did he preach nothing. As their Mafter did, fo did his Apoftles; they contain'd themselves fo long as their Mafter had commanded them; but fo foon as ever they had receiv'd the Qualifications of Apoftles, they travell'd thro' all the Quarters of the Univerfe to preach the Gofpel; and tho the British Islands were then much more certainly Infidels than they are at prefent, yet they vifited even thofe remote Iflands: fo eager were they to profecute the Defign of the Lord's

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Coming, viz. that all might be fav'd, and come to the Knowledge of the Truth.

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But here it is pleaded, that should they a fo openly, it would expose them inevitably to very great Dangers; and they muft expec nothing but Bonds and Imprifonments, nay, it may be, Death; and fure we would not have them run fuch Hazards? Yes certainly, if they are Men of true primitive and Apoftolical Spirits, they would adventure every Thing to procure the Salvation of their Brethren according to the Flefh. Did our Saviour refufe to die, to die in a cruel and fcandalous Manner, that he might put Mankind into a Capacity of Salvation? Or did he hide himself from any Perfecution previous to the Crofs Did the Malice and Fury of the Jews, or the Violence of the Gentiles, hinder the Courfe of the Apoftles, in preaching Salvation thro' Jefus Chrift? Were they hot in perpetual Dangers, in perpetual Deaths, and yet defy'd all the Politicks of Hell, provided they might but fave Souls? And can thefe Men hide themselves from Danger at fuch a Time as they fay this is? Are their Eftates, their Freedom, their Lives, more precious than the Souls of poor perifhing Sinners? Certainly Men of fuch Courage and Refolution as fome of thefe pretend to, cannot but be very ambitious of Martyrdom; and can the Crown of Martyrdom be purchased by any more noble Way than by converting Infidels? Those who seem the fierceft for it, even in a good and juftifiable Caufe, frequently turn Apoftates when they come to the Teft; when the feemingly timerous and modeft hold out to the End, and

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are fav'd. It is not enough for those who manage this Separation, to put out now and then a little Pamphlet, to let us know their Sentiments, or to publifh a few Articles, full of Inconfequences and Incoherences, which carry much more of the Heat of the Contriver, than of his Light, only to amufe fuch as can't fee thro' their Sophiftry, but think every thing Demonftration that's call'd fo by the Author. These little Endeavours won't serve to rouse a People in a State of Damnation to confider their Danger, and to fly to fuch as pretend to be the only infallible Phyficians of their Souls: No; lively and frequent Preaching, a regular Way of magnifying their Offices, a holy and exemplary Life, and exemplary as well as indefatigable Induftry in performing the Office of an Evangelical Bishop or Presbyter, a being inftant in feafon and out of feafon, and reproving and rebuking, and exhorting with all long-fuffering and Dottrine, and being ready patiently to fubmit to the utmoft Cruelty of Perfecutors in Defence of what they declare to be neceffary and faving Truth; Thefe and fuch like are the Chriftian Methods of reforming an unbelieving Nation: If thefe Separatifts are Chrift's Shepherds, they will feed his Flock which he has redeemed with his own precious Blood, and defend them at the Peril of their Lives against all the Infults of Wolves in Sheep's Clothing, all the pernicious Doctrines of Men of perverfe Minds, and deny themselves and their own Pretenfions in every Cafe, if they can't come up to fuch Measures; rather than the Church of God, within the Bounds of

which they live, fhould be torn to Pieces for their Sakes.

If Schifm be a Sin of fo dangerous a Nature, as we all of us believe it to be, and our Reconciliation with them be the only Mean by which we may be extricated from it; where's that Warning which they are obliged to give all Men againft living in fo grievous a Sin? What Synodical, what Paftoral Letters, have their Bishops fent about the Nation? The little Scribbles of particular Perfons or inferior Presbyters are of no Significancy: The General and Provincial Councils of old us'd to take Care to spread their Decrees, that every one concern'd might know them. And had not the Apoftles themselves both publish'd their Conciliary Determinations,and the Doctrine of the Gofpel together, with their utmoft Diligence and Industry, the World would never have fallen under Condemnation, for not gueffing at a Diftance, what they would be at. And fince the World is fo full of Cheats, and we have heard of fuch Councils as never were in Nature, and have had fuch Canons obtruded upon us as never were made by any Council; whatever publick Determinations thefe come to, their Bishops ought to fend them out in the most authentick Manner; and this might be done, tho' they were perfècuted from one City to another, or confined in Prifon. So Feremy found Means to warn the Jews of their Duty, their Danger and their Hope. So the Apoftles, and above all, St. Paul, were prefent in all Places, to do their Duties as far as poffible, and where they could not be prefent, they fent their Epiftles and their Meffengers

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