ftians, if they had been born in a Chriftian Country, and of Chriftian Parents.

If it pleases the Almighty to endow one Man with a better Understanding, or greater natural Abilities of any kind, than his Neighbour, to appoint the Place of his Birth, where he has better Opportunities of being informed in true Religion, or to produce him from fuch Parents as will take care that he is better educated in the Paths of Virtue; these are Bleffings for which he ought to be thankful to his Creator; but are far from being any Reason why he fhould bear an Ill-will to thofe Perfons, who have not received the fame

Advantages

Advantages from Providence; or why he should not live in a kind and neighbourly Manner with them, though he thinks them in an Error with regard to their religious Principles.

us,

And yet Experience convinces that the Conduct of Mankind is quite otherwife; which can be attributed to nothing but a vicious Pride in our Nature, which makes us not content with the Applause of our own Confcience, when we think ourselves in the Right, unlefs we have the Applaufe of others alfo: And renders us follicitous to gain Followers and Admirers, at the fame Time that it gives us an Averfion

Averfion for every one that differs in Opinion from us.

Athanafius, in answer to this Queftion. Πόθεν λέγεται Αἵρεσις ; unde dicitur Hærefis? faith, 'Arò T ἀιρεῖσθαί τι ἴδιον, καὶ τῦτο ἐξακολεθεῖν, Ab eligendo profequendo fententiam fuam privatam. So that the conceiving of Error is not that which conftitutes the Crime of Herefy, but the profecuting and perfevering in it, to the raifing of a Party, and exciting Followers, whence alfo the Word Sect is derived; and for this Reason it is that St. Paul reckons up Herefies among fuch [3] Works of the Flesh, as Hatred, Variance, Emu

[3] Gal. v. 20, 21.

C 4

lations,

tions, Wrath, Strife, Seditions, Envyings, Murders, and fuch like, as it is near of Kind to them, and may be the Foundation and Caufe of them.

What then is it the Duty of any Perfon to do, who is the profeffed Member of any established Church, if he fees, or imagines he fees, any Errors, either in the Doctrine or Discipline of that Church? Must he, for fear of disturbing the Peace of the Church, and being deemed a Schifmatic, or Heretic, fit down quietly, and not endeavour to fet them to Rights? Or, muft he fly off, and feparate immediately from it ?

As

As to the First, if Men were not to declare their Opinions, in spight of Establishments either in Church or State, Truth would foon be banished the Earth. Error puts on fo much a fairer Outfide, ornaments itself with so many plaufible Appearances, and comes loaded with so many Bribes to tempt us from our Duty; that, if Truth did not fometimes fhew itself, and exert its Abilities in its own Defence, the World would be foon over-run with Error, as an uncultivated Garden with Weeds. Of which the Experience of Times paft is fufficient to convince us, by the Growth and Continuance of Errors in the Church of Rome, from the Time that the