Terms as either the Laws of Chrift will allow us, or the primitive Churches would have fubmitted to; I fay, if any of these Things could be made out against us, there would be fome Colour to accufe us of Schifm from the Catholick Church for adhering to our Reformation. But fince it may be made evident that the quite contrary to all thefe Things is true; fince it may be made evident that the Roman Church is but a particular Church, and that we in this Nation have within ourselves as full and as independant Authority to reform Abuses in Doctrine and Worship, as fhe or any other Church hath; and fince it may be made evident that nothing was done in our Reformation but by lawful and good Authority, and that we have in no Inftance departed from the Catholick Church, no nor from the Roman, fave where their Terms of Communion were inconfiftent with our Duty to God; and that we are at this Day ready to join in Communion with all the Churches in the World, upon the primitive Catholick Terms: I fay, this being our Cafe, it is as impoffible we fhould be guilty of Schifm in adhering to our Reformation, as it is we should be guilty of Herefy, when we own all Catholick Doctrines.

Having thus given an Account of Herefy, both as it fignifies a Departure from Faith, and a Departure from Ecclefiaftical Com

munion,

munion, I now come, in the IId Place, to give fome Account of St. Paul's Propofition, that there must be Herefies, take that Word in which of the two Senfes you please. St. Paul fays, that there must be Herefies; that is to fay, it cannot be avoided, but that there will be Errors and Mistakes in Matters of Faith; there will be Sects, and Parties, and Factions in Religion; nay, it cannot be avoided, but there will be fuch Men as will endeavour to bring in dangerous Acts 20. Doctrines into the Church. I know, fays v. 29, 3°. St. Paul in another Place, that grievous Wolves fhall enter in among you, not Sparing the Flock, and of yourselves fhall Men arise Speaking perverfe Things to draw away the Difciples after them. And this indeed is no

more than what our Saviour had told us beMatt. 18.7 fore; Wo, fays he, unto the World because of Offences, for it must needs be that Offences come. 'Aválun yag isir, there is a Neceffity Luk.17.1.for it; or, as St. Luke expreffes it, 'AvédexΤον ἐςι μὴ ἐλθεῖν ; It is impoffible but offences will come. Now certainly among thofe Offences which our Saviour fpeaks of, Herefies and Schifms were not the leaft.

But it will be asked, Why muft there be Herefies and Schifms? Whence doth the Neceffity of them arife? I anfwer, It doth arife from the prefent corrupt Frame of human Nature, and the Conftitution of Things in this World. To fay that there will always be Herefies and Schifins, is no more

than

than to say that there will always be in the World fome Men who will be fo knavish, as for worldly Ends, to endeavour to feduce others from the Ways of Truth and Peace; and that there will be others fo foolish as to be feduced by them. Hence it is that all Herefies and Schifms do arife; and till it please God to keep Sin and Folly out of the World, and by an over-ruling Hand to preferve Men from abufing that natural Liberty he hath given them; I fay, till God doth this, it cannot be expected that the Church fhould be free from these Things. It is not for want of a plain Rule to know our Duty, that any Man becomes either a Heretick or Schifmatick, nor is it his own venturing to make a Judgment of that Rule which makes him fo. For as the Rule of Religion is infinitely plain in all neceffary Points, (and as for unneceffary ones it is not a Farthing matter how much Men differ about them, fo long as they do not break Charity and the Churches Peace upon account thereof) I fay, as the Rule of Religion is infinitely plain in all neceffary Matters; fo when all is done every Man muft judge for himself as to the Meaning of that Rule. But here is the Thing: It is the want of Honesty and Virtue, it is Vice and Sin, it is Pride or Ambition, or Envy or Discontent; it is the Love of the World, and the Defire of ferving fome fecular Intereft; I fay, these are the Things that make an Heretick; these

thefe are the Things that both gave Birth to all the Herefies and Schifms that are among Christians; and will perpetuate them to the World's End. And this I fuppofe is abundantly fufficient to make out the Truth of St. Paul's Propofition, that there must be Herefies. For fo long as God is pleafed to permit Sin and Folly in the World, fo long he must be fuppofed to permit Herefies.

But it will be faid, Is not God in the mean time very unkind to his Church, by fuffering it to be thus expofed to Divifions and falfe Opinions? How can this confift either with his Promises in the Scripture, or with the Goodness of his Providence? I anfwer; That as to the Promifes which God has made in Scripture concerning his Church, they are all fafe, whatever Herefies or Schifms there be in the World. For all that God hath promised about the Church in Scripture, is this, that there fhall always be a Company of Men profeffing his true Religion, with whom he will be present by the Influence of his Holy Spirit even to the End of the World. Now this Promife Chrift hath hitherto made good, and we doubt not will do fo as long as the World lafts. But he has no where promised that his Church fhall be free from Errors or Di- visions: On the contrary, both himself and his Apostles have told us that we are to expect fuch Things. And then as for the other Point, How this can confist with the

Goodness

Goodness of God's Providence, the Answer is eafy For the fame Reafon that God is pleased to permit the Vices and Wickedneffes of Mankind, for the fame Reafon he is pleased to permit Herefies and Schifms in the Church. And the Reafon both of the one and the other is very obvious, viz. that very great and good Ends are served by them. The common Method of God's Providence is to fuffer all his Creatures to act according to the Powers which he hath conferred upon their Natures, and accordingly having endued Mankind with Liberty and Choice, fo as that they may do well or do ill, he permits them to exercise those Powers, tho' oftentimes they employ them to ill Purpofes. But then here appears the Wisdom and Goodness of his Providence, that he has fo contrived Things, that that which is bad in itself, and very bad likewife to them that do it, fhall prove very good if we refpect the whole Creation. My Meaning is this, God doth not hinder natural Events, but he fo orders Matters, that very excellent Ends and Purposes are served by the worft Things that happen in the World. Herefy and Schifm are very bad Things, and Woe be to them who have any hand in them but yet for all that, they bring a great deal of Good to Mankind. And I do not in the leaft doubt but St. Paul had an Eye to this in the Words of my Text. We render them thus, There must be Herefies;

but