A Second True Defense of the Nonconformists, Treatise · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. Of the three French Letters which he ſubjoyneth.
§. 1. WHat advantage to the Drs. Cauſe the three Letters of the French Divines annexed, can be to any that will not be decoyed by meer ſounds and ſhews, I know not: But could we know theſe things following, we might better underſtand the judgment of the Writers.
Queſt. 1. Whether he that ſought their judgment did make them underſtand what all our preſent Impoſitions and Acts of Conformity are? and what alterations are made in the Church of England ſince the beginning of Biſhop Lands power?
2. Whether he made them truly underſtand the difference between the ancient Epiſcopacy, and the Engliſh Dioceſan frame in all its parts?
3. Whether he did put the Caſe as about Subſcribing … Declaring, Covenanting or Swearing, Aſſent and Conſent to all things, and practiſing accordingly? or only of living in Communion with them which do ſuch things?
4. Whether he put the caſe as of denying active Communion in the practice of unlawful things; or as denying Communion in the reſt which are lawful?
5. Whether he made them underſtand that we are ipſo facto excommuncate by their Canon for telling our judgment?
6. Whether he made them underſtand that it was about 2000 Miniſters that were ſilenced, and what men are in many of their places? and what claim their ancient Flocks lay to many of them; and what men they are, and what they did to prevent all our diviſions?
7. Whether he made them underſtand what meaſure of Communion we ſtill maintain with the Church of England and the Pariſh Churches?
8. Whether he put the caſe to them, whether we that have Communion with them are Schiſmaticks, if we alſo have Communion with others whom they proſecute?
9. Whether he put the queſtion to them, whether we are lawfully ſilenced? and if not, whether rebus ſic ſtantibus we are bound to forbear our Miniſtry?
10. Whether he made them know that all the Miniſters of England as well as we were forbidden to Preach, &c. unleſs they would Conform to that we are ready to prove unlawful? And if it prove ſo, whether they ſhould all either have ſinned or been ſilent in obedience?
11. Whether he made them underſtand how many thouſands there be in London that cannot have room in the Pariſh-Churches and the Nonconformiſts Churches ſet together, but live like Atheiſts.
12. Whether he acquainted them that the queſtion is, whether all godly diſſenters that are caſt out, or cannot joyn in the Pariſh way of Liturgick Worſhip, muſt (till their judgments change) give over all publick worſhip of God, and be forſaken of all Teachers?
13. Whether he acquainted them, how loud a Call we had to preach in London, firſt by the Plague, & then by the burning of the Churches, the people being deſerted by the Pariſh Miniſters in theſe ſad extremities?
14. Whether he acquainted them with the Kings Licences, and our being accuſed of Schiſm, even when Licenſed?
15. Whether he acquainted them with what we have ſaid for ourſelves lately in divers Books; or they judg'd us unheard?
16. Whether they be ſingular? or whether it be the judgment of the Proteſtant Churches in France, that it is a ſin for any to preach or publickly worſhip God, when the King, Biſhops and Law forbid them? And if ſo, How long it hath been their judgment? and why all their Churches ceaſed not when prohibited?
If not ſo, How to know that our ſilencing Laws and Biſhops muſt be obeyed, and not theirs?
There is no underſtanding their anſwers, till we know how the caſe was ſtated.
§. 2. Mr. Clodes Letter is moderate, and it's like they took the caſe to be about proper ſeparation, and ſo ſay no more in the main than ſome Nonconformiſts have ſaid againſt the Browniſts. But the Dr. hath dealt too unmercifully with Mr. Le Moine in publiſhing his Epiſtle, when it was ſo eaſie to know how few, if any, would believe his ſtory, but take it for a confirmation, how incredible our accuſers are? I mean his ſtory that [five years ago he heard one of the moſt famous Nonconformiſts preach in a place where were three men, and three or fourſcore women: he had choſen a Text about the building up the ruins of Jeruſalem, and for explication cited Plinny and Vitruvius a hundred times, &c.] I think I ſhall never ſpeak with the perſon that will believe him: ſure I am, London knoweth that the Nonconformiſts are the moſt averſe to ſuch kind of Preaching. And I know not one of them that I can ſay ever read a quarter of Vitruvius: I confeſs I never read a leaf of him. This Monſieur would do well to tell us yet the name of the man, that if living he may be call'd to account: But I doubt he fell into ſome Tabernacle, of which many are erected in place of the burnt Churches, and perhaps heard the Conformiſt who had occaſion to talk of architecture? But yet I will not believe that either Conformiſt or Nonconformiſt would expoſe himſelf to common ſcorn by an hundred or twenty ſuch citations.
§. 3. And his deſcription of the mens horrible impudence to excommunicate without mercy the Church, &c. imagining that they are the only men in England, nay in the Chriſtian world that are predeſtimated to eternal happineſs, &c. and then pronouncing them intolerable, ſheweth that it is not us that he ſpeaketh of, nor any company that is known to us, neither our Separatiſts here, nor Anabaptiſts, nor ſo much as the very Quakers holding any ſuch thing.
§. 4. And though he ſaith [He was not at all edified by the Nonconformiſts preaching, it followeth not that no others are: Nor that none were edified in England or Scotland, while publick Preachers went the Nonconformiſts way.
§. 5. But becauſe the Doctor chuſeth this way, I will imitate him, though with the Apology that St. Paul gloried, and give him notice of ſome Epiſtles of men that judged otherwiſe of the Nonconformiſts.