THE Naked Truth OR THE TRUE STATE OF THE Primitive Church BY AN Humble Moderator Zach. 8. 19. Love the Truth and Peace Gal. 4. 16. Am I therefore become your Enemy because I tell you the truth Printed in the Year 1675. An Humble Petition to the Right Honourable the Lords and Commons Assembled in Parliament MY Lords and noble Gentlemen You have fully expressed your Zeal to God and his Church in making Laws for Unity in Faith and Uniformity in Discipline for as our Saviour said A Kingdom divided against it self cannot stand so the same may certainly be said of a Church the reason being the same for both And I call the Searcher of all hearts the God of life and death to witness that I would most readily yea most joyfully sacrifice all I have in this world my life and all that all Non-Conformists were reduced to our Church But it falls out most sadly that your Laws have not the desired effect our Church is more and more divided such is the perverse nature of man Niti in Vetitum obstinately to oppose Authority especially when they can pretend the colour of Religion and Conscience this carries so great an applause among the Vulgar still envious at Superiors that it is as it were Nuts to an Ape sweeter to them than any other thing this world affords for the enjoyment of this they will endure any thing imprisonment loss of goods yea sometime of life also And this is it which mainly nourishes our Divisions gives great advantage to the growth of Popery and threatens the total ruine of our Church Many who were formerly very zealous for our Church seeing these our sad divisions and not seeing those of the Roman-Church nor their gross Superstitions which their Priests conceal till they have got men fast are easily seduced by their pretended Unity and daily fall from us This makes my heart to bleed and my soul with anguish ready to expire rather than live to see that dismal day of relapse into their manifold Idolatries Wherefore I humbled my Soul before God in fasting and prayer begging dayly the assistance of his holy Spirit to direct me to some healing Salve for these our bleeding Wounds and therefore I have some reason to believe that what is contained in these following Papers comes from the great goodness of God who never fails those who seek him in humility and sincerity both which I am confident I have done and this I am sure of that no Worldly designs have moved me to this but have often tempted me to give it over I am also sure that there is nothing contained therein which is contrary to the known Laws of the Land in this only I confess I have transgressed in putting it forth without licence and for this I beg of God and you as Naaman did of Elisha In this thing the Lord and you pardon your Servant and I hope you will say unto me as Elisha did unto Naaman Go in peace and I farther hope this shall not cast such a prejudice upon it as to make you cast it by or read it with disgust I do not expect you should approve any thing upon the account of my seeking God in this but upon my Reasons alledged nor do I expect that upon my Reasons you should approve all yet I beseech you seriously consider all and God of his infinite goodness direct you to that which may make for the Unity of our Church by yielding to weak ones if not wilful Ones also as far as your Reason and Conscience will permit sure you cannot so loath all condescention as not to loath more and detest Papal confusion which certainly comes on apace by our division and of two evils both Reason and Religion require us to chuse the less now doubtless you cannot think condescention if evil at all sure not so evil as Papal Idolatry and that Papistry is Idolatry is so clearly proved by our Learned Dr. Stilling fleet as it were lost labour to say more of it Condescention may seem in some respects imprudent but whether in this conjuncture of affairs imprudent I beseech you again consider well The Wisest men have changed their Counsels and Resolves upon second thoughts much more upon experience and approaching evils not at first discovered It is a common thing with Princes when they find their main enemies power encrease much to make peace with lesser enemies on conditions never before to be endured Self-preservation being the prime principle in all Creatures rational and irrational springing from Nature it self it should in nature and reason over-ballance any other consideration and whatever is done to this end if not sinfully done must needs be wisely done I most humbly beseech the All-wise God and sole giver of wisdom to pour down his Holy and Wise Spirit upon you Amen To the READER CHristian Reader so I term you hoping you have in some measure the Spirit of Christ and desire it more the spirit of meekness humility charity not to censure my errors and enveigh against them but to pity and endeavour to rectifie them if you find any and I assure you in the word of a Christian I shall be far more ready to recant than to vent an error If you be not thus Christianly disposed I earnestly beseech you read no furtner for I am sure you will be displeas'd with it and can you think it wisdom to run your self into displeasure enjoy your present quiet and let me rest But if you be so Christianly disposed as I mentioned then I as earnestly heg of you to proceed to discover my errors and amend them But perchance you will ask who I am why did I not tell you by putting my name to this Pamphlet I will ingenuously confess the cause I am a weak man of great Passions not able to bear Commendations or Reproach my small ability puts me out of danger of the first but in great fear of the later Why then was I so forward to publish my weakness to have it cured yet truly I have not been very forward for it is now above two years since I had these thoughts in which time I have read and conferred all I could to discover if I were in an error but for all I yet could meet with do not find it so but hope all I say is truth and that it may he useful to the Publique in this present conjuncture of affairs Therefore I proceed and in the next place most humbly beseech all that read this to lay aside all bias of interest or education both are very great I am sure I found it so very long before I could master them and that of education most difficult were it not so there could not be that difference of opinion in Christian Religion all allowing the Bible for the Rule of Faith the Papists themselves do not reject it but add to it the authority of the Church I verily believe there are thousands of Papists Lutherans Calvinists
Blood-shed among Christians Brother Fighting against Brother and Murthering each other Can there be any thing more irrational than to endeavour to promote the truth of the Gospel contrary to the Laws of the Gospel to break an evident Commandment to establish a doubtful Truth I say doubtful to him on whom it is imposed though seeming clear to him that imposes it If it were fully express'd in Scripture-words there would need no new Expression no new Article if it be not fully exprest in Scripture but deduc'd from Scripture-Expressions then what one Man thinks clearly deduc'd another may think not so I mean not another ignorant and weak but as learned and as able VVhat more common than in Divinity and Philosophy Schools One crys this is a clear Demonstration another crys no such matter but flatly denies it Mens understandings are as various as their Speech or their Countenance otherwise it were impossible there should be so many understanding and moderate yea and conscientious Men also Papists Lutherans Calvinists all in such Opposition one against another all believing Scripture yet so differing in the deductions from Scripture Truly I think him very defective in Charity however he abound in Faith who thinks all Papists or Lutherans or Calvinists malitiously or wilfully blind As for my part I think nothing can be more clearly deduc'd from Scripture nothing more fully express'd in Scripture nothing more sutable to Natural Reason than that no Man should be forc'd to believe for no Man can be forc'd to believe you may force a Man to say this or that but not to believe it First as to Reason If you bring a Man an evident Demonstration and he hath a Brain to understand your Demonstration he can't but assent to it If you hold a clear Printed Book with a clear Candle to a Man of clear Eyes and able to read he will certainly read but if the Print be not clear or the Candle or his Sight not clear or he not Learned to read can your force make him read And just so it is with our understanding which is the eye of our Soul and a demonstration being as a candle to give light if then your demonstration or deduction or his understanding be not clear or he not learned you may with a club dash out his brains but never cleer them He then that believes the Scripture can't but believe what you cleerly demonstrate from Scripture if he hath cleer brains if he hath not your force may puzle and pudle his brains more by the passion of anger and hatred make him abhor you and your arguments but never lovingly embrace you or them and thus you may hazard his Soul by hatred and your own Soul also by provoking him to it but never save his Soul by a true belief But perchance you will conclude he doth not believe the Scripture because he doth not believe your arguments from Scripture a strange conclusion but what then would you can you force him to believe the Scripture can you drive saith like a nail into his head or heart with a hammer nay 't is not in a mans own power to make himself believe any thing farther then his reason shews him much less divine things this is the peculiar work of Grace and if Faith be the gift of God your Argument cannot give it nor your Hammer force it Arguments may be good Inducements and if right will prevail with those to believe whom God hath ordained to Eternal Life but no other Preaching the Word is the means God himself hath appointed but as for force I can't find in the Gospel either commandment or countenance given for it If the Scripture command to speak the truth in love to instruct our Brother in the spirit of meekness if we are to pray and beseech him to receive the grace of God can any thing be more contrary to Scripture Rule then force and violence to what purpose then is force since it cannot make him believe the Gospel and if he doth believe the Gospel he will I am sure he cannot chuse but believe what you cleerly shew him is contained there supposing his brain to be clear and I am also sure if he believe what is cleerly contained he need not believe any thing else The Scripture is our Rule of Faith compleat and full the Scripture it self tells us so Iohn 20. 31. These things are written that you might believe and believing ye might have life and our Saviour tells us That in them we have Eternal Life Iohn 5. 39. and the 2d Tim. 3. 15. St. Paul tells us The Scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Iesus all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works And I beseech all men further to consider what is said Deut. 12. 32. Thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it and likewise how they will avoid the Curse in the last of the Revelation if they add to the words there written and surely 't is the same Crime to add to any other Book of Scripture If it be answered They do not require us to believe it to be Scripture I reply They require men to believe it as Scripture with Divine Faith which is as bad they make their own words equal with Gods word or if they say they require not Divine Faith then I am sure it is no matter of Salvation whether I believe it or no humane Faith cannot save Thus you see how impertinent how irrational how impious it is to require a man to believe any thing more than is cleerly contained in Scripture and if it be cleerly contained there he that believes Scripture and sees it cleerly contained there can't but believe it if he do not see it cleerly contained there you can't force either his sight or his Faith Your force may make him blinder but never see cleerer may make him an Hypocrite no true Convert Again I desire all men soberly to consider Are not the prime and most necessary Principles of Faith the Trinity three Persons and one God the Incarnation of Jesus Christ the same person to be God and Man the Resurrection of the Dead that we shall rise with the same Body when one body may be eaten and converted into several bodies and such like Are they not things far above the highest reason and sharpest understanding that ever had Man yet we believe them because God who cannot lye hath declared them is it not then a strange thing for any man to take upon him to declare one tittle more of them then God hath declared seeing we understand not what is declared I mean we have no comprehensive knowledge of the matter declared but only a believing knowledge our Faith not our Reason reaches it the Apostles by the Scriptures teach us this not
heretical Profession though not their Opinion who conscious to themselves of their own dissimulation and desirous to get favour with St. Austin a Person of great Veneration and Authority with all related unto him this specious Story which St. Austin's great Charity was apt to believe as St. Paul saith believeth all things and from hence concludeth that it might be lawfull to use the Power of the Civil Sword to reduce Hereticks to the Church But unless it can be evidenced that these Donatists Hearts were changed as well as their Profession a thing impossible to prove all this proves nothing Thirdly Put the Case their Hearts were really changed as to matter of Belief 't is evident their Hearts were very worldly still groveling on the Earth not one step nearer Heaven our Saviour saith An evil Tree can't bring forth good Fruit and sure their Heart was evil which was far more moved for the quiet enjoyment of this Worlds good than for the blessed enjoyment of Christ. Fourthly Though we farther grant that the pruning of the Magistrates Sword did really correct the vitiousness of the Tree and made it bring forth some good Fruit yet shall we do evill that good may come of it God forbid saith St. Paul Put the case Malchus had been converted by St. Peters cutting off his Ear this would not have excused St. Peters act which our Saviour so sharply reproved and threatned with perishing by the Sword and gave him the reason why he ought not to use the Sword in his cause Thinkest thou that I cannot pray unto my Father and he will presently give me more than twelve legions of Angels Canst thou do any thing more prejudicial to the honour of my God-head than to think I want the help of Man to defend me And according to this may our Saviour say Thinkest thou that I cannot pray unto my Father and he shall give me more than twelve millions of Souls to worship my Name or canst thou do any thing to eclipse more the power and glory of the Gospel which I have ordained to be set up by weakness and foolishness of Preaching and thereby to subdue both the wisdom of the Greeks and the power of the Gentiles As I my self have conquered all Enemies by preaching and suffering so must my Disciples tread in my steps And just so we find that the Gospel was most miraculously advanced over all the World by preaching and suffering for it not by compelling others to it 'T is evident that upon preaching of the Gospel as many as were ordained by God to Eternal Life believed and surely those who are not ordained by God to Eternal Life can never be brought thither by the ordinance or power of Man Wherefore when the Ministers have preached and prayed they have performed all they can do the rest must be left to the Justice or Mercy of God who hath mercy on whom he will haue mercy and whom he will he hardeneth so that the sharpest Sword in this world shall enter their hard heart no more than an Adamant All this I say in reference to compelling Men to believe or conform still reserving to the Magistrate power according to Scripture To punish evill doers not evill believers not who think but do publish or do practice something to subvert the Fundamentals of Religion or disturb the Peace of the State or injure their Neighbour God the only searcher of hearts reserves unto himself the punishment of evil thoughts of evil belief which Man can never have a right cognizance of for the greatest Professor may be the greatest Atheist But the Magistrate shall conceive he hath sufficient warrant to punish also evil believers and shall proceed to execution or on that pretence shall punish true believers the Scripture is most clear that the Subject is bound to submit and bear it with all Christian patience to the loss of Goods Liberty or Life not only patiently to bear it but to rejoyce in it and I am sure if he hath any true Religion any right understanding in him he will rejoyce on his own behalf because his reward is exceeding great Therefore whoever under pretence of Religion raises any Tumult or takes up Armes against the Magistrate to preserve himself from persecution absolutely declares himself either a stark Fool or a stark Atheist either he believes there is no such reward or is mad to reject the opportunity of gaining it and so at the best is fit for Bedlam at the worst for the Gallowes now let him choose An Appendix to the former Subject BEfore I leave this matter of imposing new Articles of Faith I desire to speak a word or two concerning the authority of Councels and Fathers in relation to it When the Superstitions and the Abuses of the Popish Church especially in the matter of Indulgences grew so very gross as not longer to be endured Luther Melancthon Oecolompadius Bucer divers others opposed them and coming to dispute with their Adversaries about these things the Popish Doctors having no Scripture for their Errors quoted several Fathers and Councils to give countenance unto them The Evangelical Doctors so called because they chiefly urged Evangelium the Gospel for the defence of their Doctrine were most of them bred up from their Infancy in the Popish Church and therein taught even to adore all Councils and Fathers and education being of great force to command and awe both the Wil's and Judgments of Men made them very shie and timorous to reject that authority which they had long reverenced in modesty therefore some of the Evangelical Doctors were content to admit the authority of Fathers and Councils for three or four of the first Centuries some admitted five or six whereby they were reduced some times to great streights in their Disputations for though neither all nor half the Popish Errors can be found in the Councils and Fathers of these Centuries yet some of them were crept very early into the Church This Superstition of the Cross and Chrysme were in use in the second Century The Milenary Error got footing about that time the necessity of Infants receiving the Blessed Sacrament of the Lords Supper came in soon after About the fourth Century there was some touches in Oratory Sermons by way of Rhetorical Ejaculations like praying to Saints but long after came to be formally used as now in Churches and so Superstitions came in some at one time and some at another The Papists themselves do not receive all these Errors but reject some as that of the Millenaries and the necessity of Infants receiving the Lords Supper Now I ask first the Papists by what rule they retain some of these things and reject others Secondly I ask the Evangelical by what rule they submit to the authority of some Centuries and refuse others Both will answer me Because they believe some to be erroneus some to be Orthodox Whereby 't is evident that neither submit to the Fathers authority as comanding
they come in sincerity of heart reject not those whom God accepts I might go on thus to handle other Ceremonies as the Cross in Baptisme the Ring in Marriage c. But I conceive it needless the same reasons being applicable to all and he that is once brought to be indifferent and unconcerned in one will soon be so disposed to all Wherefore I conclude this point of Ceremonies with St. Paul He that regardeth a day regardeth it unto the Lord and he that regardeth not the day to the Lord he doth not regard it he that eateth eateth to the Lord for he giveth God thanks and he that eateth not to the Lord he eateth not and giveth god thanks so he that kneeleth kneeleth to the Lord and he that kneeleth not to the Lord he kneeleth not And I desire you farther to observe this circumstance in St. Paul's words how he calls the zealous observer of Ceremonial matters the weak Brother and commands the strong not to despise him it being really a despicable weakness and a childish or effeminate kind of Devotion to be zealous in any ceremonial observance which masculine spirits are apt to despise but in Christian charity ought rather to pity and bear the infirmities of others Wherefore let us be men of understanding men in devotion be zealous and hold fast the substantial parts of Religion Piety Justice Temperance Chastity Truth Sincerity stand fast for these not recede one hairs breadth from these keep but our ground and fight it out like men to death against all Powers and Principalities on earth or under the earth and let us leave it to women and Children to contend about Ceremonies let it be indifferent to us whether this or that or no Ceremony whether kneel or not kneel bow or not bow Surplice or not Surplice Cross or no Cross Ring or not Ring let us give glory to God in all and no offence to our Brethren in any thing Now if any man would be so curious as to ask why St. Paul did not determine this point whether they should eat herbs only or other meats also whether regard a day or not and so establish Uniformity among them I cannot imagine any other reason but meerly to teach us this charitable complyance with one another as necessary a practice as any other Man is a very ticklish Animal to Govern he will not alwayes be guided by reason and authority man hath a will as well as reason and will have his own will in many things even the godly very few are found so entirely pious as wholly to deny themselves 't is so high and sharp a point of Religion as you may break the heart strings of many in winding them up so high and thus crack all their Religion perchance you would find it so your selves had the Nonconformists the screwing you up as you them Wherefore consider your selves least ye also be tempted be charitable to the weak proceed not so severely against them in your Courts of Judicature but remember what St. Paul saith Colos. 2. Let no manjudge you in meat or in drink or in respect of an holy day or of the new Moon or of the Sabbath dayes which are a shadow of things to come but the body is of Christ will you then in respect of an Holy-day Cross in Baptisme standing at the Creed kneeling at the Sacrament and the like will you in respect of such shadows judge excommunicate sentence to everlasting flames a Soul that holds of the body of Christ believes all his holy Ghospel accords with you in one Faith one Baptisme who acknowledges the only true God Creator of Heaven and Earth and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent to be the Redeemer of Mankind which our Saviour affirms To be Eternal Life will you condemn such an one to Eternal Death God forbid My Reverend Fathers and Judges of the Church I with St. Paul Col. 3. beseech you Put on fatherly bowels of mercies kindness humbleness of mind meekness long suffering towards your poor weak Children and so long as they hold fast the body Christ be not so rigorous with them for shadows if they submit to you in substance have patience though they do not submit in Ceremonies and give me leave to tell you my poor Opinion This violent pressing of Ceremonies hath I humbly conceive been a great hindrance from embracing them men fearing your intentions therein to be far worse then really they are and therefore abhor them Have you never observed a flock of Sheep forcibly driven over a narrow Bridge the poor Sheep fearing they are going into some Pen for Slaughter choose rather to leap into the River then go forwards but drive them on gently and patiently they will of themselves take the way you desire Uniformity in Ceremony is a good and desirable thing therefore endeavour it but unity in Faith and Charity is better and therefore if you cannot obtain that be sure to preserve this this is the one thing necessary choose this better part if you cannot have both for this fierce urging Uniformity in worship hath caused great division in Faith as well as Charity for had you by abolishing some Ceremonies taken the weak brethren into your Church they had not wandred about after seducing Teachers nor fallen into so many gross Opinions of their own but being dayly catechised and instructed by your Orthodox and sound Preaching they would have followed you like good Sheep whereas now they wander about into a hundred by paths of error many whereof lead beadlong to Hell Now I beseech you in the fear of God set before your eyes the dreadful day of Judgment when Christ on his Tribunal of Justice shall require an account of every word and deed and shall thus question you Here are several Souls who taking offence at your Ceremonies have forsaken my Church have forsaken the Faith have run into Hell the Souls for which I shed my precious Blood Why have you suffered this nay why have you occasioned this will you answer it was to preserve your Ceremonies will not Christ return unto you Are your Ceremonies more dear unto you then the Souls for which I dyed who hath required these things at your hands will you for Ceremonies which you your selves confess to be indifferent no way necessary unto Salvation suffer your weak Brethren to perish for whom I dyed Have not I shewed you how David and his Souldiers were guiltless in eating the Shew-bread which was not lawful but only for the Priests to eat If David dispenced with a Ceremony commanded by God to satisfie the hunger of his People will not you dispense with your own Ceremonies to satisfie the Souls of my people who are called by my Name and profess my Name though in weakness Or will you tell Christ they ought to suffer for their own wilfulness and perverseness who will not submit to the Laws of the Church as they ought will not Christ return Shall they perish
both Learned and Religious who would lay down their lives for the truth they profess and yet are divided in opinion meerly by education having in their youth so imprinted their own opinions in their mind as you may sooner separate their body than their opinion from their Soul Nay I have heard that among the Turks there are many wise and moderate persons that are as zealous to maintain their ridiculous Alcaron as we our Bible which cannot proceed from any thing but the strong bias of education which so wheels about and intoxicates their brain And to say somewhat more particular of our own Nation here Those that have been educated in that way as to sit at the Communion and baptize their Children without the Cross had rather omit these Sacraments than use kneeling or the Cross and those that have been educated in kneeling and crossing though they acknowledg they are meer Ceremonies indifferent yet had rather omit the Sacraments than omit the Ceremonies just as if a man had rather starve than eat bread baked in a Pan because he hath used bread baked in an Oven So that Religion in many is really hut their humor fancy passeth for reason and custome is more prevalent than any argument This is the thing which makes me fear I shall meet with very few that will calmly and indifferently consider what I write but will presently startle at it as new and cross to their Genius or to their interest or their reputation which they value above all I mean the esteem and kindness of their best friends and acquaintance whose taunts and reproach they cannot bear but I humbly beseech them to pause a while and lay it by till the passion be over 'till they have mastered all these difficulties I beseech them to set before their eyes the beauty the honour the stedfastness of Truth the comfort the delight the everlasting felicity of a clear and rectified Conscience then resume it and consider again But they cry Pish 't is not worth it 't is a ridiculous toy and savours something of the Sectarian I grant there are some things among the Sectarians I approve of I will not reject and condemn any truth uttered or any good action performed though said and done by the Devil I consider the things and if good embrace them whoever utters them though I detest his errors in other things You will say the same then I heseech you do the same consider what I say simply in it self whether the Papists or Anabaptists say the same it matters not I hope you will not reject Christ because they both profefs him But if after all your serious patient unbiast consideration you find it an erroneous contemptible Pamphlet yet contemn not the person that wrote it in the sincerity of his heart lest you receive the same measure again from Christ who hath assured us that shalt be his rule to meet unto us the like Christ died for the salvation of my poor soul as well as yours contemn it not therefore but endeavour to rectifie it if God hath given you more knowledg and wisdome than me be not high-minded but fear and let him that stands take heed lest he fall Thus I pray for you do you the like for me and however we differ in Opinion let us accord in Charity and in Christ Iesus the Redeemer of us all Amen Concerning Articles of Faith THat which we commonly call the Apostles Creed if it were not Composed by them yet certainly by Primitive and Apostolick Men and proposed as the Summe of Christian Faith the Summe total necessary to Salvation It can't be supposed they lest out any thing which they thought necessary to Salvation they might as well have omitted half or all as one Commandment broken is the same in effect with all so one necessary Principle of Faith denyed Cancels all and shuts outfrom Heaven When I speak of believing the Apostles Creed I do not mean that we believe all there contained with a Divine Faith because it is there contained for we have no assurance that the Apostles Composed that Creed but we are sure all that is in that Creed is evident in Scripture to any common understanding therefore we believe all with a Divine Faith But I mention this Creed onely to shew that the Primitive Church received this as the sum total of Faith necessary to Salvation why not now Is the state of Salvation altered If it be compleat what needs any other Article You would have men improve in Faith so would I but rather intensivè than extensivè to confirm it rather than enlarge it One sound grain of Mustard-seed is better than a bushel of unsound chaffie stuff 'T is good to know all Gospel-Truths and to believe them no doubt of that but the Question is not what is good but what is necessary I pray remember the Treasurer to Candace Queen of Ethiopia whom Philip Instructed in the Faith his time of Catechising was very short and soon proceeded to Baptism But Philip first required a Confession of his Faith and the Eunuch made it and I beseech you Observe it I believe that Iesus Christ is the Son of God and straitway he was Baptized How no more than this No more this little grain of Faith being sound believed with all his heart purchased the Kingdom of Heaven Had he believed the whole Gospel with half his heart it had been of less value in the sight of God 't is not the Quantity but the Quality of our Faith God requireth But sure the Eunuch was more fully Instructed it may be you are sure of it but I could never yet meet with any assurance of it nor any great probability of it I am sure he saw Philip no more and I am sure Philip required no more but baptized him on this and had the Eunuch departed this Life in the same instant that Philip parted from him I believe I have better assurance that this faith would have saved the Eunuch than any Man hath that he ever was taught more See 1 Iohn 4. 2. Every spirit that confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the Flesh is of God but the more the better still I grant though no more necessary Hast thou more Faith have it to thy self before God happy is he who condemneth not himself in the thing which he alloweth happy is he who is thankful to God for having received much and despiseth not him that hath received little God dispenseth his gifts and graces according to his free Will and Pleasure nor doth he require more of any Man than according to the proportion he hath given no more should we Nothing hath caused more mischief in the Church than the establishing new and many Articles of Faith and requiring all to assent unto them I am willing to believe that zealous men endeavoured this with pious intentions to promote that which they conceived Truth but by imposing it on the diffenters caused furious Warrs and lamentable