Page images
PDF
EPUB

A

CONVERSATION

BETWIXT A

ROMAN CATHOLICK LORD,

AND A

GENTLEMAN

OF THE

CHURCH of ENGLAND.

The INTRODUCTION.

[ocr errors]

Lord. T is hard that by your last Act of Parliament I muft lofe my Eftate, or change my Religion.

Gentleman. I think your Lordship ought not to « lofe your Eftate, till you have firft confider'd, « how far your Confcience will allow you to con- « form to what is required of you. pag. 1. "

L. If I thought I could fave my Soul in the

A

Church of England, I would think my felf obliged to preferve my Right, and my Pofterity.

[ocr errors]

G. »

Pray, My Lord, what is there in the Com» munion of the Church of England should make you » think your Soul in Danger? Would there be any » Hazard of your Soul, if there were no Invocation of Saints, that are Dead, in the publick Offices of » the Church? No Pictures or Images of God to be » feen there? No Elevation of the Hoft, which was » but of late Years brought into the Church? No Prayers for Souls out of Purgatory? If the publick Prayers were in the vulgar Tongue, and if the Sa» crament were given in both Kinds? For these are all » the differences you will find between your publick Offices, and ours. pag. 2,

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

L. Sr, I must be very shortfighted to find no more. For first, I think Preaching is a Part of the publick Service of the Church: and there is fome difference between your Sermons and ours. For I never heard our Preachers either call the Pope Antichrift, or Catholicks Idolaters, or the Church of Rome the Whore of Babylon. Neither do we ever hear them tell their Congregation with Dr Tillor on, that Tranfubftantiation is a Controversy of downright Impu dence against the plain Meaning of Scripture, and all the Senfes and Reafon of Mankind. Serm. 26. p. 297. Now, to deal plainly with you, I should think my Soul in Danger of Perishing eternally, if I communicated with a Church, that difperfes Libels from the very Pulpit, and preaches Calumnies inftead of the Gospel,

But, fecondly, I think the Maß is a very subtantial Part of our publisk Office; and I find it not mention'd in your Queries. You speak indeed of the Elevation of the Hoft: But that is no Effentiai Part of the Maß; nor is it any Thing to the Purpose,

[ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors]

whether it was brought in of late or of Old tho in Effect it is Ancienter than your Church by above 900 Years. But if the Church should think fit to make an Alteration either in that, or any other Ceremony, as she may do if she pleafes, my Salvation. would be upon the fame Footing it is now. In like Manner, if by the fame Authority no Pictures of Images were feen in our Churches, if the publick Prayers were in the Vulgar Tongue; and if there were neither any Invocation of Saints, nor Prayers for the Dead in the publick Liturgy; finally, if the Sacrament were given in both Kinds, my Soul would be in no Danger in the Communion of the Church of Rome, Because thô her Difcipline would then be changed, her Faith would be the fame, it is now.

But my Salvation would certainly fuffer Shipwrack, if I should feparate myself from her Com. munion (as the Church of England, and other reform'd Churches did, and continue to do) by obftinately Refufing to pay a refpectful Submiffion to the Dij cipline eftablish'd by her. For I think it but reafo nable to allow the Church as much Authority to regulate her own Difcipline, as the State has to make it's own Laws. And therefore as thofe would be look'd upon as Factions and Seditions Subjects, who should difpute this Authority in the State, fo they deferve no better Character, who impeach the LegifLative Power of the Church, or by refufing to fubmit to it, become guilty of Schifm.

Pray, Sr, do not you argue thus against the Dif fenters, when they rail at the Book of common Prayer, or accufe you of Popery for Baptizing with the Sign of the Cross, Kneeling at the Communion, and Ufing many other Popish Ceremonies? And do you nor charge them with Schifm for Separating themselves from your Church upon thefe, and other fuch Pre

tences? Now Sr, I should be glad to know how the Diffenters can be guilty of Schifm in Separating themfelves from your Church, if the first English Refor mers were free from the Guilt of it, when they fepatated themselves from their Mother-Church, the Church of Rome; in which they had received their Baptifm, whofe Faith they had profefs'd for many Years, and whofe Laws they were bound to obey as being Subjects and Members of that Church? And if they were Schifmaticks, who firft went out of their Mother-Church, they who tread in the Footsteps of fuch Forefathers, and continue the Breach, they made, can be no better. This, Sr, is a fufficient Reason to think my Soul would be in Danger in the Communion of the Church of England, or any other Refarm'd Church and thus your Queftions, which a Lutheran, or Calvinist, or Fanatick might have ask'd as well as yourself, are fully anfwer'd.

But let us now fuppofe, there were no more Difference between your publick Office and ours than you have mention'd, pray, Sr, is there no Difference between us in Articles of Faith? I heartily wish there were not. But I fear there is Difference enough to condemn any Man, that keeps wilfully, on the wrong Side of the Question. What do you think of Tranfubftantiation, of Infallibility; Supremacy, the Number of Sacraments, and several others? Thefe furely are Questions of fomewhat greater Moment, than thofe about Pictures hanging in the Church, or what Sort of Language we are to lay our Prayers in, But I prefume they were not fo well calculated for a Jeft, or to laugh a Man out of his Religion.

G. My Lord, the Questions, I have put to you, are fix in Number. The four first are concerning Things no where enjoin'd by God, and yet you practife them. The two laft are concerning Things, be bas

?

1

« PreviousContinue »