mies, and not only to ours, but to the enemies of ⚫ our religion.' Matt. v. 43, 44. Ibid. pag. 9.

As our holy religion excels all others in this ad• mirable temper, fo by this we may ufually judge who they are that excel among Chriftian churches," when there happens any difference between them, • whether touching the faith, or the terms of communion. They that were the more fierce, they gene-` rally had the worft caufe.' Ibid. pag. 12, 13.

• The council of Nice fuppreffed the Arians by no < other force, but putting Arians out of their bishopricks; they could not think hereticks fit to be trufted with cure of fouls: but otherwise, as to • temporal things, I do not find that they inflicted any kind of punishments; but when the Arians came to have the power in their hands, when theirs was < come to be the imperial religion, then depriving was nothing, banishment was the leaft that they • inflicted.' Ibid. pag. 14.

• Neither our religion, nor our church, is of a perfecuting fpirit. I know not how it may be in particular perfons; but I fay again, it is not in the genius of our church: fhe hath no doctrine that teacheth perfecution.' Ibid. pag. 20.

I would have no man punished for his religion, no not them that deftroy men for religion.' Ibid. pag. 37.

a

Dr. Stillingfleet comes fhort of none of them on • Our Saviour,' fays he, this fubject. • never pressed • followers, as men do foldiers, but faid, "If any man "will come after me, let him take up his crofs (not "his sword) and follow me." His was uegos naš • φιλάνθροπθ νομοθεσία his very commands fhewed his meekness; his laws were fweet and gentle laws, not like Draco's, that were writ in blood, unless it were his < own, that gave them. His defign was to ease men of their former burdens, and not lay on more; the

Irenicum, a weapon-falve for the church's wounds, by E. Stillingfleet, rector of Sutton, in Bedfordshire, in preface to the reader. Cc 2 ⚫ duties

duties he required were no other but fuch as were neceffary, and withal very just and reasonable. He that came to take away the unfupportable yoke of Jewish ceremonies, certainly did never intend to gall the necks of his difciples with another inftead of it. And it would be ftrange the church fhould require more than Chrift himself did; and make • other conditions of her communion, than our Saviour did of discipleship. What poffible reafon can be affigned or given why fuch things fhould not be fufficient for communion with a church, which C are fufficient for eternal falvation? And certainly those things are fufficient for that, which are laid ' down as neceffary duties of Christianity by our Lord ⚫ and Saviour in his word. What ground can there be why Chriftians fhould not ftand upon the fame terms now, which they did in the time of Chrift and his apostles? Was not religion fufficiently guarded • and fenced in them? Was there ever more true and ⚫ cordial reverence in the worship of God? What ⚫ charter hath Chrift given the church to bind men up

to more than himself hath done? or to exclude those • from her fociety, who may be admitted into hea< ven? Will Chrift ever thank men at the great day for keeping fuch out from communion with his church, when he will vouchfafe not only crowns of glory to them, but it may be aureole too, if there be any fuch things there? The grand commiffion the apostles were fent out with, was only to teach what Chrift had commanded them. Not the leaft intimation of any power given them to impofe or require any thing beyond what himself had spoken to them, or they were directed to by the immediate guidance of the fpirit of God.

Without all controverfy, the main inlet of all the diftractions, confufions and divifions of the Chriftian world, hath been by adding other conditions of • church communion than Chrift hath done.

There is nothing the primitive church deferves greater imitation by us in, than in that admirable

temper,

temper, moderation and condefcenfion which was ⚫ used in it towards all the members of it.

This admirable temper in the primitive church ⚫ might be largely cleared, from that liberty they allowed freely to Diffenters from them in matters of • practice and opinion; as might be cleared from Cyprian, Auftin, Jerome, and others.-Leaving the men to be won by obferving the true decency and • order of churches, whereby thofe who act upon a true principle of Chriftian ingenuity may be fooner drawn to a compliance in all lawful things, than by force and rigorous impofitions, which make men fufpect the weight of the thing itself, when fuch force is used to make it enter.' In the preface.

The fame is in effect declared by the house of commons, when they returned their thanks to Dr. Tillotfon, dean of Canterbury, for his fermon preached before them, November the 5th, 1678, defiring him to print that fermon, where he fays, upon our Saviour's words, "Ye know not what manner of fpirit ye are " of," ye own yourfelves to be my difciples, but do you confider what fpirit now acts and governs you? Not that, furely, which my doctrine defigns to mould and fashion you into, which is not a furious and perfecuting and deftructive spirit, but mild and gentle, and faving; tender of the lives and in< terefts of men, even of thofe who are our greatest ⚫ enemies.' Pag. 6, 7.

No difference of religion, no pretence of zeal for God and Chrift, can warrant and juftify this paffionate and fierce, this vindictive and exterminating fpirit.' Ibid. pag. 7.

He (i. e. Chrift) came to introduce a religion, which confults not only the eternal falvation of mens fouls, but their temporal peace and fecurity, ⚫ their comfort and happiness in this world. Ibid. pag. 8.

It feemed good to the author of this inftitution, to compel no man to it by temporal punishment.' Ibid. pag. 13.

Cc3

• To

To separate goodness and mercy from God, compaffion and charity from religion, is to make the two beft things in the world, God and religion, good for nothing.' Ibid. pag. 9.

True Christianity is not only the beft, but the beft-natured, inftitution in the world; and fo far as any church is departed from good-nature, and become cruel and barbarous, fo far it is degenerated • from Christianity.' Ibid. pag. 30.

Thus far Dr. Tillotfon, who, to be fure, deferves not to be thought the leaft eminent in the prefent church of England. Let us hear what Dr. Burnet fays to it:

Men are not masters of their own perfuafions, and cannot change their thoughts as they please: he that believes any thing concerning religion, cannot turn as the prince commands him, or accommodate himself to the law, or his prefent interefts, unless • he arrive at that pitch of Atheism, as to look on religion only as a matter of policy, and an engine for civil government.' Dr. Burnet's hiftory of the rights of princes, &c. in his preface, pag. 49.

It is to this doctor's pains, the owes the very history of her reformation; and as by it he has perpetuated his name with her's, certainly he must have credit with her, or she can deferve none with any body elfe; for no man could well go farther to oblige her.

Let me here bring in a lay-member of the church of England, Sir Robert Pointz, in his Vindication of Monarchy, who yields us an excellent teftimony to the matter in hand: The fword availeth little with the fouls of men, unlefs to deftroy them together with their bodies, and to make men defperate, or diffemblers in religion, and, when they find opportunity, • to fall into rebellion, as there are many examples.' Pag. 27.

In the ancient times of Chriftianity, fuch means were not used as might make hereticks and schifmaticks more obftinate than docible, through the prepofterous proceedings of the magiftrates and

minifters

minifters of juftice, in the execution of penal laws, used rather as fnares for gaining of money, ⚫ and pecuniary mulets impofed, rather as prices fet upon offences, than as punishments for the refor<mation of manners.' Ibid. pag. 28.

• The ancient Chriftians were forbidden by the imperial law, as alfo by the laws of other Christian nations, under a great penalty, to meddle with the goods of Jews, or Pagans, living peaceably.' Ibid. pag. 29.

For the goods of the Jews, although enemies to the Chriftian religion, cannot, for the caufe of religion, come by efcheat unto Chriftian princes, under ⚫ whom they live.' Ibid. pag. 29.

It is truly faid, that peace, a meffenger whereof an angel hath been chofen to be, is fcarce established by the fword; and the gospel, the blessed peace, cannot be • published by the found of cannon; neither the facred word be conveyed unto us by the impious hands of foldiers; neither tranquillity be brought to the persons and confciences of men, by that which bringeth ruin <unto nations.' Ibid. pag. 70.

He has faid much in a little; the talent and honour of men truly great. I give this ftill to the church of England's principles, which yet makes it harder for her to justify her practice in her use of power. But let us hear a king speak, and one the church of England is bound to hear by many obligations:

King Charles the firft, out of his tender and princely fense of the fad and bleeding condition of the kingdom, and his unwearied defires to apply fuch remedies, as, by the bleffing of Almighty God, might fettle it in peace, by the advice of his lords and commons of parliament, affembled at Oxford, propounded and defired, That all the members of both houfes might < fecurely meet in a full and free convention of parliament, there to treat, confult, and agree upon fuch things, as may conduce to the maintenance and defence of the reformed Proteftant religion, with due < confideration to all just and reasonable ease to tender confciences. The king's meffage of a treaty, March