religions: he thinks it as great a chimera as the Philosophers
stone, or the quadrature of the circle. The truth is, to hope for
success in such a project, one must suppose in all men a sincere love of
truth, and a readiness to renounce their prejudices, good
understandings, and upright hearts.

In this undertaking one essential thing, which must not be forgot, is,
that if the Catholic Church, by a condescendance worthy of her charity
and her desire that all men should come to the knowledge of the truth,
should remit some point of her discipline, she cannot shew this
indulgence with regard to any tenet condemned by the Council of Trent,
without betraying her principles: there is therefore only one way of
reunion, namely, that those who separated from the Catholic Church
acknowledge that they have no argument that can justify their schism,
and humbly praying to be received into the bosom of their mother, seek
to obtain this favour by sacrificing their errors.

It was very common in the last age for men to busy themselves in finding
out ways of reconciliation between the Protestants and Roman Catholics:
the Reformed set about it; and I cannot forbear relating here the
extravagance of Cregutius, Minister of Montelemar, who in a small
treatise, which I have in Manuscript, on the question, Whether an union
with the Romish Church is to be hoped for or not? decides it in the
affirmative, provided (says he) the Church of Rome begin with renouncing
the doctrine of transubstantiation: of which he doth not despair.
Grotius with more good sense laboured from his youth in the grand
project of reconciling all the parties into which Christians are
divided. His good intentions were known to Europe before his escape from
Louvestein: Du Vair, Keeper of the Seals, complimented him on his
design. "God, says he, has ordered it so that you should owe your
deliverance entirely to him, to the end that being delivered from
worldly distractions, you may employ the rare talents with which he has
entrusted you, in promoting that work which is no doubt most agreeable
to him, namely the common peace of Christendom by a reunion of all the
members which have separated from their spiritual mother, in whom they
or their fathers were conceived. And for as much as it is the thing
which many men of honour expect[642] from you, I cannot forbear
rejoicing with them, and accelerating by my applause such a happy
course." Grotius's answer confirmed the Keeper