ten with the love of moderation, and generally burn with defire to appear in that noble and divine character.

This hath infpired me with the ambition and expectation of being helpful in training up as many as are defirous of it, in this moft ufeful of all fciences. For however perfectly it is known, and however fteadily practifed by many who are adepts; and notwithstanding there are fome young men, of pregnant parts, who make a fudden and furprising proficiency, without much affiftance; yet I have often obferved, that there are feveral perfons, who err, in many inftances, from the right path, boggle at fundry particular fteps of their leaders, and take a long time before they are thoroughly confirmed in their principles and practice. The fame perfons alfo, by an unftable conduct, or by an imprudent or unfeasonable discovery of their defigns, have brought a reproach upon their party, and been an obstruction to whatever work they had then in hand.

Thefe bad effects, I humbly conceive, flow chiefly, if not only, from the want of a complete fyftem of moderation, containing all the principles of it, and giving a distinct view of their mutual influence one upon another, as well as proving their reasonablenefs, and fhewing, by examples, how they ought to be put in practice.

7

There

There is no work of this kind, to my knowledge, yet extant, which renders my prefent undertaking of it the more laudable, and will, I hope, render it the more acceptable.

T

I must inform the reader, that after I was fully convinced of the neceffity of fome fuch piece as what follows, but before I entered upon it myfelf, I earnestly entreated feveral of the moft eminent men of the moderate stamp among us, those burning and fhining lights of our church, who are, and are esteemed to be, our leaders, that fome of them would fet about it. How-ever, they all devolved it upon me; and made this fatisfying excufe for themselves, that they were fo bufied, in acting moderation, that they could not have time to write upon it. This foon led me to think, what would become of many noble defigns, and what advantage our dif contented zealots might take, if any of the expert steerfmen of this ecclefiaftical veffel of ours fhould retire from the helm; but fo long time as would be neceflary to bring a work of such a nature, to the perfection in ftrength, fymmetry, and elegance, that the reader will perceive even this of mine is arrived at.

I fhall now proceed to the principal part of the work, after I have informed the reader of the plan of it; which is briefly this, to enumerate diftinctly and in their proper order and connection, all

the

the feveral maxims upon which moderate men conduct themselves: and forafmuch as the justice of many of them, being refined pieces of policy, is not very evident at first fight, I fhall fubjoin to each an illuftration and confirmation of it, from reafon or experience, or both. N. B. I fhall make but very little ufe of Scripture, because that is contrary to fome of the maxims themfelves; as will be feen in the fequel.

MAXIM

I.

All ecclefiaftical perfons, of whatever rank, whether principals of colleges, profeffors of divinity, minifters, or even probationers, that are fufpected of herefy, are to be esteemed men of great genius, vast learning, and uncommon worth; and are, by all means, to be supported and protected.

All moderate men have a kind of fellow-feeling with herefy and as foon as they hear of any one fufpected, or in danger of being prosecuted for it, zealously and unanimously rise up in his defence. This fact is unquestionable. I never knew a moderate man in my life, that did not love and honour a heretic, or that had not an implacable hatred at the perfons and characters of herefy-hunters; a name with which we have thought proper to ftigmatize these fons of Belial,

who

who begin and carry on prosecutions against men for herefy in church-courts.

It is related of the apostle John, and an ugly fory it is, that upon going into a public bath, and obferving the heretic Cerinthus there before him, he retired with the utmost precipitation, left the edifice fhould fall, and crush him, when in com®. pany with fuch an enemy of the truth. If the ftory be true, the apoftle's conduct was ridiculous and wild; but Dr. Middleton has fhown that the story is not true; and indeed, the known benevolence and charity of John's writings make it highly improbable. However, not to enter into that controverfy, whether it be true or not, the conduct of all moderate men is directly oppofite.

As to the justice of this maxim, many folid reasons may be given for it.Compaffion itfelf, which is one of the finest and most benevolent feelings of the human heart, moves them to the relief of their diftreffed brother.

Another very plain reafon may be given for it: moderate men are, by their very name and conftitution, the reverse, in all refpects, of bigotted zealots. Now, it is well known, that many of this laft fort, both clergy and common people, when they hear of a man suspected of heresy, conceive an averfion at him, even before they know any thing of the cafe; nor after he is açquitted,

quitted (as they are all of them commonly in our church-courts) can they ever come to entertain a favourable opinion of him. The reverse of this then is, to be as early and as vigorous in his defence, as they are in his profecution, and as implicit in our belief of his orthodoxy, as they are in their belief of his error.

I remember, when I was difcourfing once to this purpose, a certain raw unexperienced perfon faid, he had always thought, that not moderation, but lukewarmness and indifference to truth, was the reverse of exceflive zeal; and that moderation was fituated in the middle betwixt the two. To whom I answered, Young man, you do not reflect, that no fierce man can be refifted: but by one as fierce, nor overcome but by one fiercer than himself; if, therefore, no body would oppofe the zealots, but fuch calm midfmen as you mention, in every fuch inftance the balance. of power must lean to their fide, and the poor heretic must fall a facrifice, to the no fmall detriment of the caufe of moderation; which, by the bye, is commonly fupported by the heretics in their stations, and therefore they deserve a grateful return.

This brings to my mind another reafon for the maxim, viz. That heretics being fo nearly related to the moderate men, have a right to claim their protection out of friendship and per

fonal