ing Sovereign, which the Nonjurors could not use: and Dodwell undertakes to shew, that they need not be a bar to the healing of the schism. He contends, therefore, that they could not oblige the Bishops in possession to make reparation for what they had done, when they should have no Bishops of their own; for in such a case they would be only private communicants, "who cannot pretend to any right to give laws of communion, but must be obliged to receive them, from those who have the power of the sacraments, if we will have any communion at all."[1] From this passage it is clear, that Dodwell did not admit the validity of the consecrations of Hickes and Wagstaffe; and probably he did not know, that any thing of the kind had taken place. We shall see presently that he disavowed all such consecrations: and, therefore, after Lloyd's death, he considered that, as a party, they had no Bishops.
He then comes to the question of the Prayers, and argues, that all Prayers to which they cannot assent, do not oblige them to separate,—not even false or immoral Prayers, when the Church is not blameable for them. The Further Prospect was published as a letter: and he thus addressed the party to whom he writes, on the point in question: "I proceed now to your other objection, which, I confess, I never looked on as sufficient to justifie a separation of communion. It relates to the Prayers in the public offices to which we cannot heartily say Amen."[2] Dodwell meets the objection by another case, that of Titus Oates. A Plot was pretended to be revealed by Oates, and a
