Conftitutions it may be attain'd. And this being a com. pliance with the Church infinitely more conducive to the Ends of a Religious Society, which is the holy Lives of its Members, than any compliance with Ceremonys, or fubjection to the Order of Bishops can be, which are not neceffarily conducive to that end; the Diffenters hope erecting Churches of their own, is both more neceffary, and a greater compliance with the Church, than their Conformity cou'd be. So that upon the whole, 'tis to maintain the Liberty of a Chriftian, and the Purity of Chri Itian Worship, that the Diffenters feparate from the Eftablifh'd Church; and both by confequence from thefe, and more immediately for greater Improvements, and a godly Discipline, that they unite in religious Confederacys among themselves.

4

Upon thefe Principles fome of the Diffenters think they ought not only to enter into Religious Confederacys among themselves, but to feparate from the Church Intirely and at All Times. It wou'd be foreign to our prefent Design to enquire whether that be the juft Confequence of thefe Principles; but every Man muft judge of Principles and Confequences for himself; and he that thinks the Conclufion from thefe Premises to be an obligation to a total and conftant Separation from the Church, can't join with her in any part of Worship, at any time, without acting a difhoneft part, and refufing to follow his Judgment, the immediate Guide that God has appointed to all his Actions. Whether the Diffenter that conftantly and totally feparates from the Church, acts according to his Judgment, and whether he did all he could to inform his Judgment, is no Man's business to judg and determine: And he only that has a Right to judg him, or that can do it, is the Lord.

I. But there are others among the Diffenters, who think, that tho they are oblig'd by virtue of thefe Principles to join with separate Chriftian Societys, yet that they ought to join with the Church of England in fome parts of her Worfhip, upon fome Occafions too: Becaufe they think the Church of England a Good and a Lawful Church, tho fhe is Defective and Redundant; and tho they think their own Churches Preferable, and the Beft. They think the Churchmen too guilty of introducing fome Impofitions and Superfluitys, and of allowing feveral Defects in the Church, which if they fhould be guilty of, would be Sins against their Confciences in them. Yet they believe great numbers of the Churchmen to be among the vifible Saints on Earth, and that they will make a good part of the Church of the First-born in Heaven. For they have the fame Charity for the Churchmen, which they defire the Churchmen to exercife in their regard; and believe that to be but Inconfiderateness and Miftake in their Brethren, which wou'd in their Opinion be a formal Ufurpation of God's Authority, an Oppreffion of his Subjects, and a defign'd Neglect of Religion in themfelves. The Parts of Worship therefore, in which the Diffenters can join with the Church and the Churchmen, are thofe which they do not condemn, either as Faults in the Church, or Mistakes in the Churchmen, or as what wou'd be Sins againft Conscience in themselves; and from which by confequence they don't feparate: And the Occafions of conforming are those, in which they can do the Church, or their Country, or Religion any Service. And fince 'tis a neceffary Cha racter of an honeft Man to act according to his Principles, and that fome Diffenters have thefe, they cou'd not poffibly act like honest Men, if they did not Statedly Diffent, and Partially and Occafionally conform.

II. And as these Principles neceffarily oblige 'em to do fo, fo they don't fee that any of their other Principles for

bid

bid'em to do it. They think indeed the two laft of the
Reasons of their Separation, oblige 'em to enter into Re-
ligious Societys of their own; but that the two former
don't oblige 'em never to join with the Church, but only
in those things, which they condemn, and in which they
feparate. They can therefore never join in any Impofiti-
ons, Corruptions, or Defects of the Church; but this
does not hinder 'em from joining in other Parts of the
Establish'd Worship, which are not faulty in these Re
fpects. As for inftance, the Reasons that are given for a
Separation from the Church, don't make it unlawful for a
Diffenter to receive the Lord's Supper kneeling; kneeling
being a Pofture at that Solemnity perfectly indifferent, and
which they may therefore ufe if they think fit. Nor does
the Impofition alter its nature, and of an indifferent one
make it unlawful. But all that the
Impofition, operates,
is, that it felf being in the opinion of the Diffenters an un-
lawful Action, muft debar them from joining in it, con-
curring to it, abetting it, and giving it any countenance;
which conftant receiving of the Sacrament kneeling in
their Opinion wou'd do, and an occafional receiving of it
in the fame Poffure does not. It being therefore the Im-
pofition of a thing indifferent that an Occafional Confor
mift feparates from, and not the indifferent thing impos'd,
'tis only from the former he muft conftantly feparate, but
not at all times from the latter. And as this general Rule
may be eafily drawn from this Inftance, fo twill not be
difficult to the Reader to form Parallel Rules to this,
the other cafes.

From hence 'tis eafy, with great Submission, to ob ferve the Mistake of thofe who afferr, that the Occafio nal Conformifts conform to that from whic they diffent, and condemn themfelves in that which they allow, and are guilty of a wilful Sin. Since 'tis Impofitions, Corruptions and Defects, they feparate from and condemn,

and

Sir H. M's
Peace as

at Home, B. P.6. §.5,6.

Ibid.

and only join upon occafion with an indifferent thing impos'd. And with Sir H. M's leave, Conforming and Non-conforming are not Contradictions,' unless it be Conforming and Non-conforming to the very fame things, and at all times. But to Conform to fome things, and at fome times, and to Diffent from other things, and at other times, is a Practice that contradicts it felf no more than to eat Flefh, and not to eat Flesh. And I fuppofe a Man who liv'd in a Popifh Country might eat Flefh on a Wednesday and Friday conftantly at his own Houfe, and Fish fometimes upon those days at his Neighbour's, without a Self-contradiction: And that a believing Corinthian might eat Meats offer'd to Idols at an Idolater's private Table, if it was not notify'd to him that they were Meats offer'd to Idols, and might not eat 'em if it was, with out being a living Abfurdity.

III. And as the Diffenters think Occafional Conformity upon these accounts to be a Practice built upon the Belief of the Communion of Saints, and enjoin'd by the Rule of Charity, and to be highly confiftent with their own Priaciples, fo they think it warranted by Apoftolical Example. For St. Paul held Communion Statedly with Societys of converted Gentiles, who had no terms of Communion but the terms of Salvation; and Occafionally with the Eftablish'd Church of the Jews, whofe Conftitution and Worship was widely different from thofe Societys. For tho the converted Jews reform'd from the Doctrines, yet they retain'd the unneceffary Ceremonys and Conftitution of the Jewish Church. Which being enjoin'd by God but for a term of time, which was then expir'd, became indifferent things in their own nature; but were impos'd by the Governors of the Jewish Church; and made fo neceffaby their Impofition, that the Churches with whom St. Paul did ftatedly communicate, were held Schifmatical Affemblys for the neglect of 'em. And yet notwithstanding

ry

this

this Stated Diffent of St.Paul from the Eftablifh'd Church, he did Partially Conform himself, and advis❜d others to do the like upon all occafions, where the Jewish Church or the Gofpel could be ferv'd by it. Till therefore it can be prov'd that the Establish'd Church of the Reform'd Jews, and the Diffenting Affemblys of the Reform'd Gentiles: don't bear a proportion to the Eftablish'd and Diffenting Churches in England; orthat the Reafons of St.Paul's ftated Diffent and Occafional Conformity don't bear an exact proportion to the ftated Separation and Occafional Conformity of the Diffenters, They defire to be: excus'd, if they take this to be an Apoftolical Example, which they are oblig'd to imitate, tho there be a thousand other difproportions and differences betwixt 'em.

3

The Diffenters can't forbear thinking too, that the Oc cafional Non-conformity of a Church-man is founded mutatis mutandis' on the fame Principles with the Occafional Conformity of the Diffenters; and will, according to the Rule of Contrarys, ferve to illuftrate and prove each other. They can't but believe that a Church-man who thinks the Churches of Diffenters good and lawful, and the Church of England the beft, ought whilft he thinks foto communicate Occafionally with the Diffenters, and Statedly with the Church: And that this Practice is an inevi. table confequence from thefe Principles, and fupported by Apoftolical Example too. St. Peter, a ftated Communi cant with the Jewish Church establish'd by Law, reform'd from Jewish Doctrines, but not at all from the Jewish Ceremonys and Conftitution; did Communicate upon Occafion with feparate Affemblys of Reform'd Gen-tiles, who were for fome time held Schifmatical, because they would not fuffer the Ceremonys nor Conftitution of the Jewish Church to be impos'd upon 'em, tho mightily urg'd to receive 'em by the Governors of the Reform'd

A

Jewish