THERE can be no doubt , but that the main Concern of Man in this Vale of Tears , is the Salvation of his Soul . If this be lost , he loses all ; if this be gained , he gains all , and both for an Eternity . No body then can blame me , if being solicitous to save my Soul , I have recourse to those , whose Learning must needs enable them , and whose Charity cannot but incline them to instruct me in this weighty Affair . I therefore humbly beseech you most Reverend and Learned Doctors of the Church of England to afford me a clear and satisfactory Solution of these following Doubts .

First , I desire to know , whether all things necessary to Salvation are contained in Scripture ? If not , where must I seek them ? If they be , then they are either clearly contained in it , so that there is no need of an Interpreter for the meaning of the words ; or not . If there be no need of any such Interpreter , then I humbly ask what these Necessaries to Salvation are , and in what Chapter and Verse of Scripture each of them may be found . For Example ; Is the Belief of a Trinity , One God and Three Persons , necessary to Salvation ? If it be , as the Creed of S. Athanasius assures us it is , in what Chapter and Verse of Scripture is it clearly expressed ? If you send me to the 1. Epist. of S. John , Chap. 5. Ver . 7. where we read , There are Three who give Testimony in Heaven , the Father , the Word , and Holy Ghost , and these Three are One ; or to the Gospel of S. John , Chap. 10. Ver . 30. I and my Father are One ; I desire you to shew clearly out of Scripture , that the word One here signifies a strict Identity or Unity of Substance , as the Church of England holds , not a meer Moral Union , as many Learned Arians and others will have it , and as we all confess the same word signifies in S. John , Chap. 17. Ver . 2● . where our Lord Prays that all Believers may be One , as he and his Father are One ; where certainly he cannot be supposed to mean One in Substance . In what Verse then and Chapter in Scripture have we these or the like words , The word One in the 1 Epist. of S. John , Item in S. John's Gospel , signifies a strict Identity ; which notwithstanding I conceive ought to be , if all Necessaries to Salvation be clearly contained in Scripture . Now if the Belief of a Trinity be not necessary to Salvation , I desire it may be clearly owned in these or the like words : 't is not necessary for Salvation to believe Three Persons and One God , notwithstanding the Creed of S. Athanasius , and Definition of the First Council of Nice , when the Church was in her Purity not the least corrupted .

Again , Is the Belief of the Incarnation necessary for Salvation ? Where is it clearly expressed in Scripture ? You refer me to S. John Chap. 1. The Word is made Flesh . But you know that many Learned Men , Nestorius and others , denied that word to signifie a strict Incarnation , but either a Moral Union , or a meer external appearance of a Man , as those who held Christ not to have a real but a phantastick Body . Now be pleased to shew me in what Verse or Chapter it is clearly expressed , that the said words signifie a strict Incarnation . But if you deny the Belief of this Mystery to be necessary to Salvation , own it , for our Satisfaction , in these or the like words : It is not necessary for Salvation to believe , that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity was made true Man . And if the Belief of neither Trinity nor Incarnation are necessary , shew me what is , and where expressed in Scripture .

Then in order to Practice , I desire to know whether it be necessary to Salvation , to keep holy the Lord's-Day , that is , Sunday and not Saturday . If it be , I desire to know in what Chapter and Verse it is clearly contained in Scripture ; as also where the Abrogation of the Saturday is clearly expressed . If it be not necessary for Salvation to keep holy the Lord's-Day , I desire your Warrant for it in these or the like terms : It is not necessary to keep holy the Lord's Day , that is , Sunday .

If you say that every one is only bound to believe what is clear to him in Scripture , reading it with Sincerity and Humility , then I must desire to know , What if I reading Scripture Sincerely and with Humility , cannot find clearly expressed either the Trinity or Incarnation ? will it not be necessary for the Salvation of my Soul to believe these two Mysteries ?

Put the Case I have recourse ( as by these I have ) to Church-Guides , and they tell me I must believe those Mysteries : is it necessary I believe these Guides ? If it be , then Scripture alone is not clear in Necessaries to Salvation ; for here I am obliged to believe what is not clear to me in Scripture . Again , am I bound to keep holy Sunday , thô I find no Precept for it in Scripture , and not Saturday , thô I find an express Command for it , no-where Abrogated in Scripture , because my Guides tell me I must do so ? If I must , then Guides are necessary to Salvation , and Scripture alone without them is not sufficient . Be pleased to own this Proposition — Scripture alone is not sufficient , without Guides to Interpret it . If notwithstanding my Guides I am not bound to believe either Trinity or Incarnation , or observe Sunday , then I must beg of you to warrant with your Authority these words : I am not bound to keep holy the Lord's-Day or Sunday , thò the Guides of the Church tell me I must , if I cannot find it clearly in Scripture .

But you 'll tell me , That Necessaries to Salvation are either clear in Scripture , or evidently deduced out of Scripture . Very well . Assign then these Necessaries , and deduce them out of Scripture ; shew the Verse and Chapter from whence is evidently deduced an Obligation to keep holy Sunday and not Saturday . Again , the Evidence of that Deduction is either had immediately from the meer reading of Scripture , without help of Guides , and then I desire to see the Places from whence these Necessaries are evidently inferr'd ; or it cannot be had but by the help of Guides , and then the Scripture alone is not sufficient .

Secondly , But if all Necessaries to Salvation be not clear enough in Scripture to be understood without an Interpreter , then it will be necessary to know who and where the Interpreter is . If you remit me to the Decision of the true Church , it will be necessary to know which is that Church . If you tell me all Christian Churches joyned together , then it follows that I am bound to believe nothing but what all Christians agree in ; for what they disagree in , cannot be the Sentiment or Decision of the whole Church , but only of a part of it . I am not then obliged to believe the Trinity ; for the Arians , thô Christians , deny it . I am not obliged to believe the Incarnation , for many Christians deny that Christ was God made Man by a strict Incarnation , but only by a Moral Union ; that is , he was a Man who had the Authority of God as his Plenipotentiary , and the like . Now then let me know on what all Christians agree , and let me have your Warrant that I am bound to believe neither the Trinity nor Incarnation , nor any thing wherein all Christians do not agree . Now if you tell me I am obliged to stand to the Determination of one particular Church , or some and not all , tell me which , and why that or those more than others ? What Church , for Example , were particular Persons bound to follow Two hundred years ago , before the Reformation ?

I conceive , an Answer to these Doubts absolutely necessary for the Salvation of my Soul . For how can I be Saved , if I know not what is necessary thereunto ? I need not say a satisfactory one , for no other can flow from your Learned and vertuous Pens ; I only fear that some Pin-feather'd Divine , out of an itch to appear in Print may prevent yours , and put me off with a Flim-flam , or an uncharitable Jeer , or Railing against some particular Church he may fancy me to be of , which is nothing to my purpose , who seek where I may find securely Necessaries to Salvation , not where I cannot find them . This would be also prejudicial to the Church of England ; for when Men see Doubts so sincerely and submissively Proposed , Answered only with Jeers , Railing and Invectives , or omitted and let pass , as not deserving an Answer , they must needs doubt of the Learning , as well as of ●he Vertue and Charity of their Leaders .

Now were the Satisfaction I here desire , intended for my self alone , it might have seemed more proper to have made my Address in particular to some one of your Reverend and Learned Body ; but forasmuch as it concerns so many others , and , as I persuade my self , will prove extremely beneficial to Religion , it being the surest , nay only way to end the many Controversies of this Age , I am forced to desire of you , whose high Character obliges you to a Zeal of Souls , a publick , and withall a speedy Answer , by which you will highly oblige ,