every parcel whereof I am ready to juftific againft all gainsayers; when these Men therefore fhall ask, where our Church was, anfwer them boldly, where it is; It is with Churches, as with those feverall perfons, whereof they confift, give me a Man that having been Romish for opinion is now grown wifer, and reformed, he hath ftill the fame form or effence, though not the fame errors, he is the fame Man then, yea I add he is the fame Chriftian that he was whiles he holds firmly all thofe Articles of Catholick faith which are effentiall to Chriftianity; if he now find reason to reject those hideous novelties of the inerrability of a Man of fin, of the new and monftrous, but invisible, incarnation of his Saviour by charm of a finfull Prieft, of marting of fins, of purgatory flames, and the rest of that upftart rabble of the Tridentine Creed, whiles he undoubtedly believes all those truths which carried our Fathers (who lived before the hatching of these devices) fafely and directly to Heaven, who can deny him the honor of true Catholicifme and Christianity: No orherwife is it in whole Churches, whereof every believeing foul is an abridgment; if any of them find juft cause to refuse fome newly obtruded opinions, which the rest are fet to maintain, whiles be mean time the foundation remainsentire, this can be no ground to dif-Church that differing company of Chriftians, neither are they other from themselves, upon this di verfity of opinion.

But I hear what fome whifperers fay: It is the determination of the Church which makes what points the thinks fit, de fide, and : fundamental: Let me confidently say this is the most dangerous in-novation that can fall into the cars, hearts, hands of Chriftians; If the Church can make another God, another Chrift, another Heaven, other Prophets and Apoftles, the may alfo lay another foundation; But the old rule of the chosen Veffel, wheron 1 fecurely caft my foul, is,

Fundamentum aliud ponere nemo poteft.

But, that You may perfectly discover the fraud, what Church is it, I beseech you, to whom this power ir arrogated? and by whom is it ufurped? None, but the Roman, and what is that but a parti⠀cular Church? I fpeak boldly, there was never fo grofle a gullery in the World as this; what intereft hath Rome in Heaven more> then Constantinople, then Paris, then Prague,then Bafil, then London,

or any other City under Heaven, or what priviledg hath the Italian Church, above the Greek, French, Germane, English, It is the charge of the Apostle: My Brethren have not the faith of God in refpe& of perfons I may upon the fame Grounds,fay,in respect of places,the locality of truth is the most idle and childish plea, that ever impofed upon wife men: Away with this foppery the true divinity of St. Peter was, and is, in every Nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of him, the climate makes no difference and if more respect have been antiently given to that See,then to others, it was the foveraignty of the City which then drew on those honours to the Church; which upon the very fame reafon were no leffe tranfmitted to Constantinople: Set thofe afide, and what holineffe can Tiber challenge above Rhene, or Thames? Let fooles be mocked with thefe fancies, but you whom God hath indued with fingular judgment and understanding in all things will eafily refent the fraud; and fee that there is no more reason why the English Church fhould conform in opinion to the Romish (were the Doctrines equally indifferent) then the Roman Church to the Englith. They are but the feveral limpns of one large and universal body; and if in refpect of outward or there have been,or may be acknowledged a precedency, yet in led of the main fubftance of truth we cannot admit of any dependance on any Church under Heaven; Here, that which is the purer from Error and corruption, muft take the wall, maugre all the loud throats of acclaming parafites, yea fo far muft we needs be from pinning our faith upon the fleeve of Rome, as that we cannot (without violence offered to our own confciences) but fee and say that there is no particular Church on Earth, fo branded by the Spirit of God, in the Scriptures, as Rome; In fo much as the beft abbettors, and dearest fautors of that See, are glad to plead that Rome is St. Peters and St. Johns Babylon:: we bleffe God for ftanding on our own feet, and thofe feet of ours ftand upon the infallible grounds of the Prophets, and Apoftles, of Primitive Creeds, Councels, Fathers, and therefore we can no more deceive you, then they can deceive us.

The cenfure that the enemies of our Church caft upon it, is not untruth, but defect,they dare not but grant what we fay is true, but they blame us for not faying all is true which they fay; now that which we say, was enough to ferve those antient Chriftians, which

lived before those lately devised additions, the refusal whereof is made haynous and deadly to us; how fafe, how happy is this erring? Let my foul be with thofe bleffed Martyrs, Confeffors, Fathers, Chriftians which never lived to hear of thofe new Articles of the new Roman faith, and I dare fay, you will not wish yours any other where, there can be no danger in old truths, there can be nothing but danger in new ob trufions. But I finde how apt my pen is to over-run the bounds of a letter, my zeal of your fafety carries me into this length, the errors into which these feducers would lead you are deadly, especially upon a revolt: your very ingenuity I hope (befides grace) will fuggeft better things to you: Hold that which you have, that no man take your crown; My Soul for you go right; fo fure as there is a heaven, this way will lead you thither, go on confidently, and cheerfully in it, let me never be happy, if you be not; you will pardon my holy importunity, which fhall be ever feconded with my hearty prayers to the God of truth, that he will stablish your heart in that eternal truth of his Gospel which you have received, and both work and crown your happy perfeverance; fuch shall be the fervent apprecations of

yours

Your much devoted
Friend
Jof. Exon,

RE

W

Hereas there are many loud quarrels, and brabbles about matter of Religion, this is my firme and steadfast Refolution, wherein I finde peace with God, and my own Soul, as being undoubtedly certain in it felf, and ho'ily charitable to others, and that in which I conftantly purpofe (God willing) as to Live so to Dye.

1. I do believe and know that there is but one way to Heaven, even the True and Living way, Jefus Chrift, God and Man the Saviour of the World.

2. I believe and know, that this way however it is a narrow and ftraight way, in refpect of the World, yet hath much Latitude in it felf: So as thofe that truely believe in this Son of God, their Saviour,though they may be mif-led into many by-pathes of small errors, yet by the mercy of God are acknowledged not to be out of the main high way to eternal life.

3. I believe and know, that the Canonical Scriptures of God are the true and unfailing Rule of our Faith, fo as whatfoever is therein contain❜d is the infallible Truth of God, and whatsoever is neceffary to be believed to eternal Salvation, is therein exprefly, or by clear and undoubted confequence contein'd, and fo fet forth as it neither needeth farther explication, nor admits of any probable Contradiction.

4. I believe and know, that God hath ever fince the creation of Mankinde had a Church upon Earth, and fo fhall have to the end of the World, which is a Society or Communion of Faithful men profefsing his Name, againft which the gates of Hell fhall never be able to prevail, for the failing thereof.

5. I believe and know, that the confenting voice of the fuccefsi

ons,

ons, and prefent univerfality of faithful Men in all times and places, is worthy of great authority, both for our Confirmation in all truths, and for our direction in all the circumftantial points of Gods fervice; fo as it cannot be opposed, or fever'd from, without just offence to God.

6. I believe and know, that befides thofe neceflary truths contain'd in the Holy Scriptures and Seconded by the Confent and Profefsion of all Gods faithful ones, there may be, and ever have been, certain collateral and not-mainly importing verities,wherein it is not anlawful, for feveral particular Churches, to maintain their own Tenets, and to diffent from other; and the feveral members of thofe particular Churches are bound, fo far to tender the common Peace; as not to oppofe fuch publiquely received truths.

7. I do confidently believe, that if all the particular Churches, through the whole Chriftian World, fhould meet together, and determine thefe fecondary and animporting truthes to be believed upon necefsity of Salvation,and fhall enact Damnation to all those which shall deny their affent therennto, they should go beyond the Commission which God hath given them, and do an act which God hath never undertaken to warrant: Since there can be no new Principles of Chriftian Religion, however there may be an application, of fome formerly received Divine truthes to fome emergent occafions, and a clearer explication of fome obfcure verities.

8. I do confidently believe that God hath never confin'd the determination of his will in all queftions and matters, pertaining to Salvation, or whatsoever controverfies of Religion to the breaft of any one Man, or to a particular Church, or to a correfpondence, of fome particular Churches, fo as they shall not pofsibly err,in their Definitions and Decrees.

9.

I do confidently believe, that the Church of Rome comprehending both the head and those her adherents, and dependance, being but particular Churches, have highly offended God in arrogating to themselves the priviledg of infallibility which was never given them, and in ordaining new Articles of faith, and excluding from the bofome of Gods Church, and the Gates of Heaven all thofe which differ from her in the refufal of her late bred impofitions, though otherwife holy men, and no lefs true Chriftians, then any of themselves.