these had made, proved fruitful. Parties were formed, fecular interefts were grafted upon them, and new quarrels followed thofe that first began the difpute. The contefts in Holland concerning predeftination drew on another fcene of contention among us as well as them, which was managed with great heat. Here was matter for angry men to fight it out, till they themselves and the whole nation grew weary of it. The question about the morality of the Fourth Commandment, was an unhappy incident, that raised a new ftrife. The controverfies with the Church of Rome were for a long while much laid down. The Archbishop of Spalata's works had appeared with great pomp in King James's time, and they drew the obfervation of the learned world much after them; though his unhappy relapfe, and fatal cataftrophe, made them be lefs read afterwards, than they well deferved to have been. When the progrefs of the house of Auftria began to give their neighbours great apprehenfions, fo that the Proteftant religion feemed to come under a very thick cloud, and upon that jealoufies began to arife at home, in King Charles's reign, this gave occafion to two of the beft books that we yet have: the one fet out by Archbishop Laud, writ with great learning, judgment, and exactnefs: the other by Chillingworth, writ with fo clear a thread of reafon, and in fo lively a ftyle, that it was juftly reckoned the best book that had been writ in our language. It was about the niceft point in Popery, that by which they had made the moft profelytes, and that had once impofed on himfelf, concerning the infallibility of the Church, and the motives of credibility. Soon after that, we fell into the confufions of civil war, in which our Divines fuffered fo much, that, while they were put on their own defence against those that had broke the peace of the Church and State, few books were written, but on thofe thofe fubjects that were then in debate among ourfelves, concerning the government of the Church, and our Liturgy and ceremonies. The difputes about the decrees of God were again managed with a new heat. There were alfo great abftractions fet on foot in thofe times concerning juftification by faith, and thefe were both fo fubtile, and did feem to have fuch a tendency not only to antinomianifm, but to a libertine courfe of life, that many books were writ on thofe fubjects. That noble work of the Polyglot Bible, together with the collection of the critics, fet our Divines much on the ftudy of the Scriptures, and the oriental tongues, in which Dr. Pocock and Dr. Lightfoot were fingularly eminent. In all Dr. Hammond's writings one fees great learning, and folid judgment; a juft temper in managing controverfies; and, above all, a fpirit of true and primitive piety, with great application to the right understanding of the Scriptures, and the directing of all to practice. Bishop Pearson on the Creed, as far as it goes, is the perfecteft work we have. His learning was profound and exact, his method good, and his ftyle clear: he was equally happy both in the force of his arguments, and in the plainnefs of his expreffions. Upon the restoration of the Royal Family, and the Church, the first scene of writing was naturally laid in the late times, and with relation to conformity. But we quickly faw that Popery was a restless thing, and was the standing enemy of our Church: fo foon as that fhewed itself, then our Divines returned to thofe controverfies, in which no man bare a greater fhare, and fucceeded in it with more honour, than Bishop Stillingfleet, both in his vindication of Archbishop Laud, and in the long-continued difpute concerning the idolatry of the Church of Rome. When the dangers of Popery came nearer us, and became fenfible to all perfons, then a great number of our Divines engaged in those controver fies. They writ fhort and plain, and yet brought together, together, in a great variety of fmall tracts, the fubftance of all that was contained in the large volumes, writ both by our own Divines, and by foreigners. There was in thefe a folidity of argument, mixed with an agreeablenefs in the way of writing, that both pleafed and edified the nation; and did very much confound, and at last filence, the few and weak writers that were of the Romish fide. The inequality that was in this conteft was too vifible to be denied; and therefore they, who fet it first on foot, let it fall: for they had other methods to which they trufted more, than to that unfuccefsful one of writing. In thofe treatifes, the substance of all our former books is fo fully contained, and fo well delivered, that in them the doctrines of our Church, as to all controverted points, are both clearly and copioufly fet forth. The perufing of all this was a large field: and yet I thought it became me to examine all with a due measure of exactnefs. I have taken what pains I could to digeft every thing in the cleareft method, and in the fhorteft compafs, into which I could poffibly bring it. So that in what I have done, I am, as to the far greateft part, rather an hiftorian and a collector of what others have writ, than an author myfelf. This I have performed faithfully, and I hope with fome measure of diligence and exactnefs: yet if, in fuch a variety, fome important matters are forgot, and if others are miftaken, I am fo far from reckoning it an injury to have thofe difcovered, that I will gladly receive any advices of that kind: I will confider them carefully, and make the best use of them I can, for the undeceiving of others, as foon as I am convinced that I have mifled them. If men feek for truth in the meeknefs of Chrift, they will follow this method in thofe private and brotherly practices recommended to us by our Saviour. But for thofe that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, I fhall very little regard any oppofition pofition that may come from them. I had no other defign in this work, but first to find out the truth myfelf, and then to help others to find it out. If I fucceed to any degree in this defign, I will blefs God for it and if I fail in it, I will bear it with the humility and patience that becomes me. But as foon as I fee a better work of this kind, I shall be among the firft of those who fhall recommend that, and difparage this. There is no part of this whole work, in which I have laboured with more care, and have writ in a more uncommon method, than concerning predeftination. For, as my fmall reading had carried me further in that controverfy than in any other whatfoever, both with relation to ancients and moderns, and to the most efteemed books in all the different parties; fo I weighed the Article with that impartial care that I thought became me; and have taken a method, which is, for aught I know, new, of stating the arguments of all fides with fo much fairnefs, that thofe, who knew my own opinion in this point, have owned to me, that they could not difcover it by any thing that I had written. They were inclined to think that I was of another mind. than they took me to be, when they read my arguings of that fide. I have not, in the explanation of that Article, told what my own opinion was; yet here I think it may be fitting to own, that I follow the doctrine of the Greek Church, from which St. Auftin departed, and formed a new fyftem. After this declaration, I may now appeal both to St. Auftin's difciples, and to the Calvinifts, whether I have not ftated both their opinions and arguments, not only with truth and candour, but with all poffible advantages. One reafon, among others, that led me to follow the method I have purfued in this controverfy, is to offer at the beft means I can for bringing men to a better understanding of one another, and to a mutual forbearance in thefe matters. This is at prefent prefent the chief point in difference between the Lutherans and the Calvinifts. Expedients for bringing them to an union in thefe heads, are projects that can never have any good effect: men whofe opinions are fo different, can never be brought to an agreement: and the fettling on fome equivocal formularies, will never lay the contention that has arifen concerning them: the only poffible way of a found and lasting reconciliation, is to poffefs both parties with a fenfe of the force of the arguments that lie on the other fide; that they may fee they are no way contemptible; but are fuch as may prevail on wife and good men. Here is a foundation laid for charity and if to this, men would add a juft fenfe of the difficulties in their own fide, and confider, that the ill confequences drawn from opinions, are not to be charged on all that hold thein, unless they do likewife own thofe confequences; then it would be more eafy to agree on fome general propofitions, by which thofe ill confequences might be condemned, and the doctrine in general fettled; leaving it free to the men of the different fyftems to adhere to their own opinions; but withal obliging them to judge charitably and favourably of others, and to maintain communion with them, notwithstanding that diverfity. It is a good step even to the bringing men over to an opinion, to perfuade them to think well of those who hold it. This goes as it were half way; and if it is not poffible to bring men quite to think as we do, yet a great deal is done both towards that, and towards the healing those wounds in which the Church lies a bleeding, when they come to join in the fame communion, and in fuch acts of worship as do agree with their different perfuafions. For as in the facrament of the Eucharift, both Lutherans and Calvinifts agreeing in the fame devotions and acts of worship, a mere point of fpeculation concerning the manner in which Chrift is prefent, ought not to divide thofe who agree in every thing elfe |