quisquam? Facite hoc, inquit Christus; Luc. xxii. 19. Factum præcepit: non meminit loci. Institutio ipsa salutaris est: temporis locíve circumstantia ita inter adtápopa meritò collocanda, ut tanti Sacramenti essentiæ nihil quicquam præjudicare debeat. Quòd si locum spectare velimus curiosiùs, in cænaculo cœpit Cæna Sacra, non in templo; intráque privatos, ut tu probè monuisti, lares, ab Apostolis discipulisque, pro temporis ratione, celebrata. Synaxis est: quis nescit? ideóque Ecclesiæ Dei haud paulò congruentior. Si qua, tamen, postulet necessitas, sive multorum communis, sive privata postulantis, nulla dari potest ratio, cur Christianis animis, præsertim cum morbis mortéque ipsâ conflictantibus, ita gratum et efficax remedium non ultrò suppeditetur. 'Epódiov est, sanctis Patribus: lasso, igitur, jamque in extremis agenti viatori, petenti insuper, quâ tandem pietate denegetur? De tanti hujus Sacramenti virtute, Christianus esse nequit qui ambigat: non potest, igitur, non pium esse tam salutaris Sacramenti desiderium. Čui ut tempestivè satisfiat, caverunt, præter citatos à te Patres authorésque probatissimos, Concilia etiam non pauca: Nicenum illud Ecumenicum, Can. 13. Carthaginense Quartum, 76, 78. Vasense, 1. Can. 2. alia. Inter Ecclesias verò Reformatas à te commemoratas, certè nostræ Anglicanæ non alia unquam fuit, seu lex, seu praxis; utpote quæ hanc sibi regulam semper figendam sensuerit, toties à scitissimo Rege Jacobo inculcatam, nihilo longiùs à Romanâ discedere Ecclesiâ, quàm illa à se, à primigenia puritate discessisse deprehendatur. Graviter, ergo, piè, ac prudenter quæstionem tu hanc, si quid ego judicare possum, pertractâsti; remque totam tantâ cum moderatione ac cautelâ determinâsti, ut mirum sit, si quis vestrorum deinceps, in tam sano verèque theologico judicio non acquiescat.

Breviter, de re totâ sic habeto. Consilium illorum, qui declarationem hanc tuam, ut valdè piam, Ecclesiaéque Dei perutilem, edendam, jurísque publici faciendam censent, non possum ego non calculo me summopere comprobare. Non parùm è re fuerit Ecclesiæ, ut hujusmodi extet exemplar candoris et equanimitatis Christianæ : ut, moderato qui sunt animo, ha

vately? Do this, is the word of Christ; Luke xxii. 19. He enjoined the act; he made no mention of the place. The institution is of itself beneficial: the circumstances of time and place are so worthily to be accounted among things indifferent, as to offer no prejudice to the essence of so great a Sacrament. But if we choose to regard the place more scrupulously, the Holy Supper was first instituted in a guest-chamber, not in a Church; and afterward celebrated, according to the circumstances of the times, in private houses, as you have properly reminded us, by the Apostles and disciples of the Lord. That it is a congregational ordinance, no one doubts; and therefore unquestionably more appropriate to the Church of God. Still, should any necessity require it, whether shared in common among many, or peculiar to the individual who makes the request, no reason can be given, why a remedy, so grateful and so efficacious, should not be instantly supplied to the souls of the saints, particularly when struggling with disease, perhaps with death itself. In the language of the holy Fathers, it is a sort of provision for the road; on what pretence of piety, then, can it be denied a traveller, wearied with his journey, and now near the end; especially when he asks it at our hand? Of the virtue of a Sacrament so great, he cannot be a Christian who entertains a doubt; and therefore the wish for a Sacrament so salutary cannot but be a token of godliness. And that such wish. should be gratified without delay, not a few of the Councils, in addition to the Fathers and most reputable Authors cited by yourself, have given directions: such as, the Ecumenical Council of Nice; Can. 13. the Fourth Council of Carthage; Can. 76, 78. the 1st Council of Vaison, Can. 2, &c. But among the Reformed Churches which you mention, certainly there never was any other law or custom in our Church of England; which has ever deemed it an established and abiding rule for her direction, so frequently inculcated by wise King James, not to depart further from the Church of Rome, than the Church of Rome is found guilty of departing from her former self, and from primitive simplicity. If I, therefore, may be allowed to deliver an opinion, you have handled this question gravely, piously, and wisely; and settled the whole matter with so great moderation and prudence, that it is strange if there be any of your own Divines from henceforth, who would refuse to acquiesce in so sound and truly scriptural a judgment.

Finally, consider this to be my mind upon the whole business. I cannot but heartily add my voice and vote to theirs, who think that this your declaration ought, for its excellent piety and usefulness to the Church of God, to be printed and published. It may prove of no small benefit to the Church, that an example of Christian candour and equanimity such as

beant quod tenere debeant; et, qui temerè maluerint contradicere, post devтépas tandem opovrídas videant, quod erubescere debuerint.

Deus, Pacis Author, Ecclesiam suam totam in concordi veritate stabiliat!

QUAM nobis olim Dordrechtum conciliavit amicitiam, mi Croci, eam et recolere sæpius, et modis quibuscúnque fovere, quidni senescentibus cordi sit? Video te solum ex collegis tuis superstitem; evolâsse reliquos, cælùmque cum terrâ jam diu commutâsse. Nos, verò, quamdiu hic sumus? Felices, interea; qui temporis hoc quantulumcúnque benè agendo terimus: quod certè dum facimus, invidiam vel comitem, vel saltem asseclam, fato quodam sustinere necesse habemus. Pergant porro nostræ patientiæ præcones εἴπειν πᾶν πονηρὸν ῥῆμα, modo ψευSóμevo: beatos nos hoc modo facient, dum vellent miseros.

Legi, quantum pro tempore licuit, Syntagma tuum: egregium

this remain on record; that they, whose views are moderate, may possess what they ought to hold; and that they, who are bent on contradicting without fear, may see, on second thoughts, what ought to make them blush.

May God, the Author of Peace, establish his whole Church in the harmony of truth!

Farewell, Venerable Brother,

From your faithful and affectionate fellow-servant,

Given from our palace at Exeter.

JOS. EXON.

LETTER II.

TO THE

REVEREND BROTHER IN CHRIST, AND HIGHLY EMINENT,

LOUIS CROCIUS,

DOCTOR OF DIVINITY,

AND PROFESSOR IN THE ILLUSTRIOUS COLLEGE OF BREMEN, GRACE AND PEACE.

WHY may not our hearts delight, as we grow old, my Crocius, both to renew occasionally, and to strengthen, as we best can, the friendship we once contracted at Dort? I observe that you are the only one that survive out of all your colleagues; that the rest have taken wing, and exchanged, some time ago, earth for heaven. And we, how long are we for this world? Happy, meanwhile, if so be that we pass our time, whether it be long or short, in doing good: though doubtless, as long as we so demean ourselves, we must needs, as our distinction, have envy for our companion, or at least for our attendant. Well; let the heralds of our patience go on to speak every evil word against us, so that only they speak falsely; thus will they make us blessed, while they wish to make us wretched.

I have read, as time permitted, your Syntagma: an excellent

profectò opus, et te dignum. Loca à te notata perpendi seriò. Ut liberè loquar quod censeo, occurrebant mihi multa, paulò enucleatiùs, quàm ab aliis Theologis fieri solet, in magno hôc Prædestinationis mysterio, explicata: érepodóğa verò illa, quæ tibi à quibusdam objici quiritaris, quâ tandem ratione hinc elici possint, nullus comperio.

Primum illud caput, verè profectò aureum, de principiis humanæ salutis, probè, uti par est, pensitatum et intellectum, ab omni te impacti erroris suspicione facilè liberârit. Utcunque, enim, universalem Dei piλav@pwríav solito pleniùs dilucidiùsque depinxeris, (quæ quidem nunquam poterit, me judice, nimiùm deprædicari,) cùm tamen triplicem illam universalis dilectionis limitationem insuper addideris, omne amoves Pelagianismi Huberismíque à tuâ sententiâ periculum. Nec enim communis illa Dei misericordia, quâ humano præsertim generi benè vult et benè placet, quicquam præjudicat speciali illi benevolentiæ ac amori, quo electos suos gratiosissimè prosequitur. Fratribus quidem omnibus multiplicat Joseph fercula, Benjamini verò I wan; Gen. xliii. 34. Tuta sunt hîc omnia; dum nos nihil nobis tribuamus, Dei misericordiæ, in Christo filio suo, totum salutis et destinandæ et impetrandæ negotium, acceptum ingenuè feramus. Quis, verò, tibi illa odiosa exprobraret nomina, quæ tu ubique conspuis et detestaris ?

Hæret apud me illud, fateor, aliquantum, et explicatione quâdam videtur indigere, quod capite 6. de Gratiâ Vocationis, sect. 16. occurrit: ubi, formulam Fæderis Gratiæ expositurus, ais, "Peccatum primorum parentum, atque adeò et peccatum originis, tanquam opus Diaboli, hactenus destructum, ut Satanas propterea nullum jus et potestatem in homines habeat; ita ut propterea nemo necessariò damnandus sit, nisi nova peccata accedant, quibus homines fiant gratiæ incapaces, ac denuò in plenam servitutem et possessionem Satanæ redeant." Semper, enim, mihi, sed et aliis visum est, promissum illud de serpentis capite à semine mulieris conterendo, intelligi de victoriâ, quam semen illud benedictum reportârit sibi ac electis suis: ut planiùs loquar, non universali quâdam destructione peccati originis, quasi nullum jus in homines habitum, sed in suos electos nullum; neque de originali illo peccato tantùm, sed et de omnibus quibuscunque Satanæ molitionibus, construi debere. Invidiam tibi forsan aliquam creet ille locus; donec uberiore aliquâ interpretatione vindicetur. Quod ergo paginâ sequente