GOD, and at the fame time your own and others "Salvation. "If hitherto, in preaching the Gospel, you have • ignorantly advanced any thing reflecting on him "(i. (i. e. GoD) and his Son, and whilst you thought you were promoting the Salvation of the people "committed to you, have contributed to their con"demnation; you fhould pray to GoD, as I do "moft fincerely, that it may please him graciously "to pardon you, and to pour out his Spirit on "your heart, and enlighten it with the knowledge of himself. FAREWELL. Bafil, 12 July, 1578. "Yours in CHRIST. F. S.*" The laft quotation to be produced on this head, fhall be from the conclufion of his Answer to FRANCIS PUCCrus, a polemical piece on the ftate of man before the fall. Neither in advancing my .. own opinion, nor in refuting yours (fays Soci"NUS) nor in detecting your great errors, do I (as you seem to fufpect) feek the praise of my ❝ genius; but my care is to exert my best powers left the Truth fhould be obfcured, or genuine "Piety be in any degree diminished. Whilft I am wholly intent on this, I am on my guard as much as poffible, left I fhould wound you by reproaches " and F 4 Opera, tom, ii. p. 246. col. 2. *and invectives; although I have been notoriously "and frequently provoked by you. If any thing "has unknowingly escaped me, that may give more "pain than is proper, I fervently and very ear"neftly intreat your candid forgiveness. "But out of a concern for your Salvation I still "more ardently beg or rather admonish you, that "from henceforth in all debates, either in person "or writing, with me or any other perfon, you "would refrain from railing. For, befides that "it is unbecoming a man of your rank and learning, and affifts the cause of an adversary, it ex cludes him who is habituated to it from the "kingdom of GOD, as PAUL plainly declares, who "commands us not to eat with men of this turn "that profess themselves Chriftians. But if we "are to refrain from reviling, as we would not "be deemed unfit for the Kingdom of GOD, "much more ought we to refrain from calumnies; " in which yet, in your Book against me, you appear to have delighted. "You fee then your duty. If you perform it, " and study to practise unblamable purity of life and Chriftian fanctity, whatever may be your fentiments on the fubject of our debate, I will "always always acknowledge you for my Brother in CHRIST, and fhall think there is a fufficient "agreement between us: and what you have very kindly promised, you will do for me, if I hold ❝ the Truth with you, i. e. as I understand it, if I "affent to the truth of your opinion, this I will in "reality perform. For I will be careful to learn " from you, those many things in which you can "inftru&t me; and to my beft power will affift you " in all your studies and undertakings. "But if I perceive you are not difpofed to lay "afide the old man and put on the new; although "not on this question only, and about all the pre 66 cepts of the Chriftian Religion, but also in ex"plaining all the fentences and even the words and fyllables of the facred Scriptures, your fentiments "fhould perfectly correfpond with mine, yet will I "not own you as a Brother, or look upon myself "as agreeing with you. I hope indeed you will "display before us the true Chriftian, in deed and " in word. For you cannot be ignorant what se"yere punishments from GoD hang over those "before whom heavenly truth is laid open, but who do not live becoming this knowledge. May "GOD the greatest and best of Beings, in his clemency never leave you, and may he direct "and and over-rule all your ftudies and labours to the "benefit of his Church *." Thefe are excellent fentiments, and I apprehend will be deemed to breath a juft and liberal way of thinking, not very common in thofe times. Some of our firft and greatest Reformers wrote in a different ftraint. The fpirit of his polemical Works * Opera, tom. ii. p. 369. col. I, 2. + "CALVIN'S treatment of CASTELLIO furnishes an inftance of this. The latter not inferior to CALVIN him"felf in learning and piety, had the misfortune to differ "from him in judgment in the points of Predeftination, "Election, Free-will and Faith. This CALVIN could "not bear, and therefore treated CASTELLIO in fo rude "and cruel a manner, as I believe his warmest friends "will be ashamed to juftify. In fome of his writings "he calls him, BLASPHEMER, REVILER, MALICIOUS "BARKING DOG, FULL OF IGNORANCE, BESTIALITY AND IMPUDENCE, IMPOSTOR, A BASE CORRUPTER "OF THE SACRED WRITINGS, A MOCKER OF GOD, A CONTEMNER OF ALL RELIGION, AN IMPUDENT FELLOW, A FILTHY DOG, a Knave, aN IMPU"DENT, LEWD, CROOKED-MINDED VAGABOND, BEG"GARLY ROGUE. At other times he calls him, a Di . fciple and Brother of SERVETUS, AND AN HERETIC, "CASTELLIO's reply to all thefe Flowers is worthy the "patience and moderation of a Chriftian, and from his "Slanderer he appeals to the righteous Judgment of "GOD." CHANDLER'S Hift. of Perfecution, p. 312. 8vo. Works is in general confonant to these fentiments. They are written in a calm, difpaffionate and argumentative manner, free from perfonal reflections and abufive language. So far is it from being common, though a dictate of wisdom, not to fay Religion, to spare in religious disputes the name and reputation of an opponent; that most parties have been too ready to expofe the lives of their adverfaries to danger for the fake of what they deemed the Truth. The Reader will be pleafed with what SOCINUS hath advanced on this head. I will quote a paffage from his Addrefs to the CALVINISTIC Churches in Poland. It is fur"prizing that the CALVINISTS there permit, yea rather command, the Chriftian people to fpill human blood; when all men who are real Chrif tians ought to be ready to pour out not the blood of others but their own blood, and even this not "in a war carried on by carnal arms, but by the ufe of the fpiritual weapons of Faith, Patience, "Conftancy and Hope; if the enemies of divine Truth will not allow them to worship GoB and CHRIST with purity, but compel them to an impious worship by force and arms. This is a great and most deftructive corruption of the "Christian |