93 71 many other Orders of Men in theKing- domwere diftinguiih'd, from theLayity, appointed as Things meerly indifferent for Decency and Order; as a very fuc- cefsful Means to keep many weak Bre- thren in a Proteftant Church, andpre- vent their falling a Prey to Popifh Prief s. " If the People (as Mr. .1Nt. r. so " fays).:had fuch a fuperftitious Opi- " nion of them, as to think theygave " an Efficacy to their Prayers, and " that Divine Service laid without this Apparel was infignifacant." 'Tis certain they would have left every Church, where they did not find that Habit, without which the Prayers had noEfficacy, andDivineService was infig- nificant. So that the abolithing thefe Habits, as the Puritans propofed, mutt have drove vaft Numbers from a Pro- teftant Church, and engaged them in Meafures to overturn it. But on the contrary, the wife Condefcenfion of the Government in a few indifferent Things, kept all the Lutheran Proteftants,"and very many Thoufands of poor deluded Papifts, in a Church where they might be convinced of their Errors. The greater and more dangerous thofe Er- rors were, the greater and more cha- ritable was that Compaffion whichcon- defeended to their Weaknefs in a few in-
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