or Account, they ought not to be trusted, even in temporal and worldly Affairs, because they endeavoured to impose upon God and Man in a Matter of the greatest Importance. There are some amongst these, who dare to affirm, that we ought always to be of the Religion that the State is of, and when that changes, we ought to change also; but it is not at all to be wondered at, that these Persons should have so ill an Opinion of the Christian Faith, when they have not so much as the common Principles of Natural Religion in them, nor do they show any Regard to right Reason or Virtue. What a wretched Condition are those Kings and States in, who put their Confidence in such Men as believe neither Natural nor Revealed Religion! Indeed, Men, who are themselves void of Learning, who give no Credit to the Judgment of any learned Men whatsoever; who have no Sort of Concern for Truth, but live in perpetual Hypocrisy; are by no Means fit to be trusted in any Matters whatsoever, not even in such as relate to the Public. YET these very Men, as much Despisers as they are of Truth and Virtue, look upon themselves as better Subjects and more ingenious Persons than others; though they be neither, and though it be impossible they should be either, whilst they make no Distinction betwixt Truth and Falsehood, Virtue and Vice, and whilst they are ready to say or do any Thing that may be of Advantage to themselves. All such Men have renounced a right Temper of Mind, and every good Action, and therefore ought to be despised and avoided by every Body. SECT. SECT. V. A Man that commits a Sin by Mistake, may be accepted of God, but a Hypocrite cannot. THE Condition of Human Nature is such, that a great many Men, who in other Respects are not the worst of Men; and yet, either by bad Education, or for Want of Teachers or Books, which might bring them off from their Errors; or because they have not Capacity enough to understand the Controversies amongst Christians, and to form a Judgment of them; lead their Lives as it were in utter Darkness. Such Persons, as they who sincerely believe and obey what they are taught concerning the Christian Religion, so far as their Capacity reaches, are more the Objects of Compassion than of Anger, considering the natural State of Mankind. Their Religion indeed is very lame and defective, and abounds with Mistakes, but yet they themselves are very sincere. Wherefore it is highly probable, that he who does not reap where he has not sown, will, out of his abundant Equity, pardon those who are in such Circumstances; or certainly will inflict a much lighter Punishment upon them. But if we consider that there are Men to be found who have not wanted either Education or Teachers, either Books or Capacity, to understand who have the best and who the worst Side of the Question, in Controversies of Religion; and yet have followed the wrong Side, only for the Sake of the Wealth, or Pleasure, or Honours, that attend them in this present Life; we cannot but have great Indignation against such Men, nor can any one presume to excuse them, much less to defend such a Purpose of Life, without าน the most consummate Impudence. Whence it is easy to apprehend, that if we ourselves, whose Virtue is very imperfect, could not pardon such Persons, how much more severe will the infinite Justice of God be against those, who have knowingly and designedly preferred a Lye to the Truth, for the Sake of the frail and uncertain good Things of this present Life? GOD, out of his abundant Mercy, is ready to pardon such Ignorance as does not proceed from Vice; to pity our imperfect Virtues; and to allow for the Errors of such as are deceived; especially if there was no previous Iniquity, nor no Contempt of Religion; but as our Saviour assures us, he will never pardon those, who when they knew the Truth, chose rather to profess a Lye. We see that such a Hypocrite as this, is by no Means acceptable to Men; for nobody would choose a Person for a Friend, who, to gain any small Advantage to himself, would trample under Foot all the Rights of ancient Friendship. Whence it follows, from what has been said, that there is not a baser nor more dangerous Piece of Iniquity, than the Crime of those, who, in Matters of the highest Moment and Concern, dissemble that which they really think is the best, and openly favour them who are in the wrong. This is what Reason itself teaches us, and what is confirmed by the Christian Religion, and has the Consent of all Sects of Christians whatsoever. z 2 TESTIMONIES CONCERNING HUGO GROTIUS'S AFFECTION FOR THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. TO THE READER. HAVING the following Letters from that most excellent and learned Person, Henry Newton, Ambassador Extraordinary from the most Serene Queen of Great-Britain, to his Royal Highness the most Serene Grand Duke of Tuscany, to whose singular Goodness I am very much indebted; I thought I should do a very acceptable Thing to all who love the Name of Grotius, and no small Honour to the Church of England, if I published them here. It appears plainly from them, that this very great Man had the highest Opinion of the Church of England, and would most willingly have lived in it, if he could. Make the best Use of them you can, therefore, Courteous Reader, and continue to have a good Opinion of a Man that deserved so well of the whole Body of Christians. |