his brethren, let me to mine; Let us not fall out by the Now way. by the dear bonds of brotherhood, by our love to our common mother the Church, by our holy care, and zeal of the profperous fucceffe of the Gospel of our Lord Jefus, Let us all compose our hearts to peace; and reft our felves in thofe common truths, which fober mindes shall find abundantly fufficient whether for our knowledg, or falvation.

I have done, and now I make no other account, but that it will fall out with me, as it commonly doth with him, that offers to part a fray; both parts will perhaps drive at me for withing them no worfe then peace. My ambition of the publick tranquillity fhall willingly carry me through this hazard: Let both beat me, fo their quarrel may ceafe; I fhall rejoyce in those blowes and scarres, which Ifhall take for the Churches fafety: Mens fingers do fo itch after the maintenance of their own opinions, that they can hardly contain themselves from flying upon the faireft moderation of any Ummy felf pire. Yet I may fafely profefs, that herein I have carried fo indifferently, that as I have hid my own Judgment, foI have rather feemed partiall againft my own refolutions. If any Man object, that I have not fully ftated the questions on both fides, and drawn my accorded propofitions out of the heart of thofe Tenets, which both parts will yield to be their own in an adverfaries fence, without waving any confequences, that fhall be deduced there from, Let him receive anfwear to the former of thefe, that it were a fit task for him, that intended a full tractation of the points controverted, and is already too much done by others, my drift is only to pick out of both what may found towards concord. He that would defcribe the way to fome remote Citry of marque,thinkes it not needful to map out before the Traveller every Town, and Village of all the Shires, through which he should pafs, but only fers down those that lye in his read.

To the latter, that it is a more strict rule, then needs to be put upon an Agent for peace. For as it is but juft on the one fide, that every man should be allowed to be his own interpreter, and prejudice and ill will can never make good gloffe: So on the other fide, it is lawful and meet for moderate mindes to make their beft ufe of those savory and wholesome sentences which fall

from

from the better moode of an adverfary, fuch, fo farr, as they come home to me, fhall gladly reconcile him to me. Let him look how in the reft he can be reconciled to himself; Very shame fhall at the last drive fuch a one ( if he be ingenuous) from incompatible propofitions.

In the mean time the good, that he offers, I will not refuse, and leave the evil to his avoiding: As a man, that meets with a flack debtor, will not be unwilling to take what small fummes he can get, till either more may come in, or he may conveniently fue for the reft. It is good to hold the ground we have got, till by the power of truth we can recover more.

Not that I could readily take up with the palpable Equivocations of an Arrius, or Pelagius; No wife Chapman will fuffer himself to be paid with lips. Truth, and Falfhood will neceffarily defcry themselves; Neither is it hard for a judicious Reader to difcerne a difference betwixt yielding, and diffembling; Where I fee a man conftant to himself in a favourable affertion, I have reafon to conftrue it, as a fair comming off towards reconcilement. If nothing but the rigour of opinions fhall be ftood upon, what Hope can there be of Peace? To fhut up therefore, if what I have here meant well, be as well taken, and well improved, I fhall have comfort in the quieting of many Hearts, and many Tongues: If not, at least I fhall have comfort in the quietneffe of mine own heart; which tels me I have withed well to the Church of God. To whofe awful fentence I do moft humbly fubmit my felf, and thefe my poor endeavours, profesfing my felf ready to eat, whatsoever word thee fhall diflike and defirous to buy her peace even with blood.

Now the God of peace encline the hearts of men, as to zeal of truth, fo to love of peace: And fince we are fallen upon thofe points, which are difpatable to the worlds end (as we fee in the pradife both of the Romish, and Germane and Netherlandish Churches) the fame God compose the minds of men to a wife moderation, and binde up their lips in a fafe, and difcreet filence, that if our brains must needs differ, yet our hearts and tongues may be ever one. Amen.'

1

A

LETTER

CONCERNING

Falling Away

FROM

GRACE.

M

Y good Mr. B. You fend me flowers from your Garden, and Look for fomne in returne out of mine;I do not more willingly fend you these, then I do thankfully receive the other: I could not keep my hand from the paper, upon the receit of your Letters, though now in the midft of my attendance: As my defire of your fatisfaction cals me to write fomthing, fo my other imployments force me to brevity, in a queftion wherein it were eafy to be endleffe: I am forry that any of our new Excuti-fidians fhould pefter your Suffolk; although glad in this, that they could not Light upon a foyle more fruitful of able oppugners: it is a wonder to me, to think that men fhould Labour to be witty, to rob themselves of comfort: Good Sir Let me know thefe new Difciples of Leyden; that I may note them with that black cole they are worthy of; Troublers of a better peace then that of the Church, the peace of the Chriftian foul: they pretend antiquity; What herefy doth not fo? What marvell is

it, if they would wreft Fathers to them, while they ufe Scripture it felf fo violently; For that their firit inftance of Hymenews and Alexander how vain it is like themselves?

Nothing can be more plain then that thofe men were groffe hyppocrites; who doubts therefore but they might fall from all that good, they pretended to have; What is this to prove that a true child of God may do fo: but (fay they) thefe men had faith and good confcience; True, fuch a faith and goodneffe of conscience as may be incident into a Worldly counterfeit. Yea but (they reply) a true juftifying faith; I think fuch a one as their own ; rather I may say these men defevre not the praise of Himeneus his faith; which is nothing in this place but Orthodoxe do&rine; How oft doth St. Pauluse the word fo, to his Timothy, 1 Tim. 4. 1. In the latter times fome fall depart from the faith; interpreted in the next words, and fhall give heed to fpirits of error, and doctrines of Devills ; and 2 Tim. 3. 8. He defcribes his falfe teachers by this title, Reprobate concerning the faith; Which I think no man will expound of the grace, but the Doctrine: Yet (fay they) there is no neceffity binds us to that fenfe here? But the fcope of this place compared with others may evince it ; That which followes plainly points us to this meaning (that they might learn not to blafpheme) Their fin was therefore an Apoftafy from the Doftrine of the Gospel, and cafting foul afperfions upon that profeffion; fo that an oppofition to wholesome Doctrine was their fhipwrack: They except yet; A good confcience is added to this faich; therefore it muft needs be meant of justifying faith; Do but turne your eyes to 1 Tim. 3. 9. where (as in a commentary upon this place) you fhall finde faith and good confcience fo conjoyned;that yet the Doctrine, not the vertue of faich is fignified: St. Paul defcribes his Deacon there by his fpiritual wealth; Having the mystery of faith in pure confcience: No man can be fo groffe to take the mystery of faith for the grace of faith; or for any other then the fame Author in the fame chapter cals the mystery of Godlynefs: It is indeed fit that a good confcience fhould be the cofer, where truth of Chriftian Doctrine is the treasure; Therefore both are juftly commanded together; and likely each accompanies other in their lofs, and that of Irenew is found true of all hereticks; fententiam impiam, vitam luxuriofam, &c. Yea but Hymenews and Alexander had both these then, and loft both:

They

They had both in outward profeffion, not in inward fincerity; that rule is certain and eternal, If they had been of us, they had continued with us; nothing is more ordinary with the Spirit of God then to fuppofe us fuch as we pretend; that he might give us an example of Charity in the cenfure of each other: of which kind is that noted place, Heb. 10. 29. And counteth the blood of the Teftament wherewith he was fanctifyed an unholy thing sand thofe unusual elogies which are given to the Churches, to whom the Apostolical letters were directed.

This place therefore intends no other but that Himenew and Alexander,which were once profeffors of the Chriftian doctrine, and such as lived orderly in an unblameable, and outwardly holy fashion to the World, had now turn'd their copy; caft off the profeffion which they made, and were fallen both to loofeneffe of manners, & calumniation of the truth they had abandoned.

For that other Scripture, Rom. 8. 12, 13. No place can be more effectual to cut the throat of this uncomfortable herefy: St. Paul writes to a mixt company; it were ftrange if all the Romans fhould have been truly fanctifyed; thofe which were yet carnal he threats with death, If ye live after the flesh ye shall dye; Thofe which are regenerate (contrary to the wicked paradox of those men) he affures of life; If ye mortifie the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit, ye shall live: How doth he exclude the Spirit of bondage to fear; which these good guides would lead in again; how confidently doth he averr the inward teftimony of Gods Spirit to ours; and afcribes that voice to it which bars all doubt and disappointment; and tels us by the powerful affurance of this Abba, we are fons, and if fons heirs, coheirs with Chrift; Let them now go and fay;that God may difinherit his own fon, that he may caft off his adopted: But,fay they,to the fame regenerate perfons he applyes thefe two clauses, and faith at once, ye have received the Spirit of adoption, and yet,if ye walk after the flesh ye fhall die; what followes of this commination? any affertion of the poffibility of Apoftafy in the regenerate? Nothing leffe: Thefe threats are to make us take better hold, and to walk more warily; as a father that hath fet his little fon on horfeback (it is Zanchies comparison) bids him hold faft, or elfe he fhall fall; though he uphold him the while;that both he may cause him hereby to fit faft ; and call the more carneftlyfor his fupportation. But the scope of

Yy

the