Many preju­diced against the Bill for the name of it.THE Bill of Ʋnion, which being commonly spo­ken of under the less popular name of Comprehen­sion, has suffer'd very much among the zealous friends of our Church, will certainly meet with a more favourable entertainment when it is more fully un­derstood.

Of the de­sign of it.The Design of it is not, as some have imagined, the Breaking of our Frame, but rather the giving a greater Firmness to it.

That it is a­greeable to the Principles of the Church of England,No Alteration, that I know of, is intended by it, but in things declared to be Alterable by the Preface to the Common Prayer. Church it self. And if things Alterable be alter'd upon the grounds of Prudence and Charity; and things Defective be supplied; and things Abused restored to their proper use, and things of a more Ordinary composition, revised and improved; whilst the Doctrine, Government and Worship of the Church remain entire in all the substantial parts of them; we have all reason to believe that this will be so far from in­juring the Church, that on the contrary it shall receive a very great Benefit by it.

And of all other Christi­an Churches.This has been the manner of all Christian Churches in all times, not excepting the Roman Church its self; which has [Page 2] changed her Offices in every Age, but generally for the worse: And yet other Churches have not t [...]ereby incurr'd the imputation of Ʋnconstancy and of unfixing things well-fixed. No argument of Inconstancy in our Church. For that which is always to stand is fixed, and that which is Variable is by the discretion of the Church ac­commodated to Seasons, and Places, and Occasions.

Some such thing promi­sed to be done by us.Some Condescentions have been already Promised, and Promises are sacred things. They were so very lately re­newed, that he must have a very short Memory, and a worse Conscience, that has already forgot them. When the Bigots among the Papists, and those who blindly at least, if not wilfully went into their Interest raised a mighty Clamour against the Church of England as a PER­SECUTING CHURCH,And necessa­ry to remove the Objecti­on that has been made a­gainst us of our being a Persecuting Church. the Members of it decla­red that so much as there was of persecution in it, was all a Court Artifice, and gave their word for the showing of such a temper (when opportunity should favour them) as might fully acquit them of such a Spirit of which they were so publickly and so vehemently accused.

We are now better able to know what is fitting to be done in this matter then we were heretofore.And after so long a time since the Reformation; and so many Revolutions, and so many Objections heard and Consider'd, a review of our Constitution (if we had not pass'd any Promise) may seem fit to be made, and now to be capable of being made much better, than it could have been formerly.

That it is the only way to remove the Dissenters scruples.It is true indeed for any Objections that can be made against our Constitution as now it is, we need not enter on any alteration of it. All that have ever yet been brought having been often and fully Answered with great strength and plainess. But it is our unhappiness (or rather theirs) that they who have most need of Books of this kind, ei­ther [Page 3] will not, or are not suffer'd to read them. Or if they chance to read, yet they come with such prejudice to them, as prevents a diligent and impartial perusal of them. The surest way therefore to remove all ob­jections of this kind is to remove the occasion of them, and that will be done by this Bill of discreet Charity.

That this Bill will be no prejudice to Ecclesiastical Power.I am well aware of your highly commendable tender­ness to Ecclesiastical Power, and this review is not designed to be made without the Sanction of it, expresly mention­ed in the last words of the Bill. The present Bill is but a Preparatory Act, and may as well be pass'd in Parliament as Queen Elizabeths Injunctions without offence to the Clergy.

Nor take a­way the Fen­ces of our Church.Neither need you dread this Bill as a means to the throwing down the Fences of our Church. Fences which are always attacked, and which put us perpetually upon the defensive part, have more of Trouble in them than se­curity. And certainly after the Essentials and convenient decencies of Religion are provided for, our strongest fen­ces under God are Ʋnity and Number.

Nor lead the way to the yielding up All to the Dis­senters.I cannot so far suspect your judgment as to think you will say, that if the least thing be yielded to Dissenters, they will by degrees extort the whole from us by their restless importunities. What we yield, we yield not so much to them, as to the Peace of the Church. And the wisdom of those great Bodies a Parliament and Convocati­on will know where it ought to stop. And when once that which is fit is Granted, if Men who affect to be a State party shall insist on all that remains, the meer un­reasonableness of their demands will procure a denial, and will justifie it to all the World.

[Page 4] Nor will it be any discre­dit to us if the dissenters should some of them re­fuse to acqui­esce in it;Nor can I any more think that a Person of your good sense should harbour a suspicion, that the Authority of this Church will be made cheap, and seem to be prostituted by an Offer of a Condescension, of which it may be the Dissenters will not accept. It is the grief of all good Men of our Communion, that any of the Dissenters should be guilty of so much as the least Appearance of obstructing this Ʋnion which they formerly seemed so im­patiently to desire. And I do own that in some of them there is more than an Appearance of Aversion to this Bill. As it may be they will. If it were not so, after an universal forbearance of Preach­ing or Writing in those Controversies on our side, Books levell'd both against Liturgy and Episcopacy would not come as they do, in this juncture, fresh from the Press.

But on the contrary, such an Union being offerd by us will render them inexcus­able.However, let that be offer'd by the Church-men which may be agreed with safety to the Church, and which has been so solemnly promised by them, and they will at once both justifie themselves and render those Men inexcusable, who advance towards us when we are Bound and cannot meet them; and when we can, and come forward, run back to their old extremities of Aversation.

And tho the interested Men among the Dissenters may dislike it,It is indeed to be feared, that those who cover Interest under the pretence of Conscience, and perhaps among those some few that are Pastors of Wealthy Congregations, may be tempted to desire a continuance of the distance betwixt the Dissenters and the Church-men. It would be Policy in them to endeavour that the Exceptions may remain as means of continuing the Separation, seeing by that they gain more than they had reason to expect if they were set in the common level, in the parochial charges of a National Church.

[Page 5] Yet we may Reasonably Hope, all o­thers will ap­prove it.But I have more charitable thoughts of the sincere Dis­senters; and the rather, because this present Bill is so fra­med, that it may give them all reasonable satisfaction.

The conditi­ons of this Bill being very easie both to the MinistersFor, First: As to those Dissenters who are in the Mi­nistry, their special Objections have been against the Forms of Subscription and Ordination. But now there is only one Form to subscribe; and that is so adjusted, that as many of them as are Episcopally Ordain'd may come into Parochial Cures, without scruple at that which is now re­quired. For them that have not Episcopal Orders, there will be such a provision made, as will satisfie all the Mini­sters of the Foreign Protestant Churches; and there is all reason to hope, that it will satisfie our Dissenters. And then when they are within the Church, they will have no Temptation to make such Ordinations as they are said to have done of late years, tho even those they have made are not capable of the Excuse that was made for those in the Ill Times; when Bishops were few, and those impri­soned, and otherwise discountenanced by the Powers in being.

And to the lay-dissenters.And then for the Dissenters among the Laity; things that are indifferent in their own Nature, being left indiffe­rent in their Ʋse, the grand Objection of their being made unlawful by their imposition, will be perfectly removed. So that be they henceforth used or not used, they can be no Bar to Lay-Communion.

This Bill if it has no present good effect, yet will secure the next Ge­neration.For these reasons we cannot but hope that we shall have some fruit of this Bill among the sincere Dissenters at present: But this to be sure, we shall by this means se­cure the next Generation, who cannot have those Prejudices [Page 6] instill'd into them, which now by a publick Law will be taken away. And for the French, and German, and other Foreign Christians of the reformed Religion, And satisfie the Protestant Churches a­broad. I am well as­sured both by Conversation, and by Letters lately sent from Holland, Geneva, Switzerland, and other places; (not to speak of the Churches of the Lutheran Communion which write the same;) that they look upon the Church of England at this Time as the Centre of Protestant Ʋnity; and esteem the Conditions proposed in this Bill (which have been Communicated to them) as Terms full of Chri­stian Moderation, To whom it has been com­municated, and who do highly ap­prove the con­ditions of it. and fit for the Ʋniting of Protestants. And you are not to be taught how necessary a Ʋnion is, (especially in this State of affairs) not at Home only, but among all the Protestants in the World.

This Bill ap­proved by the truest Sons of the Church of England.It will perhaps be some further satisfaction to you to let you know, that I am not singular in all this that I have with so much freedom written to you. Among all those who have appear'd in the Churches Cause, as well against Dissenters as Papists, I do not know one single person that is not a Well-wisher to this Bill; and I believe they will all tell you so, if you please to advise with them. And so far as we may learn the Genius of Men from their Wri­tings, Arch-bishop Ʋsher, Bishop Sanderson, Dr. Ham­mond, and a long order of other most worthy Men of the last Age, whose Memory is most precious in our Church, had they been now alive, would with all Zeal have pro­moted this Bill of Ʋnion.

And would be fit to be pass'd, tho' it were not ne­cessary for an Union.And upon supposition that there were not in this Nati­on one single Dissenter, that there were no occasion for either Ʋnion or Comprehension, it would still be the Churches Interest to propose something of like Nature with that which is now under Consideration, and ripe for its [Page 7] Birth, and which I hope will not want a legal Strength for the bringing of it forth.

We may im­prove our Constitution,For I pray, is any Church so perfect, as to lack nothing at all? Would it be a prejudice to our Communion to make Confirmation and Excommunication much more so­lemn? Would our Service be impaired by Additional Prayers and Hymns, and choice Lessons, and an improved Office for the sick; and by some new Offices for Prisoners of Debt and Crime, for the reconciling of Penitents, &c. together with divers other things which are obvious to Considering Persons?

Tho it be al­ready very good.God be blessed we are not defective in things absolutely necessary to Salvation: nor redundant in any superstitions, or in any sinful Terms of Church Communion. But when we may grow up into considerable improvements, and provide for Peace and Piety together, if we shall so tye our selves down to our present State as to refuse to do it, we shall certainly answer it to the great Shepherd, who requires us not only to do Well, but to proceed in Well­doing, and to abound in every good Work.

None but the Papists who have hitherto prevented our Union, ought to be displea­sed at our pre­sent endea­vour after it.To conclude, We have lost one juncture already at the return of King CHARLES the Second: And the Popish party who help'd us forward in our Heats, as well as held back the Dissenter, have since that time sufficiently shewn why they did it, by making their Advantages all along by our Discords.

We have now another favourable Season; and that such as was never yet offer'd to us, by reason of the League at this time between the Protestant Princes and States. In this Bill we shall go as far as they desire us to go. So that there can be no need of any considerable alteration to be made for the future.

[Page 8] Let us not a second Time suffer our selves to be so far mistaken in our own Interest, as to neglect that which will so much make for our Peace: Which is what all true friends to the Reform'd Religion must needs desire; and I know none but the Common Enemy, that can reasonably be displeased at our Endeavours for the promoting of it. I am