things, or fingular in one. He may teach in one hour, more than a man by reading or difcourfe can learn in many. The mind of man is more fruitful than any foil. Sow feed in a rich foil, and reap a large crop; do but give a hint to a confiderative mind, and he will work it out to a compleat form : wherefore it is great unrighteousness to be false, perfidious, treacherous, to betray converfe; for this is a tranfgreffion of the law and rule of fociety, that which governs our carriage towards one another, and is fundamental to all that we can receive from one another. This power of Speech is an excellency that God hath endowed our nature with, whereof inferior: nature partakes not; for there it is only naked prefence, not converfe, if society of men be not for mutual advantage, to wit of help, of supply, inftruction, direction, or comfort, or fatisfaction; then I do fay the converfe of mankind is to lefs purpose, than the bare prefence of beafts, and is as infignificant. All this I have to fay concerning man as man, in respect of the principles whereof he confifts in the moment of his creation.

2. If we confider man as Chrift's purchase, he is much more obliged to all good nature: for christianity cafts a further obligation upon us to fairness, candor, ingenuity; and there is no pretence to the contrary, but from difference in opinion; and in reference to this I refolve, that foul ufage of one another upon occafion of difference in opinion, whether it be matter of religion or of civil concern, is that wherein no man can justify himself, or fatisfy the reafon of his mind, if he doth confider. And there is a plain account of it. For it is in no man's power to

believe

believe otherwise in any matter whatsoever, than he himself finds caufe. It is not to be expected that there should be unity of perfuafion in all things, and it may be no body's fault if there be not this unity of perfuafion; it may not be culpable, or imputable to any fault or crime; for things themselves appear differently to perfons in feveral stations. That feems to me to be the reason of the cafe, and the best reafon, which feems not fo to another for this I will give you an account out of the philofopher. There is no man in any matter can give so great reason, but another man in the use of reason will find great reafon to decline it: there is reafon against reason in moft cafes. And therefore, pauca refpicientes falfa pronunciant. If a man do not examine and take into confideration all materials, all principles, all circumftances in any cafe whatfoever, the conclufion he makes may be erroneous; fo that we may fay of differences of opinion, as the apoftle of herefies, 1 Cor. xi.. 13. For there must be also herefies. I will not fay they are allowable and justifiable, if it could be helped; but I must fay they are unavoidable, as things are, if it be but from the different make of our parts, which occafion different apprehenfions which none of us can help; for, the make of our parts who can help? We receive ourselves from another's hand, we did not form and fashion ourselves, we are as things caft into feveral moulds by the maker of us, which will not hit and fquare together; and therefore it is, that we do not agree, but in feveral things. differ. We are of feveral complexions, feveral conftitutions, wherein feveral qualities are predominant,

and

and till eminent virtue be acquired, we are mostly bodily-wife; the motions of mens minds will follow the humours of their bodies, except the use of reafon and the exercife of virtue do over-rule bodily temper and conftitution. It is only by wisdom that we are more than temper. I could tell what every man would be, if I knew his bodily temper and conftitution; if I was refolved that he doth not live by principles of reafon and religion. Add to all these, that our different education, our feveral ftudies, our various employments, the different course of life that we lead, do form and fashion us, more or lefs; and we must further allow for former prepoffeffions, long fuppofitions, early prejudices, which are not easily removed, nor fuddenly altered. I must add one fuggeftion more; there is difficulty and obfcurity in fome things themselves, and great uncertainty; difficultas intelligendi, partim à rebus, partim ab intellectu: fo there is a double difficulty in judging right, partly from the things themselves, partly from our understanding. Some things are intricate, difficult, obfcure, and then there is a weakness and fallibility in our understanding; fo that there is a difficulty of abiding certain in the truth, upon both these accounts. Whereupon we find that very ingenious perfons fall under different apprehenfions in certain matters; I fay, perfons of great ingenuity, and of confiderative minds, that use care and diligence to inform themfelves by converfe, and by fearching into things, yet are of different thoughts in feveral matters: fo that they find caufe to paufe, fufpend, to forbear, and after a long freedom of converfe, to think of fome

things otherwife, one than another: now this is no injury; therefore there should be no offence taken; he doth me no injury, no wrong, that thinks not as I do in all things.

Now to all this that I have faid, there is but this one refolution, in matters of religion, which are of highest and greatest weight, and of moft confequence and concernment to us: we may maintain the unity of verity in point of faith, and the unity of charity in point of communion, notwithstanding all difference in point of apprehenfion; and fo fulfil the direction of the apostle, let brotherly love continue, Heb. xiii. 1. There is no allegation to the contrary; it is spoken out-right, without any limitation. Now this I will make appear, that we may maintain unity in point of faith, notwithstanding difference of fentiments and opinions; because we have a perfect abfolute rule of faith in holy scripture; and if we thus maintain this unity of verity in matters of faith, we fhall do well, and all will do well, and all other differences will daily leffen; or if they do not, 'tis no great matter; yea, we may turn it into advantage, and make it matter of friendly debate. Dic aliud ut duo fimus. For this we do obferve, that a conference is ended as foon as it is begun, if perfons agree in mood and figure, in matter and expreffion: and if there be not fome difference, farewel to all conference. Then alfo there is no excitation of a man's parts, no ufe of his wits; he doth not fo employ himself, nor improve himself in converfe as he might. Alfo without this, he may be more fhallowly grounded in his belief, and more remiss in practice according to it. Niltam cer

tum

tum quam quod poft dubium certum ; nothing is fo certain, no man is so well refolved in any thing, as that of which he did before doubt, and which he before queftioned, and had not before fubmitted to fevere and impartial examination. I never arrogate fo much to myself, as to think I am certainly in the right, because in my own thoughts I have fo refolved; but will fo far make use of the reason of another man, as not to difable him by fhewing myfelf affected and prepoffeffled; but feeming indifferent, let the examination be one way as well as the other; and thus a man hath the true use and exercife of another man's reason. We may obferve alfo, that the church of God in this age, is most at ease and quiet in those points, which have been moft controverted in former times; and upon occafion of which, council after council was called. We in these times have the advantage of those differences, we have their refolutions, which we may also examine, and receive fatisfaction.

Now that we may maintain unity of verity in point of faith, and unity of charity in point of communion, (which are the things I contend for, and none can deny) is apparent. For as for the firft, that there may be certain unity of verity in point of faith, this lies fairly before us; because we have a certain plain and infallible rule of faith in the holy fcripture, fo that that which is not there determined, may be put into the catalogue of things about which we do fufpend, and fubmit to farther examination; because the certain articles of faith are there determined. The latter, that there may be unity of charity in point of communion, is abfolutely in our power, if

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