The Protestant Peacemaker: OR, A SEASONABLE PERSUASIVE To all Serious CHRISTIANS, Who call themselves PROTESTANT'S, That laying aside Calumnies, and all exasperating Disputes, they would pursue Charity, Peace, and Union, As the only Means (now left us) of Safety and Reformation of the Public Manners.  
With a POSTSCRIPT, or NOTES on Mr. Baxter's, and some Others late Writings for Peace.  
BY EDWARD Lord Bishop of Cork and Ross, in Ireland.  
London, Printed for Robert Clavell at the Peacock in St. Paul's Churchyard, 1682.   

An Advertisement.  
THE Papers following came lately to my Hands, and finding them contain many things very extraordinary, and highly seasonable at this Juncture, and writ with exceeding good and peaceable Design, and with great Temper, and no less sense of Piety; I thought fit to make 'em Public.  
R. W. Febr. 14. 1681.   

ERRATA.  
Pag. 24. line 22. for lightest, read highest. p. 98. l. r. r. all he. & l. 13. r. methodos. p. 99 l. ult. r. his Prayer. p. 100 l. 22. deal it. p. 107. l. 22. r. my consent. & l. 31. r have refused to do. p. 110. l. 25. r. my Ministry. & l. 28. r. as these. p. 111. l. 5 & 9 r. Celeusma. & l. 27. r. wildly out.   
The Text. TWO SAM. XV. 11. And with Absalon went Two hundred men out of Jerusalem that were called; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not any thing. 
IN the present state of things, he that would design the greatest public Service, will perhaps upon due consideration scarce find any thing more worthy his fixing on, than to endeavour to sweeten the Minds of men of one Faction towards those of another; to take off and abate those bitter apprehensions and conceits, those Heats and Furies, with which they mutually stand enraged.  
My purpose is at present to do, what in an hours time I can, thereto: And that I may succeed therein the better, I will desire, that while I open my Text, you will be pleased to suspend your Censures of any other design which you may imagine I have; not to think I had, in the choice thereof, any Eye at the present Plot, or any Great ones supposed to be concerned therein: for by the sequel of my Discourse it will appear, I had not. I only intent to make such Observations upon the Text, as shall most naturally conduce to the End I propounded.  
The Words are a small passage in the History of Absalom's Conspiracy. In Chap. 14 33. we find Absalon restored to the King's favour: and the first use he makes of it is, with more security and facility to lay a wicked design against his Crown and Life. First, he endeavours to make himself considerable: he Attracts the People's Eyes by a Princely Grandeur and Retinue; (He prepared himself Chariots and Horses, and Fifty men to run before him, ver. 1.) and then their Hearts by crafty Insinuations. He calumniates (but with a seeming tenderness and modesty) his Father's Government, condoles the People's Grievances, shows a Zeal for their redress; and all this with the most obliging Condescensions and the fairest Speeches imaginable: He rises up early and stands by the way of the Gate, where People passed to the Court for Justice: and if any came nigh him, to do him obeysanee, he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him. And when any man that had a Controversy came to the King for Judgement; see (saith he) thy matters are good and right, but there is no man deputed of the King to hear thee. Oh! that I were Judge in the Land, I would do you Justice. From v. 2, to 6. In a word no Art, by which he might fix Negligence or Maladministration on his Father, or recommend himself as a sweet, diligent and hopeful Prince, is omitted: And by this means had he stole the Hearts of the men of Israel.  
After Forty years the Business is ripe, and an Hyprocritical pretence of Religion gives it Birth. Absalon said unto the King, I pray thee, let me go and pay my Vow which I have vowed unto the Lord in Hebron; for thy Servant vowed a Vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If the Lord shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then will I serve the Lord, ver. 7, 8. And having obtained and taken his leave at Court, away he goes for Hebron. But now not a word more of Religion; (for what have men of aspiring and Treasonable designs to do with it, any further than the Pretence of it serves their Interest?) no Vow shall you hear of performed, except perhaps by a Mental reservation his Vow were to do all that might be to take off the King. The Crown was the God he served, and to make his access thereto, the King was to be the Sacrifice. He therefore strengthens his Party all he can, sends Spies throughout all the Tribes of Israel, that they might be ready upon the first Voice of his being Proclaimed, and at the same time sets forward himself. And with Absalon went Two hundred Men out of Jerusalem that were called; and they went in, etc.  
Now upon this last Verse it is that I am to make my Observations, having nothing to do with, nor any applications to make of any thing else in the story. And they shall be only two, of those upon the Character of these Two hundred of Absalom's Followers, and upon their Cause; the one of which (namely their Character) seems really good, and the other was stark naught.  
I observe then, First, Men of a right honest Intention may be easily drawn into the Society of the vilest Cause. They went in their simplicity. The Original is a little more emphatical 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, They went in their Integrity. Integrity is more than Simplicity. They went only to bring the Heir apparent, and the King's Darling, out of the Town, or to accompany him to his Devotions, and knew no more of the Design; though in the mean while their Company gives encouragement and furtherance to one of the vilest Causes in the World, the most ungrateful and unnatural Treason the Sun ever saw.  
I add, Secondly, Such men's honest Intentions will not justify their Engagements and Practices in the Society of a Wicked party.  
These two Propositions I shall apply merely towards the pacifying or allaying Religious Dissensions, at least towards the uniting honest men's hearts and affections; nor shall I meddle one word with the cross interests or feuds of State, from which Good Lord deliver us.  
First then, Men of honest Intentions may be drawn into fellowship of very wicked Factions, and sometimes more easily perhaps than others. To assert this, I shall only desire you to reflect on the Ordinary Methods of inveigling or drawing in men of Religion into Parties, and together upon the Natural Infelicities of such men's Tempers.  
The great Art of Religious bewitching men into Parties, lies in the dextrous applicat on of fine Promises and Pretences. By good words and fair 
Rom. xuj. 18.  Speeches these Artisans deceive the hearts of the simple, or of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Men that walk in their Integrity, as in the Text.  
The Promises in matter of Religion (to which again I admonish my Discourse confines itself) are usually,  

1. Of greater Purity.  
2. Of more Christian Liberty.   
And though it be very true, that the sober, plain, strict Christianity, which we know consists in an holy heart and li●e, possesses men really of the most of these so great promised goods; yet is there not the wildest, vilest Religion in the World, the Professors whereof are not still cracking of these Golden Mountains, wheresoever they have any hopes of Proselytes. They will promise you liberty, though at the same time themselves are the Servants of corruption, 2 Pet. 2. 19 Their Mouth shall speak great swelling words (of perfection, perhaps) and they shall separate themselves, though all the while they are sensual, not having the Spirit, Judas v. 16 19 In all probability the language I use was meant of the old Gnostics; and impurer slaves of Villainy cannot well be conceived than they were, notwithstanding these so contrary Promises.  
The Pretences commonly are of the greatest Zeal and Love for their Souls, whom they would gain to themselves. Thus the false Apostles in Galat. iv 17. They zealously affect you— yea they would exclude us, that you might affect them. (so with some good Copies I read those words.)  
Now Liberty is a tempting bait to all men; and what more proper to draw in men of honest hearts, than Sanctity and Purity? Especially when all is set off with the greatest Love to men's better parts, when 'tis pleaded by those that would win them, that it is the Persons thus to be brought in that will be the great gainers, that themselves have no interest of their own, at lest none secular, or of this World.  
Such plausible Topics as these can scarce fail of being effectual, if we consider what was the second member desired to be reflected on, some Infelicities naturally attending the temper of good and honest-hearted men.  
As 1. Easiness, Sweetness and Ductility. They are not, nor haply ever have been, conscious to themselves of such Falseness as rules and actuates others; therefore do they scarce imagine it incident unto Christian men; they being the properties of Charity (of which Grace such men's hearts are full) to bear all things, believe all things, hope all things (1 Cor. 13. 7.) and especially, where yet nothing appears evident to the contrary, to believe and hope the best, these kind of men too readily swallow the bait. For it is plain, this their Christian temper renders them at once less Suspicious and more Credulous.  
Nor is it to be denied (2.) That in many men of very honest hearts there is more short-sightedness, and want of judgement, than is commonly found in persons of much worse Morals. The uprightest men are not ever the profoundest: It is not given to all to smell Consequences at a great distance. Even in the beginning of Christianity, when the Evidences of it were more fresh, and the Power more miraculous, Not many of the wise men after the flesh were called, 1 Cor. 1. 27. And be sure Artis est celare artem in this case also; the Persons, who practice, remove at first as far as may be out of reach, not only the downright mischievous and wicked part of their design, but whatever might give jealousy or suspicion thereof. These poor men in the Text heard of a Vow, but not a word of a Conspiracy.  
To be brief, (3.) Inconsideration, Half-consideration, or perhaps Prejudicated consideration, may betray men of very sincere Minds into very unwarrantable Causes and Practices. The first and second of these, namely Inconsideracy, or Half-considering, must needs be admitted in these men here following Absalon; and the last of these, viz. Prejudice, and the force of it, no man's Honesty forthwith exempts him from, though by degrees it may work it out. Education, Custom, Affection to their own Countrymen and Laws, fear of displeasing, etc. so clouded the Judgements (at least swayed the Practice) even of St. Peter and Barnabas, that they went aside to some acts of Judaisme (Gal. 2. 11, 12, 13, 14.) They walked not uprightly, but were to be blamed, and even others were carried away with their dissimulation.  
Upon the whole now, supposing those who study to make or maintain Parties, have the Art (which few of them want) to apply such Promises and Pretences, as , to honest men (of sweet and Charitable tempers indeed, but not of the deepest Judgements, and besides a little inconsiderate (naturally perhaps) and by an unlucky Age or juncture of Circumstances prejudiced too) it will move no reasonable persons wonder, though it may do his pity, that such men should be thus led aside.  
I have now proved my first Observation sufficiently 
Application.  for my design, and give me leave briefly to apply it thereto.  
I therefore humbly and passionately Expostulate with persons of all sorts, who will be just to their own Reason, whether this Consideration, That men of upright and sincere intention may be, many times, drawn in into a bad Cause or Party, deserve so much their Indignation, as Affections contrary, namely Commiseration and Compassion. Even the Laws 
L. Perspiciendum D. de Poenis.  themselves (I mean the Civil Laws) distinguish betwixt men's Crimes and their Misfortunes. The Philosopher is yet more accurate, and puts a difference betwixt Misfortunes, Faults, and Injuries. Misfortunes, saith he, are such which are neither done with ill intent, nor could be foreseen. Faults, which might have been foreseen, but were done with no ill intent. Injuries (or downright vicious acts) are such 
Rhetoric. l. 1. c. 13.  which are designed, and done with evil intent. When therefore we see men engaged in a Profession and way which to us seems gross, let it suffice us at first to judge of the Cause they are in, and that according to evidence; and because all is not yet clear as to their Persons, to suspend as to them any severe and merciless Sentence, let us be content to think the men no more guilty than their circumstances, (which too may be to us much unknown) do make them. We understand not (first) what intentions they carry, perhaps as honest as they are capable of. Nor secondly, what Temptations were upon them, how far they have been practised on. Nor yet again, what Natural or Morally unavoidable, Infelicities they are or have been under. For these and many other Reasons we are not, we cannot be their Judges. Especially, we want Authority, we have not yet our Commission, the season is not yet come. Judge nothing before the time, 1 Cor. iv. 5. Admit the Saints are to judge the World; 'tis only as Assessors of Christ: Let us stay then till the Lord come, and wait our time. Things are not yet ripe, nor come to light: We may adjudge that to be men's Crime which is not so much as their fault, if all could be duly opened. Much more Iniquitous will it be after such immature, unwarrantable and hard Sentence past, to pursue them, whom we have thus censured with such irreconcilable heats and keeness; which, if all were true that we have too rashly judged, would be more than perhaps, even in such case, Christianity would allow.  
But admit there were some particular Persons, of the Factions we dislike, every whit as bad as their cause, incorrigibly guilty and uncurable; yet can we persuade ourselves All are so? 'Tis a bad Religion indeed, of which there are none good: And perhaps amongst all those several Professions which lay a claim to the style of Christian, there is none so bad in which some excellenc● is not to be sound; If we survey all impartially and with Candour, haply in each we may discover Peculiar Commendables: In Nonconformists, Fervour in Prayer, Indefatigableness in Holy duties, Care in instructing and governing their Families, strict observation of the Lords day, etc. besides a great deal of Negative Sanctity at the least: No Profaneness, no common Swearing, Cursing, or the like. In Quakers, Plainess of habit, general simplicity, modesty, and frugality of living, Reverence of Oaths (even to excess) Faithfulness in their words, and perhaps divers other, good qualities, which occur not to me now. Even in the Papists themselves, amongst the very Common People, at some seasons, what Mortification, Fasting, Abstinence, Obedience to Superiors (though blind?) And in a multitude of those of their Religious Orders, what frequent, what Zealous devotions, what strictness perpetually, what Self-denial, Observance of Vows (though those perhaps in many rash and highly ensnaring, and generally of things beyond what the Christian Law ever intended to enjoin) what strange abandoning of their own wills, though too often to the conduct of those, who are much worse than themselves? But in these several sorts mentioned, can any say, All are Hypocritical in these Observances? The Pharisees in our Lord's time were a vile Sect, insomuch that, from them then, Pharisaism is become a name for Pride, Vainglory, Hypocrisy, and many such qualities concurring in one cursed mixture: But even amongst them in those very days was there a Nicodemus, a Zacheus, a Joseph of Arimathea, nay a Paul too, and perhaps divers more, whose Names the Holy Ghost did not think fit to honour in Sacred Records. Let us not therefore with such unlimited Zeal (which for want of Omnisciency must needs be sometimes without knowledge) run against whole Parties; but only against Crimes and Criminals. Let us temper our Resolution with Christian pity, Gentleness, Charity, and the consequents hereof, hoping and believing the best; Of some have compassion, making a difference 
Judas vers. 22.  betwixt the Abused and the Abusers, being readier to save as many as we can by pulling them out of the fire, than to give any up for lost, and call for Fire down from Heaven upon them. As amongst the Gnostics of old, so amongst those of the vilest Professions amongst us, there may be many who have not known the depths of Satan, or at lest who would be 
Revel. 2. 24.  glad fairly to be drawn out of them.  
But I have too long I fear insisted on this general. From moving Pity therefore unto others, let us proceed to take Caution as to ourselves. For the second thing we observed upon the matter related in the Text was, that Honest intentions will not justify men's engaging or proceeding in an ill Cause. They do undoubtedly before God, in some considerable measure, extenuate the guilt; and 'tis fit that before humane Justice, when they really appear, they should prevail for alleviating punishment. But that, which is in its own nature evil, will be evil still; though a man of upright heart was surprised or betrayed thereinto.  
First, If the Matter be more properly against God, although the man's Intentions were right, it will be an Act of Impiety, and so, though a sin of Ignorance, yet a sin still: No man will maintain Ignorance warrants an Act; nay it does not fully excuse it: He that knew not and did commit things worthy of stripes, was to be beaten, though but with few stripes, Luke xii. 48. And it will be difficult to assign a good reason why that passage should not be interpreted of Invincible Ignorance: though (God knows) the Ignorance of this Age and Nation must be imputed generally to Idleness, Heedlessness, Stubborness, or Affectation: And these are such Excuses and Pleas as no wise man would be fond of, or can hope will mend his case. In the Old Law, The Soul which committed a Trespass and sinned, even through Ignorance, in the Holy things of the Lord, was to bring his Trespass Offering to the Sanctuary: And besides that, to make amends also for the harm that he had done in the Holy thing, and add the fifth part thereto and give it to the Priest; Not till this was done was the Priest to make Atonement for him, nor without Atonement thus made would it be forgiven him. Levit. V. 15, 16.  
Again, If the matter more directly be against my Neighbour, 'tis truly and really Trespass or Hurt, though I did not intent it as such; nor is his damage the less, because I designed it not: And therefore also under the Law, Restitution and Sacrifice was to be made in case of Trespasses of Ignorance against man, as well as against God. If a Soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good [we must supply (as is apparent by the scope of the Context) in matters appertaining to his Neighbour] whatsoever it is that the man shall pronounce with an Oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth it, then shall he be guilty; that is, obliged to Sacrifice and Restitution for the Trespass of his Ignorance, Levit. V. 4. That, I say, this Text is to be interpreted of Common matters betwixt man and man, and not of the Holy or Devoted things, is evident by its Antithesis to vers. 15, 16, above touched. And further, the parallel place (Numb. V 6, 7, 8.) which prescribes expressly the like amends, with addition of the fifth part to the principal, to be restored to him against whom the Trespass was done, or in case of his being dead, to his next Kinsman, is an ample proof of the intent of the Law in this case. Acts, by which the Right and Property of God or our Neighbour is invaded or suffers, are really in the judgement of the Law of God, Trespasses, though we did not intent a Trespass, but were ignorant.  
The same must I say, Thirdly, of sins against our own selves. If I fall into a sin against myself, and such perhaps by which I really scandal others (that is, Embolden or encourage them to do the like) my Honest intention takes not off the Nature of Sin, nor Reality of the Scandal. We will instance in Drunkenness; we cannot well deny that Charity to many of them, who (in the language of the World) sometimes play the good Fellows; but to think, they do not ordinarily meet, with designs to make Beasts of one another, much less deliberately do they drink to intoxicate their own Heads, and forfeit their Reason: yet if they, beyond their intention, do either the one or the other, can we excuse them from Drunkenness, or (according to their Quality) from having given scandal, because we cannot conceive them to have been designedly drunk? Genes. XI. 21, etc. Noah's case was a singular one (far I mean from admitting any of the ordinary circumstances of Excessive drinking) yet who will acquit it either from Sin or Scandal?  
Upon the whole then, Sin is Sin, notwithstanding our Ignorance or Honest intentions.  
But for fuller and more satisfactory proof hereof, I will set down, what Particulars are necessary to make an Action truly and Christianly Good or warrantable: and if, when I have so done, it shall appear, that Honesty of Intention is but One of the Points requisite to the constituting any Action such, I will then demand, It ma● be acknowledged, that men's Honest intentions do n●● justify their engaging or proceeding in a bad C●use: For otherwise, where many conditions are required, one should be all, that is, more than One. And the due stating this Question (besides the Evidence which it will give to the Proposition in hand) will further satisfy an important doubt, which may arise upon the whole proof, thus: If my upright and Honest heart be not enough to justify me in my engagements, or in the course that I take, What then further am I to look after, that I may throughly approve myself to God and Man? This case many a Conscientious person would be apt to put, when the Truth contended for were demonstrated beyond all doubt: and therefore I shall trust none will judge me extravagant, if I make the Resolution hereof a second Proof of the Observation I made.  
Now in Answer hereto, I say, First, That any Action may be truly good or warrantable, there is requisite an Intrinsecal Rectitude, or Lawfulness, in the Nature of the thing. I take Rectitude here in a very large sense, so as to exclude only all Obliquity or swerving from the Precept. Now such Rectitude I affirm necessary; and indeed the Matter needs not (for it scarce admits) any proof, it approving itself to our very Reason. Who can conceive, that what the Eternal Laws of God have made unlawful, any created or derivative Power can hollow or authorise? Nothing hinders, but in a Moral sense we may apply hereto that of the Royal Preacher, Consider the work of God: Who can make that strait which he hath made crooked? Eccles. VII. 13. And such Rectitude there is (1.) In all points which are matter of Command, and made our Duties by the Law of God or Nature. (2.) In all points of Christian Liberty, or such matters, which, being no wise forbidden unto us, are left to our discretion or prudential choice. And divers such Cases there are in humane life, (whatever some men pretend to the contrary) in which, what part soever we take we sin not. To persons under certain circumstances, says the Apostle, even touching so weighty a concern as Marriage, Let them do what they will, marry or marry not, in either they sin not, 1 Cor. VII. 36. Again in case of distinction of Meats, under such and such circumstances, Meat commendeth us not to God: For neither if we eat, are we the better, or if we eat not, are we the worse, 1 Cor. VIII. 8. Of one of these two sorts must the thing to be done be, in case the Action be good or warrantable.  
Secondly, Though Honest intention do not justify an evil Act or Cause, yet can no Act or cause, in which any man is engaged, be truly just without such intention: And great care ought to be used herein, for that men are apt to flatter themselves, and think better both of themselves and their Intentions, than truly they deserve. It is requisite therefore that we consider, Honest intention may sometimes be such only Confusedly and in the General (in which case it is much akin to the nature of Negative Righteousness) when merely we propound no Evil to ourselves: Such seems the Honest intention of these Two hundred men in the Text: now this kind is too inform and immature to wear the Character of Virtuous, Praiseworthy, or truly good; much less will it make our Actions such. Intention truly good must be more distinct, particular and positive. And to that purpose it is necessary.  
1. That we be fully satisfied of the Right and Lawfulness, both of our Cause and particular Actions which we go about.  
2. That we engage in them with a design to please God, or to attain some considerable good, in the getting or enjoying of which good we have no suspicion at all we shall displease him. If it be otherwise with us, Whatsoever is not of faith, that is, from a Conscience fully satisfied, touching the goodness or lawfulness of the means used, or ends designed; whatsoever, I say, is not thus of Faith, is Sin.  
It will therefore become every man, in matters of moment, not to trust too much an Extemporary good intention, as I may so call it; but to examine all, and to be careful, that, as there is no evil in his Intentions, so there be due and particular good.  
Thirdly, I must add, To constitute any Action just or warrantable, is requisite the Integrity, at least harmlessness of the Circumstances; as of Person, Place, Time, Manner, and the like: For, not only may that be lawful to one man, but also in great strictness his Duty, which in another would be gross Sin. To take an instance familiar at such seasons as this; namely the Executing, nay even the impleading and arraigning Malefactors. To give evidence against them, to accuse and charge them, is the Duty of Witnesses and of particular Officers: but in other Persons, that is in the generality of the People present, who know nothing or little of their cases, or are not by their place called to intermeddle, it would be sin and an Exceed●ng their Calling; at best, all would judge it abominable impertinence. Again, To execute them when condemned, at least to see they be executed, is the duty of Sheriffs and such Legal Officers: but if a Private person, or other by Law not authorized, should presently, upon their having received Sentence, kill them in the place he could next come at them, I know not how he could acquit himself of Bloodguiltiness. And then, even those very Officers to whom it belongs, are bound, not only by Law, but Conscience, to observe, as near as may be done, Manner, Place, Time, and like Circumstances: Otherwise the very Execution of what they think Justice, may prove unjust.  
But more particularly to our present Business. As to the Manner of Doing such things which in themselves are Good or Lawful, there are two considerable Points, which the frequency perhaps of Good men's miscarriages makes necessary to be pressed.  
1. That all Duties be performed without Ostentation and vain glory. Though the Matter of fact be most Obligatory, or of the Divinest and most Excellent nature in the World; yet if the Affectation of Applause, or of the popular Eye and Vogue, interpose in its performance, it unhallows the Action, and deprives us of the Reward. This our Lord teacheth as to Alms and Liberality; Matth. VI 2. As to Prayer and Devotion, ver. 5. As to Fasting and Humiliation, ver. 16. And by parity of reason, 'tis true of any other (otherwise) good works.  
2. That Liberties (or things free) be ever used without scandal. By Scandal I mean, (with the Scripture generally) the Drawing or Encouraging others to do what they are not in Conscience convinced they may do: Which notion we shall do well to take notice of, as well for the satisfying and confirming our Consciences against unreasonable scruples and fears, as for the guiding our Practice. For this being admitted to be the nature of Scandal, it is not then every one, which is capable of administering matter of Scandal by the use of his Liberty; but only such Personages, by whose examples others are apt to frame their lives. Nor again is it every one that is apt to be scandalised, or receive scandal, but only the Weak; People who understand not duly the rule of life, or are not able to distinguish betwixt Duty, Liberty, and Sin. But if it so come to pass, that any of us, being persons of reputed prudence and piety, and so of authority and considerable remark in the world, use such freedom in words or deeds before unskilful Judges of things, that they clearly are drawn in, or likely to be drawn in, to do what they doubt lawful, or believe unlawful, be the matter of fact on our sides never so just or innocent, and our hearts never so sincere therein, yet we, by becoming thus a stumbling-block to others, are not only sinners against them, but also against their Lord and ours, Christ himself. For, 1 Cor. VIII. 12. When ye sin against the Brethren, and wound their weak Conscience, ye sin against Christ.  
Upon the whole then, that any Action be good and warrantable, we see it is necessary, That the Matter be Right or Lawful, That our Intention be truly Honest (and both these points to us distinctly known to be so) That, lastly, in our management, such Integrity or Harmlesness of Circumstances do concur, as that by, or in none of them we violate any Law of God: And particularly, Duties must be performed without Ostentation, Liberties used without Scandal.  
And now to sum up our Evidence: If good Intention change not the Nature of things, but Impiety be impiety still, injustice, Injustice still, and so as to all Acts of Uncharitableness, Intemperance, Impurity, and whatsoever is of like nature, none of them all are sanctified by a good intent (however real, not pretended); If to constitute any Cause or Action there be divers other Material points requisite, besides the sincerity of our Intentions, any one of which points failing, the Cause or Action good, according to the nature of the failure, partakes of true and proper guilt (and all these things are abundantly proved) then is it evident that no man's good intention will warrant or justify either his engaging or proceeding in a bad cause. Nay, if we will be just to our own Sense and Reason, it is further, ex abundanti, and beyond what we in the beginning propounded, conclusible from what has been evinced, That good Intentions will not warrant men's engaging and proceeding even in a good Cause itself under any undue Circumstances.  
It remains now, that I bring all home to bear upon the design I laid down in the beginning, and that I press upon all sorts practise suitable to the Truths I have asserted. I shall only have time for a double Exhortation.  
1. And the first of them shall be, That we all of us again and again consider every Cause which tempts our espousal, before we engage ourselves; or, if already, without due consideration, engaged, before we further proceed therein. It is not enough that our Intentions in the General be good: We have heard, they may be generally good, when they want maturity of praevious thought and consideration to make them distinctly such. Besides there are other points, of great moment, to be looked after: I will not be troublesome in recapitulations, I will only put the Case in short to all our Consciences. We are haply most of us zealous in our ways, and for our own Party. But have we, to full resolution and satisfaction of Conscience, weighed the present state and interest of the Common Christianity? Have we stated the Causes, upon which we mutually Separate? Are they such which we judge in good earnest will bear us out? And then, do we withdraw from one another no farther, nor affect or maintain any greater distance, than these Causes will warrant? Finally, in the whole have we not by and sinister ends, no design but sincerely of Conscience, and such which we dare carry to, and own before God's Tribunal? Happy were it for the Christian World, would our Divisions endure this Test, or had Christian men (generally) considered, or would yet consider these things as they ought. But alas! even in Religion itself, the far greatest part walk at a mere peradventure: At least, they are carried along with that Current into which their Interest, Condition, or Genius happens to cast them. And being once engaged (Vestigia nulla retrorsum) almost as few return from their respective Zealotry, as from the Grave. They rather rush on like the Horse into the Battle; and the Similitude holds also, farther than it were to be wished, they are rid too often, even to their own destruction. My Brethren, if we have any of us been unhappy in rash and inconsiderate Divisions, or in addicting ourselves to any so divided Parties, yet let us not perpetuate, and, as far as in us lies, eternise our own and the Church's miseries. If either our Reason, or our Christianity, or our own or the Common safety be significant to us, Let us gird up the loins of our mind, and be sober: Let us recollect and summon together our considerative powers, and endeavour to judge like Men and Christians, Where we are, and how we stand. And if upon the whole, all be clear, and Conscience fully satisfied, yet let us remember, we own somewhat to the World; and the least, that can be, will be, by all honest means to endeavour its quiet. And verily he is unworthy of his own quiet, at least will not long enjoy it, who is not content a little to deny himself of his own fancies, for others and the Public satisfaction.  
To bring this Exhortation a little nearer to our present Circumstances and Condition. Let us remember, we here are not Lawgivers, nor are therefore to consider what is our own will and pleasure, what we would have Enacted, nay, not perhaps what is in our judgement fit to be enjoined, but what actually is already enjoined, and what it is lawful for us to obey. As to those of us, who have obeyed the Laws, we desire only thus much charity from Dissenters (which we will surely repay, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over) we desire, I say, only thus much charity, that we may not all of us be thought to have acted blindfold, or upon corrupt inducements. There is a multitude of us can, in the fear of God, profess we have again and again considered the Ecclesiastical Laws, and according to our duty, as we believe, we have been, and are obedient, not only for wrath, but also for Conscience sake. Conscience we can say, not merely our own, but others, of whom we are, and must be tender. And we doubt not but in this our obedience we please God, and are not unserviceable unto Men. We hope further, we are able to approve ourselves to the Great Judge of all in the several  Particulars; at least according to that equitable allowance, which our gracious God, through Jesus Christ, gives to humane infirmities, and which the best of us all must crave, even in our best Actions. Now as to those who withdraw from us: We call not into question the sincerity of their intentions, we neither are, nor desire to be Judges thereof; We profess we generally judge the best, and where we cannot so judge, we suspend our judgement: But we desire them to resume and reiterate the consideration of the Rectitude of their Cause: For we must acknowledge and avow, we neither could see, nor have been shown, any warrant, which makes it lawful to any, much less their duty, as many pretend, to separate from that Church, which neither urges nor receives any Article of Faith, but what must be confessed pure; which worships God by no Office more or less than what is of his own institution, and the forms thereof not dissonant to his word; whose Government, if the sense of Christendom in all Ages (till within this hundred and few more years, and of the Generality of it still) interpreting Holy Scriptures, may be heard, is truly Apostolical; and in fine, whose Discipline (though forced in some things to truckle under the iniquity of times) suffers few or none to be so bad as they would, and encourages all to be as good as they can. If it be lawful to separate from such a Church, where shall we find that, from which we may not separate? And where then will be an end of Divisions? In the Church of Corinth, where were sundry greater Disorders and Corruptions tolerated, than can be pretended amongst us (that we know of) the Apostle does not tolerate, but severely reprove their Divisions, and both censure the Authors of them, as Persons to be avoided, and the Abettors, as Carnal. Then, lastly, as to the Management of this departure, we passionately beseech, and in the Lord conjure, all, who are guilty of withdrawing, that they will consider whether the Circumstances, either of making or maintaining it, be warrantable, or indeed well excusable, Particularly, and briefly: Suppose things stood so, that Separation were their Duty; yet is Theirs without Ostentation, as all Duties ought to be? Do not they publicly value themselves thereupon, and despise others? Are not they (in their own Language) The Saints, and the rest of the Nation Those who are without, the People of the World, not to take up more odious Names? Again, admit Separation from us were lawful, yet is theirs without scandal? Without scandal to the weak of their own Church, without scandal to the weak of Ours? Without scandal to Papists, or scandal even to Jews? Without scandal to men of all Religions, or scandal to men of None? The good God be merciful unto us, and deliver Christian men from Partiality and Self-flattery.— But I must Contract.  
2. My Second Exhortation shall be, That being satisfied in Conscience touching the Right or Lawfulness of our own engaging, in all points of our Cause, or, as some had rather speak, touching the Excellency and Superlativeness of the way we are in, we would not spoil a good Cause by our ill Management. That the Religious amongst us are Divided at present, there is none who sees not; Nor, that all the Petty Divisions are reducible to these three Grand ones, Papists, Regular Protestants, and Nonconforming Protestants.  
The Cause or way of the First, I do declare, I judge, no Power on Earth, no nor (with all reverence be it spoken) of Heaven itself, can make just: For, God cannot Lie, that is, contradict himself. The Doctrine they teach, profess, and (if we will credit them) believe, is against express Scripture, the Analogy of Faith, and the Consent of the Ancient (and true present) Catholic Church: And indeed, in divers Points also against Sense and Reason, the common Principles of Mankind. And too much of their Morals is no better.  
The Cause or Way of the Second is just, if any under Heaven. I need not speak my mind again: I do not say, there is nothing amongst us defective; nor that there is nothing which may be amended; nor again, that there is no mismenagement, or no evil People amongst us. I do not believe there is, or will be ever, such a Church on Earth: That accusation, to the end of the world, will justly lie against the Purest Church; I have a few things against thee: Revel. II. 4. 14, 20. But I must avow, I know not that Church, which would take the Mote out of our Eye, that has not a Beam in her own.  
The Cause of the Third must be acknowledged by all indifferent and considerative men, at least doubtful: For he is void of reason who shall deny, that disputes with the lightest Probabilities are managed against it; and such which with the most rational persons turn the Scales. Possibly, to some of them who have espoused it, it may not seem doubtful: But whatever my Charity may induce me to think it in any of them, were I myself a maintainer of it, I could not judge it in myself any thing less, than Formal as well as Material Schism. But for the present we'll not dispute the Point: Admit it to be lawful; I only move, that it be not mismanaged, that Good men would not prosecute a lawful Cause in an unlawful manner, or by undue means, and so entangle themselves and Cause in Injustice and Iniquity.  
Having then concluded the Cause of the Regular Protestants, good and excellent; and for the present admitted (though not granted) that of the Nonconformists to be lawful; there is chief a double mismenagement, which I must tax at present (and that on both sides, for I would not be partial) and which the Exhortation in hand proceeds against.  
1. The former of which is, Overcharging one another. This, besides that it renders us guilty of sin, and makes still our matters worse, does further expose us Both to our Common Enemies, and create to them sweet Sport, and to ourselves Scorn and Contempt. The Nonconformists charge us most unjustly with Popery: Give me leave to beseech these our Accusers, that they will consider what they say. If we had no Conscience (which they would be very uncharitable, should they conclude of us) if it were all one to us, in point of Faith, what Religion were established or went up, yet except they will also think us manned, and that we have renounced our worldly Interests, together with our Consciences, they cannot think we are any Friends to Popery, or would make any Advances towards it. Can they persuade themselves we are so sottish, or our Memories so short, as that we have forgotten the Marian days? Do not we know, that if ever Popery get up again, we of the Ministry, and especially those of us who are in the highest Order, must first go to Stake? As to the People, they may scape: These Sheep, what have they done? But their hands will surely be upon the Shepherds. Or if we should by flight, or any other base way, save our lives, (which as the world goes, we could scarce expect) if we should, as Job expresses it, 
Job XIX. 20.  come off with the skin of our Teeth, yet, is that such a mercy or boon, which any can judge men in our present conditions fond of? Are our Families, or Liberties, our Honours, our Preferments nothing to us? (Sometimes these men think and say, we love the World well enough) Is there any Vicar, Parson, or Bishop in the Kingdom, that sees not, or knows not, of the Priest of his Parish, or the Titular of his See in present being? Do we not daily behold them walk the Streets, or know their Confinements? Are we ignorant of their Claims, or that they look upon us only as Usurpers, and themselves the true Proprietours, and that they now have a long time looked for the blessed hour? You cry out of us, I say, sometimes that we are worldly, carnal men, that we only mind the Fleece, not the Flock: If we do even that, we cannot be Popishly affected: There is nothing so destructive of our worldly interest as Popery; That has already left no Benesices or Live vacant for us, and if it prevails will soon not leave us Air to breath. For shame then, interpret some men's Actions otherwise than you do: and if in all humane probability they act against their own Secular interest, in the things which they cannot but see, and do see as well as you, impute not those actions to Popish affection, but good Conscience. They dare not do evil that good may come, or be unjust, for their own preservation. Thus as to one Party.  
Now I will not deny but some of our men are quit with these false Accusers, and pay them home in their own Coyn. (God forgive both). Hence so many bitter Invectives instead of Sermons; so much raking into old, forgiven, and it were to be wished, forgotten Crimes; charging the Villainies of the Absaloms' upon every Individual of those who went in the simplicity of their heart, and knew not any thing: Hence, in common Discourse, so many upbraid of men with those which were the sins of their ignorance, youth and education, rather than of the men; such care to stigmatize some persons with the miscarriages, which they have long ago repent of, and, if occasion should serve, would expiate with their lives; such aggravating some People's innocent expressions, and drawing those Conclusions from them, which the poor men abhor, but never intended; with a world of like practices, familiar amongst all Partisans. Certainly, my Brethren, these things are very iniquitous: If my brother has repent of a sin, God has taken it away from him; and the meaning he never had, was never his: I may not therefore impute either such sin, or such meaning to him, or upbraid him therewith. We would think they gave us more than our due, who should deal thus with us: Let us therefore ourselves unlearn such vile and pitiful Arts. I confess 'tis much another case, where men retain their sins still, and will not, without such remembrances, be brought to acknowledgement or sense of them: But even herein also care is to be had, and much prudence used: for we may b● injurious to our Cause by too much exposing our Adversary; An uninteressed slander by will call such discourses Recriminations, not Defences; and will say the Case needs them, because the Advocate uses them. And as to the Persons or Parties concerned; this kind of treatment can only tend to mutual exasperation, upon which no good, because no divine blessing, can be expected. If therefore we will be just to ourselves, or our own beloved Cause, let us, on both sides, forbear immoderate Charges, as being infallibly derogatory to whatsoever there is of true Justice either in our Cause or Defences thereof.  
2. Men may spoil a good Cause by too much Stiffness and Tenaciousness of their own Sense, and by this means keeping open such Breaches, which might happily be closed. There is such a thing, in Solomon's judgement, as Being righteous overmuch, and making ourselves over-wise, (Eccles. VII. 16.) by which he suggests there, men may destroy themselves. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 become desolate, even to the admiration and amazement of the Beholders; or else stand single and by themselves, as the Marks of Common fury. If contending Parties may be ever guilty of this Evil, it is certainly in such cases wherein the Differences betwixt them being but small, neither will recede the least from their own Sentiments; or (which is with such the same (for their own apprehensions are too often herein made the measures) from their own Right; (as if nothing could be more Righteous than each of their Causes, nothing more infallible than each of their Judgements). And if ever men may expect such punishment of issue, it is when such Differences are perpetuated upon such mutual heights. Wherefore, A sectâ infallibili libera Ecclesiam tuam Domine.  
I confess there are some who publish such Principles and Positions of late, as infer Unity in the Church not to be necessary: These make the breach irreconcilable, and therefore are not to be heard. There's an Argument now for Unity amongst us in this Kingdom (I speak to those who call themselves Protestant's) which must be heard, and is uncontrollable: We must unite, or be destroyed. At all times Christian duty obliges us thereto, now Necessity and Self-preservation. Two or more parties may balance One, when any single Other cannot. I speak plain enough. Now if we must Unite, the only question will be, Upon what terms? Must we of the established Church come over to you who Dissent, or You come over unto us? We declare we cannot, without Schism: but are ready to sacrifice all we can otherwise to the Public Peace and Safety. And this Pretence is real: You, who dissent, are very far from being all of a piece: Besides those Elder and less Anomalous Factions of Presbyterians and Independents, there are Antinomians, Millenaries, Anabaptists, Quakers, and Sects which know not what they are, nor we what to call. All the world must allow there are Schisms and much worse, as far as worse can be, amongst such an Heterogeneous Body as this. Should we yield to any one of these, we were yet as far from gaining the rest, as we are now from uniting all.  
Take those two, which I called the Elder Parties of the Dissenters, How impossible a thing is it for them to agree what will satisfy them! They had a numerous Assembly gathered together of themselves mostly, which sat many years. Did they agree then upon any common terms of Union betwixt themselves? Or are they agreed since? Let any produce the Accommodation if they can: and if not, let it be confessed that there is Schism amongst even these.  
Again, take either of the Parties single: Let them show us, what Christian Church upon the face of the Earth owns them, as they are broken off from the Established Church of England (and as indeed they broke down its Order, Form of Worship, Discipline and whole Frame, to their Power) Let them show us, I say, what Protestant Church owns them, as such, for a Church, or (as such) holds Communion with them. If one of the Parties should answer, The Kirk of Scotland; the Reply is obvious: The Established Church of Scotland was the same, in effect, with that of England, and fell by the same hands: And as to what the Answerers mean by the Kirk, 'twas only a Member of the Pars rea, a very guilty part of themselves, or of the accused Body. It is well known, there is extant an Harmony of the Confessions of all the Reformed Churches throughout Europe, to show the World their Christian Agreement and Communion. In that Collection are extant with universal Approbation, two Confessions of the Church of England, as by Law it then stood, and, blessed be God, now stands established: two, I say, because different in Form, but of the same Substance, and very near of the same date. We can some of us remember the time, when the forementioned Assembly compiled also a Confession of Faith, and a good Latinist excellently translated it, and in that form it was sent abroad with a desire and design to have it inserted in the then new Edition of the Harmony of Confessions. But the Foreign Churches stood constant to the Two old ones, and rejected the new. Judge hence what Church of England they own, and whether they hold Communion with that People as a Church, whose Confession they would not admit. They well saw the Admission of it had destroyed the Harmony, that is, as well rendered the Collection contradictious in itself, as brought too just an imputation of Schism upon the Reformation.  
Further, in a word, What security can there be from partaking in Schism, and indeed, as it may happen, Heresy too, in the Communion of that Church, the Form and Order of whose Worship and Administration of Sacraments is not certainly known, nay, according to their very Constitution, is not where twice the same; all being left to the gifts and discretion of the Minister, who is declared unfit for his Office if he need (and consequently will use) a constant Form? What man can say, with any other than an Implicit Faith, and therefore what Church will ever declare, that they hold Communion, or agree in Worship, with such a People? Herein this Generation of men has departed even from all the Foreign Presbyterian Churches themselves, who all have their certain Orders and Forms of Public Worship.  
It were tedious to pursue more Particulars; give me leave to sum up what has be said on this Head. Can it be expected (and much less demanded) by men of reason, that we should relinquish and renounce a Constitution, which has made us famous amongst Foreign Reformed Churches, and has passed their Approbation from the beginning, to unite with men who are at a greater distance from one another (if you respect at least the several Sects) than perhaps we are from them all; the very soberest Party of all whom (as they would be thought) if we would go about to agree to, we shall not find (as far as I can see) one Protestant Church would recommend them to our Fellowship by having first owned them as a Church, or having held Communion with them; nay, we are not sure, that we can in Conscience hold Communion with them; that is, join in, and consent to, their Worship one hour ourselves? Can this, I say, be expected or demanded from us? It cannot surely. Some Circumstantials may be on our hand abated or relaxed (and had been doubtless long ago, if Men of eager and inflexible Spirits had not hindered): but the main Constitution we may not recede from. What most of the Dissenters would be at (No Liturgy, no Episcopacy, no Uniformity, etc.) may not be, cannot be, without Schism.  
Wherefore again to take up my Exhortation: Let us resolve upon yielding spirits; Let us move towards one another, in order to meeting. We of the Established Church do not say there is nothing amongst us, which may be amended. Again, we do not say there is nothing among you which is to be approved. My Exhortation to you here only is, That as far as your Cause has any thing good in it, you would not blast that good, and the hopes of its taking, by an Universal stiffness; and while you insist on things, which are questionable, and (in the judgement of most others but yourselves) not sit to be granted, keep open the breach to our Common Destruction.  
The only steps, by which we can mutually move to Peace, I, with all submission, conceive to be these.  
1. That we would all seriously, betwixt God and our own Consciences, severally, study Self-denial, (one of the great Lessons our Lord taught us) and that with a peculiar eye and regard to Accommodation. One man perhaps must deny himself of a certain kind of Popularity and Vulgar esteem: Another, of an Idiosyncrasy, or particular humour, though perhaps that not so much natural as contracted: A third of somewhat else. All, of whatsoever good Conscience tells us is less valuable than Common Union.  
2. That the soberest of the Dissenters would Categorically and sincerely publish, what of the Established Order they can agree to. 3. That they would actually do, and teach their Followers to do, what they in Conscience judge lawful. If these Points might be obtained, certainly in a very short time a Consultation of things would be resumed: And then, let those be blamed, who would not hear and do Reason.  
But if these, and such Discourses as these, may not be heard, if we of the Church must only be Calumniated still, as the great Enemies to a Public Peace, and no means will take for the sweetening and allaying the heights of those Spirits we have to deal with, we can all of us only expect the fruit of Contention, and that is, Confusion, and every Evil Work; one 
James III. 1●.  part of which will be, as already intimated, our Common Ruin. And let it be considered beforehand, when we shall have again ruined ourselves by our own hands, how poor a mitigation of mutual misery it will be, to excuse ourselves with our Ignorance and Good meaning: Of which, when God comes to judge, the former perhaps will be found Stubborness, Heedlessness or Pride; and the later, not what its name imports, but somewhat, which we mistook for it, called in true and proper speaking, Self-flattery, or too good a conceit of our own Deceitful hearts, and ways.  
To prevent then this misery, if it be the will of God, Let us all Search and Try our Ways and Hearts, and be content to see ourselves genuinly what we are, and to judge of our ways according to Truth and Soberness. And because our own Scrutinies may be partial, Let that Appeal and Prayer of David's dwell in all our hearts and lips. Psalm CXXXIX. 23, 24. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Let us inculcate such Petitions as these, and beat them into our hearts at the Throne of Grace, till, being brought under the Power of them, we become content to be led into the ways of Charity, Peace and Righteousness, yea, though they should be found far different from those which we have traversed before with the greatest Affection and Delight.  
The good God pour into all our hearts such Christian Sincerity and Honest Temper (the true Fruit of the Holy Spirit) through his Son Jesus Christ; To whom, etc.   

THE CRY OF HOLINESS FOR PEACE.  
A SERMON on Sunday, in time of the Assizes there.  
By the same Author.  
LONDON, Printed in the Year, 1682.   
The Text. HEBR. XII. 14. Fellow Peace with all Men, and Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. 
IT were easy from so pregnant a Passage of Holy Scripture, as this read, to suggest great variety of particular Subjects, each of which would administer matter for much a larger Discourse than I may be allowed at present.  
The Holy Spirit in laying out our Christian Duties considers us, either as single persons; and so the sum of all that concerns us is Holiness: Or else as Members of some Society, more or less Public; and so our main Duty is Peace.  
Of both these the most zealous Endeavours and Practice we see strictly enjoined in the Text. Fellow Peace, that is, Pursue it with all urgency, yea, though it fly from you: And this in the greatest extent, With all men. Then as to Holiness, this is not only enjoined with equal Emphasis, but the pursuit thereof enforced with the most moving Consideration; without which (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 immediately relates to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉) that is, without Holiness no man shall see the Lord. That (at present) incomprehensible fruition of the Supreme and Infinite Good, which shall at once transport and satisfy all the powers of the Humane Soul, shall be vouchsafed to none but the Holy man.  
I will not hold you in suspense, but immediately fix on these two, as considered enjoined in conjunction. And whereas such joint injunction of them may be conceived to have different respects, I shall not at present consider much their Connexion, as the Later may be thought the Condition or Qualification of our pursuit of the former, thus; Fellow Peace with all men and Holiness; that is, so far seek and maintain peace with all, as Holiness will permit (a sense not to be neglected): But as the Former is a means to, or a Causa sine qua non of the Later, thus; Fellow peace and holiness; that is, Fellow Peace as it is a means unto Holiness, and without which Holiness will be very imperfectly, if at all attained.  
A little more distinctly yet. Peace according to the different Society, to which it relates, may be either Civil or Ecclesiastical. The study and pursuit of both is undoubtedly our duty, designedly comprehended in the Text, and conducive to Holiness; and the enjoyment of both to be reckoned as one of the greatest Blessings. The one of them, Peace in the State (blessed be God and the Conduct of our gracious Sovereign) we have had much of, and still have, notwithstanding all our Fears and Murmur; which God cure and forgive: The other, Peace in the Church, we neither have had, now a long time, no not since our Sovereign's blessed Restauration, nor have at present so much of, as we might, were we not on all sides much wanting to ourselves. And this is that, which I design now to press; and to press under this consideration, as it connects with Holiness in the present injunction of both, as it tends unto Holiness, and as certainly we should have much more of Holiness, than is now publicly to be seen amongst us, had we more of Peace and Holiness in the Church.  
My Brethren, there are many amongst us pretend a great deal of Zeal for Holiness; nothing is more frequent in their mouths, and I wish there lay nothing closer to all our hearts, than Reformation and the need of it. I censure none, but only shall at present endeavour to demonstrate, that the most likely and proper way to a Public Reformation is Ecclesiastical Peace and Union, and that those who with all their might pursue not this, are, so far forth as they are negligent of it, or averse to it, real Enemies to Reformation and true Holiness, whatever their pretences otherwise may be.  
By Peace in general we mean such a Conjunction of men's Minds and Manners, that one man is not in any thing designedly troublesome to another, but rather favours every others advantages. And this being applied particularly to Causes and Matters Ecclesiastical, will amount to no less, than such an Union of Judgement and Affections as engages Christian people to maintain Fellowship and Communion in all Offices of Divine Worship, and Matters pertaining to the Glory of God. In whatever Church this is wanting, in that proportionably is wanting Peace.  
By Holiness we understand an Habitual Separation (or being separate) from all Vice and Vicious Practices, and a like Devotedness of Heart and Life to God, according to the Rule of the Gospel.  
Now I say, the first much conduces to the second; Public Peace in the Church to real Holiness, and whatever practices are at present contrary to Peace amongst us, are proportionably destructive of Holiness.  
The main Evidence I shall give shall be to set forth the pernicious Effects of Faction; and let none suspect I will in the least be bitter, or invective, herein: I promise to speak the words of meekness and soberness, as well as of truth. I shall then present to your consideration the Effects of Faction or Church-division: First, upon the State. Secondly, upon the Church. And Thirdly, upon the spirits of Private men. And if all these are found most fatal to Holiness, I shall hope it will be concluded there is no following Holiness without Pursuing Peace.  
1. I begin with the sad effects of Church-division upon the States and Kingdoms, within which such divided Churches lie: And these are generally no better (worse they cannot well be) than Civil Wars, and all the sad Consquences thereof; which are nothing but the most horrid Complications of all Impieties imaginable; or, in the Language of St. James, (Chap. III. 16.) Confusion and Every evil work. That Civil Wars are the Common Effects of Divisions and Factions in the Church, especially where such Divisions are continued, and have had age, or time enough to ferment, as I may so speak, the yet too fresh bleeding wounds of these three Nations speak more plainly than perhaps we would all be willing to hear. The point is tender, and therefore I forbear further to touch it. That Profaneness, Irreligion and Vices of all sorts are the general effects of Wars, both while they rage, and too long after some composure of things, the Experience o● all Ages and People witnesseth, as well as our own. There are those perhaps that will tell us, It cannot be otherwise; 'Tis impossible it should not be so: Necessity compels, not only Private Persons, but Public Bodies, to foul Practices. When there was a General after Gods own heart, Every one that was in debt, (and had no mind to be just) Every one that was discontent, (the fruit commonly of men's own Vices and Debaucheries, at least of their Imprudence, Pride or Refractoriness) and Every one that was in distress, gathered themselves unto him, and he became Captain over them, 1 Sam. XXII. 2. And 'tis sure enough, by the sequel of the History, there were worse than such in the greatest Commands of his Army. The Sons of Zerviah were too hard for the good King, they were Evil-doers, privy murderers, implacable, they shed the blood of war in peace; yet durst not he then animadvert upon them; 2 Sam. III. 39 and, 1 Kings II. 5. etc. Now to set up a Refuge for such men as these in any Nation, as Wars do, what sad influence must it have upon the Manners of the Nation?  
To speak something closer to our own Country, and the late unhappy, ever to be lamented Troubles; and that in the Language of those who will not be thought Railers, or False Accusers of the Brethren: The Assembly in their Petition to the Parliament, Jul. 19 1644. have, amongst others, this Prayer; That some severe course might be taken against Fornication, Adultery, and Incest, which (as they complain, to use their own terms) do (that is, than did) greatly abound; especially of late, by reason of Impunity. (It seems then, those Odious things, the Bishop's Courts, while standing, do some good: Fornication, Adultery, and Incest do not ordinarily pass with Impunity under them; which they soon obtained, when this Check was taken off.) And not only in this single kind, but in most other Exorbitancies, was the Case no better. Particularly, at present; Atheism and Profaneness are justly complained of to be reigning Sins, as well as Carnality: Now, I say it, and will at any time prove it, Hell itself can scarce devise, indite, or vent grosser Profaneness, Lewdness, and Blasphemy, than may be shown justified, defended and cried up, under the Notion of Perfection, in divers printed Pamphlets betwixt the years 49 and 56. Nay, in the very year 1660, the greatest part of the London Ministers published A Seasonable Exhortation, as they call it, complaining of the great Wickedness broken lose amongst us, wherein they set forth, as one dreadful Instance, That some, as they are credibly 
Pag. 10.  informed, are grown to that height of wickededness, as to worship the Devil himself.  
In a word, I could say much more, which would prove that then Impiety broke in like a Torrent upon us, when the Wars broke out. But I conceive all sober men, of what persuasion soever, had rather confess this sad Truth, and lament it too, than hear it more largely proved. Wherefore I say, it follows hence, as from one general head of proof, that they are Enemies to Holiness, who perpetuate at present our Church-divisions, or (which is much the same) who do not their utmost towards a Public Union.  
2. Let us in the next place consider the Effect of Schisms and Factions upon the Church, and the Constitution of things therein; and that Consideration will conclude the same.  
It cannot be conceived, at least expected, I should reckon up, or indeed that one man's head should comprehend all the general Instances or Kind's of Mischief's under this Head: It shall therefore suffice, that I present such, which I judge most obnoxious amongst ourselves.  
First then I say, Although Divisions and Schisms should not, through the restraining hand of God, prove so direful to the Kingdom, yet are they infallibly a Plague unto the Church, and by being destructive unto its Discipline, make havoc of Holiness and public Good manners. Discipline is the great expedient Christ has left his Church, both for the keeping out, and Purging out, all the Old Leaven of Naughtiness and Wickedness, 1 Cor. V 7, 8. etc. Whatsoever therefore bereaves the Church of this, let's in a flood of ungodliness upon her. And is it not evident to any that has but half an eye, that Divisions at present both take off the Efficacy, and hinder the Exercise of Discipline amongst us? I know there are some who cry out, We have no such thing as Discipline in our Church; we have only a Shadow and Skeleton of it. There is at present, it must be confessed, something of truth in the Accusation. We have indeed too little of the Primitive and Apostolical Discipline: But we appeal to God and Men where the fault lies.  
1. We complain our present Divisions take off the Edge of our Spiritual Weapons. There are some, and those Leading men too in their party, that deny any such thing as a National Church, and much more any Catholic Church in the sense that Article of our Creed has ever been believed by all Christians from the beginning. What should men, acted by such Principles, care for our Excommunicating them upon any Scandals they should be found guilty of? They own no such Church as we are, and as all Christian Ages have ever believed. Again, there are others, who have renounced their Baptism for another thing they call so; Others that laugh at all Baptism, as well as Sacraments, in general: Suppose any of these sorts become obnoxious to Church-censures for their Immoralities, as too often they do; we censure them, and tell our Christian people they ought to look upon them as Heathens and Publicans. What now signifies this? They have before cast off the Badge of their Christianity, and scorn it, and us for esteeming it. They are already as Common, and as far without the Pale, as we can set them. I have no pleasure to urge these things further.  
2. We say moreover, besides this, that the Divisions take off for the main, the Efficacy of such Discipline as we have; they have also hindered all along, as well the setting up, as the Exercise of that Primitive Discipline, which our Church long ago desired, and intended. Thus we read in the Preface o● the Office called a Commination. Brethren, in the Primitive Church there was a Godly Discipline, that at the beginning of Lent, such persons as were notorious Sinners, were put to open Penance, and punished in this World, that their Souls might be saved in the Day of the Lord; and that others, admonished by their example, might be afraid to offend. In stead whereof, until the said Discipline may be restored again, which thing is much to be wished, it is thought fit, etc. And our Complaint is just, not only in the point there instanced, but in divers others. And this is evident: for, not to speak of the enforced prudential connivances or omissions of Discipline in some particular instances, and at some times, in the Regular Church, even the very separated Congregations themselves (those of them at least that have any thing of Form or Government amongst them, and are not purely Anarchical) too often feel the pinches of that Necessity and Evil we complain of. There are so many pretended Churches for the Ejected to flee to, that proceed against them, and you lose them for ever. You lose them, I say, not so much from your own Party, as from the profession and practice of all that looks like Sobriety. They run into irregular Passions, and out of mere opposition to those who have censured them, addict themselves to such Societies, which are famous for the most contrary extremes to their former Profession. Thus many times, God knows, what was designed, by Christ in the Institution, and by the Church in the Exercise, for a remedy, proves to such distempered Souls a deadly Poison, or in the words of the Apostle, a Stone of stumbling, and Rock of offence. In stead of bringing the Delinquents to repentance for one sin, you drive them into a course and state of many more. This, the first Effect then of Divisions upon the Church, that they ruin Discipline, and have introduced all the want and impotency of it under which the Church of God at present labours, shows sufficiently that they who are Friends to Faction, are none to Holiness.  
Secondly, Another mischievous effect of Divisions upon the Church, is, the drawing off and diverting the Labours of the Ministry, from pressing an● propagating Holiness, to the maintaining Opinions, Controversies, useless or troublesome Speculations, and in a word, the cross Interests of Parties. A sad thing it is, that in a manner the very Fountains of Salvation, at least the Streams, which flow thence, and which the thirsty Multitude flock to for refreshment▪ should be envenomed, or else turned aside out of their due Course: but it is a Truth, of which every day gives us fresh and lamentable experience. I do not deny, but there are faults in this regard on both sides, and as long as some men hold on their Humours, and other men are men, 'tis scarce possible it should be otherwise. Holiness indeed is, on all hands, confessed the great business of Mankind in this World; and so the great Errand and Universal Text of all Preachers: But how many of those, who pretend the most for Holiness, in their popular Sermons, at least in those Discourses which they  publish (and we can judge only of the rest we see not, by those we have to view) how many, I say, of these, generally spend their pains in inveighing against some irregularities or hardships they apprehend in the Laws, in magnifying (perhaps beyond truth) their Parties sufferings, in heightening or gratifying their Followers dislikes of the Established Worship, and so exasperating them against the greater part of the Nation, as well People, Ministry as Magistracy? The late Writings of these men would tempt one to a severer Character of their preaching, which I forbear: and only add, that then there are few on our side, that can persuade themselves they ought not to open their Mouths in their own Defence. Hence too often, when we ought to be approving ourselves to every man's Conscience in the sight of God, by bringing them to the sense of those sins, in which they live and wallow securely, and convincing them of the indispensable Necessity of a new life, showing and teaching them the way and means thereto, and so to Pardon and Heaven, we spend good hours, or too great a part of them, in inveighing against Persons or Parties, not one of which hears us; in reflecting on old Crimes and Villainies in which perhaps few men now living are concerned; or else in the bandying some Controversy at present in repute, touching which possibly there are more Arguments or Difficulties on both sides, than ourselves, or all the men in the World can answer. By this means Christ is not preached, but Contention.  Heu! quantum potuit terrae pelagique parari, etc. 
How many Souls might have been won over to Peace and Holiness, and so to God, by those thousands of Sermons, which having been spent only in peevish heats, and fanning the flames of Discord, have only raised the Fire, now almost beyond hopes of being quenched in this Generation! Now the Ministry of the Word being the great provision made by God to open men's eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, if this be otherwise employed, if this the sovereign means of Sanctification be perverted or diverted, what Damage must Holiness needs sustain?  
But I must not lay all the fault, in this respect, upon the Ministry alone; the People have their share in the guilt. That, which the Apostle meant by sound Doctrine, wholesome Words, and the like Expressions, namely the teaching 
That this w●●●●t. Paul's Notion, in the 〈…〉 by what he calls sound Do●●●ine, or sound Speech, [〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉] See 1 Tim. I. 10. & Chap. ●●. 1, 2, 3. & Tit. II. 2, 8. etc. 2 Tim IV. 2, 3.  and pressing plain and necessary Christian Duties, or Sacred Morals, many of our people now nauseate, and desert and vilify those, who most insist on; having itching ears, and too often freakish heads and proud hearts. Those who live in abominable Uncharitableness, Hypocrisy, contempt of their Christian Brethren (and of their Christian Governors too) nay in gross Uncleanness, Lewdness, and Riot, shall puff at an honest Practical Discourse, and go away disdainfully with an, I knew as much as this before. By this means many worthy Ministers being discouraged from what they would treat of, think it but a prudential Expedient for the keeping their Congregations together, to comply with their Palates, and entertain them with such Subjects, which the Preachers own inclination or natural choice would not have fixed on. But how much, Holiness suffers by all this, how few are caught by this guile, and on the contrary, how many are only hardened in their former Vices, and nestled up in their lofty conceits of their own Judgements, the sober World too plainly see and (perhaps fruitlessly) lament. The good God, who only can, remedy this evil!  
Lastly, I must not conceal a third Mischief which our Divisions bring on the Church, and that is a sad number of insufficient Pretenders and Intruders to the Ministry. Amongst too many of the Factious, whoever can but boldly pretend to Gifts (and we know what pitiful reproaches of the Spirit of God some men are used to call so) falls on exercising; and if after some practice, he gain a few ignorant Admirers, these shall be his Followers (otherwise perhaps styled his Converts) and he may set up (especially, if such his Adherents choose him for their Pastor) he may set up, I say, by the very Principles of divers of them, without any other Ordination, for a Minister of the Gospel. This is up and down the Country a great Evil. But I am very far from saying, all the Ministers amongst the Dissenters are such: There are divers of them of Learning and good Conscience, and possibly some of Legitimate Ordination. However, even these, in the Point in hand, we fear will find themselves to have acted prejudicially to the Interest of Holiness: not only by conniving at, and joining with such insufficient Intruders into this Holy Office, but also in not doing what they profess they can, and what would have sufficed them, and by this means in leaving their places to be filled sometimes with men much less serviceable to the Interest of Holiness than themselves, who unhappily occasion many weak people's following such Intruders, and whose Admission, as the Laws and Constitution of things stand, the Governors of the Church cannot now hinder. God be blessed there are few, that I know, or no Instances of this case hereabouts, but too many elsewhere in our Israel: Whose is the fault, God will judge.  
To conclude this Point; Corruptions in Religion, whether in Doctrine or Manners, can never prevail much without corruption of the Holy Order. Jerohoam could not effect the Alienation of the people from the Temple and true Worship of God, merely by his setting up his Golden Calves at Bethel, till he had made of the Vilest sort of people Priests, which were not of the sons of Levi, persons no wise qualified for their Office of Priesthood by Education or Exercise; 1 Kings XII. 31. & XIII. 33. Let those, who have been guilty of doing, occasioning, or contributing to, the like evil, look to it, and lay it home to their hearts and Consciences. The generality of such insufficients is a consequent of our Divisions, and hereby Holiness has suffered, and will suffer till such practice can be remedied; which will never be effected till Union and Regularity may take place and operate. Thus as to the Effects of Divisions upon the Church, destructive to Holiness.  
3. The third Head proposed now only remains, viz. the Consideration of the Effects of Faction prejudicial to Holiness on the spirits of private Christians; and these, I say, it strangely vitiates.  
I have already stated what I conceive genuinly meant by Holiness: and according to the Account given in it signifies, in a word, an Habitual Complexion of all Christian Graces and Virtues. Now let us look through the whole three Families or Tribes of Christian Duties, towards God, Men, and Ourselves, and see how miserably people's practice is corrupted under each Head by our Divisions.  
I. I begin with Godliness: but must admonish here, as before, none may expect I should touch on all particulars; Time would fail: Some enumeration of Points more obnoxious may suffice.  
1. The greatest corruption or adulteration of Religion and Godliness in the world is, the misplacing it: I mean, men's taking up and holding to somewhat in stead of it, which perhaps in their, and some others judgement, has some appearance and likeness of it, or remote pretence to it, but is very far from being it. And if men shall not only do this themselves, but teach others so to do, and vent this false Godliness, they are more dreadfully guilty of corrupting Religion and destroying Holiness: according as he who should disperse as much false Money as he could, were more a Criminal in adulterating the King's Coin, and abusing the Nation, than he who fond should please himself with the lustre of some few base pieces in his own private Cabinet. Now I complain that the Divisions of the Church have brought men to place Godliness in points most distant from its nature, nay, some most contrary to it: and not only to practise so themselves, but to teach accordingly. I shall assign only for the present a double instance.  
First, Some men mainly place Godliness in being of such or such a Church; that is, in other terms, in being of this or that Sect or Party. And the persons guilty herein are not merely some weaker and ordinary people (which yet some account the greatest part of Mankind) but divers of a far different Grain; at least as their Discourse and Conversation in other things bespeaks them. How plausibly, amongst men of tolerable judgement, does the following Plea proceed? Out of the True Church there is no Salvation. And the True Church can be but one (For there is One Body as one Spirit, Ephes. iv 4. And we Believe One Catholic and Apostolic Church, saith the Nicene Creed) It therefore concerns a man in the first place, in the Choice and Entrance upon his Religion, to look hereto, that he join himself to the true Church. How few see the Snare which is here laid, or are wary enough to extricate their perplexed minds by distinguishing, that though the Catholic Church be but One, yet Particular Churches may be, and must be Many; and of those many, God forbidden but we should think several to be true ones, that is, true Members of the one Catholic Church? And 'tis most likely, she's the worst, which ingrosses to herself alone (at least would engross) the Title of The True and Catholic. In the mean while, what a stir has this Question made in Divided Christendom, Which is the true Church? What are the Signs and Characters of it? How many private Conferences, public Sermons, voluminous Treatises taken up on this Subject? And when men have, from these Signs or Characters agreeing to such or such a Church, in some tolerable measure satisfied themselves to their own apprehension, and concluded such or such A True Church, to which therefore they forthwith addict themselves, is not this generally the next conclusion, that the same is The True Church; and presently this the final Result, that Themselves and all in the Ark are safe by being in it? Who sees not that this wile, destructive flattery and delusion, derives its Original from our Divisions? Every divided Party look upon themselves as the Godlier (and consequently quo id hoc, the Holier) by how much the purer Worship they conceive their Church to have: and that they take for certain, The truer the Church, the Purer its Worship, its Sacraments, its Communion; and in fine, the surer its Members. So that with the Multitude this passeth current, Get into the true Church, and as to Religion you are safe: for you are sure of True Sacraments, a saving Ministry, the best sort of Worship, and what not? Ah, my Brethren! These however in themselves golden Pipes, and sacred Conveyances of Grace, to those who use them aright, are yet, in themselves, and as the World goes, Faciles & Parabiles ritus, a Godliness easy to be had, and which may prove as destructive as easy to be come by, when the outward enjoyment hereof is the great matter of our Acquiescence.  
But to examine this Cheat a little more narrowly as well for the more effectual delivery of men from it, as the clearing the Point in hand, That Divisions have brought men to place Godliness in matters most contrary to its nature.  
Admit I place true Religion, and so Godliness (very much) in being of this or that Church; I say, the Church I am of is either a True one or a False one; one that holds to, or one that has broken off from Catholic Unity. If the later, I am then in a Schism by being of it. And then by placing Godliness in being of this Church, what do I do but place it in Schism? An hopeful sort of Godliness indeed! And if the former, if the Church, in adhering whereto I reckon myself Godly, be a true one, that is, a sincere Member of the true Catholic Church, I am never a whit the godlier by my mistake in over-valuing the Communion of the Church. For 'tis great odds, as the stream of men's spirits runs, but that my Zeal for such dearly beloved Church, transport me into such admiration of it, that, either I shall confine Salvation to it, and insist so far on the necessity of Communion with it, as to forget Catholic Charity; by which means again I am fallen into Schism, though of a different sort from that before mentioned (and still placing Godliness in being of this Church thus strictly, I place Godliness in Schism): Or else rest in the mere enjoyment of those advantages and preeminencies I apprehend by it, running a round of external Duties and Observances, but little or not at all concerning myself, as to a real changed heart and renewed spirit; and then, the Godliness, with which I please myself, lies only in some Formalities and Church Privileges, which come naturally under what the Apostle styles a Form of Godliness, and which he says a man may have, and deny its Power; that is, be void of Holiness, without which no man can see the Lord. And is not this as pernicious a mistake? Alas, alas my Brethren! 'Tis not the Communion of Saints can save men, though it be both our Duty and Interest to maintain it. A man may be damned in the purest Church on Earth for a Carnal worldly heart, or a disorderly unholy life, however our Divisions may delude us into contrary Fancies.  
This kind of men we have spoken of are commonly Zealots (of one side or tother) But there are another sort which are Lukewarm, indifferent generally to all Religions and Churches in particular. Some Religion perhaps they think 'tis fit there should be, for the better managing the people: and if in their judgement they do proceed to any Specialties, possibly they will tell you, 'tis expedient there should be several Religions, that every man may find one, the profession whereof will suit his Humour (A policy, not unlike unto which the Church of Rome has now a long time used in inventing and maintaining so many Religious Orders) Now as they  place● Religion (and so Godliness, or our Duty to God) in being of what they apprehend to be Gods true Church, so these  
Secondly, place it in seeming to be of such or such a Church or Party; for in reality, and as far as Religion ●s Religion, they neither believe nor own any such thing, nor consequently any Church at all. The other perhaps addicted themselves to Factions and Parties out of Conscience (though haply erroneous) and in the sincerity of their hearts: these out of humour or interest, seem to do so for the present, and when either humour or interest vary, then farewell such espoused Party or Religion. And now let us put the Question in plain English (and as plainly answer it) What do these men place Godliness in? Verily in an Atheistical humoursome Hypocrisy. And is it not true that our Divisions foster and confirm these Wretches Atheistical vein? They seem to themselves rationally defensible in disbelieving all Religion, and our several Church's Testimonies thereof, because the Witnesses are not agreed amongst themselves.  
In a word, and to conclude this particular of misplacing Godliness, or deceiving ourselves as to its whole nature. It is sure, Godliness primarily consists in a serious Belief of the Being and Nature of God, and in an entire Resignation to him; whence most naturally and sweetly slow all its inward and outward acts. But we have above made it evident, Divisions have brought Christendom to that pass, that some men place Godliness in such Practices which resolve into Schism, others in Formalities and Providential Advantages, others in Atheistical and Humour some Hypocrisy (and not a few are there of each of these sorts): Now what can be more contrary to real Godliness than all these? By what we have said therefore of the misplacing of Godliness, it appears Divisions so vitiate the spirits of private men, as to destroy real Godliness, that is, (the first part of Holiness) in them.  
2. Though the Damage Godliness must sustain in misplacing wholly its nature, is the greatest we can imagine, yet certainly it suffers not a little by the mixture of Heterogeneous additions, and on the other hand by detraction of some of its Integral Parts, or Offices. And is it not evident, that since the Christian Church has been thus rend in pieces by Divisions, each Party, as if in their own defence, and in justification of their proceed, has made it their business to stand by themselves, and pursuant hereto most have been running further and further from one another into the strangest Extremes? Which distance must be confessed most chief visible in Articles of Faith and Offices of Divine Worship. Both these, on some hands, have been wisely multiplied, on others as prodigiously, and not without the most dreadful Sacrilege, diminished and retrenched. From the multiplication of Articles of Faith amongst the Papists, Believing, with the Multitude, is become only a blind Obedience and Resolution of submission to the Church. From the like multiplication of Divine Ordinances, the Public Worship with them is mostly Pageantry and Ceremony, and Private Devotion little else but some Lip-labour, Bodily Exercise, or small Money-matter. Amongst those who call themselves Protestant's, there are a People who have run into contrary heights, and after denying some Articles of Faith, and laying aside others as useless, have rejected all positive worship of God, all Prayers, Sacraments, yea even the Ministry of the Word, as belonging only to a lower State and Oeconomy than that they are in. I do not say but these men's Opinions fairly enough derive from some old Romish Fanaticism: however, the men themselves at present pretend the greatest contrariety to Rome. Far be it from me totally to excuse all middle and interjacent Parties: but certainly by all these Divisions (in Faith and Worship) Holiness suffers much amongst us, in things appertaining to God.  
II. So does it in things appertaining to Men. Though all the Individuals of each Party were Righteous, and aught no Debt of strict Justice to one another (so that this part of our Duty to men were no whit at all infringed by our Divisions, the contrary to which is yet most notoriously apparent) notwithstanding there is one Debt, which in St. Chrysostom's language, we must (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉) always be paying, yet always owing; namely, Charity and Loving one another. This Debt alone, of all others, says he, knows no end. But how much this part of Holiness suffers by our Factions, is unconceivable, as well as inexpressible. How few of any Party maintain so much as Charitable hopes of one another, much less such Judgement as they would have exercised towards themselves? And hence in every common affair of Life, what abominable Male-construction of one another's Actions, yea even of Intentions and Thoughts? As if men, rather than not be Uncharitable to one another, were resolved violently to invade the Prerogative of the Almighty, and to become Judges of Hearts. Nay, happy were it with Humane Concerns, if the Uncharitableness of Factions stuck here; What Detraction, Contempt, Scorn and Reproaches do the Parties mutually proceed to? What Ill-will, Envy, and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 (rejoicing in one another's Miseries, as well as Sins and Miscarriages) every where abounds? Yet further, What contrivances of Mischiefs upon one another? What unmerciful Intrigues, Plots and Labours to expose one another? No ill Offices, I had almost said no Diabolical Arts of Trapanning, Circumventing, false Accusing spared. Good God what more contrary to Holiness? It too plainly appears hence, our Divisions have trampled upon Justice as well as Charity.  
But there is one particular sort of Injustice (the , though cursed Offspring of Church-Faction) which I must not silently pass over, and that especially is against Governors; (though herein the Righteous Judge undoubtedly will also one day Pronounce, They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them.) How little do the Commands of Authority signify with many men? Is it not too generally with some grown a Maxim? That which was in itself indifferent, and lawful to be done before it was Commanded by Law, being Commanded, may not be submitted to; such Command being an Invasion of the Liberty Christ has left us. A Principle destructive to all Peace and Government, even to the very Root of both; and indeed highly ; as being truly but an old strain of stubborn Judaisme (which proved too fatal both to that people's souls and state) To admit no Christ but what should set them above Caesar. But I must not expatiate on this, lest I seem to some to forget a promise I made in the beginning.  
III. It remains now only to set forth the Effects of Division upon Holiness as that comprehends the Duties to a man's self. And of this nature, as well on one side as the other, are the High conceits of ourselves, of our own Judgements, Gifts, Graces, and general Attainments; The strange Confidence we entertain of that singular favour God has for us and our Party; whence commonly proceed marvellous Capriccio's, Self-flatteries, boasting of and setting up ourselves (at least resentments that it is fit others should set us) as the Patterns and Measures of Holiness or Reformation. This has ever been the temper of Parties, since there were Parties, and since Sects entered into the Church. When the old Jewish Church was in a manner only Bipartite, or divided but into two great Sects of Pharisees and Sadduces, how did the one value themselves above the other? The Prophetical Character of them answered exactly, Isai. LXV. 5. In their hearts, at least, they said to those who were not of themselves, Stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I am holier than thou. And however this is ordinarily charged as the fault of one sort of men amongst us, I fear there is no Party at all but has too many Members of such arrogant vein.  
I do not say the Evils taxed under this Head are only sins against a Man's self; They are also certainly contrary to Charity, whose Property it is, not to vaunt itself, not to be puffed up, not to behave itself unseemly (1 Cor. XIII. 4, 5.) and so against our Neighbour; They are contrary to Humility, and that holy awe and reverence we own to God, and so also sins against him: But still, Practices thus complicately sinful must needs be the more opposite to Holiness; and proportionably, such must needs be, whatsoever introduces them into the Christian World, and particularly Church Divisions.  
In s●m then, to conclude our proof. It is apparent, let us pretend what we will for Holiness and Reformation, yet if we either privately foment and lengthen out the Divisions of the Church, or labour not all in us lies to compose and reconcile them, we keep alive those Coals whence we can expect no other than the dismal flames of a Civil War (a state of things, which above all others depraves National manners, insomuch that the usual Tenor of Sobriety is not commonly recovered in an Age or two after) We ruin the Discipline of the Church, the great Curb and Cure of Vice amongst Christian men, provided by Christ; We for the main pervert or divert the ordinary means of Sanctification, the Ministry of the Word; We set open a door for blind Leaders of the blind; We, besides, otherwise contribute much to the vitiating the private spirits of men, by introducing (by ourselves or others) unnatural kinds, offices, and instances of Godliness, by the like retrenching genuine Godliness, by perpetuating necessarily uncharitableness, unmercifulness, injustice, and especially Disobedience to Government, and finally, by cherishing the Seeds of Spiritual Pride, Ostentation, Presumption, and whatever is contrary to that Meekness, Sweetness and Comeliness of Mind which constitutes the Christian temper: By all which means, and possibly many other unseen ones, we in real truth subvert and destroy, what we profess most Zealous Endeavours for, namely Holiness and a through Reformation.  
Give me leave now, in a word, to resume the Text, and pursue it, as an Exhortation, in the sense, and with the Design I have propounded; Fellow Peace with all men, and Holiness. Let us study and promote the Union of the Church, the accord and agreement of all serious Christians, as the most effectual mean of a complete Reformation. Were the good men of the several Persuasions, or the Generality of them, of one piece, of one Communion, Profaneness, Vice and Looseness would not find amongst us where to take Refuge. Men would be compelled to amend in their own defence, and for mere shelter in the Church, the reproach of an Outlier would be so intolerable.  
I must profess with all sincerity, I cannot, in my poor insight into the state of our Dissensions, conceive of any possibility of an Union of all honest minded men of the different Persuasions amongst us, that call themselves Protestant's, but by the coming in of such several Dissenters into the Established Church. The Approaches perhaps must be Gradual; and the Methods of effecting them I will confess beyond my Comprehension: Only I will adventure to say, I am apt to think the sweeter the better. Yet though I dare not pretend to show how all may be done, I see no reason to apprehend the thing, as some do, not seasible. Are we not on all hands sensible that the things, which keep us asunder, are far from being of so great moment, as are the Reformation of the scandalous Multitude, and the Edification of the Pious? Why then may we not hope, but by such mutual advances one towards another, which the aforesaid sense of things is apt to beget, we may in some time meet? And why should we hope it, and not honestly with all our might and skill endeavour it? We see the abominable Vanity and Self-flattery in pretending to a Zeal for Holiness, when we are Lukewarm to Peace, and adherents to Faction. Let us be ready to sacrifice somewhat to peace, if it be only to approve ourselves not to be Hypocrites in our Pretences to Holiness or Saintship. I speak this to men of all Parties, and particularly to all considerable of our own Church. I take it to be a greater fault in Conformists to be stiff and averse to Union than in any other sort, inasmuch as the Principles we profess are more truly Catholic and Charitable than those of any others I know. Let all therefore be prevailed with, to unite their Endeavours and whatsoever they have of interest, to promote so great a blessing. Have we any power over our own spirits, any influence upon others, any interest at the Throne of Grace, let all be employed.  
1. Let us never cease by Consideration and Prayers, night and day, enforcing upon ourselves all the Obligations to, and Counsels of Peace and Union, which we can contrive or collect; let us not cease, I say, to enforce them, till we feel our hearts really brought under the power of them, and are able to approve our Consciences to God, that he, who knows all in us, knows we are from the bottom of our hearts studious of Peace, and will do all we can in our places to compass it: Especially, that we will in all meet things deny ourselves, and recede from whatever on our parts may be spared, which really hinders it. Certainly, my Brethren, Peace could not be far off, could all particular men, especially those of note and power on all sides, go before God, and appeal to him, as the Searcher of all hearts, that they are sincerely resolved, to the utmost of their might, to pursue Union, and bring their own and their brethren's spirits together. We may many of us pretend to this, but it is to be feared, such pretence is but a Copy of our Countenance: It has been ingenuously confessed, even by some Conscientious men who dissent, that if our Hearts were not further from Peace than our Principles or our Pens, it would soon be effected. Let us put it home to ourselves, Why should it be so? Nay how can it be so, without abominable Hypocrisy? Either we must bring our hearts to the temper persuaded, or farewel our Saintship: We are but vile Pretenders to what we are not, and in truth Self-deceivers, and false to God and the World.  
2. Let us employ all the Interest we hold in others, whether in any Grandees and powerful Patrons that we have, or in Familiars and Friends, Followers and Disciples, with any and all, with whom we can hope our entreaties, power, or any kind of importunity can prevail, let us be dealing effectually, that they would in their places join their Endeavours, and work together to the sweetening and uniting the minds of good men. Let us not rest, till we have made them (what we are supposed to have made ourselves) resolute, cordial, and zealous in this blessed Design.  
But more especially, if any of us, impartially reflecting before God upon our past Life and Actions, find we have influenced any towards the present Dissensions, Let us remember their Schism is ours, their Uncharitableness ours, all they do to defend or disperse their dividing Principles is still an Accumulation of our Gild. Let therefore no poor shamefacedness, or base tenderness of our own Repute and Esteem, withhold us one day from acknowledging our Error, and from recalling and regaining such into the Unity of the Church, whom unhappily (though possibly with a good meaning) we drew from thence. And let us do this instantly, by the first opportunity we can lay hold on; to day, while it is called to day. God knows, how little time there may be left us for such work: And it would be, we will easily believe, as fruitless an attempt, as dreadful inhancement of our Woe, should we come one day to be at Our Father Abraham, send Lazarus unto my Brethren, that they come not into this place of Torment, the reward as well as original of Schism and Contention.  
Lastly, That no stone may be left unturned in so heavenly an Engagement, let us all try our Interests with the God of Peace, and ply his Mercy-seat with our Supplications and Tears night and day, that he would pity his Church here, rending and tearing out her own Vitals with her own hands. Let us pray that if there be in our hearts any latent, and to us unseen Seeds of Discord, God would open our eyes, and enable us to winnow them out of ourselves and the World; that he will on all hands remove Error, obstinacy and self-will; and that he will pardon them too, to the end our past guilt may not blast the acceptance and success of our Repentance. Let us at least thus far obey the Injunction in the Text of Following Peace, as with pure and fervent hearts to Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem, if we have no other means of effecting it. This is an Endeavour out of none of our Orb or Power. And would the Protestant World (at home I mean) take up this spirit, and conspire in this practice, God would certainly soon accomplish, what man looks upon as impossible, The Union of Protestants: For with him nothing is impossible.  
Now the God who maketh men to be of one mind in an house, send down the Spirit of Peace and Union into his Church, which is the House of him the Living and True God.  
To whom, etc.  
The End.   

Postscript.  
HAving just now read over these Two Sermons which I have transcribed since I preached, I am not a little thereby confirmed in the belief of an Observation I have long ago made (or taken up I cannot say whether) That a man may with less danger of exposing himself preach many Sermons than print one: Those Defects and Crudities, which the speed and (with some more happy persons) the Grace of Pronunciation covers, are easily perceived by the mature attention of the Peruser. That this will be the Fate of divers Passages in these foregoing Discourses, I am sensible enough, and perhaps see the Particulars: But the Design I pursue in them is so necessary to be promoted by more Advocates than it has in good earnest, that I could not prevail with myself, through any fear of Censures, to suppress my poor, however cordial, endeavours therein. Nor did I think it fit in the Copy for the Press, to make any such Supplies or Changes, as in themselves I might think but requisite, lest it should be objected by any, I preached not what I print. Wherefore I am content that all pass in the form it is. I will only admonish, that the same Arguments, which I have used in the Second Sermon to prove our present Divisions destructive to Holiness, will also prove that other part (which I have too lightly touched) That the Union we persuade, would certainly produce more Holiness or Reformation of the Public Manners, than any other Expedient we can easily imagine: Only I had not time to apply them distinctly to both parts; and to those, who will read this, 'tis amply enough to have suggested thus much.  
There may possibly occur divers Passages in both Sermons, which same may say want Truth; nay, the Contradictions to which I have read in print not many days ago: I can only say, I spoke them not with a design of contradiction; and I both did, and still do judge them real Truths. For instance, (Serm. 1. pag. 22.) I say, We [Conformists] doubt not but in this our obedience we please God, and are not unserviceable unto men. Mr. Baxter on the contrary, in his Apology for the Non-conformists Ministry (which Book I shall much cite in what follows) applies to us, more than once, as I remember, that passage of the Apostle touching the unbelieving Jews, (1 Thessaly. II. 15.) That we please not God, and are contrary to all 
Pag 235. etc.  men. I believe in my Conscience he is mistaken, and that what I said is true. Nay further I will tell him, and all the World, and God is my Witness herein, I at first obeyed with a design to serve God; and I bless my God, I do both serve him, with a pure Conscience, in the way of Conformity, and have the comfort and joy thereof in my own breast daily; nor do I trouble myself, or can I help it, if prejudicated men are of another mind. Again, pag. 30. of the same Sermon, I said, Presbyterians and Independents could not agree among themselves; no not, when they had an Assembly packed mostly of themselves. Yet many have lately magnified their Agreement, and some have told us, that Assembly was almost all of Episcopal conformable 
Mr. Baxt. Apol. N. C. p. 90, 204. etc.  men. Were it worth the labour, I could prove the truth of what I said; nay, I could prove much more. First, as to their great concord, I say they were so far from agreeing then, that they are not agreed yet: For whereas some could come in to our Church, upon such terms as they are pleased to insinuate under the name of a Comprehension (namely the Moderate Presbyterians) They of the Congregational way cannot, according to their Judgements, allow of our Parochial 
Bill for Accommodation. pag. penult.  Churches, nor a Book of Liturgy; but do choose to worship God in the way of their Gathered or Separate Congregations, and so need an Indulgence. Then as to Mr. Baxter's demand, Were not almost all the Westminster-Assembly Episcopal Conformable men when they came thither? I could say, No, not in their hearts, as appeared by their fruits: (Those four of five that were, had no comfort to be amongst them.) Hear part of the Preamble of that Ordinance, by which this conformable Assembly was called, Whereas it has been declared and resolved by 
Jun. 12. 1643. Scob. Coll p. 42.  the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament, that the present Church Government by Archbishops, Bishops, their Chancellors, Commissaries, Deans, Deans and Chapters, Archdeacon's, and other Ecclesiastical Officers, depending upon the Hierarchy, is justly offensive and burdensome to the Kingdom, a great impediment to Reformation and growth of Religion, and very prejudicial to the State and Government of this Kingdom; and that therefore they are resolved that the same shall be taken away; and that such a Government shall be settled in the Church, as may be agreeable to God's Holy Word, [Episcopacy then in these men's judgements was not] and most apt to procure and preserve the peace of the Church at home, and nearer agreement with the Church of Scotland, etc. What Episcopal men would have answered this call, or these ends, any otherwise than by protesting against them? Did these things tend to peace? I could and would give a further answer. I could tell him too, who it is, that through habitual prejudice, self-flattery, and unhappy error, is a falsifier of History, and that in the very memory of them, in whose times these things were acted; and particularly in fixing the war upon an Erastian party in Parliament (when all the World knows, a People ever known to be of more bloody Principles, and whom I will not name, for peace-sake, both scattered and blew the Coals, whence arose those Combustions:) but that, I say, I conceive, my Answer would no more conduce to peace, than his reminding the Nation of those things, which at other times he would have forgotten: I would have set forth all this. In short, he and all his Abettors must know, the Catalogues of that Parliament, of that Assembly, are in our hands; the Copies of their Speeches, the Journals of their Votes, Transactions, etc. are all to be produced: and, to say nothing of the Covenanters, the Commissioners (both of Ministry and Laiety) named in the Form of Church Government (which the Assembly had been so long a hammering) to be used in the Church of England and Ireland, all these men's names, qualities, principles, and procedure, are notorious in print. Such public, and (as I may justly call them) Authentic Records, as these, must and will be credited, when private persons, whose interest and unhappiness it is to tax others with their own faults, will scarce find belief. But I forget myself: however I followed another; and sad it is, when one who pretends for peace, in his very pleas for it leads us out of the way to it. I have done with this kind of Discourse, when I have besought my Reader not to account any thing said in my Sermons false, because some have been pleased to contradict and hector the Truth.  
I did not at first intent even thus much of Reflection: for I proposed not to myself in this Postscript, to Apologise for my Sermons, nor to answer other men's Imputations on us and our Church; but to proceed to such Particulars in order to my Pacificatory design, as were less fit for a Sermon, and so still to drive the same Nail further home. To this purpose therefore I shall take the boldness (which the Charity of my intentions I hope may obtain pardon for) to observe to the Dissenters, where in some of their Writings, which I have seen, while they plead for peace, they openly blast it; and wherein otherwise, notwithstanding all their pleas, their own practices are evidently wanting to the design of Union. And herein I desire to be heard only with so much candour and calmness as I shall use.  
He that appears in the Front of the Dissenters, for Peace, is Mr. Baxter: He says in his Epistle Dedicatory of his Apology for the Nonconformists Ministry, he has been begging in vain these Twenty years for Peace and Concord, of the Order of the Bishops; nay (pag. 1.) he has tried in vain too, what silence in this kind would do: yet after all, before the expiring of his gasping hopes, he resolved once more to resist despair, and make another effort. It is really to be lamented that both his and other good men's endeavours to this purpose, have been no more successful: but being we all, who either speak or write on this Subject, ought not to be thought any other than serious and in good earnest, let us be content to consider each of us in what Particular our endeavours are deficient or peccant. The discovery of this may haply help us a little into the way of Peace. And let not Mr. Baxter be displeased with me, if, being to examine some writings of his of this kind, I first, with entire good will, both to him and mankind, deliver freely my thoughts of him; I will assure him I expect one day to answer for all I say: and now let his and all men's Charity judge of my Veracity.  
I really believe him at the bottom a very good man, truly loving and fearing God, and passionately zealous for the Conversion, Edification, and Salvation of Souls: When ever he treats of the things that belong to another life, the sense and concernment he has for them appears in his very language; Videtur ipsius oratio non in labiis nasci, sed in pectore: Those who are not strangers to Holy Affections, must needs feel a kind of sympathy, which, beyond all suspicion, and above all other Arguments, will demonstrate thus much to them: I will also add, that 'tis most sure he is excessively studious and laborious, and as great an Instance as many Ages will show, what Industry and Parts may do, without the Aids of Regular and Academical Education: But I do not look upon him, any more than other mortal men, to be without his Infirmities; and of what nature his chief may be, a man may not improbably conjecture, from the mortified state of his Body, and that Opinion, which he is said to have asserted, that A man might live 
Bishop Morleys' Letter, p. 13.  without any Actual Sin: Sure it is, it has been his great unhappiness, to have been long in the top of a Faction of his own making; which Faction, being very Heterogeneous (neither Episcopal, Presbyterian, 
Apolog. p. 73.  Independent or Erastian, as himself seems to confess, but a Composition or Temper, I will not say, an Amsterdam of all) and besides very Numerous, he has passed too much without brotherly reproof; and perhaps is not now so capable of it: Most have censured him, too many perhaps exposed him; others on the contrary admired and extolled him; few or none have dealt, together faithfully and candidly, with him or with his Writings: I have done so hitherto, and shall all along to my poor ability.  
But lest any should suspect me, being a Person of different persuasion and interest from him (as may be conceived) to speak out of prejudice, I will take the liberty, as he does some times, in his forementioned Apology, to tell him a story or two: I had seen him but twice, once en passant, and another time in the Pulpit (nor did I ever see him since) when being chosen out of Westminster School to Cambridge, I waited on a good man, who had shown me divers never to be forgotten kindnesses, and especially by whose Ministry I had made some proficiency in Godliness, (though I must say, the grounds of it I had had elsewhere) I waited, I say, on such a reverend Person, to pay my thanks and take my leave; and at my parting, amongst other very good advices, he cautioned me not to leave the University too soon, as the manner of those, who went ripe thither, was: For they, said he, that do so, are never able to wade into that depth of Learning, which they might easily have done; and besides that, for want of having gone through the whole Circle of Arts and Sciences regularly, they too often become opinionative, furious, unable to bear liberal conference or opposition, though it be by way only of Dispute or Brotherly Admonition: As, said he, we have now experience in a very godly, but strangely fierce man, Mr. Baxter by name, who though he will speak very well, yet is not able to endure being gainsaid in any thing. (If the Gentleman be alive, and read this, I am sure he will acknowledge many of his own Expressions; and say, if I have erred from them, it is rather in partem faventiorem.) He added, There is a great deal of truth in that Example of old Lilies using;  
Add quòd, Ingenuas didicisse fideliter arts,  
Emollit mores nec sinit esse feros:  
Haddit Mr. Baxter been bred at Disputations, or in the Schools, he would manage himself with more temper. This Gentleman, if alive, I am sure is a Nonconformist. This was all I had ever heard of Mr. Baxter, till from Cambridge making some Excursions into my own Country, I there found him cried up as the Apostle of those parts; and his Books flying there much abroad, I met with his Gildas Salvianus, which I read with great concernment, again and again; in short, such was the impression it made on me, that I ever after believed, whatever infirmities Mr. Baxter might have, he was certainly a man most faithful in his Ministry. Coming down again in the Year 1658. as I remember, I met with his Holy Commonwealth, and read a great part of it, much startled thereat, and with great concernment pitying him, as to my apprehension, out of his Element; yet I can truly say, loving and reverencing him for that I had before read in him. From that time till 1663. I remember myself to have heard or read little or nothing of him: And then I was told by a Reverend Prelate, that at the Conference of the Savoy, Mr. Baxter being demanded what would satisfy him? should reply, All or Nothing; or words to that effect. Up, on this, I reflected on what that Grave Divine, , told me, when I went to the University: And since that time I have only occasionally, and as by accident they have fallen into my hands, read any thing of his Works, till now this piece of his, which I am about to censure, came in my way: And from hence the World may estimate, how far I am acquainted with, or prejudiced against Mr. Baxter.  
Truly Peace is so amiable thing, that it would recommend any man to me who comes with offers towards it; much more Mr. Baxter, whom I have so long looked upon as a Conscientious man: It is not easy to assign greater Advantages to the Person of a Peacemaker, than what flow from Mortification, Industry, Age, Experience, Holiness and Zeal for Peace: Mr. Baxter, to any one that knows so much as, and no more of him than, I do, would not seem, with the Multitude, to want any repute for these. When therefore I saw this Book, inscribed, The third Part of his Plea for Peace, I was very sorry the other two had escaped me, and expected much from this: But, to my great grief, have found myself only much disappointed. Now because I know, Mr. Baxter is able to do much with his Followers towards Peace, and because further, I am well assured he will be writing as long as he is able, I have resolved to adventure the detecting how vastly, in what he has writ, at least in what I have seen of his, on this Subject, he comes short, perhaps errs, from his pretended Mark; to the end, that both he and his Partners, in their future attempts, may take the better aim: For certainly were there never so much Humility, Meekness, Charity, and Patience in the World, were all our men of the most for bearing and most for giving Spirits imaginable, (which God knows is on all hands wanting) yet the way he takes is not the way to Peace.  
First, I complain, Mr. Baxter's manner of managing his Plea, is mightily deficient, I may say culpable: He must bear with me, if, as I promised, I am faithful to him; and tell him, he pleads for Peace in a most unpeaceable and provoking sort: The Apology , (after the Epistle Dedicatory (the design of which also seems to be, to insinuate a kind of Schism, even amongst our very English Bishops) after that Epistle, I say, and a few of the initial Pages) swarms all along with the strangest Suggestions, Accusations, Aggravations, with the most biting Sarcasms and Reproaches, which could well be stuffed into so much Paper: I would not be mistaken; I am not at all incensed by them; only I really mourn before God, to see the Symptoms of such a Spirit in such a man: Good God that men, in whom otherwise appears so much of the life and power of Godliness, should thus expose it, themselves, and their Christian Brethren to the Laughter and Scorn of the Common Adversaries, Papists and Atheists. I protest faithfully, I am more concerned for the credit of Religion in general, amidst these bitter Aspersions, than for any disgrace, our Church, or her Friends can suffer from all charged on us: I am sorry to say it, His whole vein of Writing, in this Piece, betrays the want of that Singleness of Heart, that Candour, Humility, Charity, Sweetness and Aequanimity, which not only the Design of Peace and Union, but the very Essence and Constitution of a Christian Spirit indispensably requires: God forbidden, any should take their Measures hence, of what temper Godly men are, and what is the language they use: It cannot be expected, but I should give a few Instances to make good this Charge.  
1. Then, I cannot but confess, it is true, there were many more of the Dissenters silenced, than we could have wished; and God grant there be not one day found much of their own fault herein (some People have talked of a Combination or Pact amongst themselves, that except they might have their own will throughout, they would make the World know, what a breach they could make, and how considerable they were). But yet it is not fair to over-reckon, knowingly and in ordinary course, two hundred in the Sum, as Mr. Baxter and others do, [pag. 155. 210. and in the very Title Page, etc.] thereby to swell the account to the greater Odium, by complaining roundly Two thousand. This I must conclude to be done knowingly, for sometimes he only says One thousand eight hundred; as pag. 151. etc.  
2. Where the Execution has been so vastly milder than the Law, where so much Mercy and Connivance has been shown, that I am confident, there is not the most rigorous Bishop in the three Kingdoms, but could give many more Instances of his Clemency and Forbearance, than the Law will justify, there not only never to acknowledge this kindness, but to be oftener than the Sheets occur in his Book (I will justify the account) sometimes twice or thrice in a Page, 
He is not content to do this in English so oft, but in Latin too. In Praefat. Methodi Christian. Theolog.  inculcating or upbraiding to us their Imprisonments, seems to have some other Design than Supplicating for Peace: Such ingeminated and undue Accusations of those whom we Petition, are strange Arguments from Petitioners.  
3. The same must I say much more of the possessing the World, The Bishops and Churchmen are likely to promote, or would be glad of those Severities to be executed upon them, which their Souls abhor to think of, and which the pretended Sufferers, by no Laws, nor so much as by the inclination of the Lawmakers (as far as ever yet could appear) were at all in danger of. Thus pag. 197. Blood was never yet of a light Digestion. [I pray God it have not been to some.] Nebuchadnezars Furnace devoured the Executioners, etc. Who would not think from hence, That the Laws had made Nonconformity as Capital, as what was called Heresy in Queen Mary's days? Or that the Statute De Haeretico Comburendo were by the Bishops reinforced, which contrarily has been lately repealed. Again, pag. 200. And you must consider also, that if Blood and Destruction be the means you trust to, you must set up a Shambles or Trade of Butchery, and make it the Profession of your Lives. Pag. 202. And then the whole Country will take notice, how many worse men you leave alive, which will increase the Odium. I am confident Mr. Baxter does not believe any of us are guilty of such Inclinations, and therefore whether he acts like a Christian, in such suggestions as these, let him ask himself: Yet he goes on, again and again, in the same strain, Pag. 203. But especially forget not that the number of Nonconformists in England, is so great, that it will weary the Hangman to dispatch them; or Executioners will scarce be found: For what if you hang a Thousand, or Eighteen hundred Ministers, etc. Pag. 209. Believe it, Hanging or Banishing Hundreds or Thousands will not do your Business, but make it worse.— And if you banish or kill all that are against you, Land will be very cheap, and Houses cheaper; and others will call that Solitude, which you call Concord, Uniformity, Peace, etc. I am weary of transcribing such Language, and sorry to find men, who would take it very ill not to be thought Conscientious, against their Consciences to impute that to their Brethren, which themselves do not believe they would ever attempt, nay, which they abhor in the least to desire: Good Lord forgive!  
4. I must needs look upon his aggravating his own and the Dissenters sufferings, beyond truth, I am sure beyond Probabilities, to have proceeded from the same want of temper. Pag. 142. He tells us, Some of the ejected Ministers are so reduced, and find so little succour, that they live upon brown bread and water. I will only, in Answer hereunto make, and I do hereby make, a solemn and serious Invitation of all those Protestant Ministers in my Diocese, nay, of all of them in the whole Province, who are thus low, I invite them, I say, hereby to my Table every day in the year; They shall freely eat as I do, and Welcome in God's Name. But it is yet an higher strain which we have, pag. 153. Some have died through the effects of want. I have heard so indeed of divers of our own Church's Clergy, ejected in the days of Usurpation; and I have reason, from some I knew. to believe it: But Mr. Baxter must pardon me, if I tell him, I am very sure there is more Liberality and Charity amongst the Brethren, than that any such things could come to pass; except men were resolved wilfully to conceal their own Conditions, and throw themselves away in some discontented Humour: But this I take only for a Figure which he uses, beyond the Rule in Oratory, & usque ad nauseam. We have it again, pag. 210. Having told us after his use of the Two thousand silenced Ministers of late, he adds to that Sum, and the many that have died in and by Imprisonment, (which we are told of again, pag. 180.) as if, besides that vast number silenced, there were many others that fared much worse. We must profess all these things are new to us, never heard of before; and, as Mr. Baxter says well, upon a like indefinite Accusation (pag. 145.) All proof (in such cases) must be of individuals; so, till such proof be brought, he must excuse our Faith, as we are content herein to excuse his Charity. Again, pag. 194. We will be thankful to be under no severer usage than Colliers and Bargemen and Seamen, than begging Rogues and Vagabonds have.  Ficta voluptatis causâ sint proxima veris. 
5. Of the same nature are his Altitudes touching the Conformity by Law required. Pag. 189. Subscribe, That we have not mistaken a word in all the●e three Books, etc. [We will suppose by the three Books he means the Liturgy, Canons, and Homilies: but what by the, etc. in which we pretend to be infallible as he insinuates, we know not; unless it be a litt●● Art to make ignorant People furmise more than he durst affirm.] Or else you shall not preach the Gospel of Salvation, nor labour to save People's Souls, n●● persuade them to think on another life. Yes, in pravate as much of this as you please; or not to above five at a time, that are not of the Family. The same in sense we have again, pag. 219. We cannot subscribe that your three Books are infallible to a word, etc. I doubt not but Mr. Baxer knows a man may subscribe, with good Conscience, to that, which he does not know infallibly to be true: There are many things, which both he and I verily believe, yet we are not infallibly sure we are not mistaken: If I have a fair and clear persuasion or satisfaction grounded hereon, That, though there be Arguments on the contrary side, yet they are such which I judge honestly answered, but on the side I take, the Arguments are far the stronger, and not satisfactorily answerable as I see; I say, I may subscribe, with very good Conscience, that I receive such Doctrine, Lubens & ex animo (for I do so) though perhaps I receive it not as of strictness necessary to Salvation, or as an Article of Faith: But neither is that assent required in the Subscription: We subscribe only with a design of Peace and Union: The very Articles are entitled, Articles agreed upon— for the avoiding of diversities of Opinions. I could tell Mr. Baxter, that somewhere in this his Book, if my memory mistake not, he says he durst not reject such an one, who should not subscribe he believed every Book of the Old Testament (as perhaps a Chapter of Ecclesiastes, or the Book of Canticles) or some other like piece, to be infallibly Canonical: yet I doubt not but he subscribed, and can in Conscience subscribe the sixth amongst the 39 Articles. Nay, pag. 167. The Nonconformists offer to subscribe (I fear with some exception) the same Doctrine of the Church of England, as the Conformists do in the 39 Articles and the Book of Homilies. Yet neither do the Conformists, nor Nonconformists, believe every word in those Books to be infallible; but they judge them a wholesome mean of Peace, and by their subscription are bound not to teach contrary: What needed then those terms, subscribe, we have not mistaken a word, (Did any one ever say so?) that these three Books are infallible to a word, etc. These heights serve only to conciliate hatred, and the reputation of cruelty to us, and so to blast Peace.  
6. I will only ask Mr. Baxter himself, whether he thinks, that imputing to men gross ignorance of their Office, unbelief of Religion, obdurateness beyond Examples, and the like, are apt terms to gain men's hearts, and unite us and them? Yet all these, and worse than these, as far as worse can be, we have abundantly from his hand. Pag. 2. He accuses the Clergy at the Savoy, that is, those Bishops, Doctors and divers the Learnedest men in the three Kingdoms (perhaps in Europe) with whom he there treated, of having spoiled the work at that season, for want of skill. But this is Modesty in Mr. Baxter yet. Pag. 89. Alas! that England must suffer so much, while the Bishops are learning to rule and do their Office, yea, learning what weaker persons (i. e. himself, lin. 15.) easily perceive. Alas! that so many thousand souls must pay so dear for a few men's experience. Pag. 195. I shall give you reasons that will make you know it, if you have but the understanding of ordinary men. This as to the ignorance and sottishness, yea even of those of our Party, who are ablest, such, I say, as were those at the Savoy: Poor Dr. Sanderson, Dr. Morley, Dr. Gunning, Dr. Pierson, etc. that had not the understanding of Ordinary men. Then as to our Atheistical, Irreligious Temper, pag. 190. O! what a plague it is to the Church and World, to have Ministers, that when they read of the necessity of Knowledge, Holiness and Salvation, do neither believe Christ, nor themselves! Lastly, as to Obdurateness, pag. 235. Neither the Wars, nor lasting Plagues, nor dreadful Flames which followed, move you, says he, to see so great and grievous sins.— No nor the instances of the Obduration of Pharaoh, and the Pharisees, with the Consequents, make you afraid, lest wrath should come upon you to the uttermost.  
7. It would be indeed endless, to set down those several Passages he has, which (in humane appearance) could have no other design than to expose our Church and Clergy: To this purpose, the corrupt Manners, not unjustly taxed in the Romish Clergy, both by Ancient and more Modern Censors of them, are carefully summed up, and a charitable suggestion made, that our Lives are the Commentary with which they are to be read, pag. 172, 173, 174, 175. And because many Readers haply understand not Latin, the same or worse Characters of us are scattered and insinuated up and down throughout the Book in English. Pag. 50. According to this rule, which we descent from, all the World should be suffered to be hanged and damned for ever, rather than a Conformist should lose a game at Chess, or a cup of Sack, or abate a Ceremony. And again, at the bottom of the same Page; Were I of this opinion, I should not stick to make merchandise of Souls, and to sell an hundred for a Benefice, and twenty thousand for a Bishopric, nor to give over preaching, etc. Then as to our Labours, and what we do in discharge of our Ministry, hear how vile all that is, as well as our Lives and Hearts. Pag. 203. If these Preachers, speaking of the Nonconformists, would have talked a little half-sense (as they do often, and print it too) and have read a cold Oration, and lived like those that have little sense of God and Heaven, and would save men by a charm of words and shows, without serious Godliness and Christianity, they might have had Maintenance, and as much Honour as such men as these can put upon them. But judicious, serious, hearty godliness is intolerable to all the fleshly Tribe, whose Mind neither is nor can be subject to the Law of God, to which their interest and disposition hath an Enmity. I again will return nothing hereto, but only ask whether these things tend to Peace? Nay, do they not evidently infer, That no Peace ought to be with us? For if Holiness be the Condition and Measure of Peace; with such men, as he makes us, what Peace can genuine Christians enter or maintain? Or finally, is this agreeable to his own Principles expressed, pag. 8? That we ought not to vilify our Brethren, and represent them as Odious and Intolerable, and overlook that of Christ which is amiable in them.  
8. But as to some of our particular Persons, we would have borne more silently such Calumnies (though there are enough of us, that could never play a Game at Chess in our lives (the doing of which, in season, notwithstanding, we take not to be a sin) nor ever made merchandise of Souls, nor have left off preaching, etc.) we would have borne this, I say, without complaint, were he not pleased to deal as unkindly, to say no worse, with the very Constitution itself. It is small, perhaps, that he says our Articles, to which we require subscription, are not intelligible, or have contrary meanings to fit the use of every Subscriber, pag. 122. (of which imputation perhaps I may speak anon.) Yet that is not so easily to be passed by, that in order to the fixing Looseness upon our Principles and Cause (to use his terms) i. e. in plain English, on our Laws and Church, he accuses the Laws and Practice of the Church of looseness, in seven Particulars; and of those seven Propositions he brings, five are notoriously false, whether he knew it or no, I will not say; viz. 1, 3, 4, 5, 7: The Second is impertinent (for it pronouncing only touching baptising Infants dying before actual sin, can be no encouragement to looseness of life; and the damning of Children for the Vices of their immediate Parents, is a Doctrine which I believe Mr. Baxter would be loath to be put upon to make good) and the Sixth is an uncertain Inference of his own from the words of the Liturgy taken in nequiorem sensum: Too tedious would it be to speak severally to each: In short, to them all I say; No person, by the present Law of the Church, is to be Confirmed till he understand in some good measure, as well as be able to repeat the words of the Catechism, being presented (and therefore approved) as such, by the Minister: This is plain enough from the Rubrics, and from the Preface to the Office of Confirmation. Next, No person is to Communicate till Confirmed, or, in case of necessity, be desirous of Confirmation, which desire thereof in probability imports an Understanding and some sense of Religion; at least, herein the Minister is Judge, and the Admission of such will be the fault of the Minister, not of the Law: Ignorance therefore is provided against (especially if gross) by the Order of Confirmation. And as to Scandal, the Rubric is severe enough: The Minister (alone) is not only to suspend the scandalous person from the Communion, but to signify it within fourteen days to the Ordinary, that such scandalous Members of the Church may be proceeded against according to her Laws. Further, the Minister is to admit no Child to Baptism without God fathers and Godmothers; nor any to undertake that trust, but such who have received the Communion. Now what Communicants, that is (it is to be hoped) what understanding, conscientious, serious persons, will become Sureties and Sponsors for the Christian breeding up of the Children of Atheists, Infidels and Scorners of Religion, Christ, and the Holy Scripture, except they be well assured the Children shall be under their power, as to the direction of their Education, that is to say, retrived out of the hands of such wicked Parents, to be bred in a Christian sort? And if any such persons will become Godfathers and Godmothers to such Children, and will so promise, why such Child may not be baptised, and that without any detriment to serious Religion, I must profess I see no reason: To insist on the Faith of the Parents, may, I confess, do some Parents good (though he who will not be virtuous for the sake of his own Soul, will scarce become such for his child's): but the want of Parent's Faith, ought not with the Church to prejudice, in this case, the Children of such Parents.  
But a more manifest prevarication scarce can be, than what he delivers as to the Visitation of the sick. Pag. 167. When they are sick, says he, if they will but say they repent, and desire it, they must be absolved in absolute terms; though they give the Minister no satisfaction that they are truly Penitent, and have lived till then, a most ungodly life, and perhaps by cursing, swearing and railing at an holy Life on their Sickbed. It is plain by the Office of the Visitation of the Sick, that much in that Particular is referred to the discretion of the Minister: Then shall the Minister exhort the sick person, after this form, or other like, says the Rubric: He is not then tied up, but may vary; and I scarce ever knew, but, in ordinary practice, we do so. Again, Then shall the Minister examine whether he repent him truly of his sins, and be in Charity with all the World; exhorting him, etc. viz. to forgiveness, satisfaction to men for wrongs done, disposal of his goods, Charity to the Poor, all which, says the Rubric, may be done, before the Minister begin his Prayer, as he shall see cause. And for all this there is no form at all prescribed: consequently then, it being left to the Ministers prudence, he he may put what Interrogatories, and make as narrow a search, as he shall think fir, and he is required plainly to judge, because to exhort and admonish, as there appears cause. Now it is to be considered, these Exhortations and Admonitions may, and most frequently do, take up divers Visits: However, all this being supposed to be done, Then (and not till then) Here shall the sick person be moved to make a special Confession of his sins, if he feel his Conscience burdened with any weighty matter. After which Confession the Priest shall absolve him (if he humbly and hearty desire it) after this sort. Rubr. Where, to be short, I only desire two things may be noted.  
1. That after all this, the Minister is not commanded to absolve him [They must be absolved, in Mr. Baxter, is then false.] but if he see fit to absolve him, he is to absove him after this sort. It is very well known, divers of us have refused, and daily do, to absolve such persons, touching whose Penitence we are not satisfied.  
2. Those words, if he humbly and hearty desire it, do import the discovery of such a sense of sin to to the Confessor (at least suppose him in Conscience judge) as may well be conceived to bear him out in giving Absolution; certainly, they do exclude Cursing and Swearing, and railing at an holy Life at that time. Which things being so apparently thus, it would almost tempt a man in charity to think, Mr. Baxter writes against the Laturgy, without having duly read or considered it; otherwise he would not so falsely accuse it, or traduce our Church for it. His last imputation is but little better than this which we have now dispatched; Namely, that the Discipline of the Church is managed by one Lay Chancell●r and his Court, with some small Assistance. The Archdeacon's (of which in most Dioceses there are divers, in that of Exon, from whence I came, four) throughout England generally have their Courts; and neither are they Laymen, nor for the most part do they Act mainly by Lay-Officials; and their Courts in many places are weekly: Besides these, in Every Deavery (i. e. ten Parishes, or thereabouts) there are Archypresbyters or Deans Rural, whose Duty and Oath binds them to inquire into the Conversation, as well of the Clergy, as of the People, within their Precincts. So that if Ministers and Churchwardens will but do their Duty, the Provision of Discipline is sufficient (in Mr. Baxter's language) for the keeping clean the Church. I will be still so charitable to him, as to believe, he is not versed in our Exercise of Discipline; but I could also have wished, that he had no more censured it: Only I will conclude this Particular by appealing to his own Sense, and the sense of Mankind, if such undue and prevaricant Charges, as these, be the way to peace.  
9 And now I am speaking of Prevarication, his reckoning Hooper, Latimer, and Cranmer, pag. 228. amongst the Nonconformists, to conciliate thence credit to their Cause, and detract from us, is a kind of Art, which Ingenuity, and much more Christian Veracity, would blush to own: I will allude in this regard to the words of the great Apostle, I wish not only Mr. Baxter, but all the Dissenters, were altogether such as they, excepting their Bonds and Sufferings.  
10ly, and Lastly, (For, I will not run the number up to Mr. Baxter's beloved number of 20, or upwards, though I might) There appears to me in him a great Inconstancy to himself; and that not only in smaller points and lapses of memory or attention (as may seem that, pag. 10. I never came near them, [that is, the People of Kidderminster] nor, except very rarely, sent them one line; yet within five lines after, I sent them, says he, all the Books which I wrote;) but even in his Resolutions and Matters of great moment, is there with him Yea and Nay? Sometimes he seems against all Subscribing, as pag. 60, 113, etc. At another time, he is for Subscribing to the Doctrine of the Church in the 39 Articles and Books of Homilies, (pag. 12, 167, etc.) and other terms of Peaceableness. Again, pag. 128. The 39 Articles are a wholesome Doctrine; yet pag. 122. They are not intelligible, they have contrary meanings to fit the use of every Subscriber; they are hot to one, and cold to the other. [By the way, sometimes it is no fault in the Books to be subscribed, that they are so worded as to allow men to abound in their own sense: And we are sure our Articles are in this no more guilty, than most Confessions, which have been penned for Concord, as the Augustan itself, witness therein the Article and Clause touching the Presence of Christ's Body in the Sacrament. In sum, when a Proposition evidently admits of two or three senses, and each of them is known, famous, and held by divers Doctors of the same Church, and that Church framing a Rule or Mean of Concord for her Sons, shall in that Rule set a Proposition which takes in the several Opinions of these Doctors, in such sort, as to tie them up, as far as is necessary, and to leave them otherwise at their liberty, is this Proposition justly to be called unintelligible, or have Mr. Baxter and the Dissenters any cause, if they will be constant to themselves, to say 'tis Unreasonable? For my own part, I wish sincerely, for their sakes, some more of the Articles, and perhaps Rubrics too, were penned with ampler Latitude.] But to the Point again: That is a very unkind inconstancy (unkind not only to us, but to the Design of Peace) that so often in pag. 16, 17, 18, etc. he says, They take it to be their Duty, in the Exercise of their Ministry, to take heed of any thing that tendeth to the Division of the people's minds, or the hindrance of the lawful public Ministry, or to their just Discouragement;— Again, to take heed lest any dishonour, or murmuring against their Rulers, arise or be cherished by reason of their sufferings;— or, to subvert or perplex the hearers by aggravating the faults of others, or other men's worshipping of God or breeding in them distaste of the Public Worship: (for all which Expressions I could not but inwardly thank and love him.) And again, that after he had said, pag. 143. We take Conformity to be so far from indifferent, that we forbear to tell the World the greatness of the sin, lest men cannot bear it, and lest it should disaffect the People to the Ministry of the Conformists; That, I say, after all this so fairly professed and promised, he should spend three or four whole Pages continuedly (besides what he does intersperst) in a most unjust aggravating what he calls the sinfulness of Conformity, styling Conformity, in their sense and estimation of it, Aggravate Perjury, Deliberate Lying, Rebellious Profession of Disobedience to God, owning great and public sins, corrupting holy Worship, and to all these (when his wearied invention supplied him with no more hateful terms of variation) adding after his manner, an etc. pag. 219. Again, says he on the same Subject, The sins we fear being guilty of (namely by Conformity) are as great as almost any we shall ever preach against.— We fear we shall do much to make our hearers infidel, impenitent, and utterly debauched. Pag. 220. Yet higher: The sins which we fear (still by this dreadful Bugbear, Conformity) being of the greatest sort Hell suggesteth, Perjury and owning the Perjury 
The very same strain, and almost word, he has again, pag. 218 and 219. and I know not indeed how often.  of thousands, and doing what is equipollent to the preaching Impenitence, and saying, Repent not, making a public Ministerial Profession of Usurpation and Church Corruption, and of our Resolution never to obey God in doing any Duty of ours in order to Reformation (pag. 221.) Offering God lying Perjury, etc. for a Sacrifice, and so blaspheming him; pag. 222. If Mr. Baxter have these fears, certainly he would have done very well to have kept his word, and forborn telling the world of them, except he would have all the Conformable Ministry silenced (which would be fivefold the objected 2000) or which is worse, except he designed by this publication of his fears not only the hindrance, but the blasting for ever their Ministry, both Public and Private. O the strange Partiality and Irresolution that is in Man! To lead, draw, or encourage thousands into Arms against their Sovereign, contrary to a man's own, and all their Oaths of Allegiance, as well as contrary to the Laws of God and Man, when some men search their hearts they cannot find to be Perjury, nor owning Perjury: Nay, they cannot see in so doing they were mistaken in the Cause, nor dare repent of it, nor forbear doing the same, if it were to be done again, in the same state of things: nay, they cannot be convinced by others that they sinned in this matter: (Holy Commonw. pag. 486.) Yet to Subscribe and declare, That it is not lawful, upon any pretence whatsoever, to take Arms against the King, or that an unlawful Oath cannot bind men to unlawful Actions is Perjury, some of the grossest that Hell suggesteth. I temper myself. Good Lord deliver men's Consciences from these delusive Snares, and make us constant to thee and ourselves! Without even this latter, as well as former, no possibility of Peace. I break off my Instances here, not for want of many more, but because I promised so; and because I conceive I have said enough to demonstrate to Mr. Baxter, and all the World, what I am content to call the first Defect in his Writings for Peace; they want, as I may call it, the Stamp or Character of Peace, they seem not writ with a Peaceable Temper.  
The second Defect I shall tax, in his Writings on this Subject, is in part grounded on the former; and it is, want of that Credit and Authority, even with good men, which he m●ght easily conciliate, at least might have easily conciliated to his Writings, would he avoid, or had he avoided, what he must needs acknowledge to be as real blemishes, as perhaps any can be assigned: If he would put less Gall in his Ink, if he would write with more Gentleness, Softness, Compliance and Yielding, as far as in Conscience he can, his Books would take and persuade a thousand times more. It is a Rule which he himself presses, and which I remember myself first to have read in his Gildas Silvianus four and twenty years ago, Dilige & dic quod voles: I do not prevaricate, if I say, 'tis not the tenth part of our men, which are Readers, that will read his Books on these Subjects, by reason of these his Severities: His Fierceness blasts the good he might do. But this I have said enough of already, as also of his inconstancy to himself. There are two other Points, which, out of the Faithfulness I promised, I must not pass unobserved; And the first of them is (to give it the fittest name) The never acknowledging an Error, especially, where it cannot well be, but he must be convinced of it: I have read somewhere, that when Luther lay on his Deathbed (or towards his end) he confessed to Melancthon, that he had writ too violently, and more than to him than seemed truth, in the Controversy of the Sacrament, and the Presence of Christ's Body therein. Melancthon persuaded him to something of a Retractation; No, says Luther, should I retract any thing I have written, the Papists will say I retracted all, and so nothing I have written may be credited: I cannot tell whether Mr. Baxter may not have something of this vein; but I think his Case and Luther's widely different. In a word, it would redound to his immortal credit, would he publicly revoke and recant those things, which, in his Conscience, he judges he has writ amiss in justification of the late Wars, and the alterations of Government that ensued thereon: Diver Passages of this nature I could transcribe out of Notes from that unhappy and miscalled Book, his Holy Commonwealth: But there is more collected and copied out of it in the bishop o● Worcester's Letter, and some other sharper Pieces against him, than I could wish for his sake were extant. I remember myself to have read about the year 1663. in some Preface or Epistle before his Call to the unconverted, that he himself takes notice of this prejudice lying against him and his Writings, (the Book I have not by me) and that he there professes to this purpose, That, did he either know of any Seditious or Treasonable Matters which he had any where delivered or maintained, or would any show him of such, he would immediately retract them. He and I, and all the World, except men of evil Principles, or no Principles, must say, There is a great deal of Mischievous and Seditious Politics (not to call a Spade a Spade) in the Book mentioned: Nor will I be so unkind to him, I say, as that any more of it shall be by me recorded against him. But I entreat him not to resent it as written out of ill will, if I tell him, many do (I assure him I do not) believe he is of the same Principles still, because he is so far from having retracted, or made satisfaction for the Scandal of that Book (as far as is generally known) that in the Passage , even after all these things were pardoned by the King, he says, If he had writ any such thing, he would have retracted: which seems to the World an Argument, he did not look upon that Book, which yet goes under his name, as containing in it any Treasonable or Seditious Matter: To which, that I may be still faithful, I must add; That his going about to maintain such Paradoxes, as some before taxed, touching the beginning of the War, etc. confirm men's jealousies, and increase their admiration and prejudice in this regard: He would not have us to rub on these sores; let him be prevailed with, not to tempt such thereto, by strange defiances, who perhaps want temper to resist so daring Provocations.  
Another real Blemish (to use again my former terms) and which Mr. Baxter must needs acknowledge such, if he acknowledges any Blemishes incident to his Works, is, his assuming so much unto himself, and looking, if not upon all men as below him, yet upon all, that will not learn of him, as young, raw, unskilful, without experience, sometimes too without conscience and sense of spiritual things. Verily I have divers times pitied him, when I have read the Contempt he has in ordinary course expressed of m●n, who have studied, if not quite as long, yet, according to the Opinion and Suffrage of the Learned World, more legitimately, and to much better purpose, than himself: Such a person I take the Author of the Friendly Debate to be, if I mistake not (as I think I do not) the man; whom Mr. Baxter scornfully has named the Debate Maker (we know what kind of men, that term in one sense, belongs to) but is a man known above twenty years ago, to have had more Learning of all sorts, than it appears to me Mr. Baxter has of any; and who has given the World proof of no less Piety and Integrity; yet what a Child and Novice does Mr. Baxter make of him, pag. 116. However; this we will easily excuse, as a Censure only upon a single Adversary. That I do not know how to Apologise for, which according to Information (for I have not myself seen the Bock) he has in his First Part of the Plea for Peace, (p. 172. N. 12.) animadverting upon the first Rubric after the Office of Public Baptism, touching the Salvation of Baptised Infants, who die before Actual Sin; When, says he, young unstudied men have in this Point attained to an undoubted certainty which their wiser Seniors cannot attain, it behoveth them to convince us of the truth of their Inspiration or special Endowments, either by a proportionable excellency above us in other things, or by some Miracles or Testimonies from Heaven. It is not easy for young unstudied men to get into the House of Convocation (by whom this Rubric was approved, if not framed) but that the Representative Body of the English Clergy (a small part whereof have, before Mr. Baxter's time, been looked upon and pronounced the Admiration of the World) should by a single person, whose own * Education was very defective, be styled such, 
Apolog. pag. 58, 59  and himself too plainly enough profess himself as mongst their Wiser Seniors, bespeaks such a Confidence, which I will not give a name to. Other Passages, which are pertinent to this place also, I have had occasion otherwise to mention out of his Third Part already. — Nec bis repetita place bunt: Yet perhaps there is one following, exceeds all: Methodus Theologiae Christianae, 1. Naturae rerum, 2. Sacrae Scripturae, 3. Praxi Congrua, conformis adaptata, Plerumque (corrigenda tamen & persicienda) Non 1. Ignavis, festinantibus, delassatis. 2. Stolidis, Indocilibus, Sectariis (ex homine & fuco judicantibus.) 3. Superbis, mundanis, malignis: Ergo, non plurimis, Sed Juventutis Academicae & Pastorum juniorum parti, 1 Studiosae, sedulae, indefessae. 2. Ingeniosae, Docili, veritatem & ordinem sitienti. 3. Humili, Candidae, Deo devotae. Quip ad 1. Veritatis indagationem, custodiam, propagationem. 2. Sanctitatis Cultum, incrementum, Liudem. 3. Ecclesiae salutem, p●cem, Decus. Supra omnes natae, dispositae, consecratae: Dicata per Richardum Baxterum Philotheologum. (And after follows a Sentence out of Cicer. pro Roscio, almost as humbly affixed) When I first read this Title in the Term-Catalogues, I thought it some Character or Summary of the Contents of the Book, which the Stationer had procured, there inserted to recommend the Book to better Sale: but having since got the Book, I find it is the  Title given it by the Author himself, and as much his own, for aught appears, as the rest of the Book; and, in truth, it has the peculiar signature of his way of writing. Does he, or any man in the World, think it is a fit invitation or preparatory to a man to read a Book with patience, and without prejudice, that the Book in its front, indirectly and slily, calls him Slothful, rash, foolish, unteachable, proud, worldly, malign, etc. If not this affront, yet the other indiscretion of so voluminous and embossed a Title (as one phrases such) certainly will deter most Readers,  Quid feret hic tanto dignum promissor hiatu? 
●s a Rule, which, if he had had his School Books so much about him, as he would possess us, had done him much more service, than all the fetches in by the head and shoulders out of Juvenal (Third Part of Plea for Peace, pag. 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 206, 209.) with as much ornament as pertinence.  
Purpureus latè qui splendeat unus & alter  
Assuitur pannus.— Sed citharoedus  
Ridetur, chordâ qui semper oberrat eadem.  
But to return from this Infection of repeating old ends, though never so apposite; Can any thing easily be said with more (appearance of) Arrogance, in the very Title Page too, than that his Book is above all others of the same Subject (I know not how otherwise to interpret his Supra omnes [viz. Methodus Theologiae Christianae] etc.) framed, disposed and hallowed amongst other ends to the Propagation and growth of Holiness, to the Peace and Honour of the Church? I will now for ever join with Mr. Baxter in acquitting him of a fault, which he saith he dares not be guilty of, styled by himself Hypocritical Modesty. (Third Part of Plea: pag. 247.)  
These are the chief Blots I have observed in Mr. Baxters' Works, which render them so much unserviceable to the Design of Peace: He writes so peevishly, so variously or inconstantly to himself, so blindly (as if wilfully blind, or not penitent) of his own guilt, and so arrogantly and disdainfully, that many are discouraged from reading his Books, others only take thence further pet; though I faithfully promise to do neither.  
Lastly, Were his pacificatory Writings obnoxious by none of the afore-recited defects or inconveniences, yet the Materials, in my poor judgement, are very defective, and (without very considerable advances) never like to take. I no whit at all doubt but Mr. Baxter was the main Author of the Petition for Peace, and the Reformation of the Liturgy, said to have been tendered about the same time, and published A. D. 1661. The style and whole tenor of them abundantly bespeaks so much to me: Now, if out of these, and his later Pieces, we view what he offers or proposes towards Union, it will appear to be such as might tempt men to think, he treats like those who never intent to come nearer to an agreement. 1. A Liturgy indeed he would possess us he is for; but when he comes to particularise, Not one Office, no, not one Prayer of the Old Liturgy (except the Lord's Prayer) nor so much as the Ancient Face, Order and Structure thereof must be left. And it is observable, what the Petition for Peace styles Alterations and Additions to the Liturgy, when it comes to be presented, is entitled A Reformation of the Liturgy (and indeed bears proportion perfectly to the Reformation they made of the Church, which destroyed its identity and visibility) and is clearly and entirely a new Frame, and even that so proposed, or designed, that it would have been little more than a Direction; this being generally the style of the Rubrics (if without offence I may so call them) [Prayer] to be performed in these, or the like words, pag. 25. Then shall the Minister use this or the like Prayer, pag. 51. In the very Office of Consecration of the Elements in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, Let the Minister bless them in these, or the like words, pag. 52. Let the Minister pray thus, or to this sense, pag. 56. and conclude with this or the like blessing, pag. 58. In the Burial of the Dead, pag. 72. His power shall be suited to the occasion: No Form of Prayer being there so much as directed. So too upon Days of Public Humiliation, Thanksgiving, Anniversary Festivals, No form at all, pag. 73. Besides so great variety of practice, in the Order of Consecrating and Distributing the Elements, is permitted in this Draught to the Discretion of the Minister, as must necessarily have bred great disorder and discontent: In a word, so universal innovation, and such unlimited liberty, they could never expect would be admitted. This had been to confess the old Liturgy obnoxious beyond all reason and conscience; and ourselves guilty of all the Mischief's which arose by the opposing it, and by the methods used for the abolishing it. I no whit doubt but divers parts of it (as elsewhere I conceive myself to have manifestly proved) were in use even in the Apostles days, I mean, taken up from their mouths, as having been frequently, and in ordinary course used by them, and that they have been continued in the Church ever since: Now Prayers of such Antiquity, such Primitive simplicity and fervour, I may add of such Purity too, were it not for no other reason, but some men's (perhaps unreasonable) dislikes to be thrown out: I could speak much here touching their intrinsic real excellency and perfection, not only as to particulars, but as to the main body: And I find something, as to this Point, confessed ingenuously by Mr. Baxter himself, Third Part of Plea, pag. 9 Having, saith he, perused all the Foreign and Ancient Liturgies extant in the Bibliotheca Patrum, I doubt not but our own is incomparably better than any that is there. Yet, pag. 219. he complains of such failings in it, that it is a Worship which we (i. e. he and his Nonconforming Brethren) cannot in Faith be assured God accepteth.  
That there was never any thing purely of Humane Composure, but had some failing or defects in it, we readily acknowledge: neither did our Church ever require (whatsoever he in the Page last cited, and other of his Party scrupulously pretend) such a Subscription to any of her Books (no not to the Correctest Translation of the Bible itself) which was to be taken in any other sense. This is a common Temper understood in all such Subscriptions: But that our Liturgy has more failings or faults in it, than either their Extemporary Conceptions, or the stated Forms, which they presented, I must crave their pardon if I peremptorily deny: I have, not undiligently, compared those Forms of theirs with our own; and whether it be the daily use of our own for many years (according to that wholesome Rubric to all in Holy Orders) which has naturalised them to my spirit, or whether by so frequent reading, hearing and minding them, I see more intimately into their Sense and Emphases, than I do into those which I have read but twice or thrice, or for some such reason, I know not, but this I profess, God bearing we witness, that it is the sense of my soul, I can find nothing in theirs which comes so naturally near unto my heart, as our own Prayers do. What have they so humble, easy, comprehensive and emphatical in every part, as our General Confession, Almighty and most merciful Father? So Pathetical as well as comprehensive also as our Litany? And to pass over other parts, the Communion Service is in my poor sense of Devotions, most incomparable: What could the Wit of Men or Angels devise fitrer to introduce the Celebration of that Holy Ordinance, than the distinct Rehearsal of the Commandments, each Communicant, in the hearing of every Commandment, having occasion given him to examine, or reflect upon his examinations of Conscience, touching his sins against that Commandment, and, betwixt God and his own heart, in his thoughts to confess them; and in conclusion, after every one with his own mouth to beg distinct pardon for the sins, which occur to his mind against that Commandment, and for Grace, as distinctly, against such and such sins for the future: And all this ushered in too with a Prayer, which would raise any Soul that were not senseless, as well to a strict enquiry into his Conscience, [Almighty God, to whom all hearts be open, etc. 'tis in vain therefore to flatter ourselves with an half-scrutiny or Confession] as to the impartial cleansing his Soul from all reserves of sin. And (waving other parts) to proceed to the Prayer for the State of Christ's Church Militant, and the Commemoration of, and praising God for the Triumphant, or those who are departed this life in his faith and fear; (without which commemoration it appears not that the Ancient Church did ever Communicate) To proceed, I say, to the General Confession in behalf of all the Communicants, and that most comfortable Absolution annexed, and then to the Sursum Corda, the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the Gloria in Excelsis (which three last will certainly reach home, for Antiquity, to the Apostles days) what more Seraphic than these? And how mean is, what they would have substituted in the room hereof, at least comparatively? Again, besides the Materials of our Prayers, the very Form and Expression is admirable, and infinitely above that they would have obtruded. It is not every kind of style, or Character of Speech, which is fit for Public Prayers; There is something in this respect, Quod nequeo monstrare, at sentio tantùm, not so well expressible to all men's Apprehension, which makes those Prayers of theirs more non-natural. More expressly; such Heterogenous Pieces, such bold Narrative or telling God of divers Matters, such abruptness of Transitions, such confused synonymous Petitions, such longwinded Continuations, without any Responds at all (which yet I have heard Mr. Baxter has declared his Approbation of) yea, without any obliging the People so much as to a Vocal Amen (the frequent use whereof, as it is very ancient, so must I commend as most serviceable to engage the People's hearts ever and anon afresh in Prayer, and to keep them to the Public Devotions) these, I say, and divers more very uncouth Incidents concurring in them, render them very unsavoury to us in comparison of our own; and as unmeet to be received, much more to be prescribed. Wherefore I wonder not that their whole frame was rejected; but I must confess I do wonder at the Humoursomness of their Authors Devotion, who ever thought of rejecting all ours, or admitting theirs into equal Authority, so that it should have been at the Minister's choice which to have used? Would they have had us had two Liturgies, or to have received one which had little to recommend it but utter Novelty, and to have laid aside another, whose Antiquity, Simplicity, Purity and Persection has extorted Commendations from its very Adversaries? These things they could not expect would be agreed unto, nor may yet: wherefore such Terms of Peace or Accommodation they ought not to think of. Thus as to what Mr. Baxter, and some of his Brethren have proposed touching the Liturgy.  
2. As to the Ceremonies, as far as I can see, Mr. Baxter would have therein only such a Reformation, which  — una litura potest. 
Take all away, and the Quarrel is at an end, we are all one, pag. 218. Sometimes indeed he speaks, as if he would have these left to all men's choice, so that they who have a mind of them, might use them, and they who have not, might let them alone; as pag. 60, 113. etc. But this (especially if extended to all) would be of far worse Consequence than the present Injunction can be justly charged with.  
3. Episcopacy he expresses sometimes a content to submit to; yet at other times, both brings such Charges against it, and makes such Demands, as at once destroy the order, and all regard to be paid to it. Usurpation and Church Corruption are ordinary terms for it; pag. 218, 221, etc. (He has much 
Church Tyranny, p. 241. Destroying thousand, of Churches. p. 243. etc.  worse, but I cannot stay to look them). And he demands, That an Universal Confirmation be granted of those who have been ordained otherwise than by Bishops, they being still responsible for any personal Insufficiency or Crime, and that Reordination, whether Absolute or Hypothetical, be not made necessary to the Exercise of their (that is, such men's) Ministry. Petition for Peace, pag. 2. Take away from the Bishop this Peculiar, and farewel Episcopacy, St. Hierom himself being Judge. Quid enim facit, exceptâ Ordinatione, Episcopus, quod Presbyter non facit? Epist. ad Euagr. This for that reason was not to be expected, because inconsistent with retaining the Order: Besides, that in the judgement of the generality of the Church of England, such practice can never be admitted in our own Church (I profess I meddle not with Foreigners) without Schisin and abominable Scandal; even the Laity would be no less scandalised at it, than the Clergy.  
4. Another strange Demand or Proposal of Mr. Baxter's, and divers of his brethren's, is, that the Exercise of Discipline, even to to the putting each scandalous Offender to open Penance, and in case such person submit not after Admonitions, the Power of Excommunication should be vested in every single Parochial Minister: provided indeed there be place for due Appeals to Superior Powers. Reform. of Liturg. pag. 79, 80, 87, 88 etc. Yet is it not determined there, what Crimes they are which are scandalous, but rather tacitly supposed that all men know them, or that every Minister will judge aright. How far the very Parliament themselves were from permitting this to the Parochial Presbyteries, and what Debates there were upon this single Point, what should be a scandalous sin, or a cause sufficient to have men suspended from the Lord's Supper, I list not to speak at present: Yet than it was demanded only for the Pastor and Eldership, now to the Pastor singly: This Demand at once cuts off from the Bishops the taking cognizance of any scandalous Offence in primâ instantiâ, as we speak: Before their Power of Ordination had its wound, now their Jurisdiction; Yet we must suppose them Bishops still. However let it be considered whether this Proposal would have been swallowed, in case it had passed the Bishops, by either People or Parliament: A few Ecclesiastical Courts in a Diocese, that is in some hundreds of Parishes, though all of them governed by Canons, which the Ecclesiastical Judge dare not swerve from, are now looked upon by a great many as a strange burden; Would then the People ever submit to, or our Lawgivers go about to Erect and Authorise, a severer Tribunal, regulated chief by a single persons discretion in every Parish? What intolerable Confusion, Strife or Oppression must arise from hence? I can think of none that this project would be good for, unless the Officers in the Bishop's Courts; for they undoubtedly would have so much work by Appeals, that they would not be able to turn themselves to it. If any say this last Head is no defect, but rather an exorbitancy; I answer, as to the Discipline propounded, there is a defect of Laws and Canons: but, to give an answer once for all, which may serve too in other cases, whether Mr. Baxter's Proposals in general are peccant in Defect or Excess of what is fit, I am not concerned to be Critical: I modestly styled them defects, and I am sure they come much short of being any likely Mean of Peace. Witness,  
5. That he divers times insinuates more a great deal would be done by himself and brethren towards Conformity, were not Subscriptions, Declarations, Swearing and Penalties imposed: and so seems to desire Conformity only might be enjoined, but none of these stipulations or obligations thereto required: Thus, Third Part of Plea. pag. 60. Let the Agenda of Religion remain only Agenda, and the doing of them serve the turn, and you would have much fewer Scruplers and Nonconformists. And to the same purpose again (for he seems to think us very forgetful) pag. 113, 156. etc. First, as to the point of bare Church-Conformity, there is only required Subscription and Declaration. The Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy are of another consideration, and I suppose not excepted against, And the Oath of Canonical Obedience (which binding expressly only In licitis & honestis, I wonder men make such a clamour of) and the Oath against Simony are administered only to such who are instituted into Live: So that upon the whole a man would think the business of Swearing should never hinder any Loyal Subject from Conformity, being that Swearing properly so called is not required to Conformity. And then, Secondly, as to Subscribing and Declaring, those who pretend, they more scruple these, than they do the performing the things they thereby engage to, would either without them perform those things (that is, observe the Liturgy and Ceremonies) constantly, or only when they saw fit, and as they pleased. If the Later, this would be much worse than plain Nonconformity.  — Magis ingenuè Peribomius.— 
If the former, when they shall have proved that it is much more to declare a thing lawful, and promise either to do it, or submit to the Penalty for not doing it, than it is without any such promise ordinarily to practise it; when, I say, they shall have proved this, by any consent, they shall be accounted Conformists upon such practice without any Subscription or Declaration: Nay, further I dare engage, let any of them come into our Churches, put on the Surplice, read Prayers orderly, go up and Preach, they shall have leave so to do, though they never Subscribe or Declare; and for their so doing they shall suffer no Penalty: And till they will prove the one, or do the other, I must conceive Subscribing and Declaring is reasonable: For seeing they have to do these things, how shall we know they will do them, except they tell us so beforehand, and that's Declaring; or else write so, and that's Subscribing. This abatement therefore was not to be expected, and so not to be proposed.  
6. I add hereto, Mr. Baxter does not propound to do, what yet he says he can in Conscience do, and what he judges lawful; no, neither does he or his Brethren ordinarily practise so much, as far as I can hear. 1. He very honestly tells us (pag. 8, 9) he can Communicate with our Parish Churches in the Church's Prayers, and hear the Ministers where he lives, if they be but tolerable in the Sacred Office. Nay, he is exceedingly moved against the Separation, as well by the Arguments of many of the famous old Nonconformists, as by four excellent Considerations he there subjoins. 2. It appears by what he discourses at large from pag. 14. to 20. and pag. 139. sub fin. 240. and in divers other places, that he does not at all judge it unlawful, but many times very expedient to forbear their preaching in the time of the Public Prayers and Sermons of the Church, on Lords days: Whether these two be his and their practice, we leave it to themselves, we hope it is; only I do not find he propounds to do this, as a Mean of Peace. 3. He says, he himself never scrupled Kneeling at the receiving the Lords Supper. pag. 155. 4. I have heard also that in his Five Disputations, pag. 409. he hath these words, (speaking upon a Supposal that one certain habit were enjoined Ministers in their Ministration) The thing in itself being therefore lawful, I would obey him [i. e. The Magistrate] and use that Garment if I could not be dispensed with; yea, though secondarily the Whiteness be to signify Purity, and so it be made a Teaching Sign, yet would I obey. Now it would appear hence, that he does not think the Surplice unlawful: Yet do I not expect, he should propound either of these two last in general (whatever himself in particular might think good to do for reconciling himself to our Church) because he intimates Better men than himself scruple them. However, this very matter I may justly mention as the  
Seventh and Last Defect I will take notice of, in his Proposals, that we can build upon little or nothing in them, as Conclusive to the Body of the Dissenters; Because What are his thoughts to Two thousand that are Absent, or not consulted: Third Part of Plea: pag. 195.  
I have thus dealt very faithfully with Mr. Baxter and his Writings, as to the matter of Peace: and I hope he will approve himself so wise and good a man as not to take with the left, what is given him with the right hand; but if he think fit to write more on this Subject, that he will study rather the closing Wounds, than making or widening them: He complains himself, he has had but bad success in soliciting the Cause of Peace: I will therefore adventure to take my leave of him, in recommending to him what I am of the mind he may do to much better purpose, and what, were I in his Circumstances, I should, if not judge myself bound unto, yet accept as the best Works, with which I could close my Labours.  
First, Whereas he intimates (pag. 71.) that he has wrote above Seventy Books, wherein his Doctrine and Religion are visible; were I their Author, lest People should take all that to be my Doctrine and Religion, which is visible in them, I would immediately with what care I could run them over, and conscientiously retract (either under some general heads, or in particular, as the case and my leisure would permit) whatever I should judge had been said amiss or less sound. Mr. Baxter well knows how great a man's Works, in the Usual Editions, begin with his Books of Retractations and Confessions.  
Secondly, Whereas it is apparent, Mr. Baxter has been entangled miserably in the Calamities of the times, and perhaps contracted thence such Circumstances, as render it highly unexpedient for him, as he conceives, to speak in his present Condition, as he would or might have done, if never so entangled; I would, were I as he, at least in conceit disembarass myself, and sit down, and considering the present state of the Church, what is imposed, what are the pretences of those who oppose, what a fair Gaim these oppositions put into the hands of the Common Enemy; considering, I say, and comprehending, as near as I could, the whole, I would freely present to the World my calm and uninteressed thoughts, and give a candid and impartial Account, what I could in Conscience do, and what in prudence I would do, were I to begin the World again, in order to the fair and successful Exercise of any Ministry. I humbly beg his pardon, if I think, he never can do the Christian Church and himself a greater Service than two such Works of these would amount to: and so from my heart I commend him to the Grace of God.  
I should now reflect on some others upon the same Subject: and I am sorry that I can truly say, I have met with some, who taking up Mr. Baxter's Principles, out-going him, acting only like those who cast abroad Firebrands and Arrows and Death. I will not name them, nor their Books; for neither does it conduce to Peace: No more will I take notice of some Insignificants, one of whom, in his Title Page, has inserted Celeuseuca as a Book of a Pacificatory Design (so is the Father of Lies a Peacemaker) It would seem that Author was as well versed in the Contents of the Book he Commends, as in the import of its Title Celeusuca.  
But I am very weary of these People, and will therefore, that I may not be wanting to my Design, pass over to such who seem to me to run on the contrary Extreme.  
Such are they that would have nothing at all yielded on our side: And these, as far as I have met with, I may reduce to two sorts (at least their vein of Writing, let their Professions be what they shall, suggests to me this distribution of them into) Politicians and Divines.  
The Politicians look upon the Dissenters as Easy to be brought in by other, surer, and (as they conceive) more Honourable means, than any Concessions from us. Their Leaders, say they, are but few, (about a Dozen persons, who are sick of their Separation, and stand in need of a plausible pretence, under which to return to the Church: About an hundred men, say others; though surely all vilely out in their Accounts.) Their Followers contemptible, and most of them of that Body, which we call the Mobile: A little time, they suppose, will wear off these old stubborn head●; and mean while a brisk and impartial Execution of Laws will fetch off most of the People, and hinder a new Growth or Succession; and thus the Faction in less than an Age become extinct. But to gratify the Pride of a few men would be endless (for they would still be at new Demands) and besides very dangerous in encouraging for the present, and propagating for the future, the numerous Dissensions and their Interests. Thus some; Others (though much the fewer, but perhaps the wiser, yet I fear it will be no wisdom to leave it to the Event to determine which part is wisest) Others I say, bid us take no notice of them; go on quietly in our way; Opposition, by a kind of Antiperastisis, embodies, strengthens, and so multiplies them. To such purposes as these are the Discourses of our men who pretend to an insight into Politics.  
The Divines seem to judge, they are to be disputed and reasoned out of their Dissension: and I must confess, they have used such variety and strength of Arguments, as if the thing were thus to be done, in all probability, would not have failed of effecting it. But I know not whether I may say of the Arguments on both sides, what Solomon does of all Events, There is nothing new under the Sun. The New Conformity, as some are pleased to style it (that is, The New Subscription, Declaration, Reordination, etc.) might perhaps, at its first Commencement, admit of some new Argument: But as to Conformity, as it stood by the old Act of Uniformity and Canons, the Question has been so long agitated and sifted so near, that at least it is very hard to press any thing, which has not been said before in one form or other; and by this time (that is, after near Twenty years' debate) I may pretty safely say as much of the other; so far am I from being of Mr. Baxter's mind, That, as the Presbyterians may say, their Cause was never yet publicly pleaded; so may those on the other side, who could have yielded to the Old Conformity, but cannot to the New. Third part, p. 6. A strange kind of Pleaders these! who think they are never heard, except they have their will. Alas! how little of new was there in Smectymnuus itself? And afterwards, when the Reasons for Reformation came forth, what had they of moment, which had not been pleaded by their famous Cartwright, my Names-sake, Dr. Ames, and others, Vsque ad Cramben, long before? The Argumenta ad homines, which, of all sorts of Argumentation, are still likeliest to be new, we see signify now not at all with them; they will not be concluded by the judgement or practice of their Ancestors, no nor of their present Brethren; some of them not by their own at all times.  
So that I must profess I utterly despair of ever seeing the Nonconformists disputed into the Church; not through any Diffidence to our own Cause, or through any Insufficiency or Suspicion of our own Arguments, which, I say again, I can perceive no defect in, either, as to weight or number; but there is such an incurable Tetter in the World as a Disputandi pruritus, and a Non persuadebis, etiamsi persuaseris. Nor have I any more hopes as to the success of the Politic Methods. These People have been tried long enough, and glory in that Motto, which one made the Title of a Pamphlet against them, Semper jidem. Hear what Mr. Baxter tells us, amongst many other things to the same purpose, in that so oft cited Piece, pag. 195. Experience telleth you, and all the World, that you are mistaken [viz. in thinking to reduce us by Violence] We read the same Books in the Prison, if there we may have them, as out of it. And what abundance of Ministers within these Ten years have come out of long imprisonment in the same mind as they went in, yea much confirmed? But whom can you name that came out convinced? How long have they suffered not only poverty and reproach, but that silencing which they account a greater evil? And again, pag. 196. In a word, I know, not only myself, but so many of the Nonconformable Ministers of England so well, that I utterly despair that ever silencing or imprisonment should change their judgements. Much more he has to the same purpose, and what some would call more Resolute Bravadoes. Then, as to the Extinction of the Faction by the death of these Leaders, see pag. 203. They will choose to themselves Teachers and Pastors out of the best qualified of the People that survive (for as to our Orders, they value them not, they have a new Notion of Ordination, fitted for their purpose; Ordination is nothing but a solemn Declaration to the Church, that such a Person is qualified for the Ministry, and so called thereto by Jesus Christ: nay, 'tis but a Confirmation and Compliment of the People's choice, says Ames, De Conscient. l. 4. c. 25. q. 6. A public approving a man as fit to be a Minister, A solemn allowance of his Call. J. H. p. 8. Mr. 
Question of Reordinat.  Baxter himself too is of the same mind, Disput. pag. 147. so that the People, or their Elders, hereby may lawfully ordain) They will choose, says he, such, and will not lay down worshipping God according to their Consciences, though they were used for it as Daniel was, contrary to Law. And these new Pastors perhaps will have less Moderation than the old: And thus you will be troubled with a succession of Dissenters. But I could have furnished Mr. Baxter and the World, with another Confutation of this vain hope of the Extinction of the Faction by the death of their Leaders: We shall never want a new Succession of them, and those violent too to the purpose, out of the same Nurseries whence divers of the Preachers in the Field Conventicles lately in Scotland came: Those Seminaries have been long enough so well stored, that they can afford us at any time Shoals of Teachers, Presbyterian Pastors, Independent Pastors, Anabaptist Pastors, Millenaries, Quaking Holders-forth (men or women, choice without doubt). Kind Neighbours they are, and will at any time, and at all times, as long as they can keep up, bring forth out of these their Treasures, able Leaders to the Factions new and old, and Teachers full of Zeal too, for each to their own hearts content, as we have too long had woeful Experience, however slow of belief we have been.  
But it will be returned upon me, To what end will it be then to seek to gain in to ourselves the present Dissenters? I answer; It is not to be thought that all of them will come in upon any terms whatsoever, but it may be hoped, the honest men will be picked out of them, and strengthen us by their Union; and the rest of them will be discovered to be what they are; and no good men will p●ty such incorrigible persons, if they fall under the lash of severe Laws.  
Now to this purpose I must still insist upon the Expedient propounded, as the only probable one, namely Mutual Concessions and Approaches: At the Conference at the Savoy, that Reverend and Great Man, Bishop Morley, tells us, the Generality of the Nonconforming 
In his Letter p. 13.  Divines showed themselves unwilling to enter upon Dispute, and seemed to like much better another way tending to an amicable and fair compliance, which was wholly frustrated by— a certain persons furious eagerness to engage in a Disputation. This was it seems the sense of both sides at that time: Now if compliance be likeliest to do the business, let us Relax a little on both hands, in the fear of God, and fall upon it. Let us candidly consult, what good Conscience, what Prudence will bear towards an Accommodation.  
I am not so vain, as to take upon me to determine, nor scarcely so much as to point our, what is fit to be yielded: nor is there any thing of what is at present enjoined, which, I bless God, grates on me: There are some, who have told us, that had the Cathedral way of performing the daily Service been enjoined, as only the Parochial is, we had had many more Nonconformists: I seriously and cordially, on the contrary profess, That though by reason of my Age, the Cathedral Service was very strange to me at first, I never having known any such way of Worship till his Majesty's happy Restauration, yet having immediately thereupon the advantage to understand it, and be conversant in it, I have since, a thousand and a thousand times, worshipped God therein with my Soul and all that is within me: I speak this not out of vanity, but in the fear of that God who knows my thoughts and heart, who shall judge me one day, and for his glory, and for the benefit of others who may be undeceived, or a little temperated in their Prejudices, by this my so solemn Profession and Protestation. To condemn without trial, we say, is unjust, but it is too usual; The holy Joy and Ravishment of Soul, which are truly to be found in this way of Worship, when voice and heart together sweetly ascend to God on high, the transports of Divine Love, and long for that blessed Estate, wherein some such employment of praising God, and singing to him will be at once the work and felicity of our Lives, the Contempt of the Sensual Life and Pleasures, and the triumph Faith conceives over all things here below; These, I say, and the like emotions of Soul towards God and Heaven, are with me Arguments for our grave Cathedral Music, never to be forgotten, never to be confuted. While I writ these thing, I am ready to fall out into my  
Awake up my glory, awake Lute and Harp; I 
Psal. 57 9, 10, 11, 12. Old Translation.  myself will awake right early, etc.  
Set up thyself, O God, above the Heavens, and thy glory above all the Earth.  
Oh! that some of the Nonconformists did but hear that Anthymn sweetly sung: I am very confident there are no serious sober men amongst them, who would be long Nonconformists to such duly regulate Music '; and that they are so now, I cannot but impute it to prejudice of Education, want of Experience and of Exercise herein, and the like. The very Order in these Assemblies, to serious unprejudiced men, is a goodly sight, and a little image of Heaven.  
A fine aspect in fit array, 
Mr. Herbert, pag. 102.   
Neither too mean, nor yet too gay,  
Shows what is best.  
And, in the same Divine Poet's language, as to the Music itself, when a devout Mind strikes in with it, 'tis to such the  
Sweetest of sweets,— 
Pag. 57   
And knows the way to Heaven's door.  
I do not deny but that there may be faults in some people's vanity, looseness, want of serious, heavenly minds: But are there not these kind of people under all sorts of Worship whatsoever? And do we not both teach and endeavour the Reformation hereof? I will not here recapitulate, what I have writ elsewhere, touching the serviceableness of Quires, as well to private Devotion, as to the holy Education of such for the Ministry, who from their Infancy, through their whole Age, may serve God zealously in divers stations & capacities. I will, therefore, only add, That whatsoever is to be reduced, I can never think of consenting to the abolishing (what some possibly will call Conformity in Alt) I mean the Cathedral Service. Nor do I find that it is desired by the soberest of the Nonconformists themselves; witness the following Passage. For the Ceremonies— I wish they might be left to the Consciences and Prudence of Ministers and People every where, 
So too, the Bill for Accommodation  excepting the Cathedrals, to use them or forbear them, as they judge it most meet for one another's Edification, says the Author of the Healing Paper, pag. 30. And I question not but many of his Brethren had approved this, as well as most of his other Proposals, because they were designed to Chalk out the way to the Parliament to open the Church door for sober Nonconformists. Anno 1678. Ep. to the Reader.  
But notwithstanding what I have said of the Excellency both of the Common Prayers themselves, and of the Cathedral performances, I do not conceive the Alteration of an Expression, or perhaps here and there, of a whole Prayer, or two, by Law, or the dispensing (still by Law) with some Ceremony, in loco, for the sake of some unsatisfied, but otherwise regular Christians (who are not supposed of the Cathedral Body) I say, I do not conceive, such Concession or Relaxation as this, would break the Harmony and Beauty of our Worship, or disturb the Union and Peace of our Church: I will therefore freely publish my thoughts to be, That whether we consider the nature of the thing itself, or with regard to the Apostles Rule (Rom. 15. 1, 2.) Not to please ourselves, but every one of us to please his Neighbour, for his good, to Edification: In either regard, I say, there are some Collects, and perhaps Rubrics too, which, with all duty and submission, I humbly conceive might be altered for the better. And further, That in some seasons and in some private places, where Ceremonies want that Augustness which the advantage of Public and great Congregations gives them (and in which kind of Assemblies they are chief requisite) if the Obligation to a Ceremony or two were taken off, the Benefit which might hence redound to the Church would be very considerable, both in respect of Proselytes and strength thereby, as also perhaps in other Points. And I seem to myself herein to follow the sense and guidance of our Church; for even at present, the Injunction of the Ceremonies does not appear to me to extend itself to all places and seasons: As for instance; A Minister baptises a Child in case of real Necessity in private, and he neither habits himself in his Surplice, etc. nor signs the Child with the sign of the Cross, and the Baptism is by the Rubric declared Lawful and Sufficient: nor did the Minister offend in the Omission of those Ceremonies, because no Law required them. In this particular than the Sense and Spirit of our Church, touching the Places and Occasions, which require Ceremonies, is sufficiently apparent.  
There are also divers other Points, which, when once the Design of a fair and complaint Accommodation shall be on foot, will be fit to be mentioned; and indeed will both of course offer themselves, and be, I judge, as easily granted; such are, the Liberty (which the Preface to the Second Book of Homilies allows) of exchanging Apocryphal Lessons for Canonical ones, any Amendment of such defects as can be proved (for all that is said cannot be proved) in the Calendar, The use of the most correct Translation of the Psalms, A better Metrical Version also, and perhaps some like matters; which, though we may account small, some Dissenters do not.  
Without doubt, some such Mitigations proportionable might have been obtained, when that Way tending to a fair and amicable composure spoken of by the Right Reverend Bishop Morley, was not yet precluded: But now, as to the Dissenters (who perhaps expected another Game than they have found) it may be truly lamented, to use Caesar's words in a like case, Accidisse his, quod plerumque hominibus 
De Bell. Civil. Com. 1.  nimiâ pertinaciâ atque arrogantiâ accidere solet, uti eò recurrant & id cupidissimè petant, quod paulò ante contempserint; nor is it at present (though possibly they think, as they daily complain it is) in the Bishop's power to help them: Id possumus, quod jure possumus. They who know any thing of our Constitution, know the Bishops are as much tied, by the Laws, to the Observation of the Laws, as any Order of men whatsoever: And though some may say the Penalties upon us in this regard are small or rarely inflicted; yet, what Penalties operate in others, Conscience ought to do in us: And I see not how in Conscience we can dispense, when the Law allows no such thing: for we know not the Mischiefs, which may arise from such our Laxness; and it would be a very unjustifiable presumption, and besides inconsistence with that man's self, who pretends to obedience and submission to the Wisdom of the Constitution, for him upon his single judgement to overrule the Dictates of that Wisdom, that is, the Laws of the Nation. In plain English, when every one bears his own burden, the hardship or rigour of the Laws, if any there be, is to be laid first at their doors, who by their Combinations had made it necessary for the Government, in its own defence, to break the knot; and then at theirs, who through refractoriness, when they were asked what would satisfy them, replied and stood to it, All or Nothing (some men may understand this Language if they please). Nor are the Lawmakers to be charged with severity: Such aggrieved persons, as I speak to, can only thank themselves, they have one Member of their  choice; though perhaps many of them, whom they take for their Enemies, are sorry for it, besides themselves; and yet, I say again, not able to help them. For Laws neither can nor may be altered, (and Liturgies varied) as oft as men could wish: then perchance Government, as well as Laws, would be of very short life.  
Being then such Alterations cannot be made in the Liturgy for the present, as might effect the design of Union, we must turn ourselves in the next place to think what can be done. And here, first, it offers itself, that one main Branch of the Subscription and Declaration prescribed in the Statue for Uniformity, which stuck much with divers, relating to the Covenant, by the very Letter o● the Statute, ceases within half a year: I trust this may give ease, and perhaps open the door to some. And whether the same inducements, which swayed the Wisdom of the Nation to prefix such term for the expiration of that Clause, might not be as forcible towards the taking off another clause or two, which are scrupled by some, (Possibly it is as necessary other things should be forgotten as the Covenant) whether also the Old Oath of Allegiance might not be so worded or explained as to serve in the room, not only of this Declaration, but of another new Oath too, I shall not adventure to propose: But this I will say, that the Clause touching the Covenant ceasing of itself, as beforesaid, I do not see what is left in this Declaration or Subscription, (call it as you please) which he, who is resolved faithfully to keep the Oath of Allegiance, according to its true intent, need at all to scruple, except only that Branch of Conforming to the Liturgy as it is now by Law established. Yet this Observation, though it remove a suggestion which might afterwards have been objected, leaves us nevertheless where we were, sticking (as some may account it) upon the Rock of Plenary Conformity to the Liturgy. This would seem now the only stop. For relief then herein, we must consider whether there be no Mitigations or Lenitives to be found, without Repeal, or too dishonourable Change of Laws, which we cannot expect.  
And I know no fit Clue in the Entrance of this Labyrinth, than the examining what has been offered hereto by any of the Dissenters themselves: for from them only, under God, we can tell what will please them. Amongst all that have writ upon the Design of Accommodation, there is only one come to my Hand, that seems to me to offer any thing of Reason (more there may be whose Books reach not me here) I mean the Author of The Peaceable Resolution of Conscience. His Work speaks him a man of Real Learning and Temper; and I wish his Brethren, who value themselves above him, would learn of him. Now the sum, as to the point in hand, which he proposes, is; They cannot, he says, give their unfeigned assent and consent to every thing contained in the Liturgy and Appendages, as the Statute requires; but they can consent to the Use of the Book in the Constant Lordsday Service. And as to what Exceptions they have against some things in the By-offices, the Occasional Service, the Rubric, and otherwise, they who scruple the performance themselves, shall be ready to permit others to perform such Offices to those, who desire them. I do really believe him sincere in this, and that he would not dissuade or discourage People from the use and love of the Regular Offices, but let them enjoy their freedom, being content with his own, could he enjoy it; though perhaps some will be apt to think, it would soon be otherwise generally, did this their Proposal take. But notwithstanding this my Charity, I must confess, I do not judge what he propounds sufficient to qualify men, (otherwise meet) for a Parochial Charge. My meaning is, this is no ways a tolerable measure of Conformity: For all they are thus supposed to consent to, (and consequently to promise) being the use of the Constant Lords-days Service, they are not tied (that I mention not yet occasional Week day Prayers, Festival Services, even upon the Great Festivals, etc.) they are not tied, I say, to, nor have we any Security they will observe; the very Forms of Administration of the Lords Supper, or of Baptism; and by this means we may have both Sacraments administered according to men's private pleasure, which I think no one will judge sufferaable. Either then they must offer more Conformity to the Liturgy, than this mentioned amounts to, or not expect (as it is desired in the Bill for Accommodation) to be admitted to any Ecclesiastical Preferment, and enjoy the use of their Ministry without Molestation. This is a great defect, which I could not but note in that Writers Proposals, as much as I like him otherwise. I know indeed he is for subscribing the 39 Articles, etc. but that is Conformity to Doctrine; I speak now merely of Con●●rmity to the use of the Liturgy, and, I say, his Proposals herein are very short of the great Design, Union: For if we be not united in Sacraments, how equivocal is the Union we pretend to?  
I confess he has laid his Design with much more Modesty, as to the Repeal and Change of Laws, than any I have seen: for an Explanatory Act (at lest what may be called fitly enough an Explanatory Act) of the Statute of Uniformity salves all: Let it but be allowed, by a favourable Interpretation from the Legislative Power, that such a qualified or mitigated (indeed in our esteem a very partial) Conformity to the Liturgy, shall be judged sufficient for some purposes, and then naturally enough the Profession of Assent and Consent may be also interpreted with proportion thereunto.  
But there is yet another Defect, which I must challenge in the Petition or Demand made upon supposal of such Conformity allowed by Authority, and performed by the Dissenters: They desire hereupon that they may be admitted to any Ecclesiastical Preferment. I say, here is one Limitation wanting to make it consistent with what this Author himself propounded before; and after that another, or two perhaps, to make it consistent with Reason and Equity. He had above propounded, That the Ceremonies should be left to the Conscience and Prudence of Ministers and People every where, excepting Cathedrals: In these then, according to his own Proposals, a Plenary Conformity is to be observed inviolable: But in his Petition or Postulatory part, he would have this new sort of Conformists to be admitted, upon such their Conformity, to any Ecclesiastical Preferment: To be consistent with himself, he ought here to add, Except in Cathedrals; otherwise, by this Explanatory Act designed, we should have Members, (at least might have them) in Cathedrals, which cannot fully conform, and consequently an Half-Conformity, or not that, would ensue there also.  
Yet admit even this Limitation were put in, and then Any Ecclesiastical Preferment, will signify Any Rectory, Vicarage, or as we use to speak, Any Cure of Souls: I say still, as before intimated, it is very unreasonable and unfit there should be any Incumbents, to whom the Charge of Souls is immediately, according to Law, committed by the Bishop, who should not be bound to Administer the Sacraments, to Bury the Dead, to Catechise the Youth according to the Church-Catechism (and prepare them thereby for Confirmation) to observe and celebrate, according to Order, the Great Festivals, as of our Lord's Nativity, Circumcision, Passion, Resurrection, Ascension, etc. all which Offices are evidently here excepted under the term of by-Offices. And the unreasonableness hereof will further appear, if we consider, that there are divers Parishes, wherein no small part are disaffected to Conformity: These shall stickle hard for such Ministers, which when they have got, they shall only by their Practice (and possibly Doctrine too) be confirmed in their disaffection; and these shall become Nurseries of Nonconformity, and a provision thus made for the propagating Malcontent against the Church: Now however, we would be willing to allow all favour to such who unhappily already do in Conscience descent, yet we can never agree to such Methods, which will be sure to perpetuate Dissension: So that, except they throughly Conform, I think they ought not to desire to be admitted to Parochial Cures, but only to Preach publicly as Assistants to such Incumbents, who would employ or accept them, or where otherwise there were want: And even herein also methinks there is need of another Limitation, viz. that whereas such Preachers are supposed by Law indulged, or dispensed with, as to their own Scruples, they give good Caution never to Preach against such Usages of the Church, which they Scruple, or to which they Conform not.  
All then I can reasonably say in this Case is, That if it could be obtained that the Subscribing the Thirty nine Articles, the promising to read Orderly Morning or Evening Prayer respectively before Sermon, and receiving the Lord's Supper, at least three times a year, according to the Order of our Church, might by Authority be interpreted a sufficient Conformity to the Liturgy of the Church, to capacitate Persons, otherwise fit and in Episcopal Orders, to preach publicly in such and such places (caution being first given to the Bishop for the peaceableness of their Doctrine) I do not see but our Church doors will stand as open to the Nonconformists, as in Equity or Reason they can desire; at least as in safety the Church can allow. I must beg their pardon for saying no more (I cannot, with justice to my own sense); and I shall scarce obtain pardon from some, for saying so much: but I thought it for the Public Good, to say what I have; to which Public Good we are all of us in duty bound to contribute all we can, whatever diminution we suffer in some men's esteem.  
I know it will be demanded of me, What need of letting these men in? Are there not Ministers enough already, and more than are Honourably provided for? I answer, We shall have never the more for this Relaxation: These men, in behalf of whom I have spoken, are in being already, and will preach some where or other; and 'tis better we had them in Public than in Corners, that so the Church either had security for their peaceable doctrine, which I verily believe we may have as to most of them, or opportunities to convict them of their Sedition. But I have other-guess Arguments than these, that move me:  
1. To those who ask, What need of more Union? I return, What need of Holiness? What need of Godliness, Charity, Justice? Are these Christian Duties, and is not Union and Peace as much so?  
2. I am and must be in the mind, that the strength of the Protestant Cause, both here at home and throughout Christendom, lies in the Union of Protestants; and the Glory, Purity and Power of Christianity, in this World, stand or falls with Protestantism.  
3. I must be so ingenuous as to acknowledge, That though perhaps the City, and divers particular Places, flourish with such Preachers as never they had before, yet the way of Preaching in many parts of the Country, and in some no obscure places too, might be much improved, and needs supply: And it can never be made out to the World, but it were better we had too many good Preachers, than too few.  
I could tell some men in their ear, They also have strangely multiplied Curacies, which are too often vacant: The Lord forgive them, and redress this great Evil in his Church. If I thought not these Arguments sufficient, I would add more, which occur plentifully; but my Postscript is too much swo●n already.  
I am not unsensible, how difficult it will be, to gain even this Point, which I have pleaded for, as small as it seems to some: That it neither can, nor aught to be attempted, without the Legislative Power, I have said often enough: And I conceive, the Dissenters would do well by performing so much Obedience to the Laws, as they can to encourage and invite Authority to savour them, by a Relaxation in what they cannot. I will therefore, by way of Conclusion, make one Proposal, which, above all yet done or said, is the likeliest means, in my opinion, to bring on an Accommodation. Mr. Baxter says (Part. 3. p. 8.) Where he lived, he came to the beginning of the Church's Prayers, when he could, and stayed to the end. And that peaceable worthy man above-commended (whom I know not, but whose name I found out, by comparing one Book with another) Mr. John Humphrey, the Author of both Pieces, touching Reordination, of the Healing Paper, and of the Peaceable Resolution, etc. seems to offer for himself, and divers of his Brethren, not only to use, but to subscribe to the use of, the Liturgy, as to the Ordinary Lordsday Service. It is plain then, that several of the Nonconformist Preachers, can in Conscience use thus much of the Liturgy: yet I never heard, either that Mr. Baxter, when he preached publicly Occasional Sermons (as he calls them, and to which, if I mistake him not, he conceives his old Licence might authorize him still) I say, I never heard, either he, or any other of his Brethren, did read any part of the Liturgy before any of their Preach: That they still frequently preach, I no whit question: Now my Proposal is, That before all such Sermons, at least before their more Solemn Ones, on the Lord's days, they would respectively use the Morning and the Evening Prayer, which they thus acknowledge they could use, and subscribe to the use of; and by their practice thus teach the People the lawfulness of so much Conformity. I should not doubt but such frequent, reverend and serious use of it, would soon recommend it to their Consciences, and to the Consciences of all sober persons among them; and this practice would not only be an Argument, that they talk about Accommodation in good earnest, but certainly prevail with the Bishops to use their interest, and address to his Majesty in Parliament, for some such Relaxation or Explanatory Act as is desired. This would be something of a coming nearer to us, and is but reasonable in them, for that they expect we should be moving towards them. But if they will still totally hold off, and only tell us They can do thus and thus much, towards Peace, yet really do nothing, it is a very shrewd sing, either that there is not in them that Cordial desire of Union they pretend to, or that their Nonconformity is more the Act and Resolution of their Will, than of their Conscience; which if it shall appear, they will for the future find less belief and fewer Favourers.  
The End.