repent of an error which he knows not of; as he that prays heartily for the pardon of all his fins and errors known and unknown; by his general repentance may obtain many degrees and inftances of mercy. Now thus much alfo your men allow to us; these who live well, and die in a true, though but general, repentance of their fins and errors even amongst us, your best and wifeft men pronounce to be in a favable condition. Here then we are equal, and we are as fafe by your confeffion as you are by ours. But because there are fome bigots of your faction, fierce and fiery, who say that a general repentance will not ferve our turns, but it must be a particular renunciation of proteftancy; these men deny not only to us but to themselves too, all that comfort which they derive from our conceffion, and indeed which they can hope for from the mercy of God. For be you fure we think as ill of your errors as you can fuppofe of our articles; and therefore if for errors (be they on which fide it chances) a general repentance will not ferve the turn without an actual dereliction, then flatter not yourselves by any thing of our kindness to your party; for you must have a particular, if a general be not fufficient. But if it be fufficient for you, it is fo for us, in cafe we be in error as your men fuppofe us; but if it will not fuffice us for remedy to thofe errors you charge us with, neither will it fuffice you; for the cafe muft needs be equal as to the value of repentance and malignity of the error: and therefore these men condemn themfelves and will not allow us to hope well of them: but if they will allow us to hope, it must be by affirming the value of a general repentance: and if they allow that, they must hope as well of ours as we of theirs but if they deny it to us, they deny it to themselves; and then they can no more brag of C 2

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any thing of our conceffion. This only I add to this confideration, that your men do not, cannot charge upon us any doctrine that is in its matter and effect impious; there is nothing poficive in our doctrine but is either true or innocent; but we are accufed for denying your fuperftructures, ours therefore (if we be deceived) is but like a fin of omiffion; yours are fins of commiffion in cafe you are in the wrong (as we believe you to be) and therefore you must needs be in the greater danger than we can be fuppofed, by how much fins of omiffion are lefs than fins of commiffion.

11th, Your very way of arguing from our charity is a very failacy, and a trick that muft needs deceive you if you rely on it. For whereas your men argue thus; the proteftants fay, we papifts may be faved, and fo fay we too; but we papifts fay that you proteftants cannot, therefore it is fafeft to be a papift. Confider that of this argument, if it fhall be accepted, any bold heretic can make ufe, against any modeft christian of a true perfuafion. For, if he can but outface the modesty of the good man, and tell him he shall be damned, unless that modeft man fay as much of him, you fee impudence fhall get the better of the day. But it is thus in every error. Fifteen bishops of Jerufalem in immediate fucceflion were circumcifed, believing it to be necessary so to be: with these other chriftian churches who were of the uncircumcifion did communicate. Suppofe now that these bishops had not only thought it neceffary for themfelves, but for others too; this argument you fee was ready: you of the uncircumcifion who do communicate with us, think that we may be faved though we are circumcifed; but we do not think that you who are not circumcifed can be faved, therefore it is the fafeft

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fafest way to be circumcifed. I fuppofe you would. not have thought their argument good, neither would you have had your children circumcifed. But this argument may ferve the prefbyterians as well as the papifts. We are indeed very kind to them in our fentences concerning their falvation and they are many of them as unkind to us. If they fhould argue fo as you do, and fay, you epifcopal men think we prefbyterians, though in errors can be faved, and we fay fo too; but we think you epifcopal men are enemies of the kingdom of Jefus Chrift, and therefore we think you in a damnable condition; therefore it is fafer to be a prefbyterian: I know not what your men would think of the argument in their hands, I am fure we had reafon to complain that we are very ill used on both hands for no other cause but because we are charitable. But it is not our cafe alone; but the old catholics were used just fo by the Donatifts in this very argument, as we are used by your men. The Donatifts were fo fierce against the catholics, that they would rebaptize all them who came to their churchesfrom the other: but the catholics, as knowing the Donatifts did give right baptifm, admitted their converts to repentance, but did not rebaptize them. Upon this fcore the Donatifts triumphed, faying, you catholics confefs our baptifm to be good, and fo fay we, but we Donatifts deny your baptifm to be good; therefore it is fafer to be of our fide than yours. Now what should the catholics fay or do? fhould they lie for God and for religion, and to ferve the ends of truth, fay the Donatifts baptifm was not good? that they ought not. Should they damn all the Donatifts and make the rent wider? it was toa great already. What then? they were quiet, and knew that the Donatifts fought advantages by their

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their own fiercenefs, and trampled upon the others charity; but so they hardned themselves in error, and became evil because the others were good.

I shall trouble you no further now, but defire you to confider of these things with as much caution, as they were written with charity.

Till I hear from you, I fhall pray to God to open your heart and your understanding, that you may return from whence you are fallen, and repent, and do your first works. Which that you may do, is the hearty defire of

Yours, &c.

LETTER II.

TO A PERSON NEWLY CONVERTED TO THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

Madam,

Blefs God I am fafely arrived where I defired

to be after my unwilling departure from the place of your abode and danger: and now becaufe I can have no other expreffion of my tenderness, I account that I have a treble obligation to fignify it by my care of your biggest and eternal intereft, and because it hath pleafed God to make me an inftrument of making you to underftand in fome fair measure the excellencies of a true and holy religion, and that I have pointed out fuch follies and errors in the Roman church, at which your understanding being forward and pregnant, did of itself start as at imperfect illlooking propofitions, give me leave to do that now which is the purpose of my charity, that is, teach

teach you to turn this to the advantage of a holy life, that you may not only be changed but converted. For the church of England whither you are now come is not in condition to boast herself in the reputation of changing the opinion of a single perfon, though never fo excellent; fhe hath no temporal ends to ferve which must stand upon fame and noises; all that she can defign, is to ferve God, to advance the honour of the Lord, and the good of fouls, and to rejoice in the cross of Chrift.

1. Therefore I defire you to remember that as now you are taught to pray both publicly and privately, in a language underftood, fo it is intended your affections fhould be forward, in proportion to the advantages which your prayer hath in the understanding part. For though you have been often told and have heard, that ignorance is the mother of devotion; you will find that the propofition is unnatural and against common fenfe and experience, because it is impoffible to defire. that of which we know nothing, unless the defire itself be fantastical and illufive: it is neceffary that in the fame proportion in which we underftand any good thing, in the fame we fhall alfo defire it; and the more particular and minute your notices are, the more paffionate and material also your affections will be towards it and if they be good things for which we are taught to pray, the more you know them, the more reafon you have to love them. It is monstrous to think that devotion, that is, paffionate defires of religious things, and the earnest profecutions of them, fhould be produced by any thing of ignorance or less perfect notices in any fenfe. Since therefore you are taught to pray, fo that your understanding is the precentor or master of the quire,

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