churches in the world, according as they had opportunity of converse with them. And when on any occasion any division or schism fell out among any of their members in this church-state, it was severely rebuked by the apostles.

All these churches, and all the members of them, were obliged by virtue of divine institution to obey their guides, to honour and reverence them, and by their voluntary contribution, to provide for their honourable subsistence and maintenance, according to their ability. Other church-state neither the Scripture nor antiquity unto the end of the second century do know any thing of; which I shall hereafter more fully manifest. Neither was there any thing known then to be schism or so esteemed, but a division falling out in some one of these churches; which happened for the most part, if not only, by some of their teachers falling into heresy and drawing away disciples after them, Acts xx. 30. or by various opinions about their guides, 1 Cor. i. 12. or the ambition of some in seeking the power and authority of office among them. To seek for any thing among those churches, wherein our present contest about schism is concerned, is altogether in vain. There was then no such subordination of churches, of many unto one, as is now pleaded; no such distinction of officers, into those who have a plenary and those who have a partiary power only, in the rule of the church; no church with a single officer over it, comprehending in a subjection unto its jurisdiction, a multitude of other churches; no invention, no imposition of any orders, forms of prayer, or ceremonies of worship not of divine institution were once thought of; and when any thing of that nature was first attempted, it caused great troubles amongst them. In, a word, the things on the account of a noncompliance wherewithal we are vehemently charged with schism, were. then neither laid nor hatched, neither thought of, nor invented.

To erect new kinds of churches, to introduce into them new orders, new rules, rites, and ceremonies, to impose their observation on all churches, and all members of them, and to charge their dissent with the guilt of schism, that schism which is prohibited and condemned in the Scripture, hath much of an assumed authority and severity in it, no

thing of countenance from the Scripture or primitive antiquity.

But after that churches began to depart from this origi nal constitution by the ways and means before declared, every alteration produced a new supposition of church-unity and peace, whereto every church of a new constitution laid claim; new sorts of schism were also coined and framed. For there was a certain way found out and carried on in a mystery of iniquity, whereby those meek, holy, humble churches or societies of Christ's institution who, as such, had nothing to do with the things of the world, in power, authority, dignity, jurisdiction, or wealth, in some instances wherein they got the advantage one of another, became in all these things to equal kingdoms and principalities; yea, one of them to claim a monarchy over the whole world.

During the progression of this apostacy, church-unity and schism declined from their centre, and varied their state according unto the present interest of them that prevailed. Whoever had got possession of the name of the church in a prevailing reputation, though the state of it was never so corrupt, made it bite and devour all that disliked it, and would swear that submission unto them in all things was church-unity, and to dissent from them was schism. Unto that state all the world know that things were come in the church of Rome. Howbeit what hath been disputed about, or contended for, of power, privileges, authority, pre-eminence, jurisdiction, catholicism, ways of worship, rule, and discipline, which the world is filled with such a noise about; and in the dispute whereof so many various hypotheses are advanced, that cannot be accommodated unto such Christian congregations as we have described, are but the effects of the prudence or imprudence of men, and what it will prove the event will shew.

Things of this nature being once well understood, will deliver the world from innumerable fruitless, endless contests; sovereign princes from all disturbance on the account of religion, and private persons from the fatal mistake of intrusting the eternal concernments of their souls, unto their relation unto one church, and not unto another; I am not so vain as at this time to expect the reduction of Christian reli

gion unto its primitive power, purity, and simplicity; nor do I reflect blame on them, who walk conscientiously in such a church-state and order as they approve of, or suppose it the best they can attain unto; only I think it lawful for all Christ's disciples at all times, to yield obedience unto all his commands, and to abstain from being servants of men in what he hath not enjoined.

AN ANSWER

ΤΟ

DR. STILLINGFLEET'S BOOK

OF THE

UNREASONABLENESS OF SEPARATION;

IN DEFENCE OF THE

VINDICATION OF NONCONFORMISTS

FROM

THE GUILT OF SCHISM.

de

THE preceding discourse was written, for the most part, before the publishing of the treatise of the Rev. Dr. Stillingfleet, entitled the Unreasonableness of Separation. Yet was it not so without a prospect, at least a probable conjecture, that something of the same kind and tendency with the doctor's book, would be published in defence of the cause which he had undertaken. And I was not without hopes, that the whole of it might have been both finished and communicated unto public view, before any thing farther were attempted against our cause, whereby many mistakes might have been prevented. For as I was willing, yea, very sirous, if it were the will of God, that I might see before my departure out of this world, the cause of conformity, as things are now stated between us and the church of England, pleaded with judgment, moderation, and learning, with the best of those arguments whereby our principles or practices are opposed; so, considering on what hand that work was now like to fall, I thought, 'si pergama dextra,' &c. and am of the same mind still. But my expectation being frustrate, of representing our whole cause truly stated, for the prevention of mistakes, by the coming out of this book against all sorts of nonconformists, I thought it convenient to publish

this first part of what I had designed, and to annex unto it the ensuing Defence of the Vindication of Nonconformists, from the Charge of Schism. For although I do know that there is nothing material in the whole book of the Unreasonableness of Separation, but what is obviated or answered beforehand, in the preceding discourse; so as that the principles and demonstrations of them contained therein may easily be applied unto all the reasonings, exceptions, and pleas, in and of that book, to render them useless unto the end designed, which is to reinforce a charge of schism against us; yet I think it necessary to shew how unsuccessful, from the disadvantage of his cause, the doctor hath been in his laborious endeavour to stigmatize all Protestant dissenters from the church of England, with the odious name of schismatics. I have therefore altered nothing of what I had projected, either as to matter or method in this first part of the discourse designed on the whole subject of church affairs. For as I have not found either cause or reason from any thing in the doctor's book to make the least change in what I had written, so my principal design being the instruction and confirmation of them who have no other interest in these things, but only to know and perform their own duty, I was not willing to give them the trouble of perpetual diversions from the matter in hand, which all controversial writings are subject unto. Wherefore, having premised some general considerations of things insisted on by the doctor of no great influence into the cause in hand, and vindicated one principle, a supposition whereof we rely upon, namely, the declension of the churches in the ages after the apostles, especially after the end of the second century, from the primitive institution of their state, rule, and order, in the preface; I shall now proceed, to consider and examine distinctly what is opposed unto the defence of our innocency as unto the guilt of schism. But some things must be premised hereunto. As,

1. I shall not depart from the state of the question as laid down by ourselves on our part, as unto our judgment of parochial churches, and our refraining from communion with them. Great pains is taken to prove the several sorts of dissenters to be departed farther from the church of England than they will themselves allow, and on such principles as