A vindication of the Animadversions on Fiat lux

What you add farther on this subject, is but a repetition in other words of what you had said before, with an application of your false and groundless supposition unto our present differences; but yet least you should flatter your self, or your Disciples deceive themselves with thoughts that there is any thing of weight or moment in it, shall also be considered. You add then, that if any part, much more if any parts, great substantial parts of Religion brought into the Land with the first news of Christianity be once rejected (as they are now amongst us) as Romish or Romanical, and that rejection or Reformation be permitted, then may other parts and all parts, if the gap be not stopped, be looked upon at length as points of no better a condition.

What you add farther on this subject, is but a repetition in other words of what you had said before, with an application of your false and groundless supposition unto our present differences; but yet least you should flatter your self, or your Disciples deceive themselves with thoughts that there is any thing of weight or moment in it, shall also be considered. You adde then, that if any part, much more if any parts, great substantial parts of Religion brought into the Land with the first news of Christianity be once rejected (as they are now amongst us) as Romish or Romanical, and that rejection or Reformation be permitted, then may other parts and all parts, if the gap be not stopped, be looked upon at length as points of no better a condition.

I have given you sundry instances already, undeniably evincing that some opinions of them who first bring the news of Christian Religion unto any, may be afterwards rejected without the least impeachment of the Truth of the whole, or of our faith therein. Yea men may be necessitated so to reject them, to keep entire the Truth of the whole. But the rejection supposed, is of mens opinions that bring Christian Religion, and not of any parts of Christian Religion it self. For the mistakes of any men whatever, whither in Speculation or Practice about Religion, are no parts of Religion, much less substantial ⟨p. 338⟩parts of it. Such was the Opinion of the necessity of the observation of Mosaical Rites taught with a suitable practice, by many believers of the Circumcision, who first preached the Gospel in sundry places in the world. And such were the Rites and Opinions brought into England by Austin that are rejected by Protestants, if any such there were, which as yet you have not made to appear. There is no such affinity between Truth and Error, however any men may endeavour to blend them together, but that others may separate between them, and eject the one without any prejudice unto the other; male sart gratia nequaquam coit. Yea the Truth and Light of the Gospel is of that nature, as that if it be once sincerely received in the mind and embraced, it will work out all those false notions, which by any means together with it may be instilled: As rectum is index sui & obliqui. Whilst then we know and are persuaded that in any System of Religion which is proposed unto us, it is only error which we reject, having an infallible Rule for the guidance of our judgement therein, there is no danger of weakening our assent unto the Truth which we retain. Truth and falsehood can never stand upon the same bottom, nor have the same evidence, though they may be proposed at the same time unto us, and by the same Persons. So that there is no difficulty in apprehending how the one may be received, and the other rejected. Nor may it be granted (though their concernment lye not therein at all) that if a man reject or disbelieve any point of Truth that is delivered unto him in an entire System of Truths, that he is thereby made inclinable to reject the rest also, or disenabled to give a firm assent unto them, unless he reject or disbelieve it upon a notion that is common to