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and the just retaining of each man his several copy, which God forbid should be gainsayed, brought divers glosing colours to the house, which were indeed but colours, and serving to no end except it be to exercise a superiority over their neighbours; men who do not therefore labour in an honest profession to which learning is indebted, that they should be made other men's vassals. Another end is thought was aimed at by some of them in procuring by petition this order, that having power in their hands, malignant books might the easier escape abroad, as the event shews. But of these sophisms and elenchs* of merchandize I skill not. This I know, that errors in a good government and in a bad are equally almost incident; for what magistrate may not be misinformed, and much the sooner, if liberty of printing be reduced into the power of a few; but to redress willingly and speedily what hath been erred, and in highest authority to esteem a plain advertisement more than others have done a sumptuous bribe, is a virtue (honoured Lords and Commons) answerable to your highest actions, and whereof none can participate but greatest and wisest men.

An elench signified in the schools a fallacious answer to a sophistical position.—White.

FINIS.

C. GREEN PRINTER, HACKNEY.

PROPER CONDUCT

OF

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

AND OF

RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS,

WITH A

VIEW TO THEIR PROFESSED OBJECT,

THE

ADVANCEMENT OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH.

BY A LAYMAN.

LONDON:

EFFINGHAM WILSON, 18, BISHOPSGATE STREET;

J. SMALLFIELD, 69, NEWGATE STREET.

HACKNEY:

PRINTED BY CHARLES GREEN.

ADVERTISEMENT.

IN the present number, the Editors depart from the plan hitherto pursued, of re-publication, and present their readers with an origimal Tract, from an anonymous correspondent.

The Tract is well written and ably and temperately argued, and the subject must be allowed by all to be of supreme importance.

Why do men of equal learning and talents, good morals and piety, continue to differ so widely in religion, when there is a general agreement amongst inquirers and students on other important subjects? Why are they "ever learning, and never able," as is proved by their dissensions, "to come to the knowledge of the truth"? There must be some deepseated and widely-operating cause of the unhappy effect. The writer of the Tract has endeavoured, by probing the disease, to discover its origin. How far he has succeeded, must be left to the judgment of the reader. He appears to the Editors to be impartial,

and to shew neither favour nor disfavour to any particular scheme of opinions. All sects cannot be right in their conclusions, and the author may probably be thought to prove that all are equally wrong in the mode of pursuing their inquiries and making up their minds.

The Editors, in giving currency to his argument, have no other wish than that Truth, wherever found and however discovered, may prevail: but they take leave to add, that they agree with the noble-minded, pure-hearted Milton, who, quoting Ephes. iv. 14, 15, says, the apostle "tells us that the way to get a sure, undoubted knowledge of things is, to hold that for Truth which accords most with Charity."

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