that, as St. Paul withftood St. Peter to his face, so did they withstand each other in their fermons for, as one hath pleafantly expreffed it, "The forenoon fer"mon spake Canterbury; and the afternoon, Geneva."

In thefe fermons there was little of bitterness; but each party brought all the reasons he was able, to prove his adverfary's opinion erroneous. And thus it continued a long time, till the oppofitions became fo vifible, and the confequences fo dangerous, especially in that place, that the prudent Archbishop put a stop to Mr. Travers's preaching, by a positive prohibition. Against which Mr. Travers appealed, and petitioned her Majesty's Privy Council to have it recalled; where, befides his patron, the Earl of Leicester, he met also with many affifting friends: but they were not able to prevail with or against the Archbishop, whom the Queen had intrufted with all Churchpower; and he had received fo fair a teftimony of Mr. Hooker's principles, and of his learning and moderation, that he

withftood all folicitations. But the denying this petition of Mr. Travers was unpleasant to divers of his party; and the reasonableness of it became at last to be fo publicly magnified by them, and many others of that party, as never to be anfwered: fo that, intending the Bishop's and Mr. Hooker's difgrace, they procured it to be privately printed and scattered abroad; and then Mr. Hooker was forced to appear, and make as public an anfwer; which he did, and dedicated it to the Archbishop: and it proved so full an answer, an answer that had in it fo much of clear reason, and writ with fo much meekness and majesty of style, that the Bishop began to have him in admiration, and to rejoice that he had appeared in his cause, and difdained not earnestly to beg his friendship; even a familiar friendship with a man of fo much quiet learning and humility.

To enumerate the many particular points, in which Mr. Hooker and Mr. Travers diffented, (all or most of which I have seen written,) would prove at least tedious:

my

tedious and therefore I fhall impose upon reader no more than two, which fhall immediately follow, and by which he may judge of the rest.

Mr. Travers excepted against Mr. Hooker, for that in one of his fermons he declared, "That the affurance of what "we believe by the Word of God is not "to us fo certain as that which we per"ceive by fenfe." And Mr. Hooker confeffeth he faid fo, and endeavours to justify it by the reasons following.

"Firft; I taught, that the things which "God promises in his Word are not "furer than what 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 66 proved; otherwise it is no proof. For "example; how is it that many men "looking on the moon at the fame time, every one knoweth it to be the moon "as certainly as the other doth? But 66 many

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" many believing one and the fame pro"mife, have not all one and the fame ful"nefs of perfuafion. For how falleth it "out, that men being affured of any thing "by fenfe, can be no furer of it than they "are; when as the ftrongeft in faith that "liveth upon the earth hath always need "to labour, ftrive, and pray, that his af"furance concerning heavenly and fpiri"tual things may grow, increase, and be "augmented?"

The fermon, that gave him the cause of this his juftification, makes the case more plain, by declaring, "That there is, be"fides this certainty of evidence, a cer66 tainty 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 notwithstanding they "have their adherence; the Holy Spirit

hath his private operations, and worketh "fecretly in them, and effectually too, "though

VOL. I.

X

though they want the inward teftimony "of it."

Tell this, faith he, to a man that hath a mind too much dejected by a sad sense of his fin; to one that, by a too fevere judging of himself, concludes that he wants faith, because he wants the comfortable affurance of it; and his anfwer will be, "Do not perfuade me against my know"ledge, against what I find and feel in "myself: I do not, I know I do not be"lieve." (Mr. Hooker's own words follow.) "Well then, to favour fuch men "a little in their weakness, let that be

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granted which they do imagine; be it, "that they adhere not to God's promises, "but are faithlefs, and without belief: "but are they not grieved for their un"belief? They confefs they are; do they "not wish it might, and also strive that it "may be otherwife? We know they do. "Whence cometh this, but from a fecret "love and liking, that they have of those "things believed? For no man can love "those things which in his own opinion

are