only have the true Religion, and that all the reft are mistaken, and are in a dangerous Condition for being fo. What therefore, fay they, have we to do in this Case? With whom fhall we join? All these Men pretend to have the true Religion among them, which of them fhall we believe? Is it not much to be prefumed that they are all equally in a Miftake, and that Religion (how much Noise foever it makes) is nothing but a Pretence? And till Men be agreed what Religion is, or where it is to be found, it is the wifeft to be of no Religion at all, or rather, to be feemingly of any, that beft ferves our Turns and Interefts. This is the Conclufion that they draw from thefe Premifes: but how montroufly abfurd and illogical is it! It is juft as if they should thus argue; Because there are a great many counterfeit Stones go about in the World, therefore there are no true Jewels, and a Man whofe Profeffion lies that way, is not concerned to make ufe of his Skill, and Reason, and Judgment for the diftinguishing between the one and the other. It is juft as if a fick Man fhould refolve, that till all Phyficians were agreed about the Nature of his Diftemper, and gave the fame Account of it, and prefcribed the fame Medicines in order to his Cure, he would take no Phyfick at all. It is juft as wife a Conclufion as a Man hould make, that becaufe the Philofophers

in Tully's Time were divided into above an hundred Opinions about that which made a happy Life in this World, fhould therefore determine that there was no fuch Thing as Happiness, and therefore he would not trouble his Head about it. But if nothing must be believed, if no Design must be purfued, till all Men be agreed about it, what Propofition is there that we can have any Certainty of, or what Project, what Business can we fafely or reasonably propofe to ourselves to carry on? Is there any Truth in the World, tho' never fo plain, but hath met with Oppofition and Contradiction? Have there not been Men in the World who have called in question the ftricteft Mathematical Demonftrations? Are there not yet thofe in the World who will not allow us in fome Cafes to believe our own Senfes ? If therefore a Man must fufpend his Belief of any Point, or fufpend his Action in any Matter of Business, till all Men have given their Opinion in the Point the fame Way, he muft never believe any thing nor do any thing all his Life long. God hath furnished us with Reason and Understanding wherewith to examine Things, and he hath contrived the World fo as to let us fee, that, in moft Cases, we must of Neceffity act upon probable Grounds and Motives. It is our Parts therefore to use our Reafon as well as we can, and to act with as much Prudence as

we can; and if we do this, be it in the Choice of our Religion, or in any other Matter, how different foever other Mens Opinions be, yet we have done well, and God will blefs the Iffue. And if we had not done thus, but deferred our Refolutions till all Men concurred with us, we had plainly been either Fools or Mad

men.

But, fecondly, From the Grounds I have laid down, it appears, that the Romanifts are every whit as extravagant as the Infidels and Atheists, when they object to us the Differences of Opinion, and the many Divifions that are among us Proteftants; and would from hence draw an Argument to those Perfons they tamper with, that our Church or our Religion cannot be true. But why may we not be in the true Church, or have the true Religion for all that? Muft there be always Divifions in the Church of Chrift (as St. Paul faith there muft) and muft the Proteftants be therefore out of the Church, because they have Divifions among them? The Papifts themselves, how much foever they boaft of their Unity, are not without their Divifions, nay, and great ones, and as to feveral important Points. Nay, farther, I dare affirm, that as to the Church of England, there is at this Day as much Unity among her Members, as to all Points both of Doctrine and Worfhip, as there is among the Members of any Church in the

World,

World. So that if this be an Argument, it concludes nothing against us. But befides, let the Differences of the Proteftants be as wide as you pleafe, yet I am fure they do all agree in more than is fimply neceffary to be believed in order to Salvation. Nay, I am fure, as great as their Differences are, they are not greater than those were which happened among the Christians in the Apoftles Days; and yet for all that, thofe Chriftians were not unchurched upon Account of thofe Differences. The Apoftles ftill owned them as Members of the Church of Chrift: Nay, and this too, (which really ought to be confider'd) tho' they were more inexcufable for their Differences and Divifions than we now are; because they had an infallible Authority to refort to, (viz. that of the Apostles) for the deciding all their Controverfies, which we have not. We fee then how frivolous and unconcluding their Way of arguing is. But that which I have now intimated puts me in mind of another Thing which it will not be unprofitable upon this Occafion to obferve; and that is, This very Confideration, that there were Schifms, and Divifions, and Errors among the Chriftians even in the Apoftles Times, would make any reasonable Man believe, that were that true which the Ramanifts pretend, viz. that there was, and is, and fhall be always an Infallibility lodged in the Chriftian Church;

yet

yet even that would not be fufficient to keep Difputes, and Controverfies, and Herefies, and Schifms out of the World: For ftill Men would be Men; they would have particular Humours and Paffions to be gratified; they would have fenfual Ends and Interefts to carry on; and then all this Infallibility would fignify nothing for the ending of Controverfies, or preventing Schifms or Herefies among Chriftians. For, as I faid, furely the Apoftles were guided by an infallible Spirit; and all Chriftians in thofe Times knew them to be fo; but were not for all this able to put an End to all the Controverfies, and Herefies, and Divifions that broke out in the Church in their Days: No, we have fufficient Evidence to the contrary: And this very Text we are upon, were there no other Argument, would make good what I fay.

The fecond Application which I would make of this Point is to ourselves, who believe and profefs the reformed Religion. It is, you fee, the Pleasure of God to permit Herefies and Schifms in the Church for the Trial of Mens Honefty and Sincerity. And it must be owned, that we of this Nation have been fufficiently exercised with Trials of this kind; efpecially from a Church which, tho' it calls itself Catholick, is founded in Principles the most deftructive of Catholick Unity of any Communion in Chriftendom. But, bleffed be

God,