SInce it is the Duty of every Christian to promote the Peace and Unity of the Church , and heartily to endeavour that there may be no Divisions amongst us ; but that we may be perfectly joined together in the same mind , and in the same judgment , 1 Cor. 1.10 . In one spirit , and with one mind , striving together for the faith of the Gospel , Phil. 1.27 . And since , when one party of Christians separate from another , it must either be for a just cause , or without a just cause ; it will follow , that where-ever there is Schism in any Church , and one Congregation set up in opposition to another , and refusing to join in Communion with the other , there must , of necessity , be a sin either on the one side or the other ; either in them who give the others a just ground of separation , or in them who separate without a just ground .

That there is a separation between you and us , and thereby a Schism made in our National Church , is too apparent ; but where the sin of this Division lies , whether upon u● , for giving you a just cause of dividing , or upon you for separating from us without any such cause ; this is what on both sides we ought to enquire after , and to reform it where ever we find it . And in order to the making of this discovery , I do ( as I trust , in the fear of God , and in a true spirit of Meekness and Charity ) beseech you all calmly and seriously to weigh and consider these following things which I offer unto you .

First , Is there any of those things which are necessary to the salvation of a Christian , wanting in the Communion of our Church ? Do we not profess and teach the true Christian Faith in all its fundamental Articles ? And if some of our Divines do perhaps differ from yours in the determination , or rather the manner of expressing of some Theological Points ; will any one venture to say , that the explicit belief of such Doctrines in difference , is absolutely necessary unto Salvation ? Do we not require all men to lead vertuous and holy lives ? And is any part of Christ's Institution omitted by us in the Administration either of Baptism or the Lord's Supper ? Or what is there more required by God , in order to any man's Salvation , than a true Faith , an holy Life , to be admitted into the Church by Baptism , and to own our Communion with it by the frequent participation of the Lord's Supper ? In short , if we are deficient in any thing which is necessary to Salvation , let us know what it is that is wanting amongst us , and let the necessity of it be proved , and then if we receive it not , the Sin is ours .

Secondly , is there any thing required by us from those who Communicate with us , which is a Sin , and therefore not to be practised with a good Conscience ? However unnecessary or impertinent any thing may be esteemed , yet nothing is to be looked upon as a Sin but what is contrary to the Law of God : Are then any of our Constitutions contrary to God's Law ? Or has God any where forbid us to use the Sign of the Cross after Baptism , a Ring in the Celebration of Marriage , a Surplice in Divine Service , the posture of kneeling at the reception of the Lord's Supper , or any of those Rites and Ceremonies which are appointed to be used amongst us ? And can any thing be called a Sin which God has no where forbid ? But if you shall say , that tho the bare use of these things is not forbid , yet we use them after a superstitious manner , whereby they become sinful . I intreat you to consider that we have sufficiently declared , that we place no holiness in any such things as these , ( wherein our Superstition , if any there were , could only consist ) but that we only use them as things in themselves indifferent , ordained by human Authority for decency and order , and at any time alterable by the same or the like Authority that appointed them . To conclude this Point , either such things as are indifferent in themselves , may possibly be used without Superstition , as Circumstances in the worship of God , or else it will scarce be possible to perform any outward Worship at all without Superstition : For outward Worship cannot be performed without Outward Circumstances ; And no Man sure will pretend that all the Outward Circumstances of Worship are prescribed or regulated by God himself . Since then our Rites and Ceremonies of Religion are things in themselves indifferent , and therefore such as may be used , without Superstition , do you your selves teach us how we shall more effectually disclaim all Superstition , in the use of them , than we already do : And if we give you not satisfaction in the matter , the fault is justly ours . But to charge us with Superstition in the use of those things which do not necessarily imply that sin in themselves , and that at the same time , when we do positively renounce , not only the Name of Superstition , but also the thing it self ; In my poor opinion , is not so agreeable unto Christian Charity , which believeth all things , and hopeth all things , 1 Cor 13.7 .

Thirdly , If then in the Communion of our Church there be neither any thing wanting which is necessary to Salvation , nor , on the other side , any thing prescribed in it which is sinful ; does it not apparently follow from hence that our Communion is at least innocent ? And that any Christian may , with a good Conscience , join with us in God's Worship and Sacraments , since thereby he needs not involve himself in any sin , either of Commission or Omission . If you shall say that our Communion , tho' to us , who are persuaded of the Lawfulness of it , it may be innocent ; yet to you would be sinful ; because some of you judge it absolutely unlawfull to Communicate with us ( and no Man ought to act directly against his own Conscience ) and others of you do , at least , doubt whether it be lawful or not ; Whereas in such Cases as these , every man ought to be fully persuaded in his own mind , Ro. 14.5 . And he that doubteth is damned if he Conform , as well as if he eat , because he Conformeth not of Faith ( that is to say , is not throughly persuaded of the Lawfulness of what he does ) for whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin , v. 23. To those who judge our Communion unlawful , I must again urge what I have already said in the two preceding Paragraphs , and tell them that their Judgment in this is not only false , but also apparently uncharitable , except they can shew either that something is wanting , and not to be had in our Church , which yet God has commanded ; or something appointed and required which God has forbidden , for nothing can be absolutely sinful and unlawful , except it be to omit the one , or to do the other . But as for those who only doubt , that is to say , are not well assured , whether it be lawful to Conform to our Communion or not : If they are not able by any means to clear their doubts , and satisfie their Scruples ; yet surely , in such a Case , they ought to choose that way which is most safe , and free from the danger of sin ; and if there be a plain and evident Law of God which direct ; them one way , they ought not to forsake that way , and go another , upon such suggestions as they own to be but obscure and doubtful . Now , what can be more evidently commanded , than that we should seek and promote the Peace and Unity of the Church ( as I have said at the beginning of this Address ) . And that we should give obedience unto the commands of lawful Authority , Rom. 13.1 , 1 Pet. 2.13 . But , on the other side , the case in hand supposes a man to be only doubtful ( and not resolved either way ) whether it be lawful to conform to the Rites and Ceremonies by Law Established in our Church ; Now , if , after a reasonable time for enquiry , he is not able to determine this doubt , so as positively to satisfy himself upon solid grounds , that such Conformity is unlawful ; what reason can be given why such a doubt ( which probably may be the effect of his fancy , or prejudice only , and not of any sober and impartial reasoning , because it never comes to a determination ) should be put in the ballance against those plain commands of God which I have mentioned : And as long as such a man remains doubtful as to both sides , why may not the above objected words of St. Paul be more strongly urged for Conformity than against it ? For why should a man refuse to conform , if he be only doubtful , and not fully perswaded in his own mind , that he ought not to conform ? And why may I not say , that he that doubteth is damned , if he refuseth conformity , rather than if he conform ? because he refuseth not of Faith ; ( that is to say , is not throughly perswaded of the lawfulness of such a refusal ; there being two plain Laws of God which direct him to conform , and nothing but a doubt , which is raised but upon obscure grounds , that restrains him from it ) for whatsoever is not of Faith ( whether it be an action , or a refusal ) is sin . But if you shall say , that to impose such things upon you in the worship and service of God , as are in themselves indifferent , and not commanded by any law of God , is an infringement of your Christian liberty ; which you are bound not to yield or give way to , but to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free ; Gal. 5.1 . I answer , that if any Church should offer to impose the belief or practice of any thing , as an essential part of Religion , and necessary to Salvation , which God hath not particularly required ; Against such an Imposition as this every Christian ought to stand up , and assert his Christian liberty ; as the Apostles did against the Jewish Ceremonies , which some would have imposed upon the Church as absolutely necessary to Salvation , Acts 15.1 . And this is what the Apostle exhorts the Galatians unto ; and is , as far as I can understand , the true notion of Christian liberty , as it is stated in the holy Scriptures : For if way should be given to such sort of Impositions as these ; in process of time so many things ( through the pride and vanity of some , and the ignorance and mistakes of others ) might come to be introduced into the Christian Religion , as might render it ( as the Jewish was ) a yoke too heavy to be born , Acts 15.10 . But to plead Christian liberty as an exemption from such Laws and Rules which an Established Church shall think fit to make about things , in themselves professedly indifferent , and only for order and regularities sake ; as it has no foundation that I can find either in Scripture or Reason ; so the apparent consequence of it must be , not that decency and order which St. Paul directs the Church to provide for in the service of God , 1 Cor. 14.40 . ( which cannot be maintained without some established Rules in circumstantial matters ) . But , on the contrary , that disorder and confusion which we may imagin must be in such an Assembly , where every man shall esteem it unlawful to demean himself according to any human prescribed Rules ; and where therefore every the most ignorant person will be guided by nothing but the suggestions of his own thoughts , in all such things as God himself has not particularly determined : For the avoiding of which confusion and irregularity , every settled Church has always found it necessary to follow that direction which St. Paul long since gave ; and to make and prescribe certain Rules for the establishment of Decency and Order in their Congregations . And if our Liturgy be an infringement of Christian Liberty , not only all other Churches are guilty of the same , but even your own Directory , which imposes some things which in themselves are indifferent , cannot be excused from it . And if you shall say that our Ceremonies are too numerous and burthensome , besides that others who perhaps may be as competent Judges , are of another opinion : If this were really so , yet the most it would amount to , would be only an inconvenience , ( of which hereafter ) and not a sin . And tho St. Austin complained of the number and burden of Ceremonies in his time ; yet we never find that he looked upon that as any cause for separating from the Established Church . And lastly , If you shall say that many of our Rites and Ceremonies are altogether unnecessary , and that the Governors of a Church ought not to lay unnecessary impositions upon the people ; besides that what some may think unnecessary , others may judge to be expedient . Let us suppose that our Governors were guilty of a fault in imposing some needless things upon us , yet will it not follow that our compliance even with such things , for Peace and Unity's sake , would be any Sin , but rather , I think , a vertue : And therefore upon the whole , I cannot but conclude , that any good Christian may , at least very innocently , join himself to the Communion of our Church .

Fourthly , Then if the Communion of our Church be Lawful and Innocent in its self ; what imaginable reason can there be why you should refuse to join with us in it ? For sure you do not think that every Man is at his free Liberty , either to join himself to the Established Church of a place , or to set up a distinct Church for himself , for this would be the way not only to divide , but crumble the Church ; till the different fancies of Men should bring it to nothing . And if you shall tell us that some of our Constitutions are not so conveniently settled , as they should be for promoting the Glory of God , and the Practice of Piety ; Besides that there never was any Human Appointment so perfect as to be free from all defect and inconvenience ; And that what may seem inconvenient to one , may perhaps be thought convenient by another ( there being scarce any particular Rules of convenience so fixed , but what will be differently thought of by different Men , according to the diversity of their Apprehensions and Circumstances ) . I desire to know whether one or more bare inconveniences , which yet are , or may be , free from sin , can be a sufficient reason to separate from an Established Church ? And if so , what Church is there upon the face of the Earth from which this principle will not justifie a Division ? It is indeed the duty of every Man soberly and peaceably to seek for the Rectifying , even any inconveniencies which he perceives to be in the Church : But since it is a Rule of Charity that it beareth all things , endureth all things , suffereth long , is not easily provoked , and seeketh not her own , 1 Cor. 13 , 4. &c. Methinks every good Christian should be contented to bear , even with many inconveniencies ( untill such time as God should touch the hearts of those in whose power it should be to remedy them ) rather than occasion a Division in the Church , which , besides the sin , is certainly a greater inconvenience than all those which you can complain of put together . But if you shall say that you find your selves more Edified in Godliness and Piety by your own Meetings , than by frequenting our Assemblies ; Not to ascribe this to your prejudice and prepossession , nor to make any comparisons which may seem odious , or may tend to exasperate ; I shall only tell you if this be a real truth , and not a bare fancy only ; it may seem to be a reason why you should hold some Assemblies , besides the Parochial Congregations , for your mutual Edification , and to provoke others to emulation ; which might be a means to promote a general reformation of all neglects or disorders in the Church , ( provided that nothing were therein said or done which might give any of your own members or others , a just occasion to look upon you as a separate Church set up in opposition , and not in subordination to the establish'd one ) . But what reason you can ground upon this for a down-right separation , and an utter refusal of our Communion ; I confess I am not able to find . But if you shall say that you do not absolutely separate from us , nor utterly renounce our Communion , but that you sometimes come to our publick Worship , and receive the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper after our prescribed Form , which is by some of you asserted and pleaded for under the name of occasional Communion ; I desire to be informed , if occasional Communion with us be lawful , why should constant Communion with us be thought unlawful ? If it be a sin to join with us in God's Worship and Sacraments , it ought not to be done so much as once ; but if it be no sin , why may it not be done always ? And would it not be much more agreeable to the temper of Christianity , and the Spirit of Peace and Unity , for you constantly to frequent our Assemblies , who own you may lawfully do it , and to hold your own other Meetings either after or before ours ; rather than by holding them just at the same time with ours , to keep the people as much as you can , strangers from our Congregations , than alienating their affections from us ; cherishing an opinion in many of them , that our way of Worship is utterly unlawful , and widening , or at least keeping open , that breach which otherwise in a little time , would probably close , and heal of it self .

The design of what I have hitherto said , has been to lay the matter home to your Consciences , to perswade you to embrace the Communion of our Church , and thereby supersede the necessity of a Toleration : But if all we can say or argue upon this matter will not prevail , then ,

Fifthly , I would gladly know what it is which you aim at , and propose to your selves in an Act of Toleration ? Is it only to have the liberty of Serving God in that way which you think to be best , and thereby to be free from persecution , and to go the readiest way , as you suppose , to Heaven , without let or molestation ? Or is it to lay a foundation for the overthrow of the Established Church , and to get , in time , the whole Ecclesiastical and Civil Power into your own hands , as is already done by those of your persuasion in Scotland ? If the latter of these be your design , sure you must think us no less than fools and mad-men , if we give way to our own Overthrow & Ruin ; and do not give you all the Opposition that possibly we can ; but if the former be only , and adequately your desire , why are you so Zealous against the Sacramental Test ( as it is called ) as even to refuse an Act of Toleration , rather then have this Clause inserted in it , That no one shall be capable of any Office , or Employment in the Common-Wealth , who shall not so many times in the Year Receive the Holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper , according to the Established Form ? I am sensible , That Men may have strange Notions , Prejudices and Scruples , in matters of Religion ; and that what seems to be the highest and clearest Reason to one Man , may not appear Convincing , or Concluding to another . And therefore , I do not wonder that good and well meaning Men , tho' mistaken , should be very earnest for Liberty of Conscience , to be clear from such Impositions as they think they cannot lawfully submit to , and to have the freedom of serving God in such a way as they apprehend may be pleasing to him . But when Men are not contented with this , except they may have also a share in the Government , and be made capable of Employments of Power , Trust , and Profit ; I think it is very apparent , That they design and aim at some thing else besides the Salvation of their Souls , and freedom from Persecution ; And it becomes the Wisdom of every Government , carefully to consider even the remote , if probable , consequences of what they do ; and however , it may be fit to deal gently with tender Consciences , yet that State which shall seem to Encourage or set up two several Parties , differing from each other in matters of Religion , ( which strangely Unites , or divides the Affections of Men ) to make Factions one against the other , and to stand in perpetual distinct Opposition and Competition one with the other for all the Places of Trust , Power , and Profit in the Common-Wealth ; I believe will be thought by most Wise Men to be out in its Politicks .

But if I am told that this last Question which I have put , contains in it a False and Uncharitable Suggestion against the Non-Conformists ; and that they have no manner of Design against the present Establishment of the Church , as is pretended , but only desire to stand upon equal Terms with the rest of His Majesty's Subjects as to Civil Matters ; I answer that , supposing all this to be True ; yet no one knows but their Successors , in the next Generation , may endeavour to advance a little farther than what is proposed by their Predecessors in this . And since the Presbyterian P●rty in these Kingdoms did in the late Wars of 1641. actually overthrow the Established Episcopal Church , and have never yet Publickly Renounced those Principles by which they then Acted , nor Testified any Repentance for what they did . And since the Presbyterians of Scotland have now again Overturned the Episcopal Church of that Kingdom ; have we not all the Reason that can be to fear that , tho' our present Non-Conformists may keep a kind and friendly Correspondence with us ; because we have been 〈◊〉 lately joined against a common Enemy , yet in the next Generation Heats and Animosities may probably arise between their Successors and ours , which if not before hand carefully prevented , may tend to the disturbance , or perhaps the Ruin both of Church and State : And ought not every Government to provide for Posterity , as well as for the Present Generation ? And thus have I Declared , or at least Suggested , my thoughts in this great Affair , with all the brevity and plainness that I could ; and I hope with that Mildness which becomes a peaceable Man and a Christian : How far what I have said may prevail upon any Man , I know not , but I hope that no one can take any Offence , either at what I have said , or at the manner wherein I have expressed my self ; and if I have missed of that Good which I designed , yet at least it will be some satisfaction to me , to think that I have done no hurt ; and whilst I have been Pleading for Unity , have said nothing which should tend to the breach of Charity .