contain in them whatsoever is necessary to Christian Faith and Manners That it is a Duty incumbent upon All to read to search and endeavour to find out the sense and meaning of them and to behave themselves answerably That whosoever firmly believes the Divine Authority of the Scriptures and in the gross all the Truths are comprized in them though he should mistake in some particular Truths his Errors will not whilst he is invincibly and not wilfully ignorant prove damnable to him all that God requires of us in order to our Salvation being a sincere and serious endeavour to know and do his will and not that we be impeccable or infallible in this mortal state That they onely err to their eternal ruin which oppose such Truths they know God hath testified That God hath made nothing absolutely necessary to Salvation which is not plainly revealed That no Church of any particular denomination is Infallible and that general Councils Synods Convocations mâ—y and have erred That the imposing a Profession of known Errors and practising known Corruptions is a sufficient cause of Separation That publick approbation makes it but probable that the things they allow and command are good That the opposing my Reason and Authority of Scripture against the Publick is not the opposing my Judgment against it but that of God to that of Man That every man ought to judge for himself which Religion is truest That the Bible is the Religion of Protestants and nothing but that and the plain consequences thereof can they with consistency to their own grounds either believe themselves or require of others That none ought to take up Truth upon the credit of any without asking the reason why That he that endeavours to believe Scripture in the true sense cannot be an Heretick and that it were well if no more then what is Evident in Scripture was required to the Churches Communion That the Rule to judge Controversies by is the Scripture and that no one Man or any company of Men are appointed to judge for the rest These and many other Positions of the same importance are to be had in the writings of our greatest and wisest Protestants which if we would diligently improve into practice would be of excellent use to sweeten our Tempers towards one another and abate those Annimosities Feuds and malicious Dissentions which are the shame and scandal and if Heaven prevent not may be the ruin and destruction of our Nation and Religion Love is a Vertue so Amiable that it is Vniversally spoken well of and those that are sparing of it to others desire it may be liberally expressed to themselves in the opposite Vices of Malice Envy Revenge c. consist not only the Essence of the punishment of the next World but the foundation of most of the Calamities of this Where this Divine Grace with its Concomitant Vertues have their Residence there the mind of a man is calm and serene at great ease in it self and no way injurious or offensive unto any but heartily desirous that the whole World might conspire in one common design of promoting each others good and wellfare and doth not stingily and penuriously limit and confine its desires and endeavours to provide for any particular Sect or Party of Men so great and plentiful a portion nay not his own if he be of any that the rest should fare the worse for it and did this Spirit of Universal love obtain more generally among men what a strange alteration should we behold in the World the Golden Age would spring up to an instant Tygers and VVolves would quit their Savaâ—eness and Cruelty the lost Paradice be restored and in the Prophetick Phrase Instead of the Thorn should câ—me up the Firr and instead of the Brier the Mirtle the VVolf would dwell with the Lamb and the Leopard lie down with the Kid and the Child play on the hole of the Aspe c. then those black and Hellish Passions which ferment and fret the Spirits of Men and render them as vexatious and uneasie to themselves as troublesome and unpleasant to those they are concerned with would be conjured down to that place of darkness from which they first sprung together with that train of mischiefs and plagues which they scatter and diffuse among men The great design of Gods sending his Son into the World was not to amuse our understanding with the proposing to them abstruse and mysterious Truths or to perswade us to yield an Assent to Doctrines knotty and incomprehensible to believe as some teach both against sense and reason to gaze upon and admire not the brightness and lustre but the darkness and obscurity of Divine Revelation these must needs be ends below so merciful and indulgent a Father and Inadequate to so great an undertaking as was that of the Redeemer whose Principal Intention upon the Propitiation made for the sin of the world by the Sacrifice of himself was to direct mankind to the Practice of the most Generous and Godlike Vertues and make them partakers of a Divine Nature to recover them from sensuality and in dignity and from all filthiness of Flâ—sh and Spirit to teach them to deny Vngodliness and Worldly Lusts and to live Soberly Righteously and Godly to have their Conversations Honest and Orthodox and not to conform themselves to the guise and fashion of the degenerate World and to incourage them not so much to bâ—lâ—eve as do and suffer hard and difficult things by the expectation of a blessed Immortality at his glorious appearance and his Kingdome The Divisions of the Christian Churches will scarce ever be â—bâ—ted till the numerous Artâ—cles which are made necessary terms of Communion be lâ—ssâ—ned and the more subtil and nice ones be accounted as Ecclesiastical determinations ought to be probable and valuable but not indubitable and conclusive He whose Faith and Hope is in God through Jesus Christ and makes his Applications and Addresses unto the Father in the Name and through the Mediation and Intercession of the Son of God which are the Foundations of Christian Religion as it differs from the Mosaick and Natural and is ready to assent to all Articles of Christianity which in eâ—press words are delivered in the Divine Writings which are supâ—os'd to be the fittest because the Holy Spirit Dictated them who knew best in what Language those great Mysteries could be best communicated to our Understandstandings is a Christian in the Gospel sense 'T is certain that in matters of pure Revelation 't is somewhat daring to be wise about what is writ to deviate from that Form of found words is of Divine Inspiration and o make our Comments and Deductions equally Authentick with the Original for all Inferences from Scripture so far as they are but Humane are Fallible and therefore can no further demand our Assent than they satisfie our Judgment * Jo. Smith Thus a learned Author of our own in his discourse of Prophesie We must
alledged to give in Evidence to the Matter he is in quest of and as an Honest Christian to his Care and Diligence superadds his Humble and Hearty Prayers to the Father of Lights for the Divine Influences and Concurrence of the Spirit Of Truth for his Guidance and Direction What ever Error such a Man may hold what ever Truth he may be unacquainted with upon such a fair Enquiry his mistake and ignorance is invincible and his case compassionable and how he shall be dealt with at the Universal Audit it cannot be hard for them to judge who partake most of the Clemency Benignity and Love of the Father of Mercies who remembers our Frame and knows that we are but dust who will make all favourable Allowances and will not upon the forfeiture of our Eternal Happiness exact degrees of knowledge from us above the Line of the Revelation he hath made and the strength of the Faculties we are indued with and he that is conscious he hath made the best use of his Understanding he is able in this Intellectual Employment may as well rejoyce in the Testimony of his Conscience though in some things he is mistaken that he hath sought the Truth impartially as he that hath had his Conversation in Simplicity and Godly Sincerity may notwithstanding some Infirmities and Inadtertencies he hath been subject to in his life Though we cannot but own that the Reformation both at home and abroad hath some defects and blemishes and is not in all parts compleat and perfect yet the progress that hath been made towards it is a blessing ought to be highly valued and thankfully acknowledged and of all persons they ought not to sleight and vilifie it and violently contest about indifferent things whose lives are not Reformed and scruple not at such things as are undoubtedly sinful and on the other hand the Patronage and defence of it is managed to very little purpose when undertook by such who take liberty to vary from the Rule of Right and live not according to the exact difference of Good and Evil and conform not to that Religion established by the Law of our Saviour and founded in the Eternal Principles of Righteousness Goodness and Truth Nothing being more absur'd and preposterous childish and ridiculous than to be curiously busie about the Publick Reformation before the same work be done at home nor a truer Character of an Hypocrite than a forward Zeal to Correct and Amend the Faith and Religion of others and yet allow himself in irregular and dishonest Fractices to tithe the Mint Anise and Cummin with great exactness and scrupulosity and in the interim to neglect Mercy Judgment Faithfulness and the weightier Matters of the Law These would be happy Signs of the Christian Churches recovery to a state of steady Peace and be a spring of true joy to all that are Friends to real Religion to see the common Interest and Design of Christianity prosecuted with as much diligence and industry as that of particular parties to see our private Picques discarded and every good and vertuous Man of whatsoever denomination in our New Stile accounted our Neighbour and treated accordingly to see all our Controversies about Superstition wound upon this bottom that none place more or less Religion in any thing then the nature of the thing will bear to see our feaverish heats about minute and petty Circumstances in Worship to abate and grow coller to see us so far as we have already attained to walk by the same rule and mind the same thing and wherein we are otherwise minded not furiously attack and condemn one another but humbly wait on him that hath promis'd that these things also wherein we differ he will reveal to us We are too prone to believe that the Ark of God will fall unless we support it with Vnhallowed hands that Christs Church and Faith will be prevail'd on by the Gates of Hell except we call for fire from Heaven to consume its Enemies that Heresies or Superstitions will over-spread the Face of the Church if we run not to an Arm of Flesh and take Vnchristian and Vnwarrantable Methods to suppress and prevent them but let us contrive as many expedients as Humane VVit and Power can execute to preserve the Church and Religion from Rents and Divisions Ruine and Destruction all our Attempts and Remedies are likely to prove Ineffectual and Succesless which are not founded in rational Conviction and Satisfaction and recommended from a Spirit of Love Sweetness and Clemency Blessed Jesus When thou comest wilt thou find Love in the Earth Did ever any Prosestors of a Religion tread so Antipodes to the Example and walk more contrary to the Precepts of their Master It was not because thou wantedst Power but Will that thou didst not revenge the Affronts and Injuries that were offer'd to thy Person and Doctrine Couldst thou not have girded thy Sword upon thy Thigh O thou most mighty and rode on prosperously in the Ruin of thy Enemies and triumphed over them in the greatness of thy Power Hadst thou taught thy Disciples to fight as Mahomet did his Disciples and in lieu of that Meekness Live Gentleness Patience Forgiveness c. which thou requirest as our Principal Tribute injoyned us to be revenged on Enemies to retaliate injuries to make way for thy Gospel by Rapine and Violence by seizing the Properties by Invading the Dominions of those we are able to prey upon Hadst thou allowed us to violate our Faith to quit our Allegiance to Persecute Torment Massacre our Brethren to advance thy Kingdom and Power and Glory then we might have beheld the Desolations those that profess thy Name have made in the World without astonishment and owned they had not forfeited the Title they Assume of being of the Society of Jesus by incouraging and propagating these and such barbarous Outrages which have made good natured Heathen afraid they should meet with them again in the other World In the Prophetick Vision the Four great Monarchies of this World were represented by Beasts full of Savageness and Cruelty as opposite to the Kingdom of the Messiah the Glory and Establishment of which was to consist in Love and Peace in Righteousness and Joy which although at present it obtain not to any great degree among Men yet there are the Seeds of this blessed and happy Estate scatter'd up and down in the Breasts of True Believers and the Love of God and of his Off-spring is shed abroad in their hearts by his Spirit to which the Administration of this Kingdom is committed which like the stone cut out without hands will increase by little and little till it become a great Mountain and fill the whole Earth as now it doth the Heavens with its Glory What Peace can we hope for so long as the several contending Parties with a kind of Hellish Sensuality caress and treat themselves with one anothers Wickedness and Immoral ties and are abundantly gratified that the
exercise of it and that they should not despise or judge one another but that they ought to bear one anothers burdens and not so much to please themselves as every one to please his Neighbour for his good Edification 'T is not difficult to instance a great many Cases where common Prudence and Ingenuity will make Allowances if not Apologies for Erroneous Apprehensions as where there are not evil consequences attend them where there is no Malignity and Ill-will in conjunction with them where the mistakes may result from the Prejudices of Education or be founded in Natural Temper and Constitution where there are no Indications of Pride and Affection where the injury and dangers of his Errors will be to himself and not to other perions where there have not been opportunities for better information where men of known Integrity and Ability are of different Perswasions where Expressions are Ambiguous and fairly capable of a two-fold signification where to a particular mistake is superadded a general belief of the Truth or compensation made by Uniform Obedience and Universal Charity where the Censor hath great reason to suspect his own judgment being compounded of the same frail and deceivable Materials as others are and is Obnoxious to the same and possibly may be Actually intangled with greater Errors than his whom he animadverts upon I am apt to believe that whosoever shall serioâ—sly attend unto these and such like Cases for 't is not possible to instance All which challenge our Candour and good Construction will not be rash and harsh in his condemning and censuring such whose Notions and Tenets are not agreeable to his own If thy Brother judge not according to thy sense what can that be to thee to move thy Spleen and Passion Hath he not a Master of his own to stand or fall to hath he not a Right to judge for himself as well as thou hast and may he not use it without thy leave Is not Premeditation necessary to make a wise choice and give true Judgment Why then shouldâ—st thou be impatient that he will not immediately accord with thy Apprehensions but coâ—sider before he determine May it not be Vncharitable to believe he hath not a fair Appearance of Truth and Show of Reason on his side which lead him out of the way And if it be so 't is most unreasonable to oblige him to alter his Opinions till thou hast propos'd sufficient Evidence to his Understanding that he may see a just cause so to do for such is the frame and constitution of our Humane Faculties that we cannot believe as we list take up Notions and admit them to credit at our will and pleasure without the Evidence of Reason nor quit and discharge our selves from them when we are minded it should be otherwise without Arguments and Rational Inducements There is an Evil incident to most and the rather because few charge themselves with it in point of Conscience Viz. an Easie Credulity or Over-hasty taking up III Reports of Men without sufficient grounds and then spreading them and descanting on them as certain and true this now is not onely Prejudicial to Humane Converse as alienating â—…ens Affections from each other and tending to the ruin of more perhaps then only a Mans â—…od Name and Reputation but must be of great concernment to our own Peace and â—atisfaction of Mind if we have any Modesty and Ingenuity left for if through this easiness 〈◊〉 belief we are mistaken and disperse the lie what Answer can we give our selves when â—e reflect on the scandalous Imputations and false Censures we have passed on an Innocent Prithee tell me what advantage thou lookest for by being distinguished from others â—y Ritual Observances by ineffectual Opinions by different Deneminations by External Formalities by a fondness for them and for thy self too that thou passest under a Pecuuliar Character on that account when in the mean time thy Deportment and Conversation is not distinguished from the rest of the World but savors of the same Earthly Sensual Proud Carnal and Selfish Designs and Interests as theirs God is not so much beholding to Men as they vainly imagine for their attempts to advance that Kingdom which consists but in Meats and Drinks and the like and cometh with Observation and hath onely an External Visible Pomp and Grandeur to set it off withal and is at best Artificial and Mechanick The Throne wherein he desires his Empire and Dominion should be established is the Heart and Soul of man and if that be not entirely subdued to the Divine Authority and if Vniversal Righteousness and Love do not triumph there all other Formal Submissions and Professions that are solemniz'd do in earnest signifie nothing to the Honour of Gods Sovereignty whose Kingdom doth not come with Power and Glory till his Will be done in Earth as 't is done in Heaven 'T is high time to take our Saviours Council to go home and learn Viz. retire into our selves and consider what this meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice that we may at length proportion the degrees of our Zeal and Affections to the true Nature and State of things and no longer make such Partial Preferences as hitherto we have done spending our main strength in the defence of the Out-works whilst the chief Cittadel through negligence falls into the Enemies hands attending with great diligence to the outward Forms and Mode of Religion while the inward Life and Power decays and languishes for want of due Provision This Over-valuation of Externals hath given a fatal check to the progress of True Religion in the World and diverted the generality of Men from the prosecution of those Divine and Excellent Vertues wherein the very Life and Spirit of it consist which are both of greatest concernment and benefit unto Men and glory and honour unto God for whilst they have inverted Gods Order and prefer'd Sacrifice before Mercy and put the Means in the place of the end what God Instituted and Ordain'd to be Subsidiary to promote Religion hath been perverted and abused to Obstruct and Impede it True Religion consists in Love Holiness Righteousness Humility Sincerity Sobriety Meekness and the like Divine Graces and for Deficiency in these God makes no allowances glorious things are spoken of these and all Institutions of God much more Inventions of Men when they come in Competition with them are of little or no Valuation These are Indispensably necessary and Essentially requisite to qualifie and dispose us for the enjoyment of God and Happiness they are of a Natural and Eternal Right Writ by the Finger of God in the mind of Man in the first moment of his Creation these make us conformable to our Creator like to our Father renew his Image in us and make us according to our Measure and Proportion partakers of the Divine Nature These render us acceptable to God and restore us to his Favour they are the true Ennoblements and Embellishments