ly perfwaded of their Lawfulness can be no Sin, and fhe has the Concurrence of all her moft knowing Adverfaries in that Affurance, and fhe knows that therefore it can be no Sin to enjoin them, or to affert the juft Authority of determining the Practical Expedi ency of indifferent Things.

You are now in Communion with fuch a Church as you are deeply engaged in by long Cuftom and Education; and as you are fo, fo I advise you to make it your Choice; and I would have you remember, that if you apoftatize from this Communion, you have not that Plea on your Part which fome others may have. There are Thousands in these Nations, who, if they knew what you do, or, if it be not your own Fault may know, would gladly, and to their own infinite Comfort and Satisfaction fubmit to the Doctrine and Dif cipline of this Church; but thro' the Prejudices of their Education, which are not eafily conquer'd, and by the imperious Tyranny of ill principled Parents and Mafters, and by the extreme Industry of their crafty Seducers, are unhappily hindred. Your prefent Practice fhews that you have already master'd these Obftructions or Prejudices if you ever had them. So that Perfons in your Circumftances, and fuch as never had any Prejudices at all againft cur Church, if they fhould wander in any By-ways, would be wholly inexcufable. It was the Opinion of that famous Tartarian Conqueror Tamerlane, that a Man might please God in any Religion, provided he was but fincere; and we have lately had fome Bishops of our Church who have efpous'd the fame

Notion,

Notion, even after they have given their full Affent and Confent to, and have fubfcribed the Eighteenth Article of the Church of England. The Notion might become one who was no Christian well enough; but it would be a very untoward Support for you to depend upon; and Soundness in Religion would be very little worth any Man's contending for it. Every Heretick, or Schifmatick. every Few or Muhammedan, were in as fair a Way to Salvation, tho' continuing fuch, as the best of Chriftians. It is really the Happiness of any Perfon to be born of Chriftian Parents, and to be educated in the Communion of a pure and Apoftolical Church. The Task which lies on fuch is but to continue in thofe Privileges they were born to, to walk up to those Laws which they are govern'd by, to perfevere in that Profeffion they have made at firft: And if you think thefe Privileges which you your felves as Euglifhmen, and above all the reft of the Chriftian World, have a natural Claim to, to be fo extremely valuable, that many are ready to forget both God and his Vicegerents, and the Duty they owe to either of them, if they fancy them never fo little invaded, (which Privileges yet at beft are but of a temporary and tranfient Nature;) how much rather then fhould you contend earnefty for that Faith which was once deliver'd to the Saints? How much greater fhould you conclude your Privileges to be as Chriftians, than as you are Natives of England? What should you not bear with? What Trials fhould you not undergo, rather than fall off from that Church in which all Things neceffary to Salvation by

the

the Word of God, are taught and commanded? Are Things cafual and temporal to be valued more than thofe which are Spiritual and Eternal? Is it not a greater Bleffing to be a Saint in Heaven than to be what they call a free born Subject of Great-Britain? Or would you rather run with your Eyes wide open into a thousand Mifchiefs and Impieties to - defend and affert your Worldly Birthright; and yet be afraid to do what's juft and reaà fonable, and honeft, to maintain what's purchas'd for you by the precious Blood of Chrift?

Chufe then, that for your felves which Providence in its ordinary Course, has allotted for you: Make the Religion of that Church your own, in which you now communicate in every Divine Ordinance; make that your own voluntary Profeffion, which you have been happily educated in before. It will be an Argument of your Love and Prudence, and a Vindication of your Practice from all the Imputation of Prejudice and Prepoffeffion. As for those who, at this Time efpecially, notwithstanding any former Obftacles in their Way, come over to us, there feems to be lefs Danger of their deferting us again. It cannot be imagined that private Intereft, or any unjuft or perverfe Ends can have drawn them from any other Communion or reconcil'd them to ours, as Things now ftand; fince Intereft feems to be much more gratify'd by Falfhood and Treachery againft, or open Oppofition to, the Establish'd Church of England, than in a clofe Adherence and Fidelity to it. As St. Paul, (who had, in his younger Years, been a violent Perfecutor of those who call'd upon

the

1

the Name of Chrift,) prov'd at last the most eminent of all the Apoftles in preaching the fame Faith, after he was once converted; and as our Saviour exprefs'd himself concerning Mary Magdalen, that he lov'd much because much bad been forgiven her; Or, as St. Peter was the Perfon more particularly commanded by his Mafter, after his Recovery from his terrible Fall, to feed his Lambs, to feed his Sheep, and to frengthen his Brethren: So too it is to be expected that fuch Perfons as now join with us fhould be the most ferious, the moft fteady, the most watchful and pious Members of our Church. The longer Race a Man has to run, and the lefs Time he has to run it in, the more Speed he had need to make. There are many Errors, which tho' not damnable in themselves and in their own Nature, may yet prove damnable by fome unhappy Circumftances attending them. And I doubt not but that the Apoftle had refpect to fome fuch Rom. 14.Things, when he gave that Advice, Haft thou Faith? Have it to thy felf before God. For, if he who is in the right may yet manage Things fo as to become blame-worthy, (which the Apoftle in his very Way of Speaking fufficiently intimates,) by afferting his Rights at an unfeasonable Time and in an inexpedient Manner; much more muft he be condemn'd, who is in the wrong, and yet endeavours to create Disturbances in the Church of God, and in the Confciences of his Servants.

22.

In the Beginnings of Chriftianity the Controverfy was very hotly agitated, Whether it was lawful to eat indifferently of all Meats

without refpect to the Mofaick Diftinction of clean and unclean, or not? The weaker Believers among the Jews look'd upon the Ob ligation of the Mofaick Law as irreverfible in the Cafe, and therefore not to be difpens'd with. Thofe of more Underftanding among the Jews, and the converted Gentiles declared for Liberty in the Matter, and for the ceafing of the Obligation of the Law, and they were Win the Right; for St. Paul who was himself an Hebrew of the Hebrews, declares, that he Rom. 14. knew, and was perfuaded by the Lord Jefus Chrift, 14. that there was nothing unclean of it felf. Yet, fince the weaker Jews had fo many reafonable Prejudices on their Side, and in favour of their Doubts, as their Education and conftant former Practice, and that Practice deduced from Men of unquestionable Piety and Integrity, and a positive Command given by God himfelf in a publick and inconteftable Manner; St. Paul looks upon it as a Piece of Charity for the more Knowing not to ftand too nicely upon their Liberty, till fuch unavoidable Prejudices were more throughly worn out; for if they acted by other Measures they might commit Sin even in doing a perfectly justifiable Action. But much greater muft their Sin be, who endeavour to draw others into an Error with an importunate Zeal. And therefore the fame St. Paul, when he comes to take Notice of fuch Jews, who pretending to believe in Chrift, would yet endeavour to impofe the Yoke of the Mofaick Law upon the Necks of the believing Gentiles, he makes his juft Indignation against fuch Men appear by the Severity of VOL. II. E e his