can neither Obey, nor Difobey without

Sin.

But what is to be done in this Cafe? I know nothing but this; that all imaginable Care is to be taken, that the Error and falfe Principles which mifled the Man, be deposed; and that his Judgment be better informed; and then he may both do his Duty, which God's Law required of him, and avoid Sinning against his Confcience.

But how is this to be done? Why, no other Way, but by ufing Confcientiously all those Means which common Prudence will recommend to a Man, for the gaining Instruction and Information to himself, about any Point that he defires throughly to understand: That is to fay, freeing his Mind from all Pride, and Paffion, and Intereft, and all other Carnal Prepoffeffions, and applying himself seriously and impar tially to the getting right Notions and Sentiments about his Duty in these Matters: Confidering, without Prejudice, what can be faid on both Sides: Calling in the best Affiftance of the ableft and wifeft Men that he can come by: And above all Things, feriously endeavouring to underftand the Nature and Spirit of the Chriftian Religion, and to practise all that he is undoubtedly convinced to be his Duty; and for the Matters in Question, moft earnestly imploring the Affiftance of God's Spirit to guide and direct him.

Well,

Well, but fuppofing a Man has endea voured to inform his Judgment as well as he can, and hath ufed all those Prudent Means that were in his Power, to fatisfy himself of the Lawfulness of our Communion, but yet, after all, he is of the fame Perfwafion that he was, viz. That he cannot joyn in our worship without Sin; What will we fay to fuch a Man as this? Will we ftill fay, that this Man muft either Conform, though against his Conscience, or he is a Schifmatick before God? This is the great Difficulty, and I have two Things to say to it.

In the First Place, We do heartily wish that this was the Cafe of all, or of the most of our Diffenters, (viz. that they have done what they can to fatisfy themselves about our Communion.) For if it was, I do verily perfwade my felf, that there would prefently be an End of all those much-to-be-lamented Schifms and Divifions which do now give fo much Scandal to all good Men, and threaten the Ruin of our Reformed Religion; and this poor Church of England, which hath fo Tong laboured and groaned under the furious Attacks that have been made upon her, by Enemies without, and Enemies within her own Bowels, would, in a little time, be perfectly fet free from all Apprehenfion of Danger, at the leaft, from the one Sort of her Adverfaries.

If

If all our Brethren of the Separation would seriously follow after the Things that make for Peace, and walk by the fame Rule, as far as they were able; and in Things where they were otherwife minded, would religiously apply themselves to God for Direction, and to the Ufe of prudent Means for Satisfaction; I doubt not but the Face of Things would prefently be changed among us, and we fhould hear no more of any Divifion or Schifm in our Nation, that was either dangerous to the Church, or to the Salvation of the Men that were concerned in it.

But alas! we fear we have too great Reason to say, that the Generality of our Diffenting Brethren, even thofe of them that plead Confcience for their Separation, have not done their Duty in this Matter have not heartily endeavoured to fatisfy their Minds about the Lawfulness of Conformity, in thofe Points which they stick

at.

If they had, one would think, that after all their Endeavours, they should, before they pronounced Conformity to be Unlawful, be able to produce fome one plain Text of Scripture for the proving it fo, either in the whole, or in any Part of it. But this they are not able to do. They do, indeed, produce fome Texts of Scripture, which they think do make for them; but really they are fuch, that if they had not fupinely U 2 taken

taken up their Meaning upon Truft, but would have been at the Pains of carefully examining them, and ufing fuch Helps as they have every where at hand for the understanding them; it would have been fomewhat difficult for them to have Expounded thofe Texts in fuch a Senfe as would infer the Unlawfulness of our Communion.

But farther; I fay, it is not probable that the Generality of our Diffenters, who condemn our Communion as Unlawful, have ever anxioufly applied themselves to the confidering the Point, or gaining Satiffaction about it; because they do not feem to have much confulted their own Teachers in this affair, and much less thofe of our Way: If they had, they would have been difpofed to think better of our Communion, than they do. For, not to mention what the Churchmen do teach and prefs in this Matter; the moft Eminent of their own Ministers are ready, thus far, to give their Teftimony to our Communion, That there is nothing required in it, but what a Lay Perfon may Honeftly and Lawfully comply with, though there may be fome Things inconvenient, and which they wish were amended. Nay, they themfelves were ready, upon Occafion, to afford us their Company, in all the Inftances of Lay-Communion

But

But I defire not to enlarge upon this Argument, because it is an Invidious one. All this I fay, is, That we wish it was not too apparent, by many Evidences, that most of those who separate from us, are fo far from having done all they can to bring themselves to a Compliance with our Church Conftitutions, that they have done little or nothing at all towards it; but have taken up their Opinions, hand over head, without much Thinking or Enquiring; and having once taken up an Opinion, they adhere to it, without fcarce fo much as once thinking that it is poffible for them to be in the Wrong.

If you speak of a Man, that may with reafon be faid to have done his Endeavour to fatisfy himself about the Points of his Duty in this Matter: Give us fuch a one as hath no End, no Interest to serve, by his Religion, but only to please God, and to go to Heaven; and who, in the Choice of the Way that leads thither, hath the Indifference of a Traveller; to whom it is all one, whether his Way light on the Right Hand, or the Left, being only concerned that it be the Way which leads to his Journey's End.

Give us a Man, that concerns himself as little as you pleafe in the Speculative Difputes and Controverfies of Religion, but yet is wonderfully folicitous about the Pratice of his Duty, and therefore will reU 3

fufe