it visible and tangible there, nor capable of doing or suffering any thing: that there should be no certainty in our senses, and yet that we should know something certainly, and yet know nothing, but by our senses: that that which is, and was long ago, should now begin to be: that that is now to be made of nothing, which is not nothing, but something that the same thing should be before and after itself: that it should be truly and really in a place, and yet without locality: nay, that he which is Omnipotent should not be able to give it locality in this place where it is, as some of you hold; or, if he can, as others say he can, that it should be possible that the same man, for example, you or I, may at the same time be awake at London, and not awake, but asleep, at Rome; there run or walk, here not run or walk, but stand still, sit, or lie along; there study or write, here do neither, but dine or sup; there speak, here be silent: that he may in one place freeze with cold, in another burn with heat: that he may be drunk in one place, and sober in another; valiant in one place, and a coward in another; a thief in one place, and honest in another that he may be a papist, and go to mass in Rome; a protestant, and go to church in England: that he may die in Rome, and live in England; or, dying in both places, may go to hell from Rome, and to heaven from England: that the body and soul of Christ should cease to be where it was, and yet not go to another place, nor be destroyed :—all these, and many other of the like nature, are the unavoidable, and most of them the acknowledged consequences of your doctrine of transubstantiation, as it is explained one

way or other by your schoolmen. Now I beseech you, sir, to try your skill, and, if you can, compose their repugnance, and make peace between them; certainly, none but you shall be catholic moderator. But if you cannot do it, and that after an intelligible manner, then you must give me leave to believe, that either you do not believe transubstantiation, or else that it is no contradiction that men should subjugate their understandings to the belief of contradictions.

47. Lastly, I pray tell me whether you have not so much charity in store for the bishop of Armagh and Dr. Potter, as to think that they themselves believe this saying, which the one preached and printed, the other reprinted, and, as you say, applauded? If you think they do, then certainly you have done unadvisedly, either in charging it with a foul contradiction, or in saying, it is impossible that any man should at once believe contradictions. Indeed, that men should not assent to contradictions, and that it is unreasonable to do so, I willingly grant; but to say it is impossible to be done, is against every man's experience, and almost as unreasonable as to do the thing which is said to be impossible: for though perhaps it may be very difficult for a man in his right wits to believe a contradiction expressed in terms, especially if he believe it to be a contradiction; yet for men, being cowed and awed by superstition, to persuade themselves upon slight and trivial grounds, that these or these, though they seem contradictions, yet indeed are not so, and so to believe them; or if the plain repugnance of them be veiled or disguised a little with some empty unintelligible nonsense distinction;

or if it be not expressed but implied, not direct but by consequence, so that the parties to whose faith the propositions are offered are either innocently or perhaps affectedly ignorant of the contrariety of them; for men in such cases easily to swallow and digest contradictions, he that denies it possible must be a mere stranger in the world.

48. Ad § 18. This paragraph consists of two immodest untruths, obtruded upon us without show or shadow of reason; and an evident sophism, grounded upon an affected mistake of the sense of the word fundamental.

49. The first untruth is, that "Dr. Potter makes a church, of men agreeing scarcely in one point of faith; of men concurring in some one or few articles of belief; and in the rest holding conceits plainly contradictory; agreeing only in this one article, that Christ is our Saviour, but for the rest, like to the parts of a chimera," &c. Which, I say, is a shameless calumny, not only because Dr. Potter in this point delivers not his own judgment, but relates the opinion of others, Mr. Hooker and Mr. Morton; but especially, because even these men, (as they are related by Dr. Potter,) to the constituting the very essence of a church, in the lowest degree, require not only "faith in Christ Jesus the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world,” but also “submission to his doctrine in mind and will." Now I beseech you, sir, tell me ingenuously, whether the doctrine of Christ may be called, without blasphemy, "scarcely one point of faith?" or whether it consists only "of some one or few articles of belief?" or whether there be nothing in it but only this

article," that Christ is our Saviour?" Is it not manifest to all the world, that Christians of all professions do agree with one consent in the belief of all those books of Scripture, which were not doubted of in the ancient church without danger of damnation? Nay, is it not apparent that no man at this time can without hypocrisy pretend to believe in Christ, but of necessity he must do so? seeing he can have no reason to believe in Christ, but he must have the same to believe the Scripture. I pray then read over the Scripture once more, or, if that be too much labour, the New Testament only; and then say, whether there be nothing there but "scarcely one point of faith? but some one or two articles of belief? nothing but this article only, that Christ is our Saviour?" Say, whether there be not there an infinite number of Divine verities, Divine precepts, Divine promises, and those so plainly and undoubtedly delivered, that if any sees them not, it cannot be because he cannot, but because he will not? So plainly, that whosoever submits sincerely to the doctrine of Christ, in mind and will, cannot possibly but submit to these in act and performance. And in the rest, which it hath pleased God, for reasons best known to himself, to deliver obscurely or ambiguously, yet thus far at least they agree, that the sense of them intended by God is certainly true, and that they are without passion or prejudice to endeavour to find it out; the difference only is, which is that true sense which God intended. Neither would this long continue, if the walls of separation, whereby the devil hopes to make their divisions eternal, were pulled down, and error were

not supported against truth by human advantages. But for the present, God forbid the matter should be so ill as you make it! For whereas you looking upon their points of difference and agreement, through I know not what strange glasses, have made the first innumerable, and the other scarce a number; the truth is clean contrary; that those Divine verities, speculative and practical, wherein they universally agree, (which you will have to be but a few, or but one, or scarcely one,) amount to many millions (if an exact account were taken of them); and on the other side, the points in variance are in comparison but few, and those not of such a quality but the error in them may well consist with the belief and obedience of the entire covenant ratified by Christ between God and man. Yet I would not be so mistaken, as if I thought the errors even of some protestants inconsiderable things, and matters of no moment. For the truth is, I am very fearful that some of their opinions, either as they are, or as they are apt to be mistaken, though not of themselves so damnable but that good and holy men may be saved with them, yet are too frequent occasions of our remissness and slackness in running the race of Christian perfection, of our deferring repentance and conversion to God, of our frequent relapses into sin, and not seldom of security in sinning; and consequently, though not certain causes, yet too frequent occasions of many men's damnation: and such I conceive all these doctrines which either directly or obliquely put men in hopes of eternal happiness by any other means, saving only the narrow way of sincere and universal obedience, grounded upon a true and lively