It is a good step even to the bringing men over to an opinion, to persuade them to think well of those who hold it. This goes as it were half way; and if it is not possible to bring men quite to think as we do, yet a great deal is done both towards that, and towards the healing those wounds in which the church lies a bleeding, when they come to join in the same communion, and in such acts of worship as do agree with their different persuasions. For as in the sacrament of the eucharist, both Lutherans and Calvinists agreeing in the same devotions and acts of worship, a mere point of speculation concerning the manner in which Christ is present, ought not to divide those who agree in every thing else that relates to the sacrament: every one may in that be left to the freedom of his own thoughts, since neither opinion has any influence on practice, or on any part either of public worship or of secret devotion.

Upon the same account it may be also suggested, that when all parties acknowledge that God is the sovereign Lord of the universe; that he governs it by a providence, from which nothing is hid, and to which nothing can resist; and that he is likewise holy and just, true and faithful, merciful and gracious, in all his ways; those who agree about all this, should not differ, though they cannot fall into the same methods of reconciling these together. And if they do all agree to bless God for all the good that they either do or receive, and to accuse themselves for all the ill that they either do or suffer: if they agree that they ought to be humble, and to mistrust their own strength, to pray earnestly to God for assistance, and to depend on him, to trust to him, and likewise to employ their own faculties with all possible care and diligence, in the cleansing their hearts, and governing their words and actions; here the great truths of both sides are safe; every thing that has an influence on practice is agreed on; though neither side can meet in the same ways of joining all these together.

In the church of Rome the difference is really the same between St. Austin's disciples and the followers of Molina; and yet, how much soever they may differ and dispute in the schools, their worship being the same, they do all join in it. We of this church are very happy in this respect; we have all along been much divided, and once almost broken to pieces, while we disputed concerning these matters: but now we are much happier; for though we know one another's opinions, we live not only united in the same worship, but in great friendship and love with those of other persuasions. And the boldness of some among us, who have reflected in sermons, or otherwise, on those who hold Calvin's system, has been much blamed, and often censured by those who, though they hold the same opinions with them, yet are both more charitable in their thoughts, and more discreet in their expressions.

b

But till the Lutherans abate of their rigidity in censuring the opinions of the Calvinists, as charging God with all those blasphemous consequences that they think follow the doctrine of absolute decrees; and till the Calvinists, in Holland, Switzerland, and Geneva, abate also of theirs, in charging the others as enemies to the grace of God, and as guilty of those consequences that they think follow the doctrine of conditionate decrees, it is not possible to see that much wished for agreement come to any good effect.

He who believes that an ill consequence is justly drawn from any opinion, is in the right, when he is by that determined against it. But because he thinks he sees that the consequence is clear, and cannot be avoided; he ought not for that to judge so ill of those who hold the opinion, but declare at the same time, that they abhor the consequence; that they prevaricate in that declaration; and that they both see the consequence, and own it; though for decency's sake they disclaim it. He ought rather to think, that either they do not see the consequence, but satisfy themselves with some of those distinctions, with which it is avoided; or, that though they do see it, yet they look on that only as an objection, which indeed they cannot well answer. They may think that a point of doctrine may be proved by such convincing arguments, that they may be bound to believe it, though there lie objections against it which they cannot avoid, and consequences seem to follow on it which they abhor, and are sure cannot be true, though they cannot clear the matter so well as they wish they could do. In that case, when a man is inclined by strong arguments to an opinion, against which he sees difficulties which he cannot resolve, he ought either to suspend his assent; or, if he sees a superiority of argument of one side, he may be determined by that, though he cannot satisfy even himself in the objections that are against it: in that case he ought to reflect on the weakness and defects of his faculties, which cannot rise up to full and comprehensive ideas of things, especially in that which relates to the attributes of God, and to his counsels or acts. If men can be brought once to apprehend this rightly, it may make propositions for peace and union hopeful and practicable; and till they are brought to this, all such propositions may well be laid aside; for men's minds are not yet prepared for that which can only reconcile this difference, and heal this breach.

I shall conclude this Preface with a reply, that a very eminent divine among the Lutherans in Germany made to me, when I was pressing this matter of union with the Calvinists upon him, with all the topics with which I could urge it, as necessary upon many accounts, and more particularly with relation to the present state of affairs. He said, he wondered much to see a divine of the church of England press that so much on him, when we, notwithstanding the danger we were

then in (it was in the year 1686), could not agree our differences. They differed about important matters, concerning the attributes of God, and his providence; concerning the guilt of sin, whether it was to be charged on God, or on the sinner; and whether men ought to make good use of their faculties, or if they ought to trust entirely to an irresistible grace? These were matters of great moment: but, he said, we in England differed only about forms of government and worship, and about things that were of their own nature indifferent; and yet we had been quarrelling about these for above an hundred years; and we were not yet grown wiser by all the mischief that this had done us, and by the imminent danger we were then in. He concluded, Let the church of England heal her own breaches, and then all the rest of the reformed churches will with great respect admit of her mediation to heal theirs. I will not presume to tell how I answered this: but I pray God to enlighten and direct all men, that they may consider well how it ought to be answered.

xvii

ARTICULI RELIGIONIS

ANNO 1562.

THE Articles of our Church were at the same time prepared both in Latin and English; so that both are equally authentical: it is therefore proper to give them here in Latin, since the English of them is only inserted in the following work. This is the more necessary, because many of the collations, set down at the end of the introduction, relate to the Latin text.

ARTICULI de quibus convenit inter Archiepiscopos et Episcopos utriusque Provinciæ, et Clerum Universum in Synodo, Londini, Anno 1562. secundum computationem Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ, ad tollendam opinionum dissentionem, et consensum in vera Religione firmandum. Editi Authoritate serenissima Reginæ. Londini, apud Johannem Day, 1571.

I. De fide in sacro-sanctam Trinitatem.

UNUS est vivus et verus Deus, æternus, incorporeus, impartibilis, impassibilis, immensæ potentiæ, sapientiæ ac bonitatis, creator et conservator omnium, tum visibilium, tum invisibilium. Et in unitate hujus divinæ naturæ tres sunt personæ, ejusdem essentiæ, potentiæ ac æternitatis, Pater, Filius, et Spiritus sanctus.

II. De verbo, sive Filio Dei, qui verus homo factus est.

FILIUS, qui est verbum patris, ab æterno a patre genitus, verus et æternus Deus, ac patri consubstantialis, in utero beatæ virginis, ex illius substantia naturam humanam assumpsit: ita ut duæ naturæ, divina et humana, integre atque perfecte in unitate personæ fuerint inseparabiliter conjunctæ, ex quibus est unus Christus, verus Deus et verus homo, qui vere passus est, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus, ut patrem nobis reconciliaret, essetque hostia, non tantum pro culpa originis, verum etiam pro omnibus actualibus hominum peccatis.

III. De descensu Christi ad Inferos.

QUEMADMODUM Christus pro nobis mortuus est, et sepultus, ita est etiam credendus ad Inferos descendisse.