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difficulties and solutions; and with full as much learning and as clear light, as is to be found amongst the labours of the weightiest of the scholastic writers themselves.

But the good effect is much more visible, and much more remarkable, in the theological schools, where the method is equally in one uniform, unvaried course; and where, by that means, it is not quite so uncommon a thing, as some persons wish it were, to hear St Athanasius' or St Austin's word go farther than an Apostle's; and an idle distinction, or incomprehensible definition, of one of your schoolmen, decide a difficulty, much more to satisfaction, than a plain, intelligible expression or affirmation of our Saviour's.

If it were in any degree better, either in the established universities of North Britain, or in our dissenting academies in the south, I would freely own it. But take my word for it, it is, of the two, rather worse. In the north, there being a temporal kingdom of Christ, as well as a spiritual one, settled by law, ordination and preferments are by consequence rigidly and inseparably tied to one certain scheme of opinions; and this naturally determines the public education, and makes the rising generation conscientiously avoid the least tendency to any design of being wiser than their forefathers.

And in the south, amongst our non-conformists, it is much the same. The same logics and the same

bodies of theology, as they are called, descend from generation to generation. The same systems and syllogisms, definitions and distinctions, pass on current for divinity; and Calvin and the Gospel go hand in hand, as if there were not a hair's breadth to choose between them.

There may be exceptions; but this is generally the case; and the more unlikely soon to be otherwise, with them, upon two accounts; first, because their toleration is founded upon their mighty boasts of adhering more strictly to the doctrinal articles of the church in the sense of the first reformers, than the churchmen themselves; the defence of which, therefore, is pretty much left to them, to pride themselves in; and, secondly, because their very catechisms are systems of all the deep points, and common places, and hard words, in divinity; by which means, their people being all systematical divines, keep them strictly to the received scheme; and raise very great clamours, and very little contributions, upon the least deviation from what they have hitherto valued themselves upon understanding better than their neighbours, and have been taught, from children, to embrace as the very essence and life of the Gospel.

To this method of literature it is, that we owe (what is of the greatest service to your cause) such a multitude of writers, on all sides; who, when they come abroad into the world, defend the sub

limest points, by the bare repetition of words; to which, when they are pressed, they are not ashamed to own, that they have no such meaning, as they fix to them, upon any other single occasion, in the whole compass of speaking; that is, none at all.

And to this it is, that we owe, at length, the blessed discovery, and candid profession, that it is not fit that we should have any meaning to our words, when we speak about God, the Supreme Being, whom we are to worship in spirit and truth; a profession, which, if it doth not turn to your Holiness' account, it is not their fault, who own it, amongst protestants.

The three great impediments to any advances towards a reformation, in your church, have been always found to be these; a false learning; a real ignorance; and a system of preferments, fixed and tied down to a particular system of opinions or words.

The two first often go together. There is often, in the uneducated, a real ignorance, without a false learning; whereas, in the others, there cannot be a false learning, without a real ignorance. But both put together would have little effect against the nature of things, and the irresistible force of truth, without the last of the three. Were it not for that, you would quickly find that the mask would drop from the face of things; and the clouds, which false learning had wrapt about the most important points,

would be dissipated, and leave truth, in its lovely simplicity, naked and open to every honest eye.

But your security, you find, lies in the last. Whilst the church and the world are so closely and vitally united, and the immense riches of your archbishoprics, bishoprics, deaneries, canonries, abbies, monasteries, cardinalships, and popedom, are all confined to the worship of the mass book, and to the creed and decrees of the council of Trent; the sons of your church find little occasion for any such learning, as may tend to poverty; but a great deal of comfort in another sort of it, which carries as big a sound amongst the vulgar, and turns to a much better account, as it brings along with it defence and riches, both; and serves to support those opinions, which support that church, which is endowed with those riches.

I do not mention this with a view to your affairs only; but to remind you, that you have so much of this yourselves, and find so prodigious a benefit in it, that you have the less occasion to wonder at, or envy, the something like it, amongst us protestants.

Your Holiness needs not, I think, call in the assistance of your infallibility, to judge, from all this put together, in what a condition we really are; whilst, all the while, we are boasting of our glorious separation from you; and deafening the by-standers, and tiring ourselves, in our several ways, with loud cries about our own apostolical purity and perfection.

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As far, indeed, as we are, in practice, separated from you, in what we ourselves condemn in your church; so far we may, consistently enough, boast. But, as far as we are united to you in our practice, though irreconcileably separated in words; methinks, to confess the truth, you have rather a handle of boasting against us, that we ourselves think fit to practise, in some instances and some degrees, what we profess so severely to cry out against in your church.

I forget that your Holiness hath the affairs of the world upon you. But I cannot persuade myself to make any apology, when I consider it is your interest that I should go on in this odd, unusual way of speaking truth.

I have freely laid before you, what may reasonably enough give you and your cardinals a sensible pleasure. I have, without reserve, showed you many of the follies, weaknesses, unhappinesses, inconsistencies, and wickednesses, of us protestants. It is but just to ourselves now, that I should change the scene a little, and take down your satisfaction, a few degrees, from that height, to which it may, by this time, be raised. I scorn to flatter you, any more than ourselves; and how should you know the true measures, either of your hopes, or of your fears, about Great Britain, if you be not truly informed of our advantages and happinesses, as well as of the contrary. Nor is it any thing more than what is

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