hold the contrary. For to make such an error which all the Church held, to be such as is damning, were to unchurch all the Church of Christ; and to make it such, as must exclude them from our communion, doth make the whole Church excommunicable, which is absurd: and doth shew that if we had lived in that age, you would it seems have separated from the whole Church. To give an instance of the differences among errors: That any elect person shall fall away totally and finally, is a palpable, condemned error, of dangerous consequence. But that there are some justified ones not elect, that shall fall away and perish, is an error of a lower nature; which may not break the communion of Christians: for otherwise we must renounce communion with the Catholic Church in Augustine's days, and much more before, as is said before. What then? Shall I take this therefore for a truth which the Church then held? Some will think me immodest to say no; as if I were wiser than all the Church, and that in so learned an age, if not for so many: but yet I must be so immodest, as long as Scripture seemeth to me to warrant it. Why might not Augustine, Prosper, and all the rest, mistake in such a thing as that? but then I am not so immodest, nor unchristian, as to unchurch all the Church on that account: nor would I have separated from Austin, and all the Church, if I had then lived: nor will do now from any man on that account. Both sides will be displeased with this resolution; one, that I suppose all the Church to err, and ourselves to be in the right; and the other, that I take it for no greater an error. But what remedy? It will and must be so: read Prosper's Resp. ad Capit. Gall. and you may quickly know both Austin's mind and his.

He that shall live to that happy time, when God will heal his broken Churches, shall see all this that I am now pleading for, reduced to practice, and this moderation take place of the new dividing zeal, and Scripture-sufficiency take place, and all men's confessions and comments to be valued only as subservient helps, and not to be the Test of Churchcommunion, any further than they are exactly the same with Scripture. And till the healing age come, we cannot expect that healing truths be entertained, because there are not healing spirits in the leaders of the Church. But when

the work is to be done, the workmen will be fitted for it; and blessed will be the agents of so glorious a work!

But because the love of unity and verity, peace and purity must be conjunctly manifested, we must avoid the extremes both in doctrine and communion. The extremes in Doctrine are on one side by innovating additions; on the other side, by envying or hindering the progress of the light. The former is the most dangerous; of which men are guilty these ways. (1.) By making new points of faith or duty. (2.) By making those points to be fundamental, or necessary to salvation, that are not so. (3.) By pretending of Prophetical and other obscurer passages of the Scriptures, that they have a greater objective evidence, and we a greater certainty of their meaning, than indeed is so.

As I have met with some so confident of their right understanding of the Revelation (which Calvin durst not expound, and profess he understood it not,) that they have framed part of their Confessions or Articles of Faith out of it; and grounded the weightiest actions of their lives upon their Exposition; and could confidently tell in our late changes and differences, which side was in the right, and which in the wrong, and all from the Revelation; and thence would fetch such arguments as would carry all, if you would but grant the soundness of their Expositions; but if you put them to prove that, you marred all.

And these corruptions of Sacred Doctrine by their additions are of two sorts. Some that are the first inventors; and others that are the propagators and maintainers: and these when additions grow old, do commonly maintain them under the notion of ancient verities, and oppose the ancient verities under the notion of novelty, as is before said.

The other extreme about Doctrine is by hindering the progress of knowledge: and this is commonly on pretence of avoiding the innovating extreme. It must be considered therefore, how far we may go, and not be culpable innovators. (1.) Our knowledge must increase extensively' ad plura;' we must know more verities, than we knew before, though we may not feign more. There is much of Scripture that will remain unknown to us when we have done our best. Though we shall find out no more Articles of Faith which must be explicitly believed by all that will be saved, yet we may find out the sense of more particular texts, and

several doctrinal truths, not contrary to the former, but such as befriend them, and are connected with them. And we may find out more the order of truths, and how they are placed in respect to one another, and so see more of the true method of Theology than we did, which will give us a very great light into the matter itself, and its consectaries. (2.) Our knowledge also must grow subjectively, intensely, and in the manner, as well as in the matter of it. And this is our principal growth to be sought after. To know the same great and necessary truths with a sounder and clearer knowledge than we did: which is done. (1.) By getting strong evidence and reasons instead of the weak ones which we trusted to before, (for many young ones receive truths on some unsound grounds). (2.) By multiplying our evidence and reasons for the same truth. (3.) By a clear and deeper apprehension of the same evidence, and reasons which before, we had but superficially received: for one that is strong in knowledge seeth the same truth, as in the clear light which the weak do see, but as in the twilight. To all this must be added also, the fuller improvement of the Truth received to its ends.

I shall give you the sum of my meaning in the words of that great enemy of innovation, Vincent. Lirinens. c. 28. "Sed forsitan dicit aliquis: Nullusne ergo in Ecclesia Christi profectus habebitur? Religionis Habeatur plane, et maximus: Nam quis ille est tam invidus hominibus, tam exosus Deo, qui istud prohibere conetur? Sed ita tamen ut vere profectus sit ille fidei; non permutatio. Siquidem ad perfectum pertinet, ut in semet ipsa unaquæque res amplifi cetur ad permutationem vero ut aliquid ex alio in aliud transvertatur. Crescat igitur oportet et multum, vehementerque proficiat, tam singulorum quam omnium; tam unius hominis quam totius Ecclesiæ ætatum ac seculorum gradibus intelligentia, scientia, sapientia; sed in quo duntaxat genere, in eodem scilicet dogmate, eodem sensu, eademque sententia."

:

66

And more plainly, and yet more briefly, cap. 30, Jus est etenim, ut prisca illa cœlestis Philosophiæ dogmata recessu temporis excurentur, limentur, poliantur; sed nefas est, ut commutentur. Accipiant licet Evidentiam, Lucem, Distinctionem; sed retineant necesse est plenitudinem, in

tegritatem, proprietatem." Let this mean then be observed if we would perform both truth and

peace.

About Church-communion the common extremes are: on one side, the neglect or relaxation of Discipline to the corrupting of the Church, the encouragement of wickedness, and confounding the kingdom of Christ and Satan: and on the other side, the unnecessary separation of proud men, either because the Churches own not their own opinions, or because they are not so reformed and strict in Discipline as they would have them, or as they should be. I have ever observed the humblest men very tender of making separations; and the proudest most prone to it. Many corruptions may be in a Church, and yet it may be a great sin to separate from it, so that we be not put upon an owning of their corruptions, nor upon any actual sin. There is a strange inclination in proud men to make the Church of Christ much narrower than it is, and to reduce it to almost nothing, and to be themselves the members of some singular society, as if they were loath to have too much company in heaven. And by a strange delusion, through the workings of a proud fancy, they are more full of joy in their separated societies, than they were while they kept in the union of the Church. At least such powers of ordinances, and presence of the Spirit, purity and peace, is promised to the weak by the leaders that would seduce them, as if the Holy Ghost were more eminently among them than any where else in the world. This hath ever been the boasting of heretics. As the aforesaid Vincentius saith, cap. 37. "Jam vero illis quæ sequuntur.promissionibus miro modo incautos homines hæretici decipere consueverunt. Audent et enim polliceri et docere, quod in Ecclesia sua, id est, in Communionis suæ Conventiculo, magna et specialis ac plane personalis quædam sit Dei gratia, adeo ut sine ullo labore, sine ullo studio, sine ulla industria, etiamsi nec quærunt, nec petant, nec pulsant, quicunque illi ad numerum suum pertinent, tamen ita divinitus dispensentur," &c. But their consolations and high enjoyments being the effect of self-conceitedness and fancies, are usually so mutable and of short continuance, that either the heat of oppositions, or mutation to other sects must maintain their life, or else they will grow stale and soon decay.

Having said thus much of the means, I return to the ends of this Exhortation, beseeching all the Ministers of Christ to compassionate the poor, divided Church, and to entertain such Catholic principles and charitable dispositions, as tend to their own, and the common peace. Hath any thing in the world done more to lose our authority, and disable us for God's service, than our differences and divisions? If Ministers could but be all of a mind, or, at least concur in the substance of the work, so that the people that hear one, might as it were hear all, and not have any of us to head a party for the discontented to fall into, or to object against the rest, we might then do wonders for the Church of Christ. But if our tongues and hearts be divided, what wonder if our work be spoiled, and prove more like a Babel than a temple of God! Get together then speedily, and consult for peace, and cherish not heart-burnings, and continue not uncharitable distances and strangeness. If dividing hath weakened you, closing must recover your authority and strength. If you have any dislike of your brethren, or their ways, manifest it by a free debate to their faces, but do not unnecessarily withdraw from them. If you will but keep together, you may come to a better understanding of each other, or at least may chide yourselves. Friends, especially quarrel not upon points of precedency, or reputation, or any interest of your own. No man will have settled peace in his mind, nor be peaceable in his place, that proudly envieth the precedency of others, and secretly grudgeth at them that seem to cloud his parts and name. One or other will ever be an eyesore to such men. There is too much of the devil's image on this sin for an humble servant of Christ to entertain. Moreover, be not too sensible of injuries; and make not a great matter of every offensive word or deed. At least do not let it interrupt your communion and concord in God's work for that were to wrong Christ and his Church because another hath wronged you. And if you be of this impatient humour, you will never be quiet; for we are all faulty, and cannot live together without wronging one another. Ubique causæ supersunt nisi deprecator animus accessit,' saith SeAnd these proud, over-tender men are often hurt by their own conceits: Like a man that hath a sore that he thinks doth smart more when he conceits that some one hits it. They will think a man jeereth them, or contemneth

neca.