― ― TO THE READER.

&Tic;HE Author of this Case of Conscience is a private person, but a Gentleman of Letters, who hath long been a sorrowful Spectator of the general carelessness, and neglect of the Clergy in observing the Rules, and Orders of the Church, by which they have exposed themselves, and our Religion to great Contempt, weakned the Interests, I mean the Spiritual Interests of it, and given their best Friends among the Laity of both Sexes great occasion of Offence, and their Enemies of all sorts, who are Observators upon them in all places, great advantage against their Order, and great occasion of reproaching it; though in truth it is only the obnoxious Men of the Order, and not the Holy Order that deserves the Reproach.

Among other Omissions, he hath long lamented in too many of them their scandalous dis-regard of the Church's Rules, and Rubricks, which concern the Ministration of Baptism, es&rehy;pecially in the Parishes in, and about London, where for some Years he hath been an Observer of the many common Irregularities, for which so many of the Clergy are answerable to God and Man in the Administration of that Holy Sacrament. It grieves him to see them administer it in private Houses, without the cause of compelling necessity contrary to its nature, as a publick Institu&rehy;tion, and the universal Practice, not only of the most ancient, and pure Churches, but of all the Churches, that now are in any part of Christen&rehy;dom, excepting the Church of England, and not in her neither till of late Years, when the Clergy began to sacrifice the pious Orders of the Church, with their own Authority, and Honour to their Interest, for which their enemies despise them, and in all Companies talk of it in such a manner, as grieves their Friends to hear them, because they can nei&rehy;ther defend, nor excuse them. What can be said to justifie, or excuse the corrupt Practice of Baptizing the Children of the Poor at Church, and of the Rich at Home? The Reason is evident why so many of the Clergy do so, and Atheists, Deists, those Sons of Atheists, and all the Infidel Crew, that love to mis-call Priesthood, Priestcraft, make ill use of it, and speak of them in such Language, as the Love and Reverence I have for them, will not let me repeat.

Nay, the Ministers of the French and Lutheran Congregations among us, censure them for the obliquity, and partiality of this unchri&rehy;stian Practice, and will rise up in Judgment against them to condemn them for it, and to discourage it, as much as he can, our Author hath some Thoughts of writing a short discourse to shew the People the un&rehy;lawfulness of all private Baptisms, excepting when necessity compels, but he had rather the Clergy, who wrote so many Cases for the sake of the Dissenters twenty Years ago, would prevent him by writing some, that are now needful for their own People. This would be more for their Honour, than to let private Persons write them, and get the reputation of reforming their Flocks, which it is their true Interest to get themselves.

The Author of this Case, is one who wishes them the Mo&rehy;nopoly of all the Praise of doing good, especially in reforming. He wrote it out of pure respect to them, as well as charity into their Flocks, having long laid to heart their too common practice of admitting Schismaticks to be Sureties in Baptism, nay, and Schismaticks, whom they often know to be such, and who sometimes happen to be Schismaticks of opposite Sects, and sorts. They are the private Christnings which are one great cause of these Irregularities. I have been told of one, in which one of the Godfathers was a Dissenter, the other a Papist, and the Godmother of the Church of England. I have heard of others, in which, for the sake of dissenting Sureties, the sign of the Cross hath been omitted, and of another, in which a Per&rehy;son of a Communion which cannot well be imagined, stood Godfather for a Child. But, besides the common use of private Christnings, which is one occasion of this scandalous Practice, there is another cause of the growth of it, and that is the corrupt custom of making Presents to Midwives, and Nurses, which makes Godfathers, and Godmothers of our Communion so difficult to be procured. When this ill Custom first came in, I cannot see, but I am sure it is now grown to such excess, that it deserves Censure, as well as private Baptism which truly deserves to be chastised with the Episcopal Rod. It is to be hoped, that when the Convocation meets, something will be done by way of Censure, to put a stop to both these Practices, which have already been the occasions of Prophaning the holy Ministration of Baptism, and brought such a scandal upon our Church.

The former Practice is so much in use, that a stranger, who liv'd some Months in a populous Parish, without seeing a publick Christning, asked if Children were baptiz'd in the Church of England, and truly those who make reflections upon the desuetude of publick Baptism among us, may very well think that the Clergy, and People do not like it, because they baptize so much in private, and love not to ad&rehy;minister that Holy Sacrament, as its nature and dignity requires, in the Churches at Canonical hours of Publick Worship, but in hugger-mug&rehy;ger without solemnity, and commonly without decency, at all hours, in any Chamber, the genial Chamber not excepted, in which See Origen's book of Prayer, Printed in Greek, with a Latin translation at Oxford. Christians of the primitive times, without necessity, would not per&rehy;form their private Devotions.

The latter Practice is come to such an height, that modest Parents of the Church of England are often distressed to find such of their own Communion, as are willing to be Sureties for their Children, at the expence of the gifts which are expected upon those ocasions, espe&rehy;cially if the Parties asked have been Sureties at such expence before. Wherefore since baptismal stipulation cannot be made without Sure&rehy;ties, and this corrupt Custom makes it difficult to procure them, it were to be wished, that good and exemplary People would no longer observe it, but endeavour to bring it into dis-use. Nay, it were to be wished in this Age of Societies, that they would form themselves into Societies against it, especially in populous Cities, for it occasions great confusion of Faithful, and Schismatical Sureties together in the ministration of Baptism, because it discourages the Faithful from do&rehy;ing their Duty in this instance of the greatest Charity, and therefore the reformation of such ill Customs as this, and private Baptisms, next to that of ill manners, would be for the honour and service of our Religion, the glory of God, and the unspeakable good of the Church.

I submit what I say with all reverence to our English Clergy, to whom our Author also submits his little Book, which he hath writ&rehy;ten against admitting Sureties of Schismatical Communions to stipulati&rehy;on in Baptism, which, as a Sacrament, is one of the most solemn acts of Worship that the Faithful can perform, and in which, by the Rules of Catholick Unity, they neither ought nor can have any commu&rehy;nion with those, who cut themselves off from the Church. The Discourse is short, nervous, and perspicuous, even to common capacities, being written in the most plain, and familiar sort of stile, that the People of the Church might have the benefit of it, and that the modesty and plainness of it might encourage the Clergy to recommend it to their Flocks. To conclude, the great Irregularity against which it is writ&rehy;ten, is practised more or less all over the Kingdom, and it is hoped, that the Honourable Society for dispersing Christian Knowledge will take some notice of it, and help to disperse it in all places; for Christian Knowledge doth not only consist in knowing Christian Doctrines, but Christian Institutions, which concern the Poli&rehy;ty, Orders, good Government, Rights, Discipline, and Unity of the Catholick Church. The Knowledge and Practice of these things, ordinarily speaking, are also necessary to Salvation, and if the People in this Age of Latitude continue in Ignorance of them, their Priests must answer to God for it, and in the mean time thank themselves if they daily revolt from them, and think any Preachers as good as those of Episcopal Ordination; nay, if they think Episcopacy it self a needless, or an unlawful thing, and to communicate in a Conventicle as good and sure, or it may be a su&rehy;rer way to Heaven, than to hold Communion with the Church.

There is one thing more, which I cannot but recommend to our Clergy in relation to Sureties in Baptism, and that is, to let the People know, that as none are too great, so none are too low, or mean for that Holy Performance. To convince them of this, they must be told, that Christi&rehy;ans, however different, and unequal in their civil ranks and qualities, yet as Christians are all equal in the Common-wealth of Israel, or community of the Catholick Church; in which there ought to be no difference, or respect of Persons, especially at the Font or Altar. The putting of a difference between Poor, and Rich in Church Assem&rehy;blies, was that which St. James reprov'd in his general Epistle, and ought now to be reprov'd, especially in those who had rather have Sure&rehy;ties of any Religion, than take such as are in rank, or estate be&rehy;neath themselves, tho' they are their Christian Peers, and with them Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven. God, who is no respecter of Persons, but, in whose Eyes the poor and rich are equal, cannot but be offended with this Partiality, which proceeds partly from the most corrupt mercenary custom, I mention'd before, and partly from a vain affectation even in good People to have Godfathers and Godmothers for their Children of worldly note and character, which many times, in many places, and by many accidents are hard to be procured. It would be much more pleasing to God, and agreeable to their Christi&rehy;an Profession to choose the best Christians they can find, with&rehy;out regard to worldly quality, and to prefer the Poor, who are rich in Faith and Vertue, before the Rich, who are poor therein. Thus the ancient Greeks and Romans would rather choose in their last Wills and Testaments to make honest, and understand&rehy;ing Slaves Fiduciary Heirs, to whom they might commit their Children, and Estates, than the noblest, and greatest of the Com&rehy;mon wealth, in whom they could not repose Trust. And as to the great Trust of Spiritual Suretiship, I think those Christians act most according to the Mind of God, their character as Christians, and the rules of Christian Prudence, who in choice of Sureties, who are Trustees for their Children, prefer their Inferiours, though they be Servants, or in other respects beneath them, if they are vertuous and faithful, before their equals or superiours, who tho', rich, and great in this World, are not so in Faith, and good Works. In this they will follow the example of the best Christians, in the best, and purest times, and as bad as this Age is, let them not doubt but that God will raise up others to follow their good Example to their comfort in this World, and their reward for their exemplary care, and piety in that which is to come.