How to do good to many, or, The public good is the Christians life…How to do good to many, or, The publick good is the Christians life…

This Man is a Christian, tho he know not whether Patriarchal, and Metropolitical, and Diocesan Church forms, be according to the Will of Christ or against it; and whether symbolical signs in the Worship of God, may lawfully be devised and imposed by Men, and whether some doubtful words in Oaths and Subscriptions of Mens imposing, being unnecessary, be lawful, and how ⟨p. 23⟩far he may by them incur the guilt of perjury or deliberate lying: And tho he think that a Minister may preach and pray in fit words of his own, tho he read not a Sermon or prayer written for him by others, who think that no words but theirs should be offered to God or Man.

This Man is a Christian, tho he know not whether Patriarchal, and Metropolitical, and Diocesane Church formes, be according to the Will of Christ or against it; and whether symbolical signs in the Worship of God, may lawfully be devised and imposed by Men, and whether some doubtful words in Oaths and Subscriptions of Mens imposing, being unnecessary, be lawful, and how ⟨p. 23⟩far he may by them incur the guilt of perjury or deliberate lying: And tho he think that a Minister may preach and pray in fit words of his own, tho he read not a Sermon or prayer written for him by others, who think that no words but theirs should be offered to God or Man.

2. If Christs description of a Christian be forsaken, and mere Christianity seem not a sufficient qualification for our Love and Concord, men will never know where to rest; nor ever agree in any ones determination (but Christs:) All men that can get power will be making their own Wills the Rule and Law, and others will not think of them as they do; and the variety of fallible mutable Church Laws, and terms of Concord will be the Engine of perpetual discord; (as Ulpian told honest Alexander Severus the Laws would be, which he thought to have made for sober Concord in fashions of Apparel,) Those that are united to Christ by faith, and have his sanctifying Spirit, and are justified by him, and shall dwell with him in Heaven, are certainly Christians, and such as Christ hath commanded us to love as our selves. And seeing that it is his Livery by which his Disciples must be known by loving one another, and the false Prophets must be known by the fruits of their hurtfulness, as Wolves, Thorns and Thistles, I must profess, tho Order and Government have been so amiable to me, as to tempt me to favourable thoughts of some Roman power in the Church, I am utterly unreconcilable to it, when I see that the very complexion of that Hierarchy is malice and bloodiness against Men most seriously and humbly pious, that dare not obey them in their sinful usurpations, and that their cause is maintained, by belying, hating and Murdering true Christians.