Answ. 1. TH•se Papists perverseness can mean no better than that Christianity it self is not necessary to salvation, to those that have not opportunity to know it (As Johnsons Rejoynd to me, and Sancta Clara and many others plainly intimate) And were that never so true and certain, it were nothing to the question between them and us, which is, What are the Essentials of Christianity? And what is necessary to salvation, where Christianity is necessary? or where the Christian Religion is made known, and men may come to the knowledge of it, if they will do their best? This is the true state of our Controversy with them. And whereas they would make all the parts of Christian faith and practice equally necessary, where men have a capacity and ability to know, believe and practise them, It is a gross deceit, unworthy of men pretending to a mediocrity of knowledge in the nature of Religion: And thereby they make all sins and errors as equal as all duties and1 truths. Whereas 1. There is no man that hath not some error and some sin. 2. There is no man that doth all that ever he was able to do, to understand all the truth. 3. Therefore there is no man whose errors themselves are not (many of them at least) culpable or sinful. 4. And they that distinguish between Mortal and Venial sins, and yet will not distinguish between Mortal and Venial Errors, are either blind, or would keep others blind. As it is not so damning a sin for a man to think a vain thought, or to speak a vain word, as not to Love God, or Holiness, (no though he was more able to have forborne that idle word, than to have Loved God:) So it is not so mortal a sin, (that is, inconsistent with a justified state) to mistake in a small matter, (as who was the Father of Arp••xad, or what year the world was drowned in, &c.) as to blaspheme the Holy Ghost, or deny Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of the world, or to deny that there is a God, or everlasting life, or a difference between Good and Evil. All sins are not equal in magnitude or danger. Therefore all errors are not equal in magnitude sinfulness or danger.
Answ. 1. TH•se Papists perverseness can mean no better than that Christianity it self is not necessary to salvation, to those that have not opportunity to know it (As Iohnsons Rejoynd to me, and Sancta Clara and many others plainly intimate) And were that never so true and certain, it were nothing to the question between them and us, which is, What are the Essentials of Christianity? And what is necessary to salvation, where Christianity is necessary? or where the Christian Religion is made known, and men may come to the knowledge of it, if they will do their best? This is the true state of our Controversie with them. And whereas they would make all the parts of Christian faith and practice equally necessary, where men have a capacity and ability to know, believe and practise them, It is a gross deceit, unworthy of men pretending to a mediocrity of knowledge in the nature of Religion: And thereby they make all sins and errors as equal as all duties and1 truths. Whereas 1. There is no man that hath not some error and some sin. 2. There is no man that doth all that ever he was able to do, to understand all the truth. 3. Therefore there is no man whose errors themselves are not (many of them at least) culpable or sinful. 4. And they that distinguish between Mortal and Venial sins, and yet will not distinguish between Mortal and Venial Errors, are either blind, or would keep others blind. As it is not so damning a sin for a man to think a vain thought, or to speak a vain word, as not to Love God, or Holiness, (no though he was more able to have forborn that idle word, than to have Loved God:) So it is not so mortal a sin, (that is, inconsistent with a justified state) to mistake in a small matter, (as who was the Father of Arp••xad, or what year the world was drowned in, &c.) as to blaspheme the Holy Ghost, or deny Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of the world, or to deny that there is a God, or everlasting life, or a difference between Good and Evil. All sins are not equal in magnitude or danger. Therefore all errors are not equal in magnitude sinfulness or danger.
- 1James 3. 2. 1 John 1. ult.
