The true and only way of concord of all the Christian churches the desirableness…

And I. Necessary Essentials all Christians are and must be agreed in: But unnecessary things such as I have described are never like to be commonly united in, nor is it necessary that they should: It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to the Apostles to impose nothing on the Church, but Necessary things, Act. 15. It was the deceivers and false Teachers which would have done otherwise: Against whom St. Paul doth copiously and zealously dispute, in ⟨p. 139⟩his Epistles to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians, &c. To pretend that as necessary which is not so, or to command that as necessary and causelessly to make it necessary which is not so in it self, and which we may easily know will never be so judged of, nor received by all, is but to rack and tear the Church, and do mischief for an unnecessary thing.

And I. Necessary Essentials all Christians are and must be agreed in: But unnecessary things such as I have described are never like to be commonly united in, nor is it necessary that they should: It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to the Apostles to impose nothing on the Church, but Necessary things, Act. 15. It was the deceivers and false Teachers which would have done otherwise: Against whom St. Paul doth copiously and zealously dispute, in ⟨p. 139⟩his Epistles to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians, &c. To pretend that as necessary which is not so, or to command that as necessary and causelesly to make it necessary which is not so in it self, and which we may easily know will never be so judged of, nor received by all, is but to rack and tear the Church, and do mischief for an unnecessary thing.

§. 7. II. As it is certain that nothing but Truth can be fit matter for the Churches Concord, so it must be certain Truth: that is, not only such as whoever believeth is not deceived, but such as may be discerned by ascertaining Evidence by all sober willing Christians; Not only such as the Learned may be sure of, but all that must take it as certain in their profession; For no man must make a false profession, and say he is certain when he is not. Not that all that may be called certainty must needs exclude all doubting; but that the Assent be prevalent against such doubting: Nor do I mean that it must be certain by natural evidence; It is enough if it be so by Divine Revelation: And if any be so weak that they perceive not some necessary revealed truth to be certainly so revealed, they must be put on no more than to say, [I do, though not with certainty, believe it.] And no probability must be imposed on mens profession, when there is notable danger on the contrary side, if they should mistake.