return to a more sound opinion; and openly withdraw ourselves from the obstinate, (which yet we ought not to do, without having tried all other means to no purpose ;) if it be not allowed you to speak your opinion fairly and modestly among them, and to forbear condemning those whom you think are not to be condemned. The Christian religion forbids us speaking contrary to our mind, and falsifying and condemning the innocent; nor can he be unacceptable to God, who, out of respect and admiration of those divine precepts, can endure anything rather than that they should be broke. Such a disposition of mind, arising from a sense of our duty, and a most ardent love of God, cannot but be highly well-pleasing to him.

Wherefore amongst Christians, who differ from each other, we are to examine which of them all think the most right; nor are we ever to condemn any but such as seem to us worthy to be condemned, after a full examination of the matter; and we are to adhere to those who do not require any doctrines to be believed, which are esteemed by us to be false, nor any to be condemned which we think to be true. If we cannot obtain this of any Christian society, we, together with those who are of the same opinion with ourselves, ought to separate from them all, that we betray not the truth, and utter a falsity.

SECTION III.

They are most worthy the Name of Christians, who in the purest Manner of all, profess the doctrine, the truth of which hath been proved by Grotius.

But it is a question of no small importance, and not easily to be resolved, who of all the societies of the present Christians, have the truest opinions, and are most worthy of that name by which they are called. All the Christian churches, as well as those who have long since separated from the Romish church, as the Romish church itself, do every one of them claim this to themselves; and if we lay aside all the reasons, we ought no more to give credit to the one than to the other; for it were a very foolish thing, to suffer such a choice to be determined by chance, and to decide all controversies, as it were, by the cast of a die.

Now since Grotius has not proved the truth of the particular opinions of any present sect of Christians, but only of that religion which was taught mankind by Christ and his Apostles; it follows, that that sect of Christians is to be preferred before all others, which does most of all defend those things, which Christ and his Apostles taught. In a word, that is in every particular truly the Christian religion, which, without any mixture of human invention, may be wholly ascribed to Christ as the author. To this agree all those arguments of truth, which are laid down in the second book of The Truth of the Christian Religion; nor do they agree to any other, any further than it agrees with that.

If any one adds to, or diminishes from, the doctrine delivered by Christ; the more he adds or diminishes, so much the farther he goes from the truth. Now when I speak of the doctrine of Christ, I mean by it, the doctrine which all Christians are clearly agreed upon to be the doctrine of Christ; that is, which according to the judgment of all Christians, is either expressly to be found in the books of the New Testament, or is by necessary consequence, to be deduced from them only. As to those opinions, which as some Christians think, were delivered by word of mouth, by Christ and his Apostles, and derived to posterity in a different method, namely, either by tradition; which was done by speaking only; or which were preserved by some rite, as they imagine, and not set down in writing till a great while after; I shall pass no other judgment upon them here, but only this, that all Christians are not agreed upon them, as they are upon the books of the New Testament. I will not say they are false, unless they are repugnant to right reason and revelation; but only that they are not agreed about the original of them, and therefore they are controverted amongst Christians, who in other respects agree in those opinions, the truth of which Grotius has demonstrated; for no wise man will allow us to depend upon a thing as certain, so long as it appears uncertain to us; especially if it be a matter of great moment.

SECTION IV.

Concerning the Agreement and Disagreement of Christians.

Though the controversies amongst Christians be very sharp, and managed with great heat and animosity, so that we may hear complaints made on all sides, of very obvious things being denied by some of the contending parties; yet notwithstanding this, there are some things so evident, that they are all agreed in them. And it is no mean argument of the truth of such, that they are allowed of by the common consent of those who are most set upon contention, and most blinded by passion. I do not mean by this, that all other things about which there is any contention, are doubtful or obscure, because all Christians are not agreed in them. It may easily happen that that may be obscure to some, which would be very plain, if they were not hindered by passion ; but it is hardly possible that the fiercest adversaries, who are most eager in disputing, should agree about an obscure point.

First then, all Christians now alive, are agreed concerning the number and truth of the books of the New Testament; and though there be some small controversies among learned men about some Epistles of the Apostles, this is no great matter; and they all acknowledge, that there is nothing but truth contained in them, and that the Christian doctrine is not at all altered, either by keeping or rejecting them. And this consent

is of no small moment in a discourse about the undoubted original of a divine revelation under the new covenant. For all other records or footsteps of ancient revelation, that have been preserved according to the opinions of some, are called in question by others.

Further, Christians are agreed in many articles of faith, which they embrace, as things to be believed, practised, and hoped for. For instance, all who have any understanding, believe, (I shall mention only the principal heads here,) 1. That there is one God, eternal, all powerful, infinitely good and holy, in a word, endued with all the most excellent attributes, without the least mixture of imperfection; that the world and all things contained in it, and consequently mankind, were created by this same God; and that by him all things are governed and directed with the highest wisdom. 2. That Jesus Christ is the only Son of the same God; that he was born at Bethlehem, of the Virgin Mary, without the knowledge of a man, in the latter part of the life of Herod the great, in the reign of Augustus Cæsar; that he was afterwards crucified, and died in the reign of Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea; that his life is truly related in the history of the Gospel; that he was therefore sent from the Father, that he might teach men the way to salvation, redeem them from their sins, and reconcile them to God by his death; and that this his mission was confirmed by innumerable miracles; that he died, as I before said, and rose again, and, after he had been very often seen by many who had discoursed with him, and handled him, he was