nion) have been the only Parents of De

votion.

Whereas on the contrary, Herefies and Schifms in the Church, tho' they be ill in themselves, and, as I faid before, Wo be to those who cause them, or foment them, or have any thing to do with them; yet by the wife Contrivance of God's Providence, whofe Method it is to bring Good out of Evil, I fay they ferve to this good Ufe, that they whet Mens Induftry, and put them upon thinking, and keep them from being fecure in, or refting upon any one bare Authority, till they have fully inquired into the Matter. By which means, if they use their Faculties as they should do, they are enabled to ferve God as he defires to be ferved, that is to fay, in a Way fuitable to the Nature of Mankind, which is with Reafon and Understanding.

3. But, Thirdly, As the Being of Here fies in the World doth quicken Mens Diligence, and excite them to a more ferious Inquiry into the Affairs of Religion, fo doth it alfo tend very much to the Advancement of Truth; and many Points hereby have been fully and fatisfactorily cleared, which otherwife might probably ftill have remained in Obfcurity. Of this I give but this one Argument. All those who have in the leaft dealt in Antiquity, know how loofely and unwarily the first Writers of the Church expreffed themselves C 2

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as to fome Points of Religion. And the Reafon is, thofe Points were not then fufficiently fifted; there had been at that Time no Controverfies moved about them. But afterwards when Hereticks arofe, and taught in thofe Matters Things contrary to found Doctrine, and the Senfe of the Church, this gave Occafion to thofe who were concerned, more narrowly to inquire into those Matters, and upon that Inquiry they gained many Points of Truth, which before poffibly were not thought of, or at least not fo diftinctly apprehended. And from henceforward they expreffed themfelves lefs ambiguoufly, and with more Accuracy, and with greater Evidence. And this is easy to be made appear both in the Arian and Pelagian Controverfies, and in a great many others. And, in truth, take what Points of Religion, what Articles of Faith we will, Experience will fhew, that the more obstinately that Point or Article hath been denied, that Denial and Oppofition hath occafioned both a clearer Diftinction of Truth from Falfhood in that Point or Article, and a ftronger Confirmation and Proof of that Truth; and hath befides often brought to Light many new Propofitions of Truth, fome of which poffibly were not at all before taken notice of, and fome of them not believed, and fome of them, tho' believed, yet neither rightly expreffed nor fufficiently proved. For the Truth of this, I might

give remarkable Inftances in most of the Points difputed between the Church of Rome and us from the Beginning of the Reformation to this Time. But it is not my Defign to enter now into thefe Particulars: but I proceed in the

4th Place, to confider another excellent End for which God permits Herefies in the Church; and that is the particular Reason given by the Apostle in my Text; viz. the Trial of Mens Sincerity, Faith and Conftancy. There muft, fays he, be Herefies, that thofe which are approved may be made manifeft; i. e. that they who are fincere and honest may by this Trial be known and distinguished from others who are not fo. And to the fame Purpose doth old Simeon affirm, that our Saviour was set up Luke 2. for the Fall and Rifing again of many in If-34, 35-1 rael, and for a Sign that should be Spoken against, that the Thoughts of many Hearts might be revealed; i. e. our Saviour's Perfon and Doctrine fhould meet with much Oppofition and Contradiction, that hereby the inward Difpofitions of Mens Hearts, and their Pretences to Religion might be discovered, whether they were honeft and fincere or no. And thus alfo St. John in his firft Epiftle, fpeaking of the Antichrifts Ch. 2. 19. or Hereticks of thofe Days, They went out, fays he, from us, that it might be made manifeft that they were not of us. therefore is one great Ufe that God in his C 3 Provi

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Providence makes of the Quarrels, and Contentions, and Herefies, and Schifms that happen among Chriftians. They serve the fame Ends to Believers within the Church, that Perfecution doth from without. God permits them for the Exercife and Improvement of the Virtue of the Good, and for the Discovery of the ill Defigns and hypocritical Profeffions of the Bad. If all Men

had been of one Faith and of one Communion, where would have been the Trial of the Faith and Patience of the Saints? What Occafion would they have had to exercise their Courage and Conftancy in ftanding up for the Truth? How fhould either others or they themselves have known whether they were fincere, or whether they did not take up their Religion for the ferving fome private Intereft or fecular Defign? Farther, What would have become of that Peace of Confcience and thofe comfortable Refletions that good Men after they have once been tried may make upon their own Sincerity, and which caufeth a continual Joy of Heart to them? And where had been thofe additional Glories and Rewards in the other World, with which God crowns all those who have endured Temptation, and yet are found faithful to the laft? Laftly, to fay no more, How fhould either the Knavery, the Ambition, the Self-feeking, or the Treachery, Inconftancy, and Cowardice of many Pretenders to Religion have

been

been detected? Thefe Ends every body fees are for the Good of the Church, and the Good of all honeft Men; but yet they could not have been attained had there been no Divisions or falfe Religions in the World.

IV. And thus much of my third general Head. I come now to the fourth and laft, which is, to make fome Application of what has been faid, and fo conclude.

And firft of all; Since it appears that there always will, and unavoidably must be Herefies, Differences in Opinion concerning Religion, falfe Doctrines, and Divifions, and the like; from hence we gather, how abfurd and unreafonable thofe Men are, who think it a fufficient Reafon why they fhould deny or reject a Religion or Doctrine, because all Men are not agreed about it, or because they who in general own and profefs that Religion or Doctrine, are yet at Difference among themselves about feveral Points relating to it.

This Inference I chiefly direct against the Atheistical Infidel fort of Men among us, who think they do fufficiently baffle all Religion when they tell us, that Mankind are not yet agreed about the true one. The Turks, fay they, have one Religion, the Jews another, the Pagans another, the Chriftians another, and all thefe feveral forts of Men are peremptory and confident that they

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