Ib. p. 87.

For my part, I bless God, who gave me even under a Usurper, whom I opposed, such liberty and advantage to preach his Gospel with success, which I cannot have under a King to whom I have sworn and performed true subjection and obedience; yea, which no age since the Gospel came into this land did before possess, as far as I can learn from history.  Sure I am that when it became a matter of reputation and honour to be godly, it abundantly furthered the successes of the ministry.  Yea, and I shall add this much more for the sake of posterity, that as much as I have said and written against licentiousness in religion, and for the magistrate’s power in it, and though I think that land most happy, whose rulers use their authority for Christ as well as for the civil peace; yet in comparison of the rest of the world, I shall think that land happy that hath but bare liberty to be as good as they are willing to be; and if countenance and maintenance be but added to liberty, and tolerated errors and sects be but forced to keep the peace, and not to oppose the substantials of Christianity, I shall not hereafter much fear such toleration, nor despair that truth will bear down adversaries.

What a valuable and citable paragraph!  Likewise it is a happy instance of the force of a cherished prejudice in an honest mind—­practically yielding to the truth, but yet with a speculative, “Though I still think, &c.”

Ib. p. 128.

Among truths certain in themselves, all are not equally certain unto me; and even of the mysteries of the Gospel I must needs say, with Mr. Richard Hooker, that whatever some may pretend, the subjective certainty cannot go beyond the objective evidence. * * * Therefore I do more of late than ever discern the necessity of a methodical procedure in maintaining the doctrine of Christianity. * * * My certainty that I am a man is before my certainty that there is a God. * * * My certainty that there is a God is greater than my certainty that he requireth love and holiness of his creature, &c.

There is a confusion in this paragraph, which asks more than a marginal note to disentangle.  Briefly, the process of acquirement is confounded with the order of the truths when acquired.  A tinder spark gives light to an Argand’s lamp:  is it therefore more luminous?

Ib. p. 129.

And when I have studied hard to understand some abstruse admired book, as ’de Scientia Dei, de Providentia circa malum, de Decretis, de Praedeterminatione, de Libertate creaturae’, &c.  I have but attained the knowledge of human imperfection, and to see that the author is but a man as well as I.

On these points I have come to a resting place.  Let such articles, as are either to be recognized as facts, for example, sin or evil having its origination in a will; and the reality of a responsible and (in whatever sense freedom is presupposed in responsibility,)