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them, as God himself, without Question, will; than by ftickling for every unneceffary Truth, destroy that Peace, and Love, and Amity, that ought to be among Chriftians.

The Second Thing I would recommend, is, a great Simplicity and Purity of Intention in the Purfuit of Truth; and at no hand to let Paffion, or Intereft, or any Self-end, be ingredient into our Religion.

The Practice of this would not more conduce to the Discovery of Truth, than it would to the promoting of Peace: For it is eafie to obferve, that it is not always a pure Concernment for the Truth, in the Points in Controversy, that makes us fo zealous, fo fierce, and so obftinate in our Difputes for or against them;" but something, of which that is only the Mask and Pretence, fome By-ends that must be ferved, fome Secular Intereft that we have espoused, which must be carried on.

We have either engaged ourselves to some Party, and fo its Interefts, right or wrong, must be promoted: Or we have taken up an Opinion inconfiderately at the firft, and appeared in the Favour of it, and afterward our own Credit doth oblige us to defend it: Or we have received fome Slight or Disappointment from the Men of one Way, and fo in pure Pet and Revenge, we pass over to their Adverfaries: Or it is for our Gain and Advantage, that the Differences among us be ftill kept on foot: Or we defire to get ourselves a Name by fome great Atchievements in the Noble Science of Controverfies: Or we are poffeffed with

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the Spirit of Contradiction: Or we delight in Novelties: Or we love to be fingular.

These are the Things that too often both give Birth to our Controverfies, and alfo nourish and foment them.

If we would but caft thefe Beams out of our Eyes, we fhould both fee more clearly, and certainly live more peaceably. But whilst we purfue bafe and fordid Ends, under the Pretence of maintaining Truth, we fhall always be in Error, and always in Contention.

Let us therefore quit ourfelves of all our Prepoffeffions; let us mortify all our Pride and Vain-glory, our Paffion and Emulation, our Covetousness and Revenge, and bring nothing in the World to our Debates about Religion, but only the pure Love of Truth; and then our Controverfies will not be fo long, and they will be more calmly and peaceably managed, and they will redound to the greater Good of all Parties,

And this I dare fay farther, to encourage you to labour after this Temper of Mind, That he that comes thus qualified to the Study of Religion, though he may not have the Luck always to light on the Truth, yet with all his Errors, be they what they will, he is more acceptable to God, than the Man that hath Truth on his fide, yet takes it up or maintains it to ferve a Turn. He that believes a Falfhood, after he hath used his fincere Endeavours to find the Truth, is not half so much a Heretick, as he that profeffeth a Truth out of evil Principles, and prostituteth it to unworthy Ends. C 2

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The Third Rule is, Never to quarrel about Words and Phrases; but fo long as other Men mean much-what the fame that we do, let us be content, though they have not the Luck to express themselves fo well.

I do not know how it comes to pass, whe ther through too much Heat and Eagerness of difputing, that we do not mind one another's Senfe, or whether through too much Love to our own manner of Thinking or Speaking, that we will not endure any Thing but what is -conveyed to us in our own Method: But, really, it often happens, that most bitter Quarrels do commence, not fo much from the different Senfe of the contending Parties concerning the Things they contend about, as from the different Terms they use to exprefs the fame Senfe, and the different Grounds they proceed upon, or Arguments they make ufe of for the Proof of it.

For my Part, I verily believe, that this is the Cafe of feveral of thofe Difputes, in which we Proteftants do often engage at this Day. I do not think, in many Points, our Differences are near fo wide as they are fometimes reprefented, but that they might eafily be made up with a little Allowance to Mens Words and Phrafes, and the different Methods of deducing their Notions.

It would be, perhaps, no hard Matter to make this appear in thofe Controverfies that are fo much agitated among us concerning Faith and Juftification, and the Neceffity of good Works. to Salvation; and Imputed Righteousness, and

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the Difference between Vertue and Grace; with fome others, if this were a fit Place for it. The Difference that is among us as to those Points, is, poffibly, not much greater than this, That fome Men, in thefe Matters, fpeak more clearly and fully; others more imperfectly and obfcurely. Some Men convey their Senfe in plain and proper Words; others delight in Metaphors, and do perhaps extend the Figurative Expreffions of Scripture: Some reason more closely, and upon more certain Principles; others poffibly may proceed upon weaker Grounds, and mifapply Texts of Scripture, and difcourfe more loofly. But both Parties (efpecially the more moderate of both) feem to drive at much-what the fame Thing, though by different Ways, as appears from this, That being interrogated concerning the Confequences of their feveral Opinions, they generally agree in admitting or rejecting the fame.

But, Fourthly, Another Thing that would make for Peace, is this; Never to charge upon Men the Confequences of their Opinions, when they exprefly difown them.

This is another thing that doth hugely tend to widen our Differences, and to exafperate Mens Spirits one against another; when having examin'd fome Opinion of a Man, or Party of Men, and finding very great Abfurdities and evil Confequences neceffarily to flow from it, we presently throw all thofe into the Difb of them that hold the Opinion; as if they could not hold the one, but they muft neceffarily own the other: Whereas, indeed, the Men

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we thus charge, may be fo innocent in this Matter, that they do not in the leaft dream of fuch Confequences; or if they did, they would be fo far from owning them, that they would abhor the Opinion for their Sakes.

To give you an Inftance or Two in this Matter: It is a Doctrine maintained by fome, That God's Will is the Rule of Justice; or, That every Thing is therefore juft or good, because God wills it. Those that are concerned to oppose. this Doctrine, do contend, that if this Doctrine be true, it will neceffarily follow, that no Man can have any Certainty of the Truth of any one Propofition that God hath revealed in Scripture; becaufe, fay they, his Eternal Faithfulness and Veracity are by this Doctrine made Arbitrary Things. Granting now that this can by juft Confequence be made out, yet I dare fay, thofe that hold the aforefaid Doctrine would be very angry, and had good Reason fo to be, if they were told, that they did not, no, nor could not, upon their Principles, certainly believe the Scripture.

Some Men think that they can, with demonstrative Evidence, make out, that the Doctrine of God's irrespective Decrees doth, in its Confequences, overthrow the whole Gospel; that it doth deftroy the Nature of Rewards and Punishments, cuts the very Sinews of Mens Endeavours after Vertue, makes all Laws, Promifes, Exhortations, perfectly idle and infignificant Things, and renders God the most unlovely Being in the World. Now fuppofing all this to be true, yet it would be a moit unjust

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