church, who never worship GoD in public." So that, according to the Doctor's ingenious difquifition on this fubject, to feparate from the church, and fet up a communion in oppofition to the communion of of the church, means no more than to absent from the worship of it.

According to the Doctor's firft pofition in favour of feparatifts from the church, that they cannot pos fibly be fchifmatics, because "there is not one indi vidual affembly that worships GoD according to the manner prescribed in fcripture, but they are ready to communicate with it:" there will be nó fuch thing as obligation to church unity, and confequently no fuch thing as fchifm in the world. For I would be glad to know, what manner of worship was prescribed in fcripture for the direction of Chriftians in this refpect, when the Apostles confidered every feparation from the communion of the then established church as

fchifm. If the obligation to church unity depend upon a manner of worship prescribed for that purpose in fcripture, and no fuch manner of worship is to be found, there can be no fuch thing as church unity at all: confequently, thofe who created divifions in the primitive church, might have told the Apostles, in reply to their cenfures on that subject, that they

could not poffibly be fchifmatics, because they were ready to communicate with any assembly that wor fhipped GOD according to the manner prescribed in fcripture. According to the Doctor's curious logic, therefore, at the time they were actually guilty of the fin of fchifm, by feparating from the established Apostolic church, they were at unity with it.

The Doctor's concluding pofition, by which he makes feparating from the church, and abfenting from it, to mean the fame thing, proves that he thought his cause fairly run out, and that he was quite at a lofs for an argument to prevent its falling breathlefs to the ground.

There is ftill one plaufible idea upon this fubject, which, from its great prevalency, must not be paffed by unnoticed. It is found in page 156 of your book, where, speaking of the established clergy and their Diffenting brethren, you fay, "whilft they are agreed in effentials and fundamentals, let them not fall out about ceremonials and circumftantials." This is an idea, I beg leave to fay, that was never heard of in the church till these latter days; and it is an idea perfectly inconfiftent with the unity of the Chriftian church, But, to take this matter on your own ground: if the members of the eftablished church and diffenters from

it are agreed in effentials and fundamentals, as you feem to allow them to be, it follows that the feparation of the diffenters from the established church, which constitutes the fin'of fchifm, is occafioned by an attention to mere non-effentials. Still, in this cafe you think the clergy of the church fhould not dispute and fall out with the diffenters about ceremonials and circumftantials; at the fame time no notice at all is taken of the diffenters having fallen out with the church on that very account.

Now, Sir, allowing that ceremonials and circumftantials, when compared with effential do&rines, are matters of indifference; ftill, would it not be more reasonable and more confiftent with that order and government, without which no fociety can fubfift, and which in this country has received the fanction of legislative authority, that the diffenter fhould not fall out with the church on fuch an account; than that the clergy fhould themselves go out of the church to countenance a fchifm, that is to be traced up to fo unjustifiable a caufe? Addrefs this argument to the diffenter, to induce him to return to the church, from which, according to the principle here laid down by yourself, he ought not to have feparated, and it is unanfwerable; but when addreffed

to the clergy of the church, to induce them to communicate in fchifm, it becomes an argument, which it might have been hoped no member of the church would have used.

But if we examine this subject a little further, it will appear that the plaufible ground you have here taken will prove very unfound, when tried by its proper ftandard.

By effentials and fundamentals you mean the pure word of God, and the administration of the facraments. According to Dr. EDWARDS's pofition, which you seem to have embraced, those places of worship among the diffenters," where the pure word of God is preached, and the facraments duly adminiftered according to CHRIST's ordinance, are true churches, and therefore not fchifmonal."

I am forry to be obliged to object, both to the premises, and the conclufions. In the first place, the facraments are not duly administered according to CHRIST's ordinance, unless they are administered by thofe who (in Bishop BURNET's words) have been ordained, according to that constitution which was fettled in the church by the Apoftles." The congregations of diffenters are on that account, in the language of our Canons, "not true and lawful

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churches." But, allowing that they were true churches, they would still be fchifmatical; because they have broken away from the communion of the established church: for as the church of CHRIST is but one, there cannot be two feparate communions in it without fchifm; and the fchifm lies on the fide of that party which feparates; for to feparate from a church established by public authority, which has nothing finful in its communion, is both disobedience to the fupreme authority in the state, and a schifm from the true church.

Admitting, then, the congregations of diffenters to be true churches, it is not fufficient to prove that they are not schifmatical, because they agree in all the effential articles of faith and worship with the church of England. This was the case of the Donatifts, who yet were fchifmatics from the Catholic church. Whereas, as we have above obferved, where there are two churches which are not mem bers of each other, there is a fchifm, though they fhould agree in every thing but a communion; and the church on whose fide the fchifm lies, is, according to the primitive language, extra ecclefiam foris, out of the Catholic church.