And hence the fad Increafe, and the Infults of Deifts, who taking the Scheme of the Church of England to be that of the Chriftian Church, are authorised by common Senfe, they think, not only to reject, but to treat it with Contempt !

And now, Sir, having fo largely difcuffed this Point, I prefume you are convinced," That this fame peaceable "Separation of ours is not, what you call it, a Piece of "arrant Nonfenfe and Contradiction;" and that you will ceafe to be fo difpleafed at our treating your grave Lectures upon the heinous Sin of SCHISM, as folemn Cant and Ecclefiaftical Scare crows. You fee, likewife, how extremely unapt, and quite wide of the Point, are the two Inftances you bring to illuftrate our Cafe, viz. " of "a Wife feparating from the Bed and Board of her

Husband. Or of two or three Countries difliking

a monarchial Government, and throwing off their "Allegiance to the King*". Has the Church of England, Sir, any fuch Power or Authority over us Diffenters, as the Husband has over the Wife ?... Pray who gave it that Authority? Have we ever plighted it our Troth? or bound ourselves by a folemn Vow to honour and obey it to the End of our Life? Or have we ever fworn Allegiance to it; or do we owe it any Homage; as the Counties have fworn and do owe to the King?

Amongst the peculiar Excellencies of your Church you reckon The Ufe of the three Creeds in publick Wor

fhip; as one of the moft effectual and powerful "Means both for teaching and preferving the Chrif"tian Faith entire and uncorrupt, which we have not "in our Churches t." The Creed called the Apostles, we have in conftant ufe amongst us: And as for the two other, efpecially the Athanafian, we are content you fhould have the Honour of its being peculiar to your

*Lett. 1. Page 72. + Lett. 1. Pag. 15.

felves

felves. But methinks, Sir, it thould a little check your Triumph over us here, to remember, that fome of the wifeft and moft illuftrious Members of your Church, both Clergy and Laity, account the Ufe of this Creed your great Sin and Reproach, and with A. B. Tillotson, wish you were well rid of it:

What are you, Sir, amongst the weak and uncharitable Minds who damn to the Pit of Hell all who cannot receive all the dark and mysterious Points fet forth in that Creed! Do you in your Confcience think that there is; NO SALVATION for thofe who do not faithfully believe the feveral Articles it contains; and that whofoever doth not keep whole and undefiled the Faith therein deliver'd, be fball WITHOUT DOUBT perifh everlastingly? What! the many great and worthy Perfons, bright Ornaments of your own Church, who inftead of keeping it whole and undefiled, have openly difavow'd, preach'd and wrote against it, dying in this Disbelief, have they without peradventure everlastingly perifb'd? Alas! for the good Doctors, Clarke, Whitby, Burnet, &c. For the illuftrious Sir Ifaac, &c. &c. Yea, alas! for the whole Greek Church, who have ftrenuously rejected the Article of the Filioq; They are gone down, it feems, to the infernal Pit! And notwithstanding their great Knowledge and Piety in this World, are, for not believing the Athanafian Creed, funk into EVERLASTING DARKNESS and DAMNATION in the other! Do you wonder Deifm prevails, if this be genuine Christianity?

1

'Tis a Fact, I prefume, indifputable, that a great Part of the most learned and virtuous of your Clergy are departed from the Athanafian Doctrine; and that thofe of them who are not, do by no means think its Belief abfolutely and indifpenfably neceffary to Salvation. What now muft a Deift think, when he hears both the one and the other thirteen Times a Year, most folemnly declaring in the Prefence of Almighty GOD, d as Inftructors of his People, that whoever will be

Javed, it is before all Things neceffary that be bold the ATHANASIAN Faith; and moft peremptorily denouncing EVERLASTING DAMNATION upon those who do not believe it; that is, many of them denouncing DAMNATION upon themselves!---Is this your powerful and effectual Means

of preferving the Chriftian Faith?"I thould think it one of the most effectual to fubvert and deftroy it. Ic has no doubt, been in Fact a great Stumbling block in the Way of Infidels and Jews, and harden'd them in their Oppofition to the Religion of CHRIST, when they fee it dooming to undoubted and everlasting Perdition all who do not heartily and fincerely believe (for that must be meant by faithfully) these deep and mysterious Points, which we acknowledge to be inexplicable, and far above the Powers of Reafon to comprehend.

J

"But the Diffenting Minifters, you tell me, who "have complied with the Terms of the Toleration, "have folemnly fubfcribed the VIIIth Article which approves the Athanafian Creed *." Let Dr. Calamy anfwert." The diffenting Minifters about the City, "in a Body, gave in their Senfe of the Articles when "they fubfcribed them, and among the reft of this "VIIIth Article, in the Glofs upon which, the "damnatory Claufes of this Creed are exprefly ex"cluded the Subfcription. And there was fome"thing of the fame Nature done in feveral Parts of "the Country. Now the Fathers and Predeceffors of the prefent diffenting Minifters having made this public Proteft and Declaration at their Subfcription, and the Legislature having accepted, or at least not rejected it; under the Favour of this Proteft, their Succeffors may be fuppofed now to fubfcribe with the fame Difapprobation of the damnatory Claufe. If it were not to be thus taken, there is, I hope, not a Minister among

Appendix, Page 78. † Life of Mr. Baxter, Page 230.
E

us

us but would publickly difown and renounce his Subfcription.

I fhould now proceed, Sir, to the Examination of other Parts of your Letters, to fhew the great Infufficiency of your Arguments and Objections; and to obferve, that in many Inftances, you have extremely miftaken and given quite wrong Reprefentations of our religious Principles and Practice But I relieve your Patience at present. - If this Province be undertaken by no other Hand, you may in fome Time, by divine Permiffion, expect to hear farther from,

Sir,

Your very humble Servant,

A DISSENTER.

**********************

THE

Diffenting Gentleman's

SECOND LETTER, &c.

SIR,

IS with fome Regret I proceed in Vindication of

"T my Diffent, as it will conftrain me to say some

Things which may feem to be disrespectful to eftablished Forms of Worship. But Self-Defence is a Principle which generous Minds allow ftrongly to operate. I highly reverence and efteem, and moft heartily rejoice in the great Number of illuftrious and excellent Perfons, both Clergy and Laity, which the Church of England can boast. But yet, as the prefent establish'd Forms were drawn up when this Kingdom juft emerg'd out of Popish Darkness; and as in Drawing them up, efpecial Regard was had to the then Weakness of the People, who could not be all at once entirely brought off from the old Ceremonies and Forms As there are feveral Parts of our Liturgy, and ecclefiaftical Conftitution, which a great Number, I apprehend, if not all our Bishops and Clergy, wifh to fee alter'd: And finally, as the Alteration of thofe, and the removing a few Things, acknowledg'd in themselves to be mutable and indifferent, would heal the unhappy Breach, and restore the chief Part of the Diffenters to the Church. Upon all these Accounts, I may be allow'd, I hope, with Freedom to make my Defence against your vigorous Attacks ; and to reprefent my Objections, and the Grounds of my Diffent, in as ftrong a Light as I am able.

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