ye are Brethren, why do ye ftrive? And with all their Power laboured that both the Armies might be joined under the Prince of Peace, against the Pope and the Devil.

But whilft thefe laboured for Peace, there never wanted fome eager Spirits, that made all ready for War, and whofe nails were ftill itching till they were in the wounds of the Church; for they could not believe they had any Zeal, unless they were furious; nor any Faith, unless they wanted all Charity. And by the wicked diligence of thefe Boutefeus, that fmall fpark, which at firft a little moderation might have quenched, hath now fet us all in a woful fire, worthy to be lamented with tears of Blood.

For the late Arminians, we fay they are fled, and they fay they are chafed from us to the Lutherans; we accufe them of Sedition, Heresy and Schifm; they often proteft deeply before God Almighty how truly, ipfe viderit & judicet, that out of mere tenderness of Confcience, and zeal to Piety and God's Glory, they defired a moderation in fome rigorous Opinions, but however a mutual toleration of one anothers errors and infirmities, ftill keeping the ligament of Chriftian communion and fraternity inviolable.

They complain, that in the late Synod things were carried very unequally; that Truth was not fought, but Victory; that their professed Enemies were their Judges; that the Scripture and reasons, fince Published in the Scripta Synodica, were not throughly examined, and fo their Confciences convicted; that they were condemned, but not confuted; that now they reft worse fatisfyed, than before; that thofe, which before were but private Opinions, and difputable Problems, and fo accounted, are now made neceffary Truths, and Canonized decifions. And they fay withal, that this hath been the prime caufe of all Schifms and Ruptures in the Gg 2 Church

Church in all Ages, that matters of Faith, and matters of Opinion have not been exactly distinguished, but the one obtruded with tyranny upon the Confcience for the other.

They ask, whether we think our first Reformers, like the Pope, infallible? Whether it was not poffible for them to err? Whether it were not ingenuous to confefs and correct a fault, when we are told of it? But principally, next after the Bible, they infift with great boldnefs upon their appeal to venerable Antiquity, which they challenge entirely to fide with them. All the Greek and Latin Doctors for fix hundred years after the Apoftles, haying exprefly declared themfelves against us, and many of them in whole Treatifes of purpofe; only St. Austin, they fay, feems to favour us, with his two Difciples, Profper and Fulgentius; and yet they only in the firft point, concerning the irrespective decree of Election, yet therein fpeaking varioufly and uncertainly in the reft, concerning the Death of Chrift, and the Perfeverance of all the Faithful, they clearly make for them.

You will ask me what I fay of this; I muft confefs these reasons have convicted me, not fo far as abfolutely to yield unto them, or take part with them in any faction, you need not fear me for that, but fo far, as not rafhly to cenfure, damn or anáthematize them, till I can see their Pretenfions voided; but I was especially nettled with this confident appeal to Antiquity. For let me tell you, nature hath planted in me a very great Opinion and Reverence of thofe ancient Worthies, which were as far before us in true Devotion and Piety, as they are in time; And which the Catholic Church of Chrift, hath ever juftly honoured as her Fathers. And tho' I know them to have erred as Men, and will never make them the rule of my Faith, yet I abhor to think that they fhould live and dye, and

con

concur in any dangerous or damnable Opinion. Wherefore I purpose to fift this allegation to the bottom, and impartially to inquire into their judgment. Many of my hours for these many years laft paft have been spent upon thefe venerable Do&tors, and I have with fruit and fidelity, collected out of many of them, many good and wholfome obfervations.

Upon this occafion, I betook my Self to my Notes and Exceptions, and in Truth, found nothing in them that favored thofe Opinions that I favored ; I obferved many fhrew'd and pertinent Paflages alledged by the Arminians, even out of St. Augustine and Profper, and upon tryal found their Quotations very Faithful; efpecially Voffius in his Pelagian Hiftory, hath with great Learning and Diligence deduced the Judgment of all Antiquity in all these controverfies, yet I fufpected him as a Partizan, till I was better informed by fome that knew him well, and particularly by your own moft Worthy, Learned, Godly and Reverend Father, Dr. Carleton, late Bishop of Chichefter, with whom having fome private conference in London, fome two years fince, at his Lodgings in Westminster, among other good difcourfe we fell in talk of that Man, and I humbly defired his Lordship's Judgment, whether he was an Arminian, or no? He anfwered me, that he was no Arminian, but a very honeft Man; and among other Synodifts he beftow'd a Copy of his Book upon him. Since that, himself hath affured me that the good Bifhop fpoke true; for he hath declared himself in his laft Book, to be of St. Auguftine's mind in thefe Questions, and is De Scripallowed by the States Public Profeffor at Leyden, toribus Lawhere no Arminian is tolerated. Of him I will fay no more but this; they that know the reading and judgment of that Man by his works, will con

fefs

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fefs that there lives not this Day in Europe, any one more Learned: and by the Relation of fome Perfons of credit, and fince that, by himself when he was with me of late in Oxford, I knew, that when the miferable Schifm was at the hotteft in thole Countries, he never fided with either Faction, but would repair to both their Churches and Communions, to teftify that he meant to keep peace with both.

But now you long to hear what is the iffue of all my Study and Enquiry, what my Refolution; Why? You may eafily conjecture; finding upon this ferious fearch, that all doubts are not clearly decided by Scripture; that in the ancient Church, after the Age of St. Auguftine, who was prefently contradicted by many Catholics, as you may fee in the Epiftles of Profper and Fulgentius to him upon that very occafion, they have ever been friendly debated, and never determined in any Counfel; that in our Ages, whole Churches are here divided, either from one another, as the Lutherans from us; or amongst themselves, as the Romanifts, amongft whom the Dominican Family is wholly for the Contra Remonftrants; that in all these feveral Churches, fome particular DoЯors vary in thefe Opinions. Out of all this I collect, for my part, that thele Points are no neceffary Catholic verities, not effential to the Faith, but merely matters of Opinion, Problematical, of inferior moment, wherein a Man may err, or be igno rant, without danger to his Soul, yet fo ftill that the Glory of God's Juftice, Mercy, Truth, Sincerity and divine Grace be not any ways blemished, nor any good afcribed to Mans corrupt Will, or any evil to God's Decree or Providence; Wherein I can affure you, I do not depart from my ancient Judgment, but do well remember what I af

firmed in my Queftions at the * ACT, and have confirmed it I fuppofe in my Sermon. So you fee, I am ftill where I was; If I can clearly discover any error or corruption in my felf or any other, I fhould hate it with all my might, but pity, fupport and love all that love the Lord Jefus, tho they err in doubtful Points: but never break Charity, unlefs with him that obftinately errs in Fundamentals, or is wilfully factious. And with this moderation, I dare with confidence and comfort enough, appear before my Lord at the laft day, when I fear what will become of him that loves not his Brother; that divine Precept of love being fo often ingeminated, why may I not when the Lord himself hath affured me, by his Beati Pacifici? You tell me of a Dean that should fay, Ma ledicti Pacfici; but you and he fhall give me leave in this contradiction, rather to believe my Saviour.

My loving Friend, I do very much efteem your Learning and Judgment, and am fo much the more confirmed by your Letter, in my moderation; for you do oppofe it with a very good Courage, but not with fo good fuccefs. All the rea fons which I have couched in my Sermon, ftand ftill very firm, all unfhaken, and almost all untouched. For my part, I honour Truth with all my heart, next after God, or rather as I do God himfelf, who is the God of Truth: and I fhall efteem him my dearest Friend, that fhall at any time conquer my errors with evidence of Truth; for that conqueft fhall be my happiness and Victory. Any error abufeth the Understanding, but an * Quæftiones Inceptoris Chr. Potter. 1627. Efficacia Gratia non pendet à libero influxu Arbitrii. Chriftus divina Juftitia, vice noftra, propriè & integrà fatiffecit.

Ipfe actus fidei, credere, non imputatur nobis in justitiam

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