t 2 The L I. F E of the Part ILI 2. But by this Conclufion,thofe many perfons,who have talk't fo loud how ready fome great Clergy-men are to Condefcend,agree and abate all Unnecef'ary things to Unite us and prevent Popery, may now fee, pall all doubt, the very truth of theCafe. This Animadverter you fee, would not grant [any ] one of all thefe Propofals no not our forbearance of an Oath, or Subfcription to Ceremony, or any . piece of their impofed formalities, nor the leaving out of a word of the Litur- gic, dre. What is it then that theywould abate ? fuels Dealing will make mea fee áC laft. "Strict. ---Or that if the Noir-conformifts were, upon filch Terms as there, " permitted to exercife their Miniftry, and made capable of Paftoral charges and " other; Preferments in our Church, this would be a means to heal our lamentable " Divifions that are now among us : unlefs he will fay that the belt expedient to " fapprefsSchifm, is to embrace and cherilh and to reward Schifmaticks, ftill pro- " feffing andrefolving to be fo Or that it is better and fafer for the Church to " have afire;within her bowels than without her doors ; or contraries by being "mingled together would therebybecome lefs contrary or deftraftive to one ano- " then : No certainly : And therefore if they will ftill continue Nòn-confor- " mifts itis better and fafer for the Church they lhould be hill kept outthan taken " into it AnJw. r. But'tis our Opinion ( pardon our folly) that ifthe Law had not been made which forbadDaniel to pray to God, or commanded the worfhiping of the GoldenImage, they had been no Inconformifts that kept not filch a Law. And that if the Lawwere repeated which requireth Corporations to de-lare (that no man is bound by the folemnvow (no not to repent, nor againft Popery, Schifm, or Prophanefs) theywould be no Inconforms that did not fo declare : And that if the Laws commanded us not to/wear, fubfcribe, declare,Crofi, &c. We were no Inconformifts or Schifmaticks if we did them not. But the name of Schifmaticks is by fuch Godfathers as laments, Idaciat, and the nett of theCouncil of Bishops (front whom Ilmbrefe dilfended) pat upon fuch as St. Martin, who feparated from them to the death, for their Church-Tyranny and wicked Lives, and bringing Godly people into the fufpicion and reproach of Prifcillianifm, if they did but meet for mutual edification and live Religioufly. AsGratias faith that by a Papifthc meaneth one that approved) of all that any Pope¡hall fay or do ( and I hope therearc few fuch;) fo with force men, a Schifmattck is one that approveth not of all that a Pope or Prelate will prefcribe. And ifall the prevent Non-conformifts were commanded to Preach with horns on their heads, to fignilie the conquering power of the Church, or Word, they were Schifmaticks, by filch men's nomination, if they difo- beyed. But I will now onlyask, i. 2 Were all the Apoftles, and the Churches in their time and long after Schifmaticks, who knew not our Oaths, Declarations, Sub- fcriptions, Liturgie,Ceremonies,lrc. Q. z. Did they not take as wife a courfe for theChnrche's concord and the a- voidingofSchifm, as either the Engl?h or Roman Bishops take ? Q. 3, Had not the Orniffion of the Rom h Canons about Tranfubltantiation, Tradition, and fisch like, been a better way to prevent herefie, than the obeying them? And may it notbe fo in our cafe? Would any be Schifmaticks for diírent- ing from Lay men's power of the Keys, from Crofring, en. if there were no filch Taws ? And did not Peter and Paul pleafe God as well without them as youdo with them ? And did not Peter and Paul go as fafe a way to Heaven asyou ? And ishe that confenteth to go the fame way to heaven as they did, andto do all that the Univerfal Church impofedfor an hundred, two hundred years after them (at Ieaft) yet worthier of theName of a Schifmatick, than the New Lords, that by new Laws domake andcall all Schifmaticks that live as the Apoftles did, or did com- mand them, and no more ? z. You have tryed your Better and fafer may (by filencing 1800 Ministers of Chrift ) by which the Flocks are fcattered and divided, and weare as Guelphes and Gibelinesin Contention ; And ifyet it feem heft to you,a few years (by Death's in- terpofition, ) will help you to beof another mind. But, alas, matt the fouls of Millions and the Nationpay fo 'dear for your miftake, while you are preparing for the too late Conviftions of fad Experience ? . " Strict. Theonlycertain and fafe way of healing thefe Divifions(as I conceive ) is,
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