:DireBiom for y~w(g [liriftimtr. ---- Conrrovetfies about Grace and free-will, or _about other fuch points of difficulty when you are youn 'and its t~o to mie rl~at ripe'ntfs will afterward make them quite a~norher thing to you. For my owg~ part, my judgement IS altered from many of my youthful contideut apprchenfions: And where · holderh rhe fafne conclution, it rcjeC'teth ab~mdance of the arguments as vain, which once it refle~ in : And where I keep to the fame Conclufions and Arguments, my apprehenfion of them is north fam•, but I fee more fatisfying lij;ht in:many things which I took but upon trutl before. And if~ ~1ad refol~ed to hold.t?all my tirfiOpmwns,I mull: havefor~orn n~ofi of my fiudiesand JoH much umh whJCh I have d1fcovercd, and not made that my own which I drd hold: and I mull have refolv. ed to live and dye a child. 9· 9· The fumm is, Hold fall the fubflance ofRdigion, and every clear and certain Truth which you fc:e in its own evidence ; and alfo reverence your Teachers; efpccially theVniverfal Church or the j;enerality of wifo ".'d r,odly men; and be not hally to take up any private opinion: And efpecially to contradu~t the Op11110n ot your Governours and Teachers in fmall and controverted things. But yet in fuch macrers rective their Opinions but with a humane faith ( till indeed you have more) and therefore with a fuppofition that time and fiudy is very like to alrer your apprehenfions and with a refervc impartially to fiudy, and entertain the truth, and not to 1~t ftill jufl wher~ you were born. Dir(ll. 12. DireCT. ~~· IF Comroverjia ocfafiou any Divifiom where you liv!, be fure to look.. firft to the intcreft ~~he~~~n;r~~ of Crmmt~1t Tmt? .and Good, and to the ixerci[e of Charity: Aud become not pa!fionare vcrfies do dicontender!f~r a'IJ' fiJ~"ty ut the dtvifwu, or cm[urers of the peaceable, or of your Teachers th.1t wilt not lidc rhc o'lJcr-rrm thezr onvr tmderjfandi~tgJ, to ohtaht witb )'OH the eftum of beiNg Ottbodox or zealouJ men: <...hurch. But fuJPel1 yom· on•Jt tmripe ttnderjfandings, and filence JDUr Opinions till yq~t are clear and cer– taht; and joy1z r.Jtber with the moderate and the peace·maJ?.!rs th:m with thtContendcrJ and Dividers. 9. r. You may cafrly be fure that Divifion tendeth to the ruine of the Church, and the hinderance S1oicidicunt of the Gofpel, and the injury of the common interetl: of Religion. You know it is greatly condemned cu~1 nemine in the Scriptures: You may know that it is ufually the exercife and the increa[e ofJ?ride, uricharira– f~u_,wr~m dfe blenefS and paffion; and that the Devil is bell pleafed with it, as being the greatell gaincr by it. ~~~~~~~;~1 : But on the oiher fid e, you are not ~fily certain which party is in the right: And if you were, you flultos mfani- are not furc that the matter will be worth the coft of the contention: Or if ir be, it is to be confide. ~eLam. j,~ red whether thl Truth is not like to ger more advantage, by managing it in a more peaceable way, zmue. that hath no contemion, nor llirreth not up orher men {o much againfi ir, as the way of controverfie doth. And whatever it prove, you may and fhould know, thlt young ChriiHaQS th1t want both parts 1 and helps, and time, and experience to be rhrough_ly feen in comrovcrfies, are very unfit to make themfdvcs partic~, And that they are yet more unht to be the botteft leac!trs of thofe parties, arrd to fplir on lhcir 7.eachcrJ that know more rhan they. If the work be tit for another m do that knoweth on what ground he goeth, and can forefce the end, yet certainly iris not fit for you. And therefore forbear it till you arc more fit. §. 2 • I know thofe tha!: would draw you into fnch a contentious zeal, will tell you that their caure is the caufe of God, and that you ddCrt him and betray it,ifyou be not zealous in it: and that it is bur the coun!f:l of Aefh and .blood Which maketh you pretend Moderation and Peace; and that it is a fign ·that you arc hypocri'tes, that ;Ire fo lukewarm and carnally comply with error: and that the caufC of God is to be followed with the greatell zeal and fclf denyal. And all this is true, if you be but fure that it is indeed the caufe of God ; and that the greater works ofGod, be not negleCted on fuch pretences; and that your Zeal be much greater tOr Faith, and Charity 1 and Unity) than fOr your opinions- But upon t:onruming "f,re.at experience I mu~Itell you,that of the zealous contenders in the world, that cry upThe Cauje of t.e;~lt clo:h ure God, andTrutb, then: tS not one of very many) that utJderfiandcth what he talks of:, but forne ofrhcrn :u Ja{! to bum ~ry up the Caxfc cf God, when it is a brat ofa proud and ignorant brain, and fuch as a judicious perfon up the . would be afhamed of; And fame of them are rafhly zealous, before they have parts or cime tO come to ~hners of It. any judicious tryal; and fome of them are miC-guided by fome perfon OJ party that captivarerh their thr-tf~~~rdo minds; and fome. of thc=m ar~ hurried ~way by paffion and difcontc~t; ar:d ma_ny of r_he a~birious otg'-in~ ~then and worldly are blmded by thctr carnal mterefis: and many of them m meer pude, thmk h1ghly of !~.~;e1;01:~l~vi~ an Opinio~ in ~hich th~::y are fomewhat fi~gulat> and whic~ they can with fame glorying _call their ole:Cc, rhey 0'1Vn, as enher mvented by them, or tha~ m whtch they thmk they know m?re than ordmary men u&eh othen do: And abundance after longer expenence, confefs that to have:: been thezr own erroneoUG caufe, >t bR to fay which they before entitled the Caufe ofGod: Now when this is the cafe, and one cryeth Here ;, ~h~C:,o~~~~ft ~ . they ~ave opportunity: How the Orthodox t:m~ht the ArtittiiS _to. ufe feverity 'gain~ the~n , may be [ en in Vl_flo;. Utic. p. 447_, +4~' 449· mthe EdiCt of HummycJuu : I.egem lJU:lm dudum ChrifiJ:tiH lrt1peratorts n,,fiu contra cos & Q!!O~ hxretJC?S pro hononhccntJ:l Ecdelia: Catholica:: Jcdrrum, advcrfus nos il!i p•oponere non crubuerun:. ~v.g. Rtx H!lit. &c. Tnumph.:di1 &J\-h)e<l:'l:is Rcg•~ proba– tur effe virturis, mala in &utorcs confilia retorqucre: Qui~qui' cnim pravit::tm l.!iquid invencrit, libi impu!tt 'Jwod mcurnt.-– Nullos con.vcmus bomoulionSaccnlotes aOUmam, nec;~.lJqurJmyfterionuu, qux nugis polluum, fibi "cndJcem. Nulbm habc.:1:11r o– Jmlr.di .li~entiam---Q!.zod ipfarum legum continemi.:t dcmontf~atu·r qu:ts induxiR.I: lmper.:uo· ibm) &c. \;iz. tlt nuiJ.:t, exceptis fupc1lliuoms fux ;~.milhb~s ~c~J,Ji.:t. paterct; uull:s licerc~ a!{is aut conVJltus ::tgc,,c, aut c:x.etet·re coni·•mn: nee Er>c~eliJs, auc in utbi– btu, aut in quibufd:ul! tnJtHlms l.;.m, Cbriji
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