shall not mark out which those Articles are which might be abandoned to you because we are not sufficiently authorised thereunto a full Assembly would be requisite to discuss an Affair of such importance But that which we can assure you of is this that this Maxim would save you almost all the exterior part of your Religion so that you might make a Reformation of the Church without fearing the Revolt of those People who are concerned for nothing but the outside thereof But yet nevertheless Sirs you ought not to put into the number of those things to which we might accommodate our selves out of Complaisance those external Ceremonies which go to the rendring of a Religious Service to the Creature for we have told you that is a thing our Consciences can never endure Our Fifth and Sixth Principles do amount unto thus much That in the things which should by mutual agreement be retrenched for the edification of the Church or tolerated for the benefit of Peace and for a Re-union neither Party should be obliged either to abjure the Errors and the Worships which should be so retrenched or to subscribe to the Opinions which should be tolerated This is also Sirs an Article which would be entirely unto our advantage for if your Charity and your Complaisance did carry you to retrench for Example sake the Invocation of Saints the Adoration of Images and that of the Sacrament of the Eucharist as things which might be laid aside we should not press you to condemn as Criminals the Practices which you should have renounced but waiting until God should illuminate you to make you know the true Character of those Worships and their true Name we should suffer you to say that you had retrenched out of Complaisance Worships which in themselves were not evil and by which means you should not be obliged to condemn your Ancestors nor to impeach your Church But it would be just that we should also enjoy the privilege of this Maxim and that in the things which we did tolerate you should not oblige us to any abjuration of our Sentiments nor unto a Confession of yours If for Example sake we did agree to tolerate the Opinion of the Real Presence it would not be just to oblige us to the Abjuration of the Real Absence or to the Confession of the Real Presence for that alone would be an invincible Obstacle to a Re-union A Man may well enough tolerate an Error but he ought never to betray the Truth If it should be agreed upon to tolerate the Opinion of Purgatory you ought not to oblige us to subscribe to it nor yet to conceal our proper Sentiments and by the same Reason you might not retain all those Worships and all those Devotions which are founded upon that Opinion of Purgatory for if you do retain those Worships they will become our Worships and our Devotions by Virtue of that Union into which we are entred with your Church We should confess and establish that Purgatory which we did in the mean while renounce with our Hearts and which we did condemn by our Words which would be to put a Christian into a State of Contradiction and oblige him to establish and to destroy one and the same thing a Conduct entirely opposite unto Christian Sincerity Our Seventh and last Principle is That in an Accommodation of Re-union Truth ought to be interessed as little as possibly can be in such sort that the generality and particular Persons ought to be left to their own liberty to instruct themselves by the Word of God and by amicable Conferences upon those Points which should be released on both sides for it would not be convenient to make a Form of Confession of Faith which all should be obliged to subscribe and to hold unto It was not so that the Apostolical Church did persevere in their Union notwithstanding that great diversity of Sentiments which was between the converted Jews and the Pagans which were turned Christians you know Sirs that that diversity was very great all the converted Jews were Zealots for the Law as St. Luke doth expresly tell us in the 21 Chap. of the Acts they did believe that the observation of the Law was necessary unto those who did embrace the Gospel St. Paul and all the converted Pagans held that such observation of the Law was pernicious Now they did not patch up a Confession of Faith in general and ambigious Terms to content both the Parties but each of them kept their own Sentiments and yet for all that they did continue united You have Sirs in your own Church a great diversity of Opinions in Things of exceeding great importance wherein every Party hath a right to search out the Truth and to endeavour to make it known unto others without any prejudice to the Union The same course ought to be used in respect of Opinions which it shall be thought fit to tolerate in favour of a general Re-union There is good reason to believe that God will bless the endeavours of those who make search after Truth without Passion and in the Spirit of Peace and that both Parties being re-united they would quickly come to an universal agreement as well in respect of Doctrines as of Worship These several Principles which we have here established and applied unto divers Articles might be also applied unto a great many more There are Points of Faith and there are Points of Discpline there are Controversies purely speculative as those of Predestination Free-Will Grace Justification Merit by Works It is not this sort of things that can put any Obstacle to a Re-union because these do rarely come so far as the People who are the most interessed in this Affair and a Toleration might easily be granted in those very differences wherein Men of each Communion do already bear with one another There are other Controversies which respect the Worship and they will be easily terminated by applying unto them the precedent Principles Finally there are some Controversies which relate unto Government and Discipline wherein our fourth Principle will give you huge advantages It is not for us Sirs to take upon us to descend into a more particular retail of those things wherein we might give our selves a liberty but yet I dare assure you that there is scarcely any thing which we should not do for Peace the Glory of God and our Consciences in the first place being well secured We desire you moreover Sirs to consider that the Relaxations which we desire of you do no way interest your Honour nor your Glory those false Maxims of Worldly Glory ought to have no place or consideration in Religion They who make the greatest advances for Peace do get the greatest Glory You have begun those advances by the Pastoral Letter which your late Assembly did address unto all our Flocks we will gladly look upon it as an effect of you Charity but that same Charity which carries you to invite us to a
THE Protestants Letter CONCERNING THE RE-UNION OF THE Two Religions TO THE ASSEMBLY OF THE Clergy of France Held at PARIS May 1685. Humbly offered to the Consideration of all Protestants in England as an Expedient for reconciling the great Differences in Religion now among them LONDON Printed for Nathanael Ranew at the King's Arms in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1690. Licensed Octob. 2. 1689. JAMES FRASER TO THE WORSHIPFUL AND HIS Honoured Friend JOHN JONES Esq SIR THE Vniting of Christians is so very desirable a thing that the bringing it to pass will deserve the utmost of our Care and Pains whoever offers any thing that tends this way deserves to be heard The Mischiefs of causeless Separation from one another are not easily to be reckon'd up On the other hand the Advantages of Vniting upon tolerable Terms are exceeding great Vpon these Considerations I think the following Papers well worthy to be made publick and no Man I hope will think it unseasonable to publish them at this time when there are on foot honest Designs and Endeavours of procuring a lasting Vnity among our selves This Opportunity which we have of effecting it I hope will not be lost and I shall much rejoice if these following Papers will any way contribute to so blessed an End Vpon that Score it is that I cannot but commend them to the Consideration of all that wish well to our common Christianity and considering the Authors and Occasion of this following Letter I cannot think it will be unacceptable to any that are Protestants I need not tell you why I prefix your Name 'T is but just that it should return to him from whom the Copy and the Opportunity of Printing it came I trust you will have no Cause to repent that you consented to this Publication It is high time in our several Places to do all we can to the putting an End as much as may be to our unhappy Differences God of his Mercy inspire us all with the Spirit of Peace and Charity of Meekness and Modesty and mutual Forbearance and grant that we may mind the Things that make for Peace and for the Edifying of one another I am in great Sincerity SIR Your most Affectionate Friend and Servant Richard Kidder October 21. 1689. Sirs THere is a Report runs abroad in the World that in your approaching Assembly under the auspicious Influences of His Most Christian Majesty you are to use your Endeavours about that which that great King doth call his great Work which is the Re-union of his Subjects into one and the same Religion The King hath very great reason to call this his great Work because that if he bring it about it will be the greatest Work that hath been effected these many Ages and the most glorious Work too and I may add to that the most pious Work also provided that it be done upon Principles conformable to Reason Religion and Piety You have perhaps thought Sirs that the Protestants of France were very far from the point to which they are designed to be brought When they have been talk'd to of a Re-union the greatest part of them have look'd upon it as a thing impossible and they have not seem'd so much as to desire it and probably it is that Disposition of Spirit wherein they were thought to be which hath induced you to so harsh a Course against them You were of opinion that after you had mortified them by the loss of their Temples of their Liberties and Privileges of their very Children and in many places of their Estates they would be the more easily brought to your Bent But Sirs I dare assure you that all this was needless and that they who have seem'd not to desire the Re-union did lie under that Indisposition only upon account of the apparent Impossibility which they saw in that Design for otherwise there is not one of us that hath not and doth not with a very ardent Passion desire to see an end of a Schism so scandalous and which doth put so great an obstacle to the accomplishment of those Prophecies which do promise unto us the Re-calling of the Jews and the Bringing in of all the People of the World unto the Christian Faith That Sirs which made us to believe this Re-union impossible was because we could not persuade our selves that we were sincerely invited thereunto but that Deceit did lie at the bottom of this fair Pretence and that it was nothing but a Snare laid to entrap us for otherwise we believe that there is nothing more easie than to bring such an Enterprise to good success provided Sirs that you would cloath your selves with that Spirit of Equity Reason Wisdom and Justice which ought to be inseparable from Persons of your Character called to the Conduct and Government of the Church We would very willingly Sirs be persuaded of your good Intentions and do gladly acknowledge that the Gallican Church is the purest part of all the Roman Churches that are at this day in the whole World The rest of the Churches which do still depend upon the See of Rome do pertinaciously continue in their ancient dissoluteness and in those Disorders wherewith they were reproached at the beginning of the last Age but the Gallican Church is at this day composed of learned understanding wise and moderate Bishops and such who for the most part have a great care of the Government of their Diocesses This doth incline us to believe that it is not the Spirit of Persecution which doth excite you but that in truth you do seriously desire the Peace of the Church and the Cessation of that grand Schism which hath divided the West for above these hundred and fifty Years You do well believe that if the Gallican Church had but once reunited her Children into one and the same Society of Christians her Example would be of great force and weight with all the rest of Europe and that all the Western Christians would be found to return in a short time to a Spirit of Peace and Concord And we are of the same Belief together with you For which Cause we do offer up our Vows with most sincere and ardent Prayers that it will please God to inspire you with reasonable Thoughts and put into your Hearts just Ways and Means for the enterprising and accomplishing of this great Work It is an Affair which is common to us as well as you for we are one of those Parties that are to be re-united It is therefore but reasonable that we should speak and that we should be heard in this matter and by consequence it would be but just that we should be permitted to assemble and to confer together Perhaps the Spirit of God would suggest unto us such Thoughts and Means as would not be displeasing unto you But in humble Expectation until his good Providence shall bring that Work unto its maturity and waiting until our whole Body can make their Remonstrances unto you permit
some particular Persons of that Body Sirs to acquaint you with their Thoughts Their design is purposely to make you comprehend that this Work of Re-union is not so difficult as you parhaps may have persuaded your selves that it was You may proceed therein by such ways as will assuredly bring it unto good success without wounding your Consciences in the least measure and without offering any violence unto ours For the proof of which we will lay down such Principles wherein Sirs we are persuaded that you will consent with us for they are uncontestable 1. In the first place We suppose that you have real Intentions for a true Re-union to take that Term in its most exact and strict signification All Treaties which are made in War between two Parties are properly of Re-unions In none of all those Treaties whatsoever doth any one of the Parties carry away all that it doth demand for otherwise it would not be to treat but to receive the Law of the Conqueror that is to submit unto the Yoke of Oppression as being the weakest and vanquished Party But in every true Union there must be a yielding on both sides both do make high Demands but each of them is contented to take much less It is therefore necessary Sirs that you should explain your selves upon that Particular and we do believe you to be too reasonable not to expect a satisfactory Answer from you You will undoubtedly tell us that you do speak in good Faith and mean sincerely when you speak of a Re-union and that you conceive there may be a Relaxation made in some less important Articles for Peace sake and to bring back again into the Bosom of the Church so many Persons which as you believe are departed from it For otherwise if by the term of Re-union there be nothing meant but simply a Return unto the Roman Church though she do never reform her self nor concede any thing demanded of her it is clear that that is but a mere Abuse of the Terms and can never be called a Re-union it is nothing but a pure and simple Abjuration of that which you call Schism and Heresie It is not to be believed Sirs that this is that which you intend for you are more wise than to attempt such a Work and not to see that it is absolutely impossible It is not I confess impossible for a King so puissant as ours is to extirpate out of his Estates that which they call Calvinism He hath already razed our Temples scattered our Flocks chased away the most part of our Ministers That Temptation hath already prevailed over a great number of People unto whom you do the honour to give the name of Converts If by your Advice His Majesty do continue this harsh Course to his faithful Subjects who desire nothing so much as the Glory of their Sovereign if the King do force the Reformed by taking away of their Children by rigorous Edicts by Sentences of Death and Banishment to change their Religion the weakest of them may perhaps return into the Communion of Rome which yet notwithstanding they cannot but detest with all their Hearts and so you will make a Company of Hypocrites and profane Converts of them The greatest part of those that are truly pious will find a Retreat and whatever care can be taken to shut the Gates of the Kingdom against them yet they will make an Escape through the Windows After this manner it is that Calvinism will be extinguished in France But this Sirs can never be accounted a Re-union this is not in all probability that which you have in your aim to do for this would be to bring the Kingdom to Desolation to ravish from the King his Subjects to add unto the Church false Christians and unto Jesus Christ false Members Besides all this Sirs it is not to be believed that Men of such great Knowledge and Wisdom as you are can chuse but conceive That it would be very edifying to sacrifice something for the Salvation of so many Thousands of Souls which live in a State of Separation and which you by your Principles are obliged to look upon as Souls which do destroy themselves It is not likely that you should be of the cruel number of Those who say That the Church would not put out a Wax-Candle in Favour of the Hugonots For in short Reason Piety and Religion do require a Tolleration of the Weak The Apostle St. Paul was throughly persuaded that the Use of the Legal Ceremonies was Useless and Unprofitable nay that it was dangerous unto Christianity He goes so far as to say That they who do observe the Law do dis-annul the Gospel and yet nevertheless he doth constantly preach up mutual Forbearance He requires That the Weak should be borne with That he that eats of all Things indifferently should not despise him that makes a Scruple of eating diverse Things That Christians should proceed and keep Pace with each other in those Things wherein they do agree until God shall reveal unto them those Things wherein they differ The Evidence of Reason is so strong and so clear for this that it is impossible not to discern it The Salvation of Souls and the Blessing of Peace are two great Motives which ought to regulate the Duties of the Ministers of Jesus Christ It would be a Cruelty for which they must give an account unto God to suffer Men to be destroyed whom they might bring back again unto the Church by granting them some certain things which would content them without doing any prejudice to the Fundamentals of Religion This then is our first undisputable Principle namely that all those of either side that will endeavour a Re-union ought to search out Means whereby to content both Parties not to stand upon the Point of Rigour without any Relaxation and for the Benefit of Peace to yield unto any Thing which doth no wrong unto the Essence of Faith and of that Worship which we owe unto God 2. Our second Principle is this That when once Men are come to that pious Intention to yield mutually for the benefit of Peace they cannot honestly demand of each other any Relaxation in those things which either of the Parties doth believe to be of the highest importance and of sovereign necessity for the Salvation of Souls I will suppose that they do believe as necessary unto Salvation or as incompatible with Salvation certain Things which yet for all that are not of the Foundation and so deceive themselves but yet notwithstanding the Party which is in that Error ought not to be demanded to make any Concessions thereupon The Reason of it is clear because it would be to damn those People from whom such Concessions were extorted A Man who should believe for Example sake that the Observation of Lent is absolutely incompatible with Salvation and yet notwithstanding out of Complaisance and for the Advantages of Peace should re-unite himself unto a Church with
an unmoveable Resolution to observe it would undoubtedly damn himself he would commit a Sin against his Conscience and in some sort against the Holy Ghost Whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin and a Man who in doing an indifferent Action doth believe that he commits a mortal Sin doth sin mortally He acts by a Spirit of Revolt formally against the Ordinances of God or against that which he esteems to be the Law of God None therefore can nor ought to force any Party to concede any thing in such Points which they believe to be necessary but must first instruct convince and work them into a full Persuasion that they do needlesly startle at things which are not what they do believe them to be This is our second Principle which seems to us as indisputable as the former and to be built upon such solid Reason that it will be received by all Persons who are never so little disengaged from Prejudices 3. Our third Principle is this That when the Question is of any Article whether it be of Faith or of Practice which one of the Parties doth hold to be false and so false that the Belief or the Practice of that Article would essentially concern Religion and ruine the very Foundations thereof And the other Party holds it to be true but yet so as that the Practice or the Belief thereof is not according to his Opinion absolutely necessary unto the Essence of Religion In this case I say it is clear that Christian Charity and Prudence do require that the Party which holds that Article to be true but not necessary should yield and bear with the Weakness of him who looks upon it as false as intolerable and as ruinous unto the Fundamentals of Religion or as incompatible with Edification This Truth doth seem to me to carry so great an Evidence in it that I know not whether it be necessary to prove it Is it not clear by the precedent Principle that he who gives himself a Liberty in any Point which is really fundamental or which he believes to be so doth damn himself doth act against his Conscience and ruine his Salvation But on the contrary That he who takes a Liberty in any Point which he indeed doth believe to be true but doth not believe it to be of an absolute necessity doth do nothing against his Conscience In the first place he doth not betray the Truth for as we shall see in that which follows he is not to be obliged to subscribe the Rejection of that Belief as if it were false or of that Practice as if it were evil and criminal He may keep his own Opinion he may also declare that such a Belief is good though he tolerate that which is opposite thereunto and that such a Practice is innocent though he have renounced it for the benefit of Peace Secondly He doth not betray his Conscience nor Religion in suffering such a Practice to be abolished or in leaving every body free to such a Belief because he is persuaded that that Belief or that Practice are not of the Essence of Religion and that a Man may pass-well enough without them and never thereby run any hazard of his Salvation There is nothing that can be more evident than this That there are most innocent Practices yea such as are authorised by the Testimony of the whole Church which might yet notwithstanding be very well abandoned if any great Interest for the Glory of God or for the Good of the Church did depend thereupon As for Example The greatest part of the Christian Churches have in Baptism renounced Immersion or Dipping and do content themselves with the Baptism of Aspersion or Sprinkling But now if the Turks who were disposed otherwise to their Conversion should stumble hereat and say that it was of absolute necessity to plunge in the Water as many as are baptized that Jesus Christ did institute it after that manner that such was the practice of the Apostles and that it was the constant usage of the Primitive Church would not Christian Prudence be concerned now to abandon the Baptism of Sprinkling and to return again unto that of Dipping This would not be to impeach the Memory of our Fore-fathers for we should never say that the Baptism of simple Sprinkling is a Sacrilege Neither would this be the Betraying of the Truth for we should never subscribe that the Baptism of Sprinkling is insufficient It would only be a Sacrifizing unto a great Interest a Ceremony which we do not believe to be important Now let it be remembred that there can hardly be any greater Interest for the Glory of God and for the Good of the Church than the Re-union of those two Parties which do divide the Western Church If therefore there were on either Side any Articles of such a Character and Quality that the one Side did hold them to be entirely ruinous to Religion and that the other did not look upon them indeed as meerly indifferent but yet nevertheless as not necessary with an absolute necessity it is clear that that Party which regarded the Article in question as not being of exceeding great importance ought to yield in favour of the other who did look upon it as being absolutely incompatible with Religion And this is also another Principle which ought not as we conceive to be disputed 4. Our fourth Principle is this That when the Question is about Articles or Creeds whereof both Parties do agree that they are not of the utmost importance that if they be true yet they are not of the Essence of Religion and if they be false though they are believed to be true yet they do not destroy saving Faith In this case I say the ruling Party that which is the mightiest in Number in Credit and Authority ought to be tolerated by the Weaker who must accommodate themselves herein for the Benefit of Peace and to put a Cessation unto the Scandal of Schism As for Example If the Christians of both Communions could agree together that the Worshipping of Images and Praying unto Saints were not Practices ruinous to Religion and were no way prejudicial unto Piety It is clear that in those States where that Religion which invocates Saints doth bear the sway the others ought to accommodate themselves thereunto that is to say that they ought not to separate themselves from the Communion for that thing alone On the contrary in those States where the Religion which will not admit the Invocation of Saints doth rule they who are of a contrary Sentiment ought to accommodate themselves thereunto and not to seperate themselves from the publick Worship although the Saints were not there worshipped This is also a Rule of Sovereign Justice whose Equity seems unto us to be most manifestly evident the weaker Party would do nothing against his Conscience by adhering unto a Worship wherein he should see the Practice of Things which he doth not indeed believe to be either
Consider that it is not only us with whom you treat it is with the whole Body of the Protestants you shall act for all Europe for it is as certain as any thing in the World can be that if the Re-union be made in France by the way of a just Reformation all Europe will imitate you and all the Protestants would follow us And so you should acquire the greatest Honour that the Ministers of Jesus Christ can ever arrive unto that is to close up the affrightful Wound of the Church which hath layen a bleeding for so many Ages Ever since the Establishment of Christianity among the Galls the Gallican Church hath ever been one of the most glorious Parts of the Universal Church It is she which hath in all Times exposed her self with the greatest Courage and Success against Tyranny She hath preserved her self in greater Purity than any other in the general Corruption There is nothing more to be done to crown the Glory of your Church but only to make her the Reformatrix of the universal World That is a thing which you may do and it is beyond all doubt that your Example would have such Influences in it as would be extended unto the uttermost parts of the Earth You would draw those who would not follow you and all the World would yield to your Authority By this Means the Kingdom of that great Prince under whose Orders you act would become the most glorious that ever any was since first there were Kings upon the Face of the Earth All the World would bless him and he would thereby open himself a Way to the universal Empire All the People of Europe would make it their Delight and take it for an Honour to be united under the Domination of him who should have re-united them into one and the same Religion You would have the Honour Sirs to live in the Memory of Posterity as the second Fathers of the Church and her great Restaurators You would have the Pleasure to restore the Service of God to its primitive Lustre and Apostolical Purity You might take for your Model the Churches unto which the Saints Ireneus Ignatius Policarp Cyprian and all the holy Bishops of the three first Ages did preach Reform Christianity upon that Foundation and you will not only restore Peace unto the Church but also open the Gates thereof unto all Infidel Nations The Jews and the Mahometans will make no difficulty to adore our God when you shall have taken out of their sight those Images which they call Idols that religious Adoration of Saints and Angels which they do call the Vice-Deities and Secondary Gods of the Christians when you shall permit them to serve none but one God invisible and not command them to adore an Object which they eat As long as these Stumbling-stones do lie at the Church-door the Infidels will never enter into it Restore the Worship to that degree of Spirituality which is essential unto Christianity Purifie the Temple and the Spirit of God will fill it and that Spirit will make your Word and your Examples efficacious for the Conversion of those Countries which are separated from the Church This is that Sirs which we should have answered if we had been authorized by the whole Body whereof we are Members by way of Return unto the Pastoral Letter which you did us the Honour to write unto us in your late Assembly We do earnestly beseech you Sirs that you will awaken the Bowels of your Compassions towards your Brethren whom you do suppose to be in a State of Wandring and Error but who are nevertheless your Brethren as great Strays and deceived as you suppose them to be Deal therefore with them as with Brethren and not as with Enemies That your Exhortations may have the more Efficacy open unto them the Way of Grace Draw them with the Cords of Humanity that so you may bring them back again into the Bosom of that Mother from whom you pretend they have separated themselves They will undoubtedly answer your Invitations with Joy as soon as ever they shall be able to do it without resisting the Voice of their Conscience FINIS