more useful to the publick. And from this Principle also, I will even venture or part with all, to do real service to the publick, and am neither covetous nor timorous, wherever the good of the Publick is concerned. And however in a matter of a private concernment, I may yield up my own rights to please others: Yet in what the good of the publick, either as to Church or State is concerned in, I will by no means récede from my just rights, out of any kind of fear or complaisance; for in so doing, I should rob Posterity, I should rob not only my self, but all that I love most and that depend on me, and betray my trust, and lay a foundation for a publick mischief and ruin; and to be sure God will requite such injustice severely at my hands.

CHAP. VII.

An earnest persuasive to continue in the Church of England.

UCH is my Belief, and such is my practice

SUCH

and carriage, according to the Doctrine and Commands of the Church of England; and therefore, I think a man but little understands Christianity, or hath not any peaceable inclinations, that finds fault with it, and that doth on any account separate from it. For first, it is the Church, which is by all kind of Lawful Authority, Settled and Established in our Nations. And therefore, if there be any obedience due to any Commands of Governors in Church or State, Communion with the Church established here, is a duty; unless a mañ can shew any express Commands of God to the contrary, which a man will be so far from finding in Scripture, that he will find much there, to oblige him to continue in it. For where ever Government in general is established, and obedience to Governors enjoined, it ought to be

reckoned

reckoned as spoken of our Government or Go-* vernors Ecclesiastical and Civil, as well as of any other in the world.

But we are not only obliged to communicate with the Church, because it is Established among us, but because we see it hath all right to be Established, as being so agreeable to Scripture, the Practice of all Antiquity, especially the first and purest, is so well fitted to answer the very end, and design of a Church, and pur sues those ends so fully, as well as that it hath had a constant immemorial prescription among

For at the Reformation, we did not begin anew to frame and form our Church, but kept the essentials of a Church which we found established, and only corrected those Errors and reformed those Abuses which had by degrees and length of time, or especially by the preva lency of the Bishop of Rome and his Agents, crept in among us. For as we were not Converted at first from Rome, so nor did we at first receive such a Christianity as is now taught and practised at Rome, but such as is now established in our Church. Nay we can shew that we were a settled Church before they came among us. They indeed brought a great many bad things among us, which we at last threw out; and in our Reformation we departed from them only, in what they had departed from the True

Church

Church of Christ, and from themselves in the first Ages, as our Canons speak.

So that our Reformation was neither a Schism, nor doth it countenance any Schismaticks, or excuse any separation from ourselves. For we can shew that all that are born in these Countries are more under the Ecclesiastical Government of these Countries, and more bound to Communicate with us, than we are under the Bishop of Rome, or bound to Communicate with him: and they can never shew the like reasons and grounds of their separating or dissenting from us in Doctrine or Discipline, as we can for our Believing and acting otherwise than the Bishop of Rome doth. So that if any People, Born and Baptized in any Church under Heaven, have a duty incumbent on them, and ought to continue in that Church, I am sure we in England have at least so much as they have, or more. So that either there is no necessity of continuing in any Church in which men are Born and Baptized, or there is a necessity for us to continue in our Church.

Indeed we confess our case is on many ac counts very hard, by reason of the several Adversaries that we have on either hand; but yet even this seems somewhat to speak for us, our Church being in this, like Virtue itself; which consists in a mean, between two extremes; or as King Charles the Martyr expressed it, like

our

our Blessed Saviour who was Crucified between two Thieves. For such, and so different are our Adversaries, that whatever we do, we are sure to be blamed and accused by one side or other. But as Mr. Hooker, Dr. Falkner and others, have abundantly made out the Lawfulness of all our Institutions, so he that considers what opposition is made against us on every side, and what provision we must make against objections, though of different and contrary natures, will see the prudence, and even necessity of whatever is enjoined among us. So it is confessed that by our retaining the Episcopal Government in our Church, we anger some; and yet if we had omitted or rejected it, we had more injured ourselves and our causes, and more justly offended others.

By our insisting so strictly on our Ordinations, we are liable to complaints from some: And yet if we did neglect and not insist on them, we should subject ourselves to juster Accusations. Our having a Liturgy, displeaseth some; but if we had not had a Liturgy, we should have angered more, and injured Religion. If we enjoin any thing, if it be but a rite or ceremony in the Service of God, some blame us; and yet if we should enjoin nothing, but leave all at li berty to do what they would, nothing could follow but Confusion.

The