of their Acceptance before God, fhall be ESSAY joyfully received to join their right Hand VIII. of Fellowship with mine; and if they do but purfue Holiness fincerely from the plainer Motives of Chriftianity, though they are not well acquainted with those most noble Principles of it (viz.) Communion with a fuffering, dying and rifing Saviour as a Reprefentative, Pledge and Pattern of Spiritual dying to Sin, and Refurrection into Holiness, which are contained in v. 10. yet I will not disturb them about it, but hope God will discover it to them in his Time.

Yet further, as the great Doctrines of Christianity and the neceffary Duties of it, are very much distinguished from the less neceffary Points, and the Circumstantials of thofe Duties, by their greater Evidence and Clearnefs of Revelation; fo the more fubstantial Parts of the Worship appointed in the Gofpel, may be diftinguished from the less Important Modes and Circumstances. Solemn Prayer unto God, preaching of the Word, Adminiftration of the Ordinances, Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and a due Attendance thereon, are plainly and certainly required of us that affume the Name of Chriftians in our facred Affemblies. But whether we may borrow Affistance from compofed Forms in preaching, praying and other Adminiftrations; or whether we must renounce all Ufe of Forms, Books and

Notes

ESSAY Notes to aid our Invention, Memory and VIII. Expreffion in Prayers and Sermons, are mere accidental Matters, and not written in Scripture with fo express a Pen. So whether the Perfon baptifed must be fprinkled or immersed, and whether the Communicants at the Lord's Table muft fit, or lean, ftand, or kneel, are lefs-effential Confiderations, and have been the Subjects of dubious Inquiry.

Again, in the 'Conftitution, Order and Government of a Church, the fame Distinctions may be made alfo. That Perfons profeffing the Name of Chrift fhould agree to walk and worship together at ftated Seafons in the Fellowship of the Gofpel, seems to be a Demand of the Law of Nature, and fufficiently confirmed by many Directions or Examples in pofitive Expreffions of Scripture too; That every fuch Congregation of faithful People, or voluntary Society of Chriftians, is a Church of Christ; That they ought to feclude or put away from their Number, the grofly ignorant, the fcandalous and the prophane, and to withdraw from those that walk diforderly, That there fhould be Perfons appointed to minifter to them in holy things, and that the Society fhould honour and maintain them; All thefe feem to be plain and undoubted Duty.

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But whether this Society may receive and exclude Members without or against the Confent

Confent of their Paftor; Whether there ESSAY must be any Elders in a Church diftinct VIII. from and inferior to the Paftor or Bishop; Whether the Minister needs the Impofition of the Hands of several Prefbyters, or the fuperior epifcopal Confecration; or whether he be fufficiently ordained by the Choice of the Society, his folemn Acceptance, and his own and their devoting him to God in that Office by Fafting and Prayer'; these things are not quite fo evident in the Writings of the New-Teftament. And while we are required to have no Fellowship with the openly Wicked, though they are pretended Profeffors of Religion, yet we are commanded to receive the Weak in the Faith, and to hold Communion with them in Common Christianity, though we may all differ in doubtful Difputations.

SECT. II.

An Infurrection of contending Chriftians. I am eafily aware that the Men of Heat and Party, will lift up their Hands in Wonder, when they read this Catalogue and Diftinction of the Affairs of Christianity. I fee them already kindling into Rage against me; they incompass my Tent and proclaim War. And upon a Review of their Numbers, their Infurrection and their Zeal I cannot find an Advocate wanting for any one

ESSAY Sect or Party, among the common ProVIII. feffors of the Religion of Chrift in England.

I fee there Merges and his Neighbour Afpergio; I find Sedentius and Genicola both there; Pifcopion, Clafficus and Antipas are come thither alfo. Each of them a Prince of their Tribe, and either a Head or a very forward Member of the Family of their Fathers. Juft fo the Children of Ifrael began to denounce War against their Brethren Gad and Reuben, when they built an Altar of Witness to maintain their Communion with the rest of their Tribes, while they were Diffenters only in point of Habitation, and dwelt beyond Jordan: These PartyMen are full of Faith and Certainty in every Opinion; they embrace none as Brethren in Christ who do not wear their Garb and Livery, and talk not exactly in their Language and Phrases, nor will they hold Communion with thofe that diffent from them in the leaft Punctilio's of the Form or Wor

fhip of Chriftians. "If Men depart from "the Truth, fay they, they are in the "Way of Error; and 'tis all one whether

they depart little or much, fince they "have forfaken the Truth we ought to for"fake them."

Thefe warm Zealots are not used to admit of any Doubt in the smallest Circumftantials of Religion, and because they have learnt of their Teachers to affirm all their

Tenets with equal Confidence, they believe ESSAY that the Scripture reveals them all with equal VIII. Evidence. A Metaphor fmiling upon their Practice, is an exprefs Command. They can read their indifpenfable Duty in a fingle and dubious Example. A remote Conclufion of their own drawing, at the End of a long Chain of Confequences, gives them refiftlefs Conviction, and appears in their Eye as bright, though diftant, as the Morning-Star. A Circumftance or two of matter of Fact determines their Judgment unchangeably, for or against an Opinion, which at moft is but feebly favoured by thofe very Circumftances; a little Criticism. on a fingle Greek Word in fome fingle Text of Scripture, becomes a firm Foundation for their Faith: They force fome Text or other to prove every thing which they fay, and when they have impofed their Sense on the Words of the holy Writers, they are fure the Evangelifts and the Apoftles are of their Mind. Each of them have pickt up fome Scraps of the Arguments of their Party, and they fancy themfelves well equiped and furnished for the Defence of the Truth.

Merges, a very honeft Man in the main, is newly come out of the Water, and glows all over with Zeal and Affurance, that there can be no Baptism without plunging: He makes a mere Jeft of Baby-Sprinkling, and declares that if we are not covered with Water,

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