consistently on Catholic principles. Nor was I satisfied of continuing in our late communion since the death of my Lord of Norwich, and an assurance from my Lord of Bath and Wells, under his own hand, that he does not insist on his own right, as the last survivor of the deprived Bishops. This satisfied me that Dr. Hooper is no schismatic, and that no other Bishop of England contracts any contagion of schism in communicating with Dr. Hooper now, as administering Bishop of the Diocese of Bath and Wells.
"But you object the intemperate heat of our particular diocesan against our doctrine of nonresistance. And you add "that the whole world must think it a betraying our principles to come over to those who openly defy them." But whilst we live in his diocese, Providence has not left us at liberty to deny him that duty which is owing to him by the rules of the spiritual society, on account of our being inhabitants of his particular district. Nor can we whilst we live here communicate with the more orthodox Bishops of the same communion, otherwise than by communion with him who is in actual communion with his more orthodox brethren."[1]
There is much more on the same subject in the letter, from which the extracts are taken: but these are sufficient to show what Dod well's principles were, and to prove his consistency in carrying out those principles, even in Burnet's diocese.
Nelson was asked at the same time, whether a man could join in communion with a Church which used unlawful prayers. He replied that the unlawful prayers could not be assented to: but he might law-
- ↑ Marshall, App. No. VIII.
