2. From thence, he will go on to a defence of the Chriftian Religion against Judaifm. For which he will need no other inftruction than what he may find in Limborch's work, intituled, De Veritate Religionis Chriftiana Amica Collatio cum Erudito Judeo. This was Ifaac Orobio, a Spanish Jew, who, efcaping from the prifons of the Inquifition, now practifed Phyfic in Holland. In this Difputation will be found all that the stretch of human parts on the one hand, or science on the other, can produce, to varnish error, or to unravel sophiftry. All the Papers of Crobio in defence of Judaifm, as oppofed to Chriftianity, are here given at large, with Limborch's anfwers, fection by fection: where the fubtileft fophifms of a very fuperior genius will be found ably and fatisfactorily detected and exposed by the strong, profound, and clear reafoning of this celebrated Remonftrant.

3. The defence of the Reformed Churches against Popery is next in order; and our Student will find it compleatly perfor med in that mafter-piece of human reafoning, Chillingworth's book against Knott,

intituled,

intituled, The Religion of Protefiants a fafe way to falvation; in which he will fee all the fchool jargon of that fubtile Jefuit incomparably expofed; and the long difpute between the two churches, for the first time, placed upon its proper immoveable ground, the BIBLE alone, after the extravagant Authority of the Fathers, perpetually appealed to by both Churches, had long ufurped the prerogatives of Scripture, and, by breaking down the boundaries betwixt right and wrong, had made the Controverfy endless.

And having here recommended to our Student's most careful attention these two capital works of Limborch against the Jew, and Chillingworth against the Jefuit, it prefents a fit occafion to take notice of that ignorant cenfure of Polemic Divinity, now fo fashionable even amongst those whofe Profeffion might have enabled them to know better, as if it were the offspring of the Philofophy and Divinity of the SCHOOLS; when they might fee that the futility of Scholaftic Learning was never more effectually held up to derifion, in the perfons.

of

of those two fubtile Difputants (who were overrun with it) than by these incompara'ble Defenders of Chriftianity and Proteftantism.

4. From the Defenfe of Proteftantifm in general, we come next to that of the Church of England, against the Sectaries. And here it will fuffice, inftar omnium, to study Hooker's four firft Books of Ecclefiaftical Policy; in which, an established Church is immovably fixed on this great Principle, That the outward Policy of a Church, though divinely instituted, is in the class, and of the species of thofe Laws, which even the facred Authority, that enjoins them, does not render immutable. A work bearing all the marks of immortality, as destined to excite the admiration of men while good letters remain amongst them.

SECT.

SECT. VI.

BUT Polemic Divinity, though of the beft fort, being apt to give a rigid turn to the sentiments of thofe long engaged in it, we may, by this time, find it neceffary to remind our Student, that though the means be Learning, yet the end of the commandment is Charity, and that the trueft badge of our being the Servants of one Common Mafter is our mutual forbearance of one another. Now this Charity is violated by reftraint and intolerance: whether exercised by a Church to its own Members; or towards those who have renounced its jurifdiction.

1. The injuftice of the firft kind, is combated and exposed in a very masterly manner by Bishop Taylor in his Liberty of Prophefying, and by Bishop Stilling fleet in his Irenicum. Taylor wrote when the Church of England was groaning under the tyranny of the Puritans or Prefbyterians; and, therefore, to remind them of their own

claims,

claims, under the like oppreflive Circumftances, he intitles his Apology the Liberty of Prophefying, under which name they chose to ennoble their Lectures. Stilling fleet wrote when the Established Church was on the recovery of its legal rights; and, finding it sharpened by long injuries and indignities, he endeavourtd to allay the heats of his Brethren, by his Irenicum; both thefe writers pleading for religious Liberty; the one when' it was violated by oppreffion; the other when it was in danger from fresh refentments. Yet it is not to be denied or difguifed that these celebrated Writers, either not yet comprehending the doctrine of Toleration in its full extent, or perhaps not finding the minds of men fufficiently enlarged to receive it (which, though a truth, from its coincidence with the genius of Chriftianity, one would have expected to find amongst the first received in an Established Church, was unhappily amongst the last); they cramped the doctrine within too narrow bounds, while, to avoid fcandal, they thought it of use to distinguifh