besides that which we have mentioned. It is but just and reasonable, indeed, that we should maintain Peace with such Men as these: (a) But for receiving the Sacrament upon this Condition, that we should embrace any other Rule of Faith and Practice, beside the Books of the New Testament, and think all those excluded the Church who will not admit them; this a religious and prudent Man will think very wicked. But all they who are true Lovers of the Gospel, safely may and ought to approach the Sacramental Table of them, who know no other Laws of obtaining eternal Salvation, but those laid down by Christ and his Apostles in the Books of the Gospel Covenant, as every one can understand them. For whoever acknowledge the Books of the New Testament for the only Rule of Faith and Practice; who sincerely conform their Lives to that Rule; in a Word, who allow of no Idolatry, nor treat others ill, that they may profess they believe certain Doctrines which they do not believe: All such are received by these, and also invited to this Table. It is manifest indeed, that Communion cannot be maintained with him who makes use of Force to impose his Opinions upon others; who worships other Gods, beside the true God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; or who by his Conversation, shews that he makes light of the Precepts of the Gospel; or who owns any other Laws of Salvation, than those wrote in the Books of the eternal Covenant: But he, who behaves himself the direct contrary, is worthy to have all Christians maintain Communion with him, and to be preferred to all

(a) But for receiving the Sacrament, &c.] And this was the Opinion of Grotius, as appears from that little Book of his, Whether we ought always to join in receiving the Sacrament; where he speaks of the Reasons of forbearing the Communion. Tom. IV. of his Theological Works, Page 511.

the

the Rest who are of a different Opinion. (a) No mortal Man, nay no Angel can impose any new Gospel upon Christians, to be believed by them: Now according to this Gospel, he is a true Disciple of Christ, who from his Heart believes his Doctrine, and his only, so as to obey it the best he is able, according to the Infirmity of this Life ; who worships one God, loves his Neighbour as himself, and lives temperately in respect to all other Things. If any Thing be diminished from this, the Laws of the Covenant, which none but God can abate any Thing of, are maimed: And if any Thing be added, it is an useless Yoke, which none ought to impose on Christians. Such Laws can be received from God only, who alone is the Determiner of eternal Salvation.

PERHAPS Some may here ask me by what Name these Christian Societies which I have now described, may be distinguished? But it signifies nothing what Donomination they go under: The Reader may conceive all Churches to be meant, in which, what I have said, is to be found. Wheresoever that only Rule of Faith, and that Liberty which I have described is, and they need not inquire for a Name, which makes nothing to the Purpose. I believe there are many such Societies; and I pray the great and good God, that there may be more and more every Day; that at length his Kingdom may come into all the Earth, and that Mankind may obey it only.

(a) No mortal Man, &c.] See the Notes on Sect. I,

SECT.

SECT. XI.

Concerning Church-Government.

A SMALL Difficulty may be here objected to us, which arises from the Form of Church-Government and Discipline, commonly called Ecclesiastical: For no Society, such as a Church is, can subsist without Order, and therefore there must be some Form of Government appointed. Nor is it debated amongst Christians, what Form of Government was appointed by the Apostles; for that seems preferable to all others, which was appointed from the Beginning; and therefore of two Churches, in which the Gospel is taught with equal Purity and Sincerity in all other Respects, that is to be preferred, in which the Form of Government is Apostolical; though Government without the Thing itself, that is the Gospel, is only the faint Shadow of a Church.

THERE are now two Forms of Government, one of which is that wherein the Church acts under one Bishop, who alone has the Right of ordaining Presbytery, or the inferior Order of the Gospel Ministers; the other is that, where the Church is governed by an Equality of Presbyters, joined with some Lay-persons of Prudence and Honesty. They who without Prejudice have read over the most ancient Christian Writers that now remain, (a) very well know, that the former Manner of Discipline, which is called Episcopal, such as that in the South Part of Great Britain, prevailed every where in the Age immediately after the Apostles; whence we may collect that it is of the Apostolical

(a) Very well know, &c.] See my Ecclesiastical History, Century I. to the Year LII, 6. and LXVIII. 8, and the following ones. Le Clerc. Institution.

Institution. The other, which they call Presbyterian, was instituted in many Places of France, Switzerland, Germany and Holland, by those who in the Sixteenth Century made a Separation from the Church of Rome.

THEY who read with Attention the Histories of that Century, are fully satisfied that this latter Form of Government was introduced for this Reason only, because the Bishops would not allow to them, who contended that the Doctrine and Manners of Christians stood in Need of necessary Amendment, that those Things should be reformed, which they complained were corrupted. Otherwise, if the Bishops every where at that Time, had been willing to do of their own Accord, what was not long after done in England; that Government had prevailed even to this Day, amongst all those who separated from the Romish Church; and the numberless Calamities which happened, when all Things were disturbed and confounded, had then been prevented. For, if we would judge of the Matter truly, there was no other Reason for changing the Government but this, that whilst the ancient Government remained, nothing could be procured, however just in itself. Therefore the Presbyterian Form is appointed in many Places; which after it was once done, was so much for the Interest of all them, who presided in the State-Affairs in those Places, and is so at this Time, not to have it changed, that it must of Necessity continue; unless any one had rather, upon that Account, that all the Dominions in which it prevails, should be put into the most dangerous Disorders; which prudent Men will never allow, nor is it to be wished. The Form of Government was appointed of old, to preserve the Christian Doctrine, and not to disturb the Commonwealth, which can scarce happen without endangering the Religion itself. WHERE

WHEREFORE prudent Men, though they above all Things wish for the Apostolical Form of Church-Government, and that it might be every where alike; yet they think Things had better be left in the State in which they now are, than venture the Hazards which always attend the Attempt of new Things. In the mean Time, they that are wise, will by no Means hate, reproach, or condemn one another upon that Account, as the most violent Men are apt to do; as if eternal Salvation depended upon either Form, which does not seem to be taught any where in the Apostolick Writings, nor can it be gathered from the Nature of the Christian Religion.

SECT. XII.

The ancient Church-Government was highly esteemed by Grotius, without condemning others.

WHOEVER reads over the Works of that great Man Hugo Grotius, and examines into his Doctrine and Practice, will find, that he had entertained in his Mind (a) that Form of sound Words, the Truth of which he has proved; nor did he esteem any Thing else as true Religion; but after he had diligently read the Writings of Christian Antiquity, and understood that the ori

(a) That Form of sound Words, &c.] See amongst other Things, The Institution of Children that are baptized, which the Author himself translated out of Dutch Verse into Latin, in his Theological Works, Tom. IV. Page 629. And in his latter Works, he often affirms, that whatever is necessary to Salvation is plainly enough contained in the New Testament. See his Annotations on Cassander's Consultation, towards the End, where he speaks of the Sufficiency and Plainness of the Scripture. Which being granted, it is manifest from thence, that the Sum of the Christian Religion, as it was before produced by us, may be collected thence by any one.