Obj~Bionr anfivered. mindJ, when the pleajing of one part;: iJ tbe lnfinz of the. reji l We ho1ve lo?tg_ [em th.Jr Church-divifi· fJnt fhak...e the [afcty uf tht Statt. If U were not tb.::Jt few that arz called ClnJjhanJ are /ttch indeed, arzd [triom in the Religion which thtmfelvu profefi there were no quietnefi to be expelled : F11r thofe that are mod [criottJ are fo full offcruplu, and b!Jvt Confciences ftill objel1ing {omethin7. or other againfi their obediwce, and are Jo objlinate in their way, tJJ thinkjng it i1 for their falvation, that aU Agu and N.stionJ have hem {ai11 to gov~rn them by force as beajf1, whiCh tbty have called perficution. Anfrv. An[rv. I· There is no doClrinc in the world fo much for Love and Peace and Concord as the doChine of Chrift is? What dorh it fo rpuch urge and fr<quwdy inculcate:? What dorh it contain but Love and peace from end to end? Love isthefumand erid of the Gofpel, and the fulfilling of the ~aw. ~o Love Goa abov~ all, and o~rneighb?urs as our fclvcs, and to do as we .w?uld be done by, IS the EpHome of the doctnne of Chnfi.·and hts Apofi\es. ~· And therefore Chnl11anity is only the occaji.,n and not the Cau[e of the· d1v1fions of the earth. It Js mens blmdnefsand paffiuns and carnal in:ereCts rebelling againfr the: Laws of God, which is the make:·bare of the world, and fillerh it with firife. The wi{Ciom from above is tirfi pure, then peaceable, gentle, eafie to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits: It bldfeth the peace-makers and the meek: But iris the rebellious wifdom from beneath, that is earthly, fenfual and devilli!h, which caufcth envy and fhife, and thereby confu~ fion and every evil work. Jam. 3• I 5, 16, I7· Matth. 5·6, 7, 8. So thit the true genuine Chrifiim is rhe bell: fubjeCt and peaceable{\ man on earth : But frriou{nt[s is not enough to mJke a Chrillian : A man may be paffionate1y ferious in an errour : Vnd-rrfta~otding mutl: lead and ferioufittfi follow. To be zpluus in errour is not to be zealous in Cbrijlianity: For the crrour is contrary to Cbriltian verity. 3· As I bid before, it is a tefiimony of the excellency of Religion that it thus occafioncth contention. Dogs and Swine do not contend for Crowns and Kingdoms : nor for fumpruous houfes or apparel: nor do Infants trouble the world or thcmfdves with Mctaphyfical or Logical or Mathe~ matical d1fpures: ldeots do not mokfi the World wi1h Controverllcs, nor faH tlx-rc:by into S::ds and parties. Nor yet do wife and learned perfons, contend about chaffor dufi or trifles. Bur as excel~ le~t. things ~r~ matter offoarcb,fo are they matter of Controverfi<"~to the ~ofi e~cell~nt wirs. The hypo~ crmcal Cht1!hans that you fpeak of, whu make God and thc1r falvatton giVe place to the unjutl:. commands of men, are indeed no Cbrifiians; as not taking Chrifi for their Soveraign Lord : And it is not in any true honour of MJgifiracy, that they are fo dudile, and will do ·any thing 1 but it is for themfelves, and their carnal interefi' and when that inte.refi requireth it, they wi!l betray rheir Governours, as lnridels will do. If you can reduce all the world to be lnf1nts or ldeots or Bruits 1 yea or lntidcls, they will then trouble the State with no contentions for Religion or matters of falva~ tion. But if thr 6overntd mufi be bruitificd, what will the Govtrnonrs be? 4· All true Chrifiians are agreed in the fubfiance of thei-r Reljgion: There is no divifion among them about the necdfuy points of faith or duty. Their agreement is far greater than their difagreemenr; which is but about {ome fmalltr matters, where differences arc tolerable : Therefore they may all be Governed without any fuch violence as you mention: If the common Articles o[ faith, and precepts of Chrifiian dury be maintained, then thu is upheld which all agree in' and Rulers will not find it needful to opprcfs every party or opinion fave one, among them rhat hold the common t~urhs : Wi{e and fober Chri– fiians lay not mens falvation upon every fuch Controvcrfie ; nor do they hold or manage them un. peaceably to 1he wrong of Church or Stare, not with the violation of Charity, peace or jufiice. 5· Is there any of the: Scu:nces which afford not matter of Controverfie? If the Laws of the Land did yield no matter of Controverfie, Lawyers and Judges would have lefs of that work chan now they have. And was there not greater divcrfity of Opinions and Wodhip among the Heathens than ever was among ~hriHians. What a muld1udc o_f feCh of Philofophcrs ~t;ad Religions had they ? And what a mulmude of Gods had they to Wor!h1p ? And the number ot them fii\1 increafed as ofc as the Senate pleafcd to make a God o( the bet(er fort of their Empcrours when they were de;1d. Indeed one Emperour (of the Religion of lame of thefe Objectors,) Heliogabalur, befiir'd himfelf with all his power to have reduced all Religion eo Unity, that is, he would have all the Worfhip brought to his God to whom he had been Priefi: S.1ith Lampridiur in his JitC, Dicebat Jud£Jrttm & Samaritanorum religiones& Chrijfi:mam devotionem, illuc transftrcndam)&c.And therefore he robbed and maimed and defiroyed the other Gods, id agmsne quURom.e Deus nifi HeliogabalJH coltrttur. B~t Jtf:bvit c~put as the effect of his monllrous abominable fihhinefs of life was to be thrull: into a Jillrivy, killed ~1d 1hrer p_rowf~ drag'd :1bout the f\reers and drowned in tfybur ; fo the effect of his dcfired Unity, was to bring Fe~7:~~~:fib, that one God or Tempk into contempt, whereto he would confine all Worfhip. The differences ~uirx.ir, &c. among Chrifiians are nothing in comparifon of the differences among Heathens. The truth is, Re~ La»~po.1. 1igion is fuch an illufirious noble thing, that dilfcntions about it, like fpots in the Moon, are much more noud by the world, than about any lower Gammon matters. Men may raifc Controvedies in Philofophy, Phyftck, Allronomy, Chronologie, and yet ir rnaketh no fuch noire: nor caufeth much offence or hatr(.d in the World : But the Devil and corrupted nature have fuch an enmity againH Re· ligion, that they areglad to pick any quarrel againfi: it, and blame ir for the imperfections of all that learn it and thould practife it: As if Grammar fhould be accufed for every Crrour or fault thatthe Boyesare guilty of in Jearnlng it: O r the Law were to be accufed for all the differences of Lawyers or contentions of the people: or Phyftck were to be: accufed for all the ditl'erenccs or c:rrours of Phyficions ; or meat and drmk were culpable becaufe of mens cxcelfes and difeafc:s ; There is no doCtrine nor praClicc in the World, by which true Unicy and Concord can be maintained, but by fe~ rioufnefs in the: nut. Religion. And when all contention comcth for W:Jnl of Religion, it's impudence to blame Religiop tor it, which is the only cure. If Rulers will pro!< et all that agree in that which
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