is like God the Father that is in Heaven who is Love 9. Christ teaches us to avoid Ostentation in our Charity Take heed that ye do not your Alms before Men to be seen of them 10. He teaches us the Duty of Prayer where and what not in the Corners of the Streets nor in the Synagogues to be seen of Men but in the Closet in the secret of the Heart betwixt God and the Soul 11. He forbids Hoarding and Laying up of Money in Bank presses Treasuring up of Wealth in Heaven and the Reason is this that the one is Corruptible and the other is Incorruptible 12. He teaches Dependence upon the Providence of God calling the Dis-trustful O ye of little Faith Which of you says he by taking Thought can add one Cubit to his Stature therefore take no Thought saying What shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewith shall we be clothed for after all these things the Gentiles seek for your Heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all these things But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you 13. He sets up a Discrimination or Distinction between false and true Prophets those that are his Disciples from Counterfeits Ye shall know them said Christ by their Fruits Do men gather Grapes of Thorns or Figgs of Thistles even so every good Tree bringeth forth Good Fruit but a Corrupt Tree bringeth forth Evil Fruit. A Good Tree cannot bring forth Evil Fruit neither can a Corrupt Tree bring forth good Fruit Wherefore by their Fruits ye shall know them This was the Distinction given by Christ to his Followers the Tree was not accounted Good or Bad by the Leaves but the Fruits not by the Opinions but the Holy living The Faith in that Day was an Entire Resignation and Dependence upon God and not a Subscription to Verbal Propositions and Articles though never so True that was the Work of After-times more Corrupt and Superstitious Ages But 14. Lastly Christ preaches the General Judgment Many will say to me in that Day what Day the Day of Account and Final Reckoning with Mankind Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name cast out Devils and done many wonderful works And then said Christ will I profess unto them I never knew you Depart from me ye that work Iniquity Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven Therefore whosoever heareth these Sayings of mine and doth them I will liken him unto a Wise Man which built his House upon a Rock and the Rain descended and the Floods came and the Winds blew and beat upon that House and it fell not for it was builded upon a Rock And every one that beareth these Sayings of Mine and doth them not shall be likened unto a Foolish Man which built his House upon the Sand and the Rain descended and the Floods came and the Winds blew and beat upon that House and it fell and great was the Fall of it And it came to pass when Jesus had ended these Sayings the People were astonished at his Doctrine for he taught them as one having Authority and not as the Scribes By all which it is most plain that as Christ is the Rock on which true Christians build so none can be said truly to build upon this Rock but those that keep his Sayings that do his Commandments that obey his Doctrine Wherefore that Faith of JESUS to be the SON and CHRIST of GOD must be such a Faith as does the Will of the Heavenly Father and keepeth THESE SAYINGS of Christ There are Two places in which Christ seems to sum up his blessed Doctrine One is this Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that Men should do to you do ye even so to them for this is the Law and the Prophets Which Christ came not to destroy but to fulfill But the other Passage seems to be more full the first relating only to our Dealings with Men this Second Passage comprehends our Duty both to God and Men viz. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy Mind this is the first and great Commandment and the second is like unto it Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self In these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets This is the Perfection of the Christian Religion the Great Commandment of Christ the Certain Token of Discipleship A new Commandment said Christ I give unto you that ye Love one another as I have loved you that ye also love one another by this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have love one to another Again Christ speaks to his Disciples If ye keep my Commandments ye shall abide in my Love even as I have kept my Father's Commandments and abide in his Love and this is my Commandment that ye Love one another as I have loved you Yet once more Ye are my Friends if ye do whatsoever I command you and these things I command you that you Love one another He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self to him but he that loveth me not keepeth not my Sayings So that only those are Friends and Disciples of Christ Jesus that do his Sayings and keep his Commandments and the Great Commandment of all is LOVE for upon this One Commandment all the rest depend For he that loves God above all will leave all for God not one of his Commandments shall be slighted and he that loves his Neighbour will much more love the Houshold of Faith Well may such be True Christians when their Faith in Christ works by LOVE by the Power of this Divine Love he that dwells in this Love dwell in God if John say true for he is Love And in this he recommended his Love unto us that he sent his only Begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have Everlasting Life Also herein did Christ manifest his Love in laying down his Life for us This is my Commandment said Christ that ye Love one another as I have loved you and Greater love hath no Man than this that a Man lays down his Life for his Friends ye are my Friends if ye do whatsoever I command you Indeed he gave his Life for the World and offered up One Common Sacrifice for Mankind and by this One Offering up of himself once for all he hath forever perfected that is quitted and discharged and taken into Favour them that are sanctified who have received the Spirit of Grace and Sanctification in their Hearts for such as resist it receive not the Benefit
Knâ—wing this that our Old Man is crucified with him that the Body of Sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve Sin Likewise reckon ye also your selves to be Dead indeed unto Sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. As if he had said The End of Christs Coming is to turn People from their Sins and that those who persist in their Disobedience resist the Benefits that come by him Let not Sin therefore reign in your mortal Body that ye should obey it in the Lusts thereof Neither yield ye your Members as Instruments of Unrighteousness unto Sin but yield your selves unto God as those that are Alive from the Dead and your Members as Instruments of Righteousness unto God Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves Servants to obey his Servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of Sin unto Death or of Obedience unto Righteousness For when ye were the Servants of Sin ye were free from Righteousness What Fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed for the End of those things is Death But now being made Free from Sin and become Servants to God ye have your FRUIT UNTO HOLINESS and the End Everlasting Life For the Wages of Sin is Death but the Gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. To Conclude nothing can be more apparent then that Freedom from Actual Sinning and giving Newness of Life to the Souls of Men was the great Reason of Christs Coming and the End for which he hath given us out of his fulness of Grace and Truth and Grace for Grace and that to be under Grace and not under the Law is not to have Liberty to do that now which ought not to have been done before as the Ranters interpret it but to be Freed from the Condemnation of the Law First through Remission of the Sins that are past upon Faith and Repentance and next by Fulfilling the Righteousness of the Law in receiving and obeying the Light and Grace that comes by Jesus Christ Very pertinent is that Passage of the Apostle Paul to Titus to our present purpose for it seems to comprehend the End of Christ's Coming the Faith and Duty of his people which our Great Selden after all his Painful Readings and Curious Inquisitions said but a little before his Death was the Most-Weighty Passage of the whole Bible to him as the Bible was the best of Books in the World viz For the Grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared to all Men teaching us that denying Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts we should live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World looâ—ing for that Blessed Hope and the Glorious Appearing of the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from ALL INIQUITY and purify unto himself a peculiar people Zealous of Good Works In which Comprehensive Passage we find the End of Christ's Coming to be Our Redemption from all Iniquiquity both to blot out our Sins that are past to purify our Hearts from the Sin that remains We have the means that works and brings this Salvation into our Souls which is the Grace and the Way by which this Grace doth accomplish it is by Teaching us to deny Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts and to live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World Which has this great Encouragement joyned to it that those who so live have only right to look for that blessed Hope and the glorious Appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ I will add the Testimony of his Beloved Disciple John who has defined to us the End of Christ's Coming thus Whosoever committeth Sin Transgresseth also the Law and ye Know that he was manifested to take away our Sins And to shew that this is understood not only of the Guilt of Sins past but of the Nature and present Power of Sin in Man observe what follows Whosoever abideth in him Christ SINNETH NOT. As if this Apostle had foreseen the present Mischief Christianity labours under both on the side of Evil Men and but too many Mistaken Professors he adds Little Children let no Man deceive you he that doth Righteousness is Righteous even as he is Righteous he that committeth Sin is of the Devil for the Devil sinned from the Beginning Now comes his most express Passage to the Matter in hand For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might DESTROY the Works of the Devil Which is more than the Remission of Sins that are past here is the DESTRUCTION of the Power and Kingdom of Satan They that know not this know not Christ for as we so our Lord is known by his Fruits by the Works which he works in us therefore it is said that His own Works praise him He therefore that lives in Sin denyes Christ by denying the End of his Coming The Fool did not say with his Mouth but in his Heart There is no God yet but too many now adays plead with their Tongues and Pens for Sin Term of Life by endeavouring to shew the Impossibility of overcoming Sin But what saith this Apostle further of the Business Whosoever is born of God doth not commit Sin In this the Children of God are manifest and the Children of the Devil whosoever doth not Righteousness is not of God neither he that loveth not his Brother But if you walk in the Light as God is in the Light we have fellowship one with another and the Blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all Sin Again He that saith he abideth in Christ ought himself also so to walk even as Christ walked A little lower in the same Chapter he says I have written unto you Young Men because ye are strong and the Word of God abideth in you and ye have OVERCOME the Wicked One I will add one Scripture-Testimony more in the present Case and it is this Herein saith John is our Love made perfect that we may have Boldness in the Day of Judgment because as he is so are we in this World Behold now the true End of Christ's Coming viz. To SAVE FROM SIN and to purge us from all Iniquity that he might present us to God without Spot or Blemish Let us not then Flatter our selves for we shall be the Loosers neither let us make the Impossibility through our Infidelity which a Grain of Sincere Faith can make not only Possible but Easie What has been may be again nay in this Case must be Did the First Christians overcome the VVicked one so must the Last Christians too were those Ages led by the Holy Spirit and taught by the Grace of God to live God-like or like God in the World so must we of these Latter Ages too if we will be blessed forever that having put off the Old Man the Devil and his Works we may put on Christ the new and heavenly
the Doctrine that is according to Godliness he is Proud knowing nothing but doting about Questions c. such as used Philosophy and vain Deceit as he writes to the Colossians Beware says he lest any man spoil you through Philosophy and vain Deceit that is draw them away from the Simplicity of the Gospel and the wholsome Words of Christ after the Traditions of men after the Rudiments of the World and not after Christ He used no humane Wisdom yet he spake Wisdom but it was in a Mystery not to the humble Disciples of Jesus nothing was plainer but it was a Mystery to the Wise Men of this World And truly they that are not unacquainted with the more degenerate Ages of the Greek Philosophers how Philosophy once taken for the Love of Virtue and self-Denial which they esteem'd truest Wisdom and was begun by men of Ordinary Rank became little else than an Art of Rangling upon a multitude of Idle Questions and so they entertain'd the Apostle Paul at Athens may very well guess which way Apostacy entred among Christians especially when we consider that in the third and fourth Centuries the Heathen-Philosophers had the Education of the Christian Youth and that no man had any Reputation among the Christian Doctors who were not well Initiated in the Philosophy Rhetorick and Poetry of the Gentiles Which made way for Impurity of Language and laid a Foundation for great Feuds in the Church Christ and his Doctrine must be prov'd by Aristotle and his Philosophy Yes Aristotle muff explain Scripture and by Degrees Methodize the loose Parts of it and reduce them to Formal Propositions Axiomes and by the Help of such Philosophers the poor Fisher-men were taught to speak Metaphysically and grew Polite in the Sense of Athens that to say true had been neither guilty of Using noâ— Understanding it But as the First Rules of Philosophy were few and plain and consisted in Virtuous Living so the Christian Religion was deliver'd with much Brevity yet much Plainness suited even to the Capacity of the Young the Ignorant and the Poor to inform their understandings subdue their affections and convert their Souls to God as well as Persons of more Age Knowledge and Ability And truly when we consider the Smalness of the Writings of the Evangelists the Shortness of Christ's Sermons the Fewness of the Epistles writ by the Apostles and the Many and Great Volumns of Commentators and Criticks we may justly say The Text is almost Lost in the Comment and Truth hid rather than revealed in these heaps of fallible Apprehensions Where by the way let me say that the Voluminousness of the Books is no small token of the Unclearness of the Writers the more Evident and better digested and Matter is the more easie and short it will be in expressing But after the Christians had declin'd the Simplicity of their own Religion and grew Curious and Wanton Loving God above all Their Neighbours as themselves and Keeping the plain Commandments of Christ that relate to good Life became but Ordinary and Homely things their Easiness rendred them Contemptible They gave but little pleasure to Speculative Minds they had nothing in them above Ordinary Capacities and it seemed hard that men of Inquisitive and Rais'd Spirits should sit down with the Lesson of RUSTICKS and PEASANTS Philosophers did not do so they would be like other Nations 'T was not enough now to know There was a God and that he was but One Just and Good the Observer of their Actions and the Rewarder of their Deeds and that therefore they should serve him But they must be distinctly inform'd of his Nature and all his Attributes his Purposes and his Decrees and the Suitableness of them all to the Line and Plumet of their Understandings So that God was to be what their Conclusions would allow him to be that yet knew not themselves their own Beings and their Extents Nor did it satisfie that there was a Christ that this Christ was the Son of God that God so loved Mankind as beholding him in a way of Destruction he sent his Son to proclaim pardon upon true Repentance and offer'd a General Reconciliation to as many as received and embrac'd his Testimony and that to that End he laid down his Life a Ransom Rise and Ascended and gave his good Spirit to lead his Followers in the Way of Truth and Holiness But they must search into the Secret of this Relation how and after what manner he is the Son of God his Nature Power and Person must be discus'd they will be satisfied in this before they can find in their Hearts to believe in him Next Whether he be the Cause or the Effect of God's Love What was that Prize he paid that Ransom he gave and how he died for us if Properly and strictly or Tropically and elegantly to satisfie the Justice of God and whether God could or could not have Saved man an other way If this Mercy were offer'd to all or but some and whether Acceptance and Repentance be with the Consent of the Creature or by an Irresistible Grace what Body he Rise Ascended with and what Bodies we shall have in the Resurrection in Nature Stature and Proportion Lastly What this Spirit is that comes from Christ if it comes from God also whether it be God or an Inferior Minister how it Exists If a Person in what Relation Degree or Dignity it stands to the Father and Son with abundance more of this Unreasonable Strain flowing from the Ungovern'd and Restless minds of men No man would be used by his Servant as they serve God he must wait our Leasure before we will believe receive and obey him his Message is Obscure we don't understand it he must gratifie our Couriosity we desire to be better satisfied with it before we believe or deliver it It comes not presently up to Mens's Understandings 't is too obscurely exprest we will explain it and deliver it with more Caution Clearness and Success then it is deliver'd to us Thus God's Revelation hath been scan'd and his Precepts examin'd before Licens'd Men would be wiser then God more wary then the holy Ghost Our Lord it should seem understood not what a kind of Creature Man was he wanted his Wisdom belike to admonish him of the Danger or haply he thought not upon that Corruption which should befall Mankind in these Latter Ages of the World which might require the Abilities of Men to supply the Wants and Defects left by the Holy Ghost in the Wording of the Scripture I wrong not this Practice I render it not more Odious than it is 't is an Inexcusable piece of Presumption that which debases the External Testimony of God and draws men off from that which is Eternal too It introduces the Traditions of men in the Room of God's Records and maketh their Judgment and Results the Rule of Christian Faith and Canons of Christ's Church This is one of those
for it is not of the Nature of my Religion and Kingdom And as I neither assume nor practise any such thing my self that am the great Author Promoter and Example of this Holy Way so have I not only never taught my Disciples to live or act otherwise or given them a Power I refuse to use my Self but expresly forbad them and warn'd them in my Instructions of exercising any the least Revenge Imposition or Coertion towards any This is evident in my Sermon preached upon the Mount where I freely publickly and with much Plainness not only prohibited Revenge but injoyned Love to Enemies making it to be a great Token of true Discipleship to suffer Wrongs and conquer Cruelty by Patience and Forgiveness which is certainly a great Way off Imposition or Compulsion upon other Men. Furthermore when I was strongly bent for Jerusalem sent Messengers before to prepare some entertainment for me and my Company in a Village belonging to the Samaritans and the People refused because they apprehended I was going to Jerusalem though some of my Disciples particularly James and John were provok'd to that Degree that they asked me if I were willing that they should command Fire from Heaven to destroy those Samaritans as Elias in another Case had done I turned about and rebuked them saying Ye know not what Manner of Spirit ye are of for am not come into the World to destroy Mens Lives but by my peaceable Doctrine Example and Life to save them At another time one of my Disciples relating to me some Passages of their Travails told me of a certain Man they saw that cast out Devils in my Name and because he was not of their Company nor followed them said he we forbad him as if they had thereby served and pleased me but I presently testified my Dislike of the Ignorance and Narrowness of their Zeal and to inform them better told them they should not have forbid him for he that is not against us is for us My Drift is not Opinion but Piety they that cast out Devils convert Sinners and turn Men to Righteousness are not against me nor the Nature and Religion of my Kingdom therefore ought to be cherisht rather then forbid That I might sufficiently declare and inculcate my Mind in this Matter I did at another Time and upon a different Occasion preach against all Coertion and Persecution for Matters of Faith and Practice towards God in my Parable of the Sower as my Words manifest which were these The Kingdom of Heaven is likened unto a Man which sowed good Seed in his Field but while Men slept his Enemy came and sowed Tares among the Wheat and went his Way but when the Blade sprung up and brought forth Fruit there appeared the Tares also so the Servants of the Houshoulder came and said didst thou not sow good Seed in thy Field from whence then hath it Tares he answered an Enemy hath done this the Servants said unto him wilt thou then that we go and gather them up but he said NAY lest while ye gather up the Tares ye root up also the Wheat with them let boâ—h grow together till the Harvest and in the Time of Harvest I will say to the Reapers gather ye together first the Tares and bind them in Bundles to burn them but gather the Wheat into my Barn And that I might not leave so necessary a Truth misapprehended of my dear Followers or liable to any Mis-constructions my Disciples when together desiring an Explanation I interpreted my words thus He that soweth the good Seed is the Son of Man the Field is the World the good Seed are the Children of the Kingdom but the Tares are the Children of the Wicked One the Enemy that sowed them is the Devil the Harvest is the End of the World and the Reapers are the Angels This Patience this Long Suffering and great Forbearance belong to my Kingdom and the Subjects of it my Doctrine speaks it and my Example confirms it and this can have no possible Agreement with Imposition and Persecution for Conâ—cience 'T is true I once whipt out the Prophaners of my Father's Temple but I never whipt any 〈◊〉 I call'd I cry'd to every one that thirsted to come and freely offer'd my Assistance to the Weary and Heavy Laden but I never impos'd my Help or forced any to receive me for I take not my Kingdom by Violence but by Suffering And that I might sufficiently deter my Followers from any such Thing as I profess my self to be their Lord and Master so have I commanded them to love one another in a more especial Manner But if instead thereof any shall grow proud high-minded and beat or abuse their Fellow-Servants in my Religious Family when I come to take an account of my Houshold he shall be cut asunder and appointed his Portion among the Unbelievers Behold the Recompence I appoint to Imposing Lordly Persons such as count others Infidels and to make them such Believers as themselves will exercise Violence towards them and if they prevail not will call for fire from Heaven to devour them and if Heaven refuse them will fall a Beating and Killing and think it may be they do God good Service but their Lot shall be with Unbelievers forever Nay I have so effectually provided against all Mastery that I expresly charged them not to be many Masters for one was their Master I told them that the greatest amongst them was to be Servant to the rest not to impose upon the rest nay that to be great in my Kingdom they must become as gentle and harmless as little Children and such cannot force and punish in Matters of Religion In fine I strictly commanded them to love one another as I have loved them who am ready to lay down my Life for the Ungodly instead of taking away Godly Men's Lives for Opinions and this is the great Maxim of my holy Religion He that would be my Disciple must not crucifie other Men but take up his Cross and follow me who am meek and lowly and such so enduring shall find Eternal Rest to their Souls this is the Power I use and this is the Power I give How much this agrees with the Language Doctrine and Example of Jesus Christ I shall leave them to consider that read and believe Scripture but some affected to present Church Power and desiring their Ruin that conform not to her Worship and Discipline will object That Christ did give his Church Power to bind and loose and bid any Person agrieved tell the Church I grant it but what binding was that with outward Chains and Fetters in nasty Holes and Dungeons nothing less Or was it that his Church had that true Discerning in her and Power with him that what she bound that is condemned or loosed that is remitted should stand so in God's Sight and Christ's Account But tell the Church and what then observe Christ's
Byass Tradition gives to those men who have not made their Religion the Religion of their Judgment For such will forbid all the Inquiry which might question the Weakness or Falshood of their Religion and had rather be deceiv'd in an honorable Decent then be so uncivil to the memory of his Ancestors as to seek the Truth which sound must reprove the Ignorance of their Ages of this the vainest of all Honours they are extream careful and at the very mention of any thing to them new though as old as Truth and older then this World are easily urg'd into a Tempest and are not appeased but by a Sacrifice This Ignorance and want of Inquiry helps on Persecution 5thly Another Reason and that no small one is Self-love and Impatiency of Men under contradiction be it out of Ignorance that they are angry with what they cannot refuse or out of private Interest it matters not their Opinion must reign alone they are tenacious of their own sense and can't indure to have it question'd be there never so much reason for it Men of these Passions are yet to learn they are Ignorant of Religion by the want they have of Mortification such Persons can easily let go their hold on Charity to lay Violent hands upon their Opposers if they have power they rarely fail to use it so not remembring that when they absolv'd themselves from the tye of Love Meekness and Patience they have abandon'd true Religion and contend not for the Faith once deliver'd to the Saints which stood therein but for meer Words It is here proud Flesh and a capricious Head that disputes for Religion and not an humble Heart and a divine frame of Spirit Men that are angry for God Passionate for Christ that call Names for Religion and fling Stones and Persecute for Faith may tell us they are Christians if they will but no body would know them to be such by their Fruits to be sure they are no Christians of Christ's making I would to God that the Disputants of our time did but coolly weigh the Irreligiousness of their own Heats for Religion and see if what they contend for will quit the Cost will countervail the Charge of departing from Charity and making a Sacrifice of Peace to gain their point upon so seasonable a reflection I am confident they would find that they rather show their love to Opinion then Truth and seek Victory more then Concord Could men be contented as he whom they call their Lord was to declare their Message and not strive for Proselites nor vex for Conquest they would recommend all to the Conscience and if it must be so patiently endure Contradiction too and so lay their Religion as he did his not in Violence but Suffering But I must freely profess and in duty and Conscience I do it that I cannot call that Religion which is introduced against the Laws of Love Meekness Friendship Superstition Interest or Faction I may There is a Zeal without Knowledge that is Superstition there is a Zeal against Knowledge that is Interest or Faction the true Heresie there is a Zeal with Knowledge that is Religion therefore blind obedience may be superstition it can't be Religion and if you will view the Countries of Cruelty you shall find them Superstitious rather then Religious Religion is gentile it makes men better more Friendly Loving and Patient then before And the success which followed Christianity whilst the antient Professors of it betook themselves to no other defence plainly proves both the force of those passive Arguments above all corporal Punishments that we must never hope for the same Prosperity till we fall into the same Methods Are men impatient of having their conceits own'd they are then most to be suspected Error and Superstition like crackt Titles only fear to be toucht and run for Authority and number Truth is plain and stedfast without Arts or Tricks will you receive her well if not there is no compulsion But pray tell me what is that desired Uniformity that has not Unity and that Unity which has not Love Meekness and Patience in it I beseech you hear me for those men depart from the Spirit of Christianity that seek with Anger and Frowardness to promote it Let us not put so miserable a Cheat upon our selves nor affront upon Christianity as to think That a most gentle and patient Religion can be advanc'd by most ungentle and impatient Ways I should sooner submit to an humble opposition then to the greatest Zealot in the World and sooner deliver my self up to him that would modestly drop a controverted Truth then to such as seek tempestuously to carry it for even Error bashfully and patiently defended endangers Truth in the management of impudent hasty Zeal and gives to it that Lnstre which only good Eyes can see from Gold Alas 't is for want of Considering that men don't see that to disorder the mind in Controversie is a greater mischief then to carry the point can be a benefit in that it is not to be Religious to apprehend rightly but to do well the latter can scarcely be without the former but the former often is without the latter which brings me to my sixth Cause of Persecution 6 hly Another and that no small cause of Persecution is a misapprehension of the word Religion For when once the Ignorance or Prejudice of men has perswaded them to lay more weight upon their own Opinion or Dâ—ssent of their Neighbours then in truth the thing will bear to excuse their Zeal or justifie their Spleen they presently heighten the difference to a new Religion whence we so frequently hear of such reflections as these new Gospels and Faiths upstart Religions and Lights and with the like Scare-crows amuse the Vulgar and render their own design of ruining honest men the more practicable But I would obviate this mischief for a new Religion has a new Foundation and Consequently where there is the same Foundation there cannot be a new Religion Now the Foundation of the Christian Religion is Christ and that only is another Religion then the Christian which professes another Foundation or corruptly adds to that Foundation by adding other Mediators and introducing a new way of Remission of Sin Which cannot be said of the several sorts of Protestants therefore for Protestants to reproach each other with new Religions and Gospels and by their Indecent and Unchristian behaviour to enslave their own Reckoning and draw into more discord is a Sin against God an Injury to the common Cause of Protestancy and to the Security of the Civil Interest of that Country where the Inhabitants are of that Religion as well as a real Injustice to one another for Protestants don 't only agree in the same Fundamentals of Christianity but of Protestancy too that is in the reasons of Separation from Rome which indeed is Christianity Let not every circumstantial difference or Variety of Cult be Nick-named a