thors to ferve his own turn. His unfair Practice in quoting a His Argument to prove the Church The Invalidity of his Hypothefis As also the Vanity of his Argu- His Arguments for Lay-Depriva- His fraudulent way of citing Au- tions contradictory to his Scheme The Church of England would be very thankful to the State for the fame Privileges granted by their Kirk, which this Author His repeated fraudulent Practice in ufing Arguments against the already confuted, without tak- ing any notice of the Answers to them. His uncharitable Reflections upon the Clergy, and the Differences Councils &c. confider'd. p.139 That Author has used no Argument against the Ecclefiaftical, but what will hold against the Re- gal Power. He ridicules the Priests Claim to miffion from the People. p.142 As much Malice against Chriftia- The Miffion and Doctrine of Priests is difingenuous Artifice in quoting the 25 of H. 8. c. 19. to prove that the Bishops of the Refor- mation difown'd all Independent This Author refer'd to the Bp of His great Kindness to the Clergy his Errors under the pretence of He fallaciously quotes my Ld Cla- His Dishonesty and Malice in com- His Inconfiftency fhew'd in magni- fying the King's Supremacy in His Doctrine of National Right- deftructive of the Regal Power, The Alts of Parliament, whereby only defign'd to oblige the Cler Duty. Duty. His mobbish Arguments against the Sacerdotal Office and Order con- Notice taken of his Ridiculing and Blafpheming the Confecrations of Bishops, and the Ordination of Priefts by Impofition of Hands. He makes Baptifm as well as Or- He endeavours obliquely to wound No fuch Office, as this Author men- tions used in the Church of Eng- His Blafphemy, in giving God the Name and Office of the Clergy's The unchriftian Freedom he uses in The Divine Inflitution and uninter- furdities he charges upon them. His falfe Suppofition, if true, That clefiaftical Tribunal, no Argu- Goodness of God for impofing a ment upon the World. p. ib. 192 His reiterated invidious Clamour Tis not the Doctrine of the Divine A ferious and compaffionate Exhor His Objection against the Bishops deriving their Right by an un- interrupted Succeffion from the Lord Chancellor Clarendon, Dr. Morley, and others, refused to Some Reafons for declining an An- tranfcrib'd from the Bishop of A few Questions humbly offer'd to His Artifice fhew'd whereby be wou'd confound the Notion of the amin'd. p. 215 amin'd Some Queries put to the Author State in Confecrations, &c. The Method he takes to obviate an Objection against the Magi- ftrate's Power to confecrate Bi- fhops, as trifling and false as the reft, viz. because our Kings cannot judge in Perfon, there- p. ibid. & 233 AnAnswer to his Arguments against the Church's Fower,in the Words of the Right Reverend Dr.Wake, Bishop of Lincoln, and the Re- His Arguments against Church Go- As alfo his Objection of a Pope- dom being unavoidable from the Epifcopal Confiitution of the which he cites particularly out 2d Book wherewith he threatens P-228 has done the World in defending Some of his Contraditions noted, His Objection against the Indepen- An Answer to the Author's Obje- face, as the Names of the He obviates an Objection which face about the Prayer of Obla- His humble Alares to the THE PREFACE. S OME Years fince I happened to be in the Country, where a worthy Lady did me the Honour to invite me to her House, and to make some stay there. I had been little more than a Day with her, when I perceiv'd what a venerable Prelate had told me of her fome Years before, that she was a Person of great Memory, a clear Understanding, a penetrating Judgment, and much Reading; and that particularly she was perfect Miftrefs of the Controverfy between the Church of England, and the Church of Rome, having thoroughly examin'd it in almost all the Books, that had been written on both fides in her Mother Tongue. In her younger Years, living among Roman Catholicks, fhe was perverted by them about the time of the King's Martyrdom, and lived fome Years in their Communion, but not without Doubts,and Diffatisfa&tions, which daily encreasing both in number and degree, she confessed them to the Priests, particularly to the famous Father Huddleston; from whom not receiving Satisfaction, she returned to her Mother the Church of England; and, like Mr. Chillingworth, was ftill the more able to defend her felf against them, for having been one of them. She wrote her Reasons to Father Huddleston, for which the left left their Communion, in a very civil Letter; but the Father never returned any Answer to it: The Force of it was too great for a Reply to fuch a Judgment, and Understanding as hers, who had a clear View of the Controverfy; and as fhe did me the Honour to impart a Copy of that Letter to me in her own Writing, fo at my Request she let me transcribe it, which I did with much Satisfaction, and Delight. As we talked of things relating to this Controverfy, she told me, fhe thought nothing was fo needful to the understanding of it, or any other Difputes, which the Church of England had with any of her other Adverfaries, as to have a right and compleat Notion of the Church; all Controverfies, as fhe obferved, being about the Doctrine, or Government, or Worship of the Church: And, faid fhe, though, I hope, I have a true, yet I doubt, whether I have a perfect Notion of it. For when I exercife my. Thoughts about it, methinks I find something defective in my Notion of it, tho' I cannot tell what it is. . I perceived by a little more Difcourfe with her, that by the Notion of a Church, fhe meant the Notion of it, as a Society, and that it would be useful to her to help her to range the Conceptions fhe had of it, as fuch; for I fufpected, that tho' they were perfect, yet for want of orderly thinking they might perhaps be confused. I therefore took the liberty to ask her fome Questions relating to that Subject, in a mathematical fort of Method; in which every following Question was always a Confequent of that which was asked before. She prefently perceived my Design, and was much pleased with the Order, in which I propounded my Questions; and I found by her Answers to them, that she wanted nothing requifite to a compleat Idea of the Church, as a Spiritual Society, but a more clear understanding of the Collegiate Government of the Church by Bifhops, and |