Ver. 3.

Titus

3.

phets among the Jews, fo there should be falfe Teachers among the Chriftians, who fhould privily bring in damnable Herefies, even denying the Lord who bought them: and thro' Covetousness, with feigned Words, making Merchandize of Souls. St. Paul alfo bids 10, 11. Titus to reject an Heretick, after the first and Second Admonition, forafmuch as he that is fuch, is fubverted and finneth, being condemned of himself. Thefe are the two principal Texts of Scripture that speak of Herefy or Hereticks with reference to matters of Faith; and I doubt not but it is from these two Texts, that the common ecclefiaftical Notion of Herefy, as it is diftinguished from Schism, is taken up. But now from these two Texts we plainly fee, that Heresy is not fo much a Fault of a Man's Understanding, as of his Will. In the Sense of these two Apoftles, he only is an Heretick that denies fome fundamental Truths of Christ's Religion, that fubverts the Faith, and teaches Doârines inconfiftent with Chriftianity; and this out of evil Principles, fo that his own Confcience cannot but accufe him. But he is not a Heretick, however he may be mistaken in Matters of Religion, who holds to the Foundation of the Chriftian Faith, and means honeftly, and endeavours to inform himfelf as well as he can. So that it is in every Man's Power to avoid the being a Heretick; and none but a wicked Perfon can be fo. St. Auguftin, I am sure,

was of this Opinion, when he faid, Errare poffum Hæreticus effe nolo; I may be under Errors or Miftakes, but I will not be an Heretick. Intimating that it was not fo much Defect of the Understanding, as Vice and Sin and a corrupt Inclination of Mind, that made a Man to deferve that Name.

The Reflection I make upon what I have now faid about Herefy in Matters of Faith, is this: We fee from hence how groundlefly, how unreasonably, we Protestants are charged with Herefy by our Adverfaries. They make no Scruple of calling us Hereticks, and telling us we fhall be damned upon that Account, unless we come over to their Belief. Why, what is it they would have us believe? We believe all that Jesus Chrift and his Apoftles taught to the World, fo far as we have Knowledge of it. We believe all the Holy Scriptures, and not only fo, but we make them the Rule of our Faith. We believe all thofe Articles of Faith into which all Chriftians in every Country from Christ's Time to this have been baptifed, and which by all the Antients have been accounted a perfect Summary of the Chriftian Faith; nor do we hold any thing inconfiftent with them. We own both Chrift's Sacraments; and we adminifter them entirely. We renounce all the Herefies that were condemned by the antient general Councils; nay, we are ready to refer ourselves to thofe

B 3

Councils,

Councils, and to the primitive Fathers who lived at that Time, for the Trial of all the Points which are difputed between us. And laftly, we are fure we are not obftinate in our Errors, if they should prove fo; we are fure we have no fecular Ends to ferve in the maintaining them; and most of all fure we are, that we are not felf-condemned, that our own Confcience doth not accufe us for being of this Way; (which yet is one of thofe Things that go to the making of an Heretick): Now if all these Things can be truly faid of us, (as I think they may be truly faid of the Church of England, and of all the honeft Members of it) how is it poffible that we can in any Senfe be guilty of Herefy? In the Senfe of the Scriptures and of the Fathers I am fure we are Orthodox Chriftians: And in the Senfe of the greatest Divines, even in the Roman Communion, I am fure we are no Hereticks. And if after all that, we must be branded with that Name, all that we can fay is, that after the Acts 24.14 Way which they call Herefy, fo worship we the God of our Fathers.

But, 2dly, there is another Notion of Herefy in the Holy Scriptures, befides that I have now mentioned; and that is with refpect to ecclefiaftical Peace and Communion: As a Man who deferts the Faith is guilty of Herefy, fo is he who caufelefly breaks the Communion of the Church, a Heretick alfo in the Language of the Scripture.

Now

Now in this Senfe Herefy is the fame Thing with that which we call Schifm; · and in this Senfe I do verily believe St. Paul meant it in the Text I am now upon. That he did fo, will appear to any one who will look two Verfes backwards, and observe how the Text comes in. In the 17th Verfe of this Chapter St. Paul tells the Corinthians, that he had one Thing to declare to them, for which he was far from praising them: and that was, that they came together not for the better, but for the worfe. Now what that was which rendered their Affemblies fo unprofitable, or rather fo prejudicial_to them, he tells them in the 18th Verfe; For, fays he, when ye come together in the Church, I hear that there be Divifions among you: [The original Words are, I hear there be guara. Schifms among you] and, fays he, I partly believe it; and then he gives the Reason why he is fo inclinable to believe this of them in the Words of my Text, For, fays he, there must be Herefies among you. So that it is evident that what he called Schifms or Divifions in the former Verse, he calls Herefies in the following Verfe, and confequently that he meant the fame Thing by both thofe Words. It is wholly indifferent to my present Bufinefs in which of thefe two Senfes the Words of my Text be interpreted. I fhall in what I have further to fay have respect to both; only before I proceed, I would make a Reflection upon this Notion B 4

of

of Herefy, as I did upon the former. According to the Sense I have now, given of the Text, every one who makes Divifions, every one that caufeth Schifms, is guilty of Herefy. This is true, and let thofe who are concerned in it look to it., It must be acknowledged, that as Chriftianity now stands in the World, nay as it hath ftood for feveral Ages, there have been, and are a great many Divifions and Schifms in the Church. They who are united in one common Faith, are not united in one common Communion, as the primitive Churches were. That is indeed the Infelicity and Mifery of Christendom; and all good Men do fadly lament it. But Woe be to them by whom this Offence cometh!

There are who call us Schifmaticks, becaufe we are now in a State of Separation from the Church of Rome upon account of our Reformation. But we are fure we do not deferve that Name. If indeed it did appear either that that Church was the only Catholick Church, out of which there is no Salvation; or that we had departed farther from that Church, or any Church, than we are convinced they have departed from the primitive Rule of Chrift and his Apostles; or that what was done in our Reformation, was done without lawful and fufficient Authority; or that at this Day we refufe Communion with any, or with all the Churches in the World, upon fuch

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