lemma to which the Church was driven; if she gave countenance to thefe feducers, fhe betrayed her faith; if the entred the conteft fhe violated her unity; the one would undermine her foundation, the other would make a breach in her walls.

AND the Devil was too old an Artift to lofe the advantage, he knew well that even a just and neceffary defence, does by giving men acquaintance with War take off fomewhat from the abhorrence of it, and infenfibly difpofe them to farther Hoftilities, and therefore he fail'd not to provide parks for that matter, which was now grown fo combustible; nor did he always fend them from the bottomleß pit, but fometimes borrowed fire from the Altar to confume the Votaries, and by the mutual collifion of well meant zeal set even Orthodox Chriftian in flame. A memorable inftance of this was the difpute about Eafter, wherein while the veneration they had of the glorious Refurrection of Chrift, prompted them to commemorate it in the exacteft manner they could, the Serpent creeps into this Paradife, and though they had the fame common end, yet on occafion of fome little diffenting in the way, the heat of devotion infenfibly degenerated into that of contention; and by being very tenacious of a circumftance of that celebration, they loft the more effential requifite that of Charity: kept the Feaft indeed, but with the leven of malice, and abfurdly commemorate the redintegration of his Natural Body, by mutilating and dividing his MyftiGal. So likewife in the bufinefs of Rebaptizati

on,

on, while one fide in a pious abhorrence of Herefie, thought the stain like that of Original Sin could not be done away by any Purgation lefs folemn than that of Baptism, and the other in a juft reverence of ancient cuftom, and jealoufie of innovation opposed it: the Dispute lafted till the Scene was changed, and those who deliberated of the manner of receiving Hereticks into the Church, were themselves as fuch turn'd out of it. No lefs well meant were the Originals of the Novatian and Donatift Herefies, as equally unhappy were their iffues: For in them all, when bitter Zeal was once fermented, through its aptitude to receive, and the Devils vigilance to administer occafions, the Orthodoxy or Herefie of lives foon became terms out-dated, and men were measur'd only by opinions: That fword of the spirit which was at first defign'd against vicious practices had its edge turn'd against Speculative notions, in fo much, that at laft like that of Joab, 2 Sam. 28.8. it had got fuch an aptnefs to fall out, that it was always a ready inftrument of Execution, till even a Philofophical point, as that of the Antipodes was refolv'd with an Anathema, and not to know the Systeme of this prefent World, made forfeiture of that to come.

BUT alas thefe, though great defections from Primitive unity, were but modeft effays, and feeble affaults, compar'd with those which infefted the fucceeding ages: This root of bitterneẞ was then but a probationer in the foyle, and though it fent forth fonie offefets to preserve its

R 4

kind,

kind; yet Satan was fain to be at fome pains to cherish and nurse them up, placed them under the fhadow of the Sanctuary, and got them like the treacherous Ivy, fupported by that piety they were defigned to destroy; but it was not long ere they had got firmer rooting and strength, not only to propagate, but multiply. Every Difpute in Religion grew prolifical, and in ventilating one queftion, many new ones were ftarted: And as questions grew numerous, fo did Sects too; every Opinion almost constituted a new party, and thofe again fubdivided into many others, fo that of all the firft Violators of Primitive unity, we fcarce find any, who did not revenge their Schifm upon themfelves, by feparating from one another, as they had all done from the Church; till at last the progeny both of Sects and Opinions grew fo numerous, that he who would exact an account, must be sent like Abraham, to the Sky or to the Shore: The Stars or Sands, being as apt a subject of Arithmetick as they. Whence it is brought to pafs, that Satan now may leave his toilfome labour of compaffing the Earth; men do his business for him, giving him leisure to be only a Cheerful Spectator of their Divinityprizes; the bloody combates of Ecclefiaftick Gladiators.

AND that he may be fecur'd never to want that pleafing divertisement, the later Ages have been careful to train him up Combatants, it being now become a diftinct fort of Learning, a new

Species

Species of Divinity, to raife nice questions, create new difficulties, branch out with fond diftinctions our holy Faith, which the pious Simplicity of the first Christians, receiv'd to practice; not to read upon as an Anatomy, unbowel and diffect to try experiments, much lefs to bring into the Theatre, there made to fight and bleed, to fhew men fport, and try the skill of the unhappy fword-men, and Masters of defence. The form of found words, which in its native frame and conftitution, was most enlivening and Salubrious, diffolv'd and melted by Chimical preparation,ceafes to be nutritive; and after all the labours of the Alembeck, and hopes of an Elixir, infenfibly evaporates, and vanifhes to Air; or leaves in the recipient a foul Empyreuma, or fretting corrofive. An endlefs dotage about names and words, and then as endless quarrel for them; appearing the commenfurate effect of the long studies of thofe Distillers in Divinity, who boast its Sublima

tion.

IT is indeed a thing worthy of the greatest both wonder and lamentation to fee how the plaineft, and moft fimple propofition, when it falls into the hands of these Artists, is mangled and disjointed, is rarified, exalted, and refin'd: He whofe leifure, or indeed whole life, would ferve him to furvey all the fubtile Divifions, and Distinctions of the School-men, would fure refolve, they had the power of working Miracles. Questions in their hands multiplying in the breaking, like the loaves in our Saviours. But fure the event of the

Miracles

Miracles are very defperate, no folid nourishment being deriv'd by the one, but on the contrary, Stones given us in ftead of Bread, and those too for the worst purposes, even to fling at one another, as if because ftoning was the death of the first Christian Martyr, we defign'd his Charity to the fame fate with himself; that divine Gopel grace having fince faln under as thick a fhowr, and with this fharp aggravation too, that whereas he fuffered from Jews, Chriftians are become its executioners: whileft those who pretend to be Champions of the Faith, Irrefragable, Angelical, and Seraphical Doctors, not only fill the Church with quarrels whileft they live, but bequeath them in their writings to pofterity; as Zifca is faid to have done his skin, to be made an Incentive to war and confufion.

IT was the policy of Julian to fhut up the Fountains of humane learning from the Christian youth, left they should there gain fuch acuteness, as might render them the more formidable Adverfaries to Paganism: but could he have foreseen that they would have employed those Weapons not against the common Enemy, but one another, he would furely have revers'd the Stratagem, freely opened thofe Magazeens whence they might furnish themselves for their mutual ruine, and have as folicitoufly promoted their Learning, as ever he obftructed it. I am very far from abetting their arrogant folly, who either decry humane learning in general, or make it fuch a Moabite, or Ammonite, that however it be admitted in ci