may eafily perceive, is not fitly applyed to any that meet in private Houses to Worship God; and what I have faid concerning our being a True Church is not at all weakened by that Objection; fo we fhall proceed, and in the next place fhall fhew the Reasonableness of our Separation.

CHA P. IV.

The Friendly Separation of the Baptized Believers from the prefent Church of England, shewed to be just and necefSary.

T

Ho a cauflefs Separation, made only to fatisfie Mens Wills, or to ferve their Interefts, be justly condemned on all fides, and par ticularly by our felves; yet on the other fide, I know of no Party of Chriftians that will deny Separation from fome Churches to be Lawfull in fome cafes; Yea, and neceffary too, fo that it not only may be, but also must be, if we will keep good Confciences and retain the Truth. And we find an Eminent Perfon of Mr. Eratis Dr. Sharp in a Sermon own Church, fpeaking his before the Court of mind in this cafe. Alder. Aug. 23.1674.

faith he)

Separation from a Church is Lawfull, 1. When be requires of us, as a condition of her Communion, an acknowledgement and Profeffion of that for a Truth, which we know to be an errour. 2. When he requires of us, as a Condition of her Communion, the joyning with her in fome practices

practices, which we know to be against the Law of God. In thefe two Cafes, to withdraw our obedience to the Church, is fo far from being a Sin, that it is a necessary Duty.

Whether we be able to justify our Separation from the Church of England upon thefe accounts, will be manifefted in the following difcourfe..

We are the rather induced to fhew the juftness of our Separation at this time, because Mr. Eratt is very importunate with John Woodward for his Anfwer in this cafe, he faith P. 2. You ought to fhew me from the Holy Scriptures the Standard of Truth, wherein the Terms of our Communion are unlawfull. And afterwards in P. 4. He demands of him in the Name of God and Chrift, to keep to his Old way, till he shew him wherein this New way, (as he calls it) excells the old, c. and this he requires of him as he will Anfwer the Contrary at the great. Tribunal.

I will affure you these are Concerning things: The demand is folemn, and the Obligation is ftrong.

Wherefore feeing this Minifter of the Church of EngLand doth fo importunately demand the Reafons of our Separation, and my Beloved Friend Fohn Woodward doth defire me to write them, and fome may be enlightened into these matters that knew nothing of them: I fhall therefore, in the fpirit of Meeknefs, modeftly propound them, not to make the difference wider than it is, or to ftirr up indignation against the Pious and Weldifpofed Perfons of the Church of England, who are our real Friends, as we also are theirs, who, tho they want fome degrees of that perfect Reformation, which through grace we have attained, yet they are no lefs zealous for the Truth which they have happily clofed with, than we are for what we profefs. The Lord knows I have no fuch evil défign. But this is my aim, That the Truth may be cleared, our own Innocency vindicated,

the

† For I think fome of them are neither Gods Friends nor ours, but miferable Enemies to their own Souls.

the Faithfull established, and our † Friends (that are really fo, ) in the National Church, be moved to Jealousy with themselves, that they may reduce all their measures to the Standard of Truth, and fo to perfect that Reformation, they have happily begun, and that will make us intirely one People in the Lord, Eph. 2. 19, 20, 21, 22.

Now the Baptized Believers are only and wholly for joyning with Primitive Christianity, and therefore find themselves under a neceffity to maintain a Friendly Se paration from the prefent Church of England, for the fol lowing Reasons.

First, Because we cannot find that fee is as old as the Scriptures. And the Church that we enquire for, and refolve to walk withall, must be as Ancient as the Gofpel. But alas, the prefent Church of England, feems to us to be of a far later date, we cannot hear of her being in the World till the Reign of Henry 8. (of which I touched before occafionally by the way :) But when that King grew angry at the Pope of Rome and his Proud Clergy, for Croffing him in fome Marriage affairs, then he refolved to caft off that Tyrannical Yoke, and fo began to new model the Church, of which I might give a particular account, only for the expence of time. But he did but begin the work, for the Church of England, as the ftands t by Law esta blifbed, was not perfected till the fucceeding Reigns. But in time she was erected upon Five main Pillars, which gave her both Form and Name, and brought her to what the is

† Which is a mighty thing with a Sort of Men and their strongest Argument to prove her a true Church.

now that is, The Present Church of England as by Law Established.

The

The firft of thefe Pillars is The Book of Confecration of Archbishops and Bifhops, and Ordering of Priefts and Dea cons. This was fet forth about the Second Year of King Edward the Sixth, and was confirmed at the fame time by Authority of Parliament, and afterward ratified in the 36. Article.

The Second Pillar is The Liturgy or Common-Prayer Book, which contains the whole form and Order of her Publick Worship. For the Reformers were pleafed to take things into Confideration, and thought it need full to have a Rubrick, that is, a Service-Book beauti fyed with Red Letters, as the Papifts had before them, or rather as themfelves had when they were Papifts, fo the old Mais-Book, and the rest of the Romish matters, were diligently infpected, and what was thought fuper fluous or Burdenfom, was pared off and prudently re moved, and all the reft retained that was thought would be for edification, only that which was Latin before was now turned into English.

But fo inconfiderable was the change, that the Pa pifts themselves complyed with it for 10. or 11. Years, without Scruple, till a temporal Intereft of the Church of Rome altered the Cafe. Moreover two Popes, name ly Paul the 4th. and Plus the 4th, were both, Succeffively, fo well pleafed with it, that they would have Confirmed it, provided Queen Elizabeth would but have owned their Primacy, and the Reformation to derive from them.

Ep. Taylor.

This Book of Common-Prayer was compiled in the Third, Year of the Reign of Edward the Sixth, in the Month of May, Anno Dom. 1$49.

The Third Pillar is her confeffion of Faith, Contained in Thirty Nine Articles. Thefe Articles were firft agreed upon, about the 4th. Year of the Reign of Queen Eliza beth, Anno Dom. 15624

The

The Fourth Pillar, on which fhe is Founded, is her Book of Canons and Conftitutions Ecclefiafticat, upon which is Founded the Body of this Church, and here one may view the whole form of her glorious Stru&ture. If this Prop was taken away, fhe would lofe her Order, and fall into great Confufion: the would not be like her felf, but quite another thing.

Her Fifth great Prop, is thofe Laws of the Land that are made in her behalf; by thefe fhe becomes the Eftablifhed Church of England, thefe provide for the uniformity of her Worthip, and for the Dignity and Maintemance of her Miniftry, and to preferve her from Ruin or Difgrace. By thefe fhe has the help of the Secular Arm to Support her Grandure, and to defend her caufe.

If thefe Five Pillars were taken away, what would become of The Prefent Church of England as by Law Eftablished, trow ye? For my part, I difcern not how fhe would either retain her Form or Name, or fo much as appear at all in the World. For as fhe was not what fhe is before them, but received her Form and Denomi nation from them, fo I know not how the can be what fhe is without them. There is a Rule amongst Logicians, Take away the form (fay they) and the thing formed is not. If the form denominating agree not, the denomination agrees

not.

But Chrifts Church was in being long before those four Church of England Books were written to form her, or the Laws were enacted to establish her, and may be without any fuch Props to fupport her. Chrifts Church is Founded upon fuch a Rock that the gates of Hell cannot prevail againft it; but a Potent Enemy might prevail against that other Church, and might burn or difannul fuch Props as them, and utterly demolish the building I mean fo much of it as is built upon fuch flender mate rials, and which gives her to be, and to be called, what fhe is. But I do not forget that there is fome precious Truth, and Ancient Christianity owned by her, which we