Hugo Grotius · 121 of 132

SECT. XII. The ancient church-government was highly esteemed by Grotius, without condemning others.

WHOEVER reads over the works of that great man, Hugo Grotius, and examines into his doctrine and practice, will find that be had entertained in his mind that form of sound words, the truth of which he has proved; nor did he esteem any thing else as true religion; but after he had diligently read the writings of Christian antiquity, and understood that the original form was that of episcopacy, he highly approved of it in the manner it is maintained in England, as appears from his own express words, which we have wrote down at the bottom of the page.

Therefore, it is not to be doubted but if it had been in his power, and he had not been so vehemently tossed to and fro by adversity, and exasperated and vexed by the baseness and reproachfulness of his enemies, at whose bands he did not deserve it, he would have joined himself with those who maintained the ancient form of discipline, and required nothing further than what has been already said, the truth of which he has proved excellently well; the arguments for which practice appear to us to be so weighty, that we have thought good to add them to this little treatise.