Bishop began to wonder at the man, to rejoice that he had appeared in his caufe, and difdained not earneftly to beg his friendship; even a familiar friendship with a man of so much ' quiet learning and humility.

To enumerate the many particular points, in which Mr. Hooker and Mr. Travers difsented (all or moft of which I have feen written), would prove at least tedious; and therefore I Thall impose upon my reader no more than two, which fhall immediately follow, and by which he may judge of the reft.

Mr. Travers excepted against Mr. Hooker, for that in one of his fermons he declared, "That the afsurance of what we believe by the word of God is not to us fo certain, as that which we perceive by fenfe." And Mr. Hooker confefseth he faid fo, and endeavours to juftify it by the reafons following:

"Firft: I taught that the things which God promises in "his word are not furer to us than that we touch, handle

or fee: but are we fo fure and certain of them? If we "be, why doth God fo often prove his promifes. to us as he "doth, by arguments drawn from our fenfible experience? for "we must be furer of the proof than of the things proved; otherwife it is no proof. For example, how is it that many men looking upon the moon at the fame time, every one "knoweth it to be the moon as certainly as the other doth? "but many believing one and the fame promife have not all "the fame fulness of perfuafion. For how falleth it out, that "men being assured of any thing by fenfe can be no furer of "it than they are; when as the strongest in faith that liveth "upon the earth has always need to labour, ftrive, and pray, "that his afsurance concerning heavenly and fpiritual things "may grow, increase, and be augmented ?"

The fermon that gave him the cause of this his juftification makes the cafe more plain, by declaring," that there is, befides this certainty of evidence, a certainty of adherence" In which, having moft excellently demonftrated what the certainty of adherence is, he makes this comfortable use of it: "Comfortable," he fays, "as to weak believers, who suppose "themselves to be faithlefs, not to believe, when notwithstand"ing they have their adherence; the Holy Spirit hath his pri"vate operations, and worketh fecretly in them, and effectually "too, though they want the inward teftimony of it."

Tell this to a man that hath a mind too much dejected by a fad fenfe of his fin; to one that, by a too fevere judging of himfelf, concludes that he wants faith, because he wants the com

The difcourfe alluded to is entitled "A learned and comfortable Sermon on the Certainty and Perpetuity of Faith in the Elect, especially of the Prophet Habakkuk's Faith. Habak. i. 4. Whether the Prophet Habakkuk, by admitting this Cogitation into his Mind, The Law doth fail, did thereby fhew himfelf an Unbeliever.”

fortable afsurance of it; and his anfwer will be, "Do not perfuade me, against my knowledge, against what I find and "feel in my felf: I do not, I know I do not believe." (Mr. Hooker's own words follow.) "Well then, to favour fuch "men a little in their weaknefs, let that be granted which they "do imagine; be it, that they adhere not to God's promifes, "but are faithlefs and without belief. But are they not grieved "for their unbelief? They confefs they are. Do they not wish "it might, and alfo ftrive that it may be otherwife? We know "they do. Whence cometh this but from a fecret love and "liking, that they have of thofe things believed? For no man. can love those things which in his own opinion are not; and "if they think thofe things to be, which they fhew they love, "when they defire to believe them; then must it be, that, by

defiring to believe, they prove themfelves true believers: for "without faith no man thinketh that things believed are: "which argument all the fubtilties of infernal powers will never "be able to dissolve." This is an abridgment of part of the reafons he gives for his juftification of this his opinion, for which he was excepted against by Mr. Travers.

Mr. Hooker was alfo accufed by Mr. Travers, for that he, in one of his fermons", had declared, "That he doubted not but "that God was merciful to fave many of our forefathers living " heretofore in Popish fuperftition, for as much as they finned "ignorantly;" and Mr. Hooker in his anfwer profefseth it to be his judgment, and declares his reafons for this charitable opinion to be as followeth :

But firft (becaufe Travers's argument against this charitable opinion of Hooker was, that they could not be faved becaufo they fought to be juftified by the merit of their works, and fo overthrew the foundation of faith) he ftates the question about juftification and works, and how the foundation of faith is overthrown; and then he proceeds to difcover that way which natural men and some others have mistaken to be the way, by

n "A learned Difcourfe of Juftification, Works, and how the Foundation of Faith is overthrown. Habakkuk i. 4. The Wicked doth compass about the Righteous; therefore perverse Judgment doth proceed."

• Mr. Hooker affirmed the Church of Rome to be, though not a pure, found, and perfect church, yet a true one, in which the neceflary and fundamental means of falvation are preferved, but much "difeafed and obfcured by fuperftitious fuperftructure, to the great dan66 ger of people's fouls, and detriment, as well as difhonour, of the "Chriftian religion, in its holy inflitutions, morals, and myfleries. Mr. "Travers, on the other fide, earnefily contended against the Church of "Rome, as no church of Chrift, but wholly a fynagogue of Satan, and "the feat of Antichrift, denying falvation to all thofe that held com"munion with her. Thus charity in the one, and zeal in the other, "both Chriflian and commendable graces, carried them far from each "other." Dr. Gauden's Life of Hooker, p. 30.)

which they hope to attain true and everlasting happiness and having difcovered the mistaken, he proceeds to direct to that true way, by which, and no other, everlasting life and blefsedness is attainable. And these two ways he demonftrates thus (they be his own words that follow): "That, the way of nature; this, "the way of grace: the end of that way falvation merited, prefuppofing the righteousness of men's works: their righte "oufnefs a natural ability to do them; that ability, the good"nefs of God which created them in fuch perfection. But "the end of this way, falvation bestowed upon men as a gift: "prefuppofing not their righteoufnefs, but the forgiveness of "their unrighteoufnefs, juftification; their juftification, not "their natural ability to do good, but their hearty forrow for "not doing, and unfeigned belief in him, for whofe fake not "doers are accepted, which is their vocation; their vocation, "the election of God, taking them out of the number of lost "children; their election, a mediator in whom to be elect: "this mediation inexplicable mercy; this mercy, fuppofing "their mifery for whom he vouchsafed to die, and make himself "mediator."

And he also declareth, "there is no meritorious caufe for "our juftification but Chrift; no effectual but his mercy;" and fays alfo, "we deny the grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, we "abufe, difannul, and annihilate the benefit of his pafsion, if "by a proud imagination we believe we can merit everlasting "life, or can be worthy of it." This belief, he declareth, is to destroy the very efsence of our juftification, and he makes all opinions that border upon this to be very dangerous. "Yet "nevertheless," and for this he was accufed, "confidering "how many virtuous and just men, how many faints and mar66 tyrs have had their dangerous opinions, amongst which this was one, that they hoped to make God fome part of amends "by voluntary punishments which they laid upon themselves:" because by this, or the like erroneous opinions, which do by confequence overthrow the merits of Chrift, fhall man be fo bold as to write on their graves, "Such men are damned, there "is for them no falvation?" St. Auftin fays, "Errare pofsum, "hæreticus efse nolo." And except we put a difference betwixt them that err ignorantly, and them that obftinately perfift in it, how is it pofsible that any man fhould hope to be faved? give me a Pope or a Cardinal P, whom great afflictions

p"I do not," fays Mr. Hooker, "propofe to you a Pope with the "neck of an Emperor under his feet, a Cardinal riding his horfe to the "bridle in the blood of Saints, but a Pope or a Cardinal forrowful, peni"tent, difrobed, fript not only of ufurped power, but alfo delivered and "recalled from error and Antichrift; converted, and lying profirate at the foot of Chrift; and fhall I think that Chrift will fpurn at him; "and fhall I cross and gainfay the merciful promifes of God, generally "made unto penitent finners, by oppofing the name of a Pope or a "Cardinal." (Hooker's Works, Vol. III. p. 485.)

have made to know himself, whofe heart God hath touched with true forrow for all his fins, and filled with a love of Chrift and his gofpel; whose eyes are willingly open to fee the truth, and his mouth ready to renounce all error, this one opinion of merit excepted, which he thinketh God will require at his hands; and because he wanteth, trembleth, and is difcouraged, and yet can fay, "Lord, cleanse me from all fecret fins!" Shall I think, because of this, or a like error, fuch men touch not fo much as the hem of Chrift's garment? if they do, wherefore fhould I doubt, but that virtue may proceed from Chrift to fave them? No, I will not be afraid to fay to fuch a one, "You err in your opinion, but be of good comfort; you have "to do with a merciful God, who will make the best of that * little which you hold well, and not with a captious fophifter, "who gathered the worft out of every thing in which you are "mistaken."

But it will be faid, "The admittance of merit, in any de"gree, overthroweth the foundation, excludeth from the hope "of mercy, from all pofsibility of falvation." (And now Mr. Hooker's own words follow):

"What though they hold the truth fincerely in all other parts of Christian faith? although they have in fome measure "all the virtues and graces of the fpirit? although they have "all other tokens of God's children in them? although they "be far from having any proud opinion that they shall be saved "by the worthiness of their deeds? although the only thing "that troubleth and molesteth them be a little too much de66 jection, fomewhat too great a fear, arifing from an erroneous "conceit, that God will require a worthiness in them, which "they are grieved to find wanting in themselves? although "they be not obftinate in this opinion? although they be willing, and would be glad to forsake it, if any one reason were "brought fufficient to difprove it? although the only cause why they do not forfake it ere they die, be their ignorance of "that means by which it might be difproved? although the "caufe why the ignorance in this point is not removed, be the "want of knowledge in fuch as fhould be able, and are not to remove it? Let me die," fays Mr. Hooker, "if it be ever "proved, that fimply an error doth exclude a Pope or Cardinal "in fuch a cafe utterly from the hope of life. Surely, I must "confefs, that if it be an error to think that God may be mer"ciful to fave men, even when they err, my greatest comfort "is my error: were it not for the love I bear to this error, I "would never wish to speak or to live."

I was willing to take notice of these two points, as fuppofing them to be very material; and that as they are thus contracted, they prove useful to my reader; as alfo that the answers be arguments of Mr. Hooker's great and clear reason, and equal charity. Other exceptions were alfo made against him, as, "that he prayed before, and not after his fermons; that in his

P

es prayers he named Bishops; that he kneeled both when he "prayed, and when he received the facrament; and," fays Mr. Hooker, in his defence, "other exceptions fo like thefe, as "but to name, I fhould have thought a greater fault than to "commit them."

And it is not unworthy the noting, that in the manage of fo great a controverfy, a fharper reproof than this, and one like it, did never fall from the happy pen of this humble man. That like it was upon a like occafion of exceptions, to which his anfwer was, "Your next argument consists of railing and of_rea"fons; to your railing I fay nothing; to your reasons I fay "what follows." And I am glad of this fair occafion, to teftify the dove-like temper of this meek, this matchless man. Doubtlefs, if Almighty God had bleft the difsenters from the ceremonies and difcipline of this church, with a like measure of wisdom and humility, instead of their pertinacious zeal, then obedience and truth had kissed each other; then peace and piety had flourished in our nation, and this church and state had been bleft like "Jerufalem, that is at unity with itfelf;" but that can never be expected, till God fhall blefs the common people with a belief," that fchifm is a fin, and that there may be offences taken which are not given; and that laws are not "made for private men to difpute, but to obey."

And this alfo may be worthy of noting, that these exceptions of Mr. Travers, against Mr. Hooker, were the cause of his tranfcribing several of his fermons, which we now see printed with his books; of his " Anfwer to Mr. Travers's Supplication;" and of his most learned and useful" Difcourfe of Juftification, "of Faith, and Works;" and, by their tranfcription, they fell into the hands of others, that have preferved them from being loft, as too many of his other matchless writings have been; and from thefe I have gathered many obfervations in this discourse of his life.

After the publication of his "Anfwer to the Petition of Mr. Travers," Mr. Hooker grew daily into greater repute with the most learned and wife of the nation; but it had a contrary effect in very many of the Temple that were zealous for Mr. Travers, and for his church-discipline; infomuch, that though Mr. Travers left the place, yet the feeds of difcontent could not be rooted out of that fociety, by the great reason, and as great meeknefs of this humble man: for though the chief benchers gave him much reverence and encouragement, yet

he

q It redounds much to the credit both of Cartwright and Travers, that in the evening of their lives they became more moderate in their conduct. There is no doubt but that many of the younger part of his audience were extremely attached to the perfon and doctrine of Travers. Hence they contracted an utter averfion to the English hierarchy, and thofe of them who afterwards fat in the Houfe of Commons difcovered great partiality to the Puritans.