the Royal Society.
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that they have freely admitted Men of different Religions, Countries, and Professions of Life. This they were obliged to do, or else they would come far short of the Largeness of their own Declarations. For they openly profess, not to lay the Foundation of an English, Scotch, Irish, Popish, or Protestant Philosophy; but a Philosophy of Mankind.
They admit Men of all Religions.That the Church of England ought not to be apprehensive of this free Converse of various Judgments, I shall afterwards manifest at large. For the present, I shall frankly assert, that our Doctrine, and Discipline, will be so far from receiving Damage by it; that it were the best Way to make them universally embraced, if they were oftner brought to be canvass'd amidst all Sorts of Dissenters. It is dimonourable, to pass a hard Censure on the Religions of all other Countries: It concerns them, to look to the Reasonableness of their Faith; and it is sufficient for us, to be established in the Truth of our own. But yet this Comparison I may modestly make; that there is no one Profession, amidst the several Denominations of Christians, that can be exposed to the Search and Scrutiny of its Adversaries, with so much safety as ours. So equal it is, above all others, to the general Reason of Mankind; such honourable Security it provides, both for the Liberty of Men's Minds, and for the Peace of Government; that if some Men's Conceptions were put in Practice, that all wise Men fhould have two Religions; the one, publick, for their Conformity with the People, the other, a private, to be kept to their own Breasts; I am confident, that most considering Men, whatever their first were, would make ours their second, if they were well acquainted with it. Seeing therefore our Church would be inI
so
