An answer to Mr. Dodwell and Dr. Sherlock, confuting an universal humane church-supremacy aristocratical…An answer to Mr. Dodwell and Dr. Sherlocke, confuting an universal humane church-supremacy aristocratical…

9. Some other may say, What's your case to many others? I answer: To pass by a great deal not now to be said, Let it be understood that the case is this. Men are first silenced and excommunicated, and so forbidden the public Churches, and all public worship of God; and then the Excommunicate are prosecuted and accused for not coming to Church. Divers Canons do ipso facto (that is, sine sententiâ) excommunicate all that do but say that any thing in the Liturgy or Discipline is unlawful, or may not be done with a good conscience (which all Nonconformists hold). And it is not possible for us to repent of that as a wicked Error, which after all means that we can possibly use, appeareth unto us an undoubted truth, that so our Excommunication may be taken off. Now these silenced men are assured, that God disobligeth them not from the duty of Preaching; and these excommunicate men are assured that God doth not disoblige them from the duty of public worship and Church-communion. Therefore they must use it as they can, when they may not use it as they would. Men say the Papists should not call us Schismatics, because they cast us out, and went from us; and will you silence and excommunicate men, as they undertake to prove, for obeying God, and then call them Schismatics for not communicating with you, or for worshipping God in such Church-communion as they can? Indeed many of us communicate with you, because we think not our selves bound, tho' you excommunicate us ipso facto, to do execution on our selves, or to go further from you than necessity compelleth us (tho' I must profess that Cyprian's 68. Epistle, p. 200. and St. Martin's Separation from the Bishops, confirmed by Miracle, sometimes sticks in my stomach). But I cannot make so light as you do, 1. Of such Texts as 2 Tim. 4.1, 2. I cha•g• thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judg the quick and the dead at his appearing, and his kingdom, preach the word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine.

9. Some other may say, What's your case to many others? I answer: To pass by a great deal not now to be said, Let it be understood that the case is this. Men are first silenced and excommunicated, and so forbidden the publick Churches, and all publick worship of God; and then the Excommunicate are prosecuted and accused for not coming to Church. Divers Canons do ipso facto (that is, sine sententiâ) excommunicate all that do but say that any thing in the Liturgy or Discipline is unlawful, or may not be done with a good conscience (which all Nonconformists hold). And it is not possible for us to repent of that as a wicked Error, which after all means that we can possibly use, appeareth unto us an undoubted truth, that so our Excommunication may be taken off. Now these silenced men are assured, that God disobligeth them not from the duty of Preaching; and these excommunicate men are assured that God doth not disoblige them from the duty of publick worship and Church-communion. Therefore they must use it as they can, when they may not use it as they would. Men say the Papists should not call us Schismaticks, because they cast us out, and went from us; and will you silence and excommunicate men, as they undertake to prove, for obeying God, and then call them Schismaticks for not communicating with you, or for worshipping God in such Church-communion as they can? Indeed many of us communicate with you, because we think not our selves bound, tho' you excommunicate us ipso facto, to do execution on our selves, or to go further from you than necessity compelleth us (tho' I must profess that Cyprians 68. Epistle, p. 200. and St. Martin's Separation from the Bishops, confirmed by Miracle, sometimes sticks in my stomack). But I cannot make so light as you do, 1. Of such Texts as