The letter writ by the last Assembly General of the Clergy of France to the Protestants, inviting them to return to their communion together with the methods proposed by them for their conviction / translated into English, and examined by Gilbert Burnet.

Remarks.

1. IF we did pretend that the first Re∣formers, or those who drew the Ausburg confession were inspired of God, in compiling what they writ there were some force in this Discourse: But since we build upon this principle, that the Scripture is the only ground on which we found our Faith, then if any per∣son, how much soever we may honour his memory on all other accounts, has misunderstood that, we do not depart from our principle when we forsake him, and follow that which appears to be plainly delivered in the Scri∣ptures.

2. We freely acknowledge that the Faith admits of no Reformation, and that we can make neither more nor less of it than we find in the Scri∣ptures; but if any Church has brought in many Errours, we do not think it a Reforming the Faith, to throw these out. The Faith is still the same that it was when the Apostles first delivered it to the Church; nor was it the Faith, but the Church that was pretended to be Reformed: And if after a long night of Darkness and Corruption, those

that began to see better, did not at first discover every thing, or if some of the prejudices of their Education, and their former opinions did still hang about them; so that others who came after them saw further and more clear∣ly: This only proves that they were subject to the Infirmities of the Hu∣mane Nature, and that they were not immediately inspired of God, which was never pretended.

3. Great difference is to be made between Articles of Faith and Theo∣logical Truths. The former consists of those things that are the Ingredients of our B••ptismal Vows, and are indeed parts of the New Covenant, which may be reduced to the Creed and the Ten Commandments. The other are opinions relating to these, which though they are founded on Scripture, yet have not that Influence either on our Hearts or Lives, that they make us either much better or much worse. Among these we reckon the Explanation of the Presence of Christ in the Sacrament, and the Influence of the Divine Grace upon our Wills. If some of the Con∣fessions of Faith among the Protestants differ much in these matters▪ that is not concerning Articles of Faith, but

Theological Truths: In which great allowances are to be made for difference of opinion. And as particular Churches ought not to proceed too hastily to de∣cisions in matters that are justly disputa∣ble, so the rigorous imposing of those severe definitions on the Consciences of others by Oaths and Subscriptions, and more particularly all rigour in the prosecution of those that differ in opi∣nion, is both disagreeing to the mild∣ness of the Christian Religion, and to the Character of Church-men; and in particular, to the principles upon which the Reformation was founded.

4. As for the Greek Churches, to∣gether with the other Societies in the East, we do not deny that many of those corruptions for which we con∣demn the Church of Rome, are among them, which only proves that the be∣ginning of these is elder than the Ninth or Tenth Century: In which those Churches began to divide, such is the worshipping of Images, the praying to Saints, and some other abuses.

5. To this it must be added, that for diverse Ages the oppression under which those Churches have fallen, and the great Ignorance that has overspread them, have be••n such, that no wonder

if those Greeks that have been bred up in the States of the Roman Communion, and so were leavened with their opi∣nions, have found it no hard task to impose upon their weak and corrupt Countrey-men, whatsoever opinions they had in charge to infuse into them: So that we may rather wonder to find that all those abuses for which we complain of the Church of Rome are not among them, than that some have got footing there.

6. But after all this, the main things upon which we have separated from the Church of Rome, are not to be found among those Churches: Such as the adoring the Consecrated Elements, the denying the Wine to the People, the saying Masses for Redeeming Souls out of Purgatory, the having Images for the Trinity, the immediate Invoca∣tion of Saints for the pardon of Sin, and those blessings which we receive only from God: Besides an infinite variety of other things. Not to mention their denying the Popes authority. And to turn this argument on them, Those parts of their Worship, in which they dif∣fer so much from the Eastern Churches, do afford us very good arguments to evince that they are Innovations,

brought in since these ages, in which those Churches held Communion with the Roman Church: And do prove that at the time of their Separation they were not introduced in the We∣stern Church: For when we find such a keenness of dispute concerning one of the most indifferent things in the World, as whether the Sacrament should be of Leavened or Unleavened Bread; can we think that if the La∣tines had then worshipped the Sacra∣ment, they had not much rather have objected to the Greeks their Irreverence upon so high an occasion, than have insisted on the matter of unleavened Bread?

As for the conclusion, we do ac∣knowledge it is such as becomes an As∣sembly of Bishops. But whether it becomes men of their Characters, of their Birth and of their Qualities, to pretend to such gentleness and meek∣ness, when all the World sees such noto∣rious proofs given to the contrary, I shall not determine; but will leave it to their own second thoughts to consider better of it. We find both the King and the Clergy of France, expressing great tenderness towards the persons of those they call Hereticks, togetherwith

their resolutions of gaining them only by the Methods of Persuasion and Cha∣rity, and yet the contrary is practis••d in so many parts of France, that consi∣dering the exact Obedience that the Inferiour Officers pay to the Orders that are sent them from the Court, we must conclude these Orders are procured from the King, without his being rightly informed concerning them: And since we must either doubt of the sincerity of the Kings Declarati∣ons or of the Assemblies, we hope they will not take it ill, if we pay that Reve∣rence to a Crowned Head, and to so illustrious a Monarch, as to prefer him in the competition between his credit and theirs; and they must forgive us if we stand in some doubt of the since∣rity of this Declaration, till we are convinced of it by more Infallible proofs than words or general Prote∣stations.