ON THE

DIFFERENCES OF OPINION

AMONG CHRISTIANS.

FROM THE LIBERTY OF PROPHESYING.

THE infinite variety of opinions in matters of religion, as they have troubled Christendom with interests, factions, and partialities; so have they caused great divisions of the heart, and variety of thoughts and designs amongst pious and prudent men. For they all, seeing the inconveniences which the disunion of persuasions and opinions have produced directly or accidentally, have thought themselves obliged to stop this inundation of mischiefs, and have made attempts accordingly. But it hath happened to most of them, as to a mistaken physician, who gives excellent physic but misapplies it, and so misses of his cure; so have these men, their attempts have therefore been ineffectual; for they put their help to a wrong part, or they have endeavoured to cure the symptoms, and have let the

disease alone till it seemed incurable. Some have endeavoured to re-unite these factions by propounding such a guide, which they were all bound to follow; hoping that the unity of a guide would have persuaded unity of minds; but who this guide should be at last became such a question, that it was made part of the fire that was to be quenched; so far was it from extinguishing any part of the flame.

Others thought of a rule, and this must be the means of union, or nothing could do it. But supposing all the world had been agreed of this rule, yet the interpretation of it was so full of variety, that this also became part of the disease, for which the cure was pretended. All men resolved upon this, that though they yet had not hit upon the right, yet some way must be thought upon to reconcile differences in opinion; thinking so long as this variety should last, Christ's kingdom was not advanced, and the work of the Gospel went on but slowly. Few men in the mean time considered, that so long as men had such variety of principles, such several constitutions, educations, tempers, and distempers, hopes, interests, and weaknesses, degrees of light, and degrees of understanding, it was impossible all should be of one mind. And what is impossible to be done, it is not necessary it should be done; and therefore, although variety of opinions was impossible to be cured, and they who attempted it, did like him who claps his shoulder to the ground to stop an earthquake, yet the inconveniences arising from it

might possibly be cured, not by uniting their beliefs, that was to be despaired of, but by curing that which caused these mischiefs and accidental inconveniences of their disagreeings. For although these inconveniences, which every man sees and feels were consequent to this diversity of persuasions, yet it was but accidentally and by chance; inasmuch as we see that in many things, and they of great concernment, men allow to themselves and to each other a liberty of disagreeing, and no hurt neither. And, certainly, if diversity of opinions were of itself the cause of mischiefs, it would be so ever, that is, regularly and universally; but that we see it is not, for there are disputes in Christendom concerning matters of greater concernment, than most of those opinions that distinguish sects, and make factions; and yet because men are permitted to differ in those great matters, such evils are not consequent to such differences, as are to the uncharitable managing of smaller and more inconsiderable questions.

It is of greater consequence to believe right, in the question of the validity or invalidity of a death bed repentance, than to believe aright in the question of purgatory, and the consequences of the doctrine of predetermination are of deeper and more material consideration, than the products of the belief of the lawfulness or unlawfulness of private masses; and yet these great concernments, where a Liberty of Prophesying in these questions hath been permitted, hath made no distinct communion, no sects of Christians, and the

others have, and so have these too in those places where they have peremptorily been determined on either side. Since then if men are quiet and charitable in some disagreeings, that then and there the inconvenience ceases, if they were so in all others where lawfully they might, (and they may in most,) Christendom should be no longer rent in pieces, but would be redintegrated in a new Pentecost; and although the Spirit of God did rest upon us in divided tongues, yet so long as those tongues were of fire not to kindle strife, but to warm our affections, and inflame our charities, we should find that this variety of opinions, in several persons, would be looked upon as an argument only of diversity of operations, while the Spirit is the same; and that another man believes not so well as I, is only an argument that I have a better and a clearer illumination than he, that I have a better gift than he, received a special grace and favour, and excel him in this, and am perhaps excelled by him in many more. And if we all impartialy endeavour to find a truth, since this endeavour and search only is in our power, that we shall find it being ab extra, a gift and an assistance extrinsical, I can see no reason why this pious endeavour to find out truth, shall not be of more force to unite us in the bonds of charity, than the misery in missing it shall be to disunite us. So that since a union of persuasion is impossible to be attained, if we would attempt the cure by such remedies as are apt to enkindle and increase charity, I am confident we might

see a blessed peace would be the reward and crown of such endeavours.

But men are nowadays, and indeed always have been, since the expiration of the first blessed ages of Christianity, so in love with their own fancies and opinions, as to think faith and all Christendom is concerned in their support and maintenance, and whoever is not so fond and does not dandle them like themselves, it grows up to a quarrel, which because it is in materiâ theologia, or relates to theology, is made a quarrel in religion, and God is entitled to it; and then if you are once thought an enemy to God, it is our duty to persecute you even to death; we do God good service in it; when, if we should examine the matter rightly, the question is either in materiâ non revelata, or minus evidenti, or non necessaria, either it is not revealed, or not so clearly, but that wise and honest men may be of different minds, or else it is not of the foundation of faith, but a remote superstructure, or else of mere speculation, or perhaps, when all comes to all, it is a false opinion, or a matter of human interest, that we have so zealously contended for; for to one of these heads most of the disputes of Christendom may be reduced; so that I believe the present factions, or the most are from the same cause, which St Paul observed in the Corinthian schism, "When there are divisions among you, are ye not carnal ?"