A LETTER From a Country Minister to some Neighbouring-Clergy concerning the usual resort of his Parishioners to other Churches in contempt of their own.  
March the 27th. 1684 SIR,  
I Understand there are several of my Parishioners, who, because they are not suffered to have their humour to meet in their forbidden Conventicles, are resolved, if they can Shift it, not to come to their own Parish-Church; And therefore in Contempt thereof, and their own Minister, do commonly take Sanctuary in your Parish, and many of them resort to your Church for shelter and protection against the Laws: And not only so, but, as I am told, intent further, (if you will be so easy as to admit them) to receive the Communion at your hands this next Easter: And thereupon obtain your Certificate to evade the Penalties justly inflicted upon them for their obstinate, wilful refusing to come to their own Parish-Church. Possibly you may not be ware of this, and therefore I give you this friendly Caution, and request you by no means to admit any of my Parishioners to Communion, nor so much as suffer them to come customarily to your Church, but warn them home to their own Parish-Church and Minister, whose Charge they are, and to whose inspection they are Committed. For give me leave to tell you, that their usual resort to any other Church but their own, and any Minister's allowance and encouragement thereof, is quite contrary to the Orders, Canons and Constitutions of our Church, which permits none to neglect their Parish-Church, unless by sickness or other most urgent causes they be letted therefrom. And this with great reason to avoid unspeakable Confusion, the natural result of all Independency. And therefore you will find in Queen Elizabeth's Injunctions, both to the Clergy and Laity of this Realm, 1559. §. 33. That it is expressly Commanded, That no Person shall, neglecting their own Parish-Church, resort to any other Church in time of Common-Prayer and Preaching, except it be by the occasion of some extraordinary Sermon in some Parish of the same Town. And in the Articles for enquiry in the first year of her Reign, one was, whether you know any that in contempt of their own Parish-Church, resort to any other Church. And to the same purpose doth the Homily of the Right use of the Church, speak. And in the Statute of the first of Elizabeth, being her Act for Uniformity, 'tis enjoined, That all and every Person and Persons inhabiting within this Realm, shall diligently and faithfully, having no Lawful or reasonable excuse to be absent, resort to their Parish-Church or Chapel accustomed; or upon reasonable Let thereof, to some usual place where Common-Prayer and such Service of God shall be used in such time of Let, upon every Sunday and Holiday, etc. And the like is observable in Stat. 5 and 6. Ed. 6. c. i All which make it plain, that unless there be a reasonable Let or Lawful impediment to keep them from coming to their own Parish-Church, they are not allowed to go to any other. Pursuant to which Orders, Injunctions and Statutes, 'tis Ordained in the 28 th'. Canon (which our Oath of Canonical Obedience obliges us all to take notice of) that both Minister and Churchwardens, etc. of every Parish, shall mark whether any strangers come often and commonly from other Parishes to their Church, left perhaps they be admitted to the Lords Table among others, which they shall forbid, and remit such home to their own Parish-Churches and Minister, there to receive the Communion with the rest of their own Neighbours. And moreover the 57 th'. Canon, to obviate the ill practices of such as refuse the Sacraments at the hands of unpreaching Ministers, permits none to leave their own Parish-Churches, and to Communicate, or cause their children to be Baptised in other Parishes abroad, under pain of suspension, and, after a Month's obstinacy, Excommunication, if they do the contrary: And expressly says, That if any Parson, Vicar, or Curate, shall either receive to the Communion any such Persons which are not of their own Parish, or shall Baptise any of their Children, let him be Suspended, and not be released thereof, until he doth faithfully promise that he will not afterwards Offend therein.  
Now it being my design to Cure my Parish of Independency, which in a great measure owes its rise to this vagrant and lose practice of running from one Church to another, and which has been the great and long disease thereof (it having been so late and Common a practice among them to gather Churches out of other Churches, and draw other men's Parishioners to their Conventicles) I cannot so easily, readily, and effectually do it, without the Concurrence and assistance of the Neighbour Clergy, to whose Churches in contempt of their own, they usually repair for refuge. And therefore, Sir, among others, I must Entreat you not to harbour, countenance, or abet them in this Licentious practice of theirs, by admitting them ordinarily to your Church, where they have nothing to do but to fill up the seats of your own Parishioners, who by their ill example (especially seeing their own places taken up by strangers) may be tempted to straggle abroad to other Parishes, to your great grief and disappointment, if you have any regard to their Souls, and be concerned to give an account of them. Should I observe any of your Parishioners to resort commonly to my Church, I should think myself obliged to give them public warning to forbear coming, and openly declare, that in case of Prosecution for their neglect of their own Parish-Church, I would grant them no Certificates to baffle and defeat it, and elude their obligation to resort thereunto; And the same thing I would have you do to mine, if you see they make it their common practice to leave their own Parish-Church to come to yours. And this will effectually cut off all expectances and hopes of Protection any where but at their own Church; And then seeing themselves under a necessity, they will be the more ready to comply, and submit in a more orderly way to regular Instruction and Government. There are many Lawful occasions that at one time or other avoidable happen to gratify people's curiosity of going to other Churches (which they ought to rest contented with) as when they are upon a journey; when there is nothing to do at their own Parishes by reason of their Minister's sickness or absence; when they are requested to be Sureties for a friends Child in another Parish, and the like; but for people ordinarily and customarily to forsake their own Parish-Church to go to others, when there is no such urgent occasion and pressing necessity, perhaps out of prejudice or wantonness, when the humour takes them; or they have some little pet or private grudge at their own Minister; or causelessly dislike his regular Administration; or are ashamed to appear at that place which they had so long before abandoned; or out of a disrelish to the public Service itself, which they know they may be present at in some places in any fashion, and in such a manner as rather shows their dislike and disrespect, than any kindness or reverence they have for it, without any notice taken of their behaviour: This is Factiously, Schismatically, or Wantonly to desert their own Parish-Church. For the Law grounded upon great reason and prudence has put them under the Care and Inspection of their own proper Guides, who are responsible for them both to God and Man, and how is it possible either for you or me to give a comfortable and satisfactory account of our respective Flocks committed to our Charge, if we suffer them to stray from their own Folds without remanding them home, and taking a particular care of them. 'Tis the part of a good Shepherd to keep his Sheep together, and not suffer them to endanger their own safety and his Credit, by straggling from their own proper Fold, or unseasonably intermixing with others that belong not to them, and you know the Analogy holds good as to us, for we have the same Relation to our respective people. When one Man's Sheep or Cattle break Pasture and ramble into anoher Man's Ground, the Owner has Commonly notice thereof, and if he do not thereupon take them out, they are put into the Pound. And should many of my straggling Parishioners be so dealt with by those upon whom they trespass, and into whose Enclosures they break, they would quickly learn to know and keep their own bounds, and I should be abundantly the more satisfied therewith. For, besides that Briefs, and other such like occasions of Charity, and Public businesses are great losers by their absence from their own Churches, there are many other great evils and Mischiefs attending it, for under pretence of going to other Parish-Churches many lose people take occasion to run into private Conventicles, or haunt blind tippling-houses, to say nothing worse; or idle and loiter away their time in the Fields, or are watching an opportunity to do their Neighbour a Mischief; and we have no security to the contrary while we suffer them to straggle; but when they appear at their own Parish-Church (where there are those that are obliged to take notice of them) we are sure that they are out of harms way. Such Ramblers therefore and Vagrants in Religion, as gad up and down from Parish to Parish, under colour of going to other Churches to Truck for Spiritual Wares, are no more to be endured in the Church, than Scotch-Pedlers, Gypsies, or other idle Vagabonds in the State, that pretend business when they design Mischief; against which, and the harbourers of them, you know there are several severe Statutes. And therefore, good Sir, If you find any such belonging to my Parish, let me entreat you to disown and discourage them for the future, and send them home to their own Parish, where Care shall be taken that they do those things that are sitting for them, and which Authority at this time especially doth exact and oblige them and us to look after and perform. The thing is so reasonable and of that importance to my Parish, That I verily believe you will concur with me in it, and make it your own Case. I have used the kindness and freedom of a Friend and Brother in representing it to you, and I am confident you will not take it ill from him who upon all honest and just occasions will be ready to approve himself,  
Sir, Your Faithful Friend, and Affectionate Brother.   

London: Printed for Walter Kettilby, at the Bishop's Head in St. Paul's Churchyard. 1684