Catholic communion defended against both extremes, and unnecessary division confuted in five parts ...…Catholick communion defended against both extreams, and unnecessary division confuted in five parts ...…

XXIII. There be some honest moderate men of interest (if not of power) who would endeavour our restoration and peace, which they know must be principally by concord, if they could see that the terms were possible. But while some make them think that nothing will serve us but the casting out of all the Liturgy and Church-Government, they turn their thoughts from it as an impossible thing: But the perusal of the Treaty, 1669. and the Kings's Declaration, 1660. and our Agreement by the Lord Keeper Bridgeman's means, might have better informed them: And I will not contribute to their error.

XXIII. There be some honest moderate men of interest (if not of power) who would endeavour our restauration and peace, which they know must be principally by concord, if they could see that the terms were possible. But while some make them think that nothing will serve us but the casting out of all the Liturgy and Church-Government, they turn their thoughts from it as an impossible thing: But the perusal of the Treaty, 1669. and the Kings's Declaration, 1660. and our Agreement by the Lord Keeper Bridgeman's means, might have better informed them: And I will not contribute to their error.

XXIV. But I have reserved my greatest Motive to Parochial Communion to the last I dare not condemn Jesus Christ and his Apostles, who communicated with far more vitiated Societies: Christ preached daily in the Temple: He there offered according to the Law, and sent Lepers cleansed to the Priests to offer, tho the Priesthood was more corrupt and degenerated than ours. The High Priest that should have been of Aaron's line, was any one that could buy it with money or favour of the Heathen Romans (And some think there were two at once). The Pharisees had corrupted sacred Doctrine and Worship, and the Sadducees were far worse than the Mahometans; yet Christ did ordinarily join in the Synagogues: and had he not joined in their Liturgy, as the rest, he would have been noted for a Disturber, and the Rulers would not have called him to preach, as they did others: See Luke 4.16