NOtwithstanding your angry intimation, that you inten­ded not to answer me, yet it was easie to fore-see (and accordingly I told you) that you would not keep your word; for I knew your Pride would put you upon writing, and your guilt would necessitate you to do it, just in as unbecoming a manner as you have done; for an ill cause must be maintained by Calumny. It shall not therefore be any part of my concernment to return your unhandsom Language, but I am content to let you enjoy the priviledge of Railing alone: and if there be any of so easie a belief, as to take your word, and can imagin I would be so foolish as well as wicked, as in a matter of five or six sheets of Paper, to publish fourscore untruths, I will not envy you such kind of partial Favourers, nor trouble my self to rectifie their erronious apprehensions: only I shall desire all that will be at a little pains to consider things, to judge seriously betwixt us, and to determine impartially, whether that proud contempt and folly, which almost in every line of your last book accompanieth your expressions, doth not abundantly discover that your heart was never yet truly humbled, and consequently that Repentance you take occasion to mention meerly Hypocrytical and Pretended.

Without entring therefore into other By-matters, which are nothing to the Purpose of our main Controversie, I must [Page 2] bring you back to the Question as it was first designedly handled between us; and that is briefly this, [Whether Conformity at this day upon Conscientious grounds can be defended by any; or at least, with any kind of honesty contended for by your self.] This, Sir, is the thing I have enquired about, and I must keep you close to the stating of it; for as you Stand or Fall in the right handling of this, so will all your Reasonings appear, either Solid and Convincing, or else degenerate into a railing and needless impertinence.

Sir, Whoever goeth about to instruct the World (but especi­ally the Churches of Christ) in such a Critical day as this, had need be very careful to give all possible satisfaction in two things: First, that he writeth something that is worth our know­ing, and doth not abuse the patience and leisure of his Readers: Secondly, That he doth himself shew so much Stability and Ste­diness of judgement, as that he may not discredit his own work, by having that replyed upon him, Thou that teachest another, teachest thou not thy self? In both these particulars I have already prov'd that you are grosly Defective; For you plead altogether for an Ʋnclean thing; and that is, for Conformity after a Cove­nanted for Reformation; and likewise (which is more absurd) this you doe after you have your self writ so much (and to speak truth, so well) against all such kind of Communion.

Amongst other things that I charged upon you this was one, I said, It became not you to blame the War, and the evil effects of it, with so much bitterness: since you were as Active an Instrument in promoting of it, as any one whatsoever. This, Sir, notwithstanding your peremptory denyal, I must again confirm; For you do in your Holy Common-wealth at large justifie and defend that War, you say, you did encourage many thousands to it, and, that you thought when you engaged in it, you never did God that outward service as then: Put all which together, and they serve to discover an Acti­vity which very few did equal, scarce any could exceed: and it will be a very vain excuse to say or think you did but little, because perhaps some others might do more; for the measure of every ones Activity in a common cause, must be taken from that place which they fill up, which in your Capacity as a Preacher (especially if you sent in Souldiers by Thousands) you did as notably discharge as any of the Generals or Parliament Men, who would have signified but little, had they not had such Chaplains to work upon Consci­ence: I therefore wronged you not by asserting what you former­ly did, but you much wrong the Truth and Goodness of your own cause, (if indeed you think you ever had it) by seek­ing [Page 3] so meanly to finde out a Subter-fuge how you might dis­guise and hide it.

I am not ignorant that you now tell me you Repent, (and you ought to thank me that I have been [...] means to bring you to it) but as if you had long agoe foreseen whether your Temptations were likely to hurry you, you have very seasonably forestalled and Antidoted, whatever ill use may be made of your present Profession of Repentance: Your words, because they are very memorable, I have taken pains verbatim to transcribe, as I find them in your Holy Common-wealth page 486, 487. I cannot see, say you, that I was mistaken in the main cause, nor dare I repent of it, nor forbear the same, if it were to do again in the same state of things: I should do all I could to prevent such a War; but if it could not be prevented, I must take the same side as then I did, and my judgement telleth me that if I should do otherwise, I should be guilty of Treason and Disloyaltie against the Sovereign power of the Land, and of perfidiousness to the Common wealth, &c. And you conclude yet more remarkably, It were too great folly by following Accidents that were then unknown, for me to judge of the former Cause. That which is Calamitous in the event, is not always sinful in the Enterprize: Should the change of times make me forget that state, that we were formerly in, and change my judgement, by losing the sence of what then conduced to its Infor­tion, this folly and forgetfulness would be the way to a sinful, and not to an obedient Repentance. Thus (as I have already told you) like Caiaphas, being High-Priest for that Year, you Prophesied.

Sir, It is possible (for what may not a little Time, and change of success produce in so variable an understanding) that you may once more Repent of your late Repentance; For you have given in such Evidence against your self, and laid down such convincing Arguments to make us belive your judgement is not yet altered (although your Passion and Interest is) that I must entreat every serious Reader, to judge, who hath dealt most candidly, You, or I, and from whom the greatest ingenuity is to be expected. For my own part, I desire to speak it without any bitterness, upon the most exact and impartial reflexion I can make, I cannot see but your Repentance, and Mr. Lee's Recan­tation may hereafter be bound up together in the same Volume, and both be held of equal Credit and Authority.

For, Sir, to be serius, do you think it can be looked upon as any tolerable degree of satisfaction, either to those whom you formerly [Page 4] deceived by Preaching them into a Conscientious Disobedience, or to those who were then ruined and oppressed by it, to tell them now twenty years after, so slightly, that you are sorry, and that you repent you had no more Impartially, page 52. and diligently consulted with the best Lawyers, that were agaimst the Parliaments cause, for you knew no Contraversie in Devinity about it, but in Politicks and Law. What, Sir? did you help on to Engage a Nation in Blood, to enter into a Covenant, Proclaim Fasts, make Solemn Apeals to God, and yet think nothing of Divinity in such a Cause? Oh poor deluded People of England! How have thy Preachers, thy Baxters, thy seeming Boanerges, caused thee to erre, and swallowed up the way of thy Paths? and after they have led thee into Deep Waters, left thee miserably plunged and floating there to save themselves in their own Cockboats? Sir, do you think you shall ever Preach with more Evidence, Warmth, and Zeal any thing in your life, than you have already done the Necessity, Justice, and Lawfulness of this War; and, that you may know I do not speak at ran­dom, particularly when at Glocester, you preached upon, Curse ye Meroz; and now you say you Repent, do you expect ever to be believed again? Did not you then think it visible on which side Christ and Religion stood? and did not you profess to see it in the year Fifty nine (but the year before the King came in) and are you now become Blind? O Rare Convert! What strange changes will love of ease and fear of suffering, produce in a Corrupt and Carnal understanding?

Sir, I am truly sorry I am forced to speak thus plainly, but Zeal for the Glory of God which you have obscured; Love to that Cause of Christ, and Non-conformity, which you have deser­ted; and earnestness of affection to the Souls of my C [...]untrey men, whom you have abused; hath filled me with a just indigna­tion: And pray do not think it sufficient to tell me as you do, that you Retract your Book; For such childish Levity doth not at all al­ter Matters of Fact, but leaveth things still as they formerly were, and discovereth you only to be deeplier plunged in the guilt of Unsetledness and instability.

And certainly, Sir, had you ever had patience, and allowed your self Time to read over what you have formerly writ, you would havd found out some better Argument to employ your la­ [...]r in, than to perswade the World to Conformity now, with those very Men, Way, and Things which (not a year before their establishment among us) you have thrown so much dirt upon, that the very remembrance of them is still loathsome to us. [Page 5] Have you forgot, Sir, that when the Bishops were down, and their calamity might have moved your pity, you then trampled upon them, and in gr [...] scorn upbraidingly told them,Five Disp. Church go­vernments prin. An. 1659. De­dicated to Richard Cromwel Protector. pref. p. 17. We see that most of the ungodly in the land, are the forwardest for your ways, you may have almost a [...] the Blasphemers, and ignorant haters of godliness in the Countrey [...] vote for you, and if they durst again to fight for you at any time; and again, I know that the common sense of most that are serious in Practical Christiainity is against your for­mal ways of worship, and the Sp [...]rit of Prophaness complieth with you, and doteth on you in all places that ever I was acquainted with; with much more railing Language to the same p [...]rpose. And when you do purposely argue upon this subject [Whether it be necessary or profitable for the right order or peace of the Churches, page 31. to restore the extruded Episcopacy] you do with much strength and vehe­mency handle the Negative, and among sever [...]l other Arguments, you urge this for one:page 36. That Government which graifieth the Devil and wicked men is not to be restored under any pretence of the Order or Peace of the Church; But such was the English Episcopacy; therefore, &c. And in Explication of the Minor, you enlarge very Emphatically, Who knoweth not, say you, for it cannot be denyed, that the generality of the Rable of ignorant Persons, World­lings, Drunkards, Haters of Godliness are very zealous for Epis­copacy; Whilst multitudes of truly Conscientious people have been a­gainst it; And who knoweth not that they fetch both their chief Motives from Experience? The ungodly found that Bishops let them keep their sins and troubled them not with this precisenss; but rather drove away the Precise Preachers and People, whom they abhor­red; and those that disliked Episcopacy, did it principally on the same Experience, observing they befriended the wicked, at least by preser­ving them from the due Rod of Discipline.

Sir we must needs say we stand amazed, [...]ow it is possible, you should so soon and so much forget all that you have said, and break through the bonds of such convincing Arguments; For our parts, we, that want your easiness and flexibility, are frighted at them, and dare not for our lives meddle with any thing, in the worship of God, which such a man as you hath already told us tends to gratifie the Devil and wicked men. And though we have many other weighty Arguments, yet in this matter we are satisfied with your Authority, and are content to take your word; and it as you say the Governm n [...] and No Discipline of the Bishops hath such a dan [...]grous i [...]fi [...]c, we must by withdrawing our Communion, declare both against it & them; and I am confident they [Page 6] will themselves acquit us from any crime herein: For we dare ap­peal to any moderate man of the Episcopal perswasion, if they be indeed such kind of persons as you have represented them, whe­ther they ought not immediately to be fosaken and forborn as to any Acts of Church Communion: We think we need not spend many words in so clear a case, for you have already decided it for us; with much Triumphing and scorn you thus insulted, former­ly over the Bishops, and laid the foundation of all that which we now Conscientiosly practice;page 327, 328. ‘I tell you, said you, that which I suppose you know, That as free a toleration of Praelacy in England as there is of Presbytery were the likelyest way to bring you into perpetual contempt, For we cannot but know, that besides a few civil engaged Gentlemen, Ministers, and o­thers, your main body would consist of those, that for their notorious impiety, scandal or ignorance, are thought unmeet for Church Communion by others, and that when you came to exercise discipline on them, they would hate you and flee from you, as much as ever they did from Puritans; and if you did indulge them, and not reform them or cast them out, your Church would be the con [...]mpt of the sober part of the World; and your own sober members would quickly relinquish it for shame; For the Church of England (if you would needs be so called) would be taken for the sink of all the other Churches in England:’ We need say no more, for whatever may be pleaded to the con­trary by others (with whom at present we are not disputing) yet as to your self (with whom our contraversie is) I think no sober person, but will say we are sufficiently furnished with Ar­guments to answer the uttermost you can alledge. For to fall in with that which you call sink of all the other Churches, to joyn with those in Worship, who are, as you say, the contempt of the sober part of the World, and whom all their sober Members are to relinquish for shame, this must needs be an unjustifiable as well as an unbecoming practice. And therefore do not disturb us any more, but let us alone, if you can, to follow that Light in this matter which you your self once had, and give us leave to tell you, that to the best of our understanding, your present Light is nothing else but the confusion of Darkness.

You may perhaps Object (though we wonder you should do it) that were the matter wholly left to our own liberty, you could not advise such Communion as a thing of choice, but that which you call Authority (or Magistracy) interposing in the case, we are no longer left free to our own dispose, but must be obedient in things [Page 7] Indifferent for Conscience sake; we will not reply how much that Romans 13. (upon which you lay the stress of your Argument) hath been abused already by wresting it to o­ther cases, but yet we hope (whatever others do) you will not forget that very Text hath been urged by your self (no longer since then the year 1659.) to justifie your siding with the Parliament against the King, VVhen, Holy Com. wealth p. 477. say you, the Parliament commanded us to obey, and not resist them; I knew not how to resist and disobey them, without the violation of that command of God, Romans 13. Let eve­ry soul be subject unto the Higher Power, &c. and without incurring the danger of that Condemnation there threatned to Resisters; and I think none doubteth but that command obligeth us to obey the Senate as well as the Emperor. Sir, You may easily see what I could, if I pleased, and were malicous, infer from hence, but I spare you, and without pressing that, I shall only say that you have already in a­nother place discharged us, from any Conscientious subjecti­on to Mens Commands in the Things of God upon the ac­count of that Text. For you say well and truly,First Disp. p. 457. that If Men who have no Authority over us shall pretend Authori­ty from God, and go about to exercise it by Ceremonious Im­positions, we have the more reason to scruple obeying them even in things indifferent; lest we be guilty of establishing their usurpation and pretended office in the Church, and so draw on more evils than we foresee or can remove; All the difference then between you and us (if indeed there be a­ny) lieth in the point of Authority, Which we say plain­ly, that none upon Earth (no not an Angel from Hea­ven) hath over us in the Things of God, that whole pow­er being incommunicably given to our Lord Christ, who keepeth it in his own hands, manageth it with his own Laws, directeth and influenceth it by his own Spirit, and hath not by any Commission that we know of invested the Rulers of this VVorld with it; so that though you lightly quit, yet we see cause still to keep our ground; For we dare not yeild, no not for a Moment, nor stir in a Cir­cumstance from asserting that Libertie, which we are com­manded to Maintain, lest we forfeit our Lords Right, Partake in other mens sins, and losing our hold, never be able to recover it again, when we shall gave occasion to oppose [Page 8] some new and yet unheard of Imposition.

There remaineth but one Argument more in this whole Dispute, and that is taken from Idolatry; Which we say all Devised Worship is a Species of; and even this, though you do with much seeming earnestness declaim against it, yet it is apparent, you had some Glimmerings of Light a­bout; For after you had urged many Arguments to prove the unreasonableness and sinftlness of Prescribing Forms of Prayer, Preaching, &c. you conclude in these Words, ‘If none of these,Five Disp. page 378. or other Reasons will allay the Impe­rious Distemper of the Proud, but they must by an U­surped Legislation be making indifferent things become necessary to others, and Domineer over Mens Conscien­ces and the Churches of God, we must leave them to him, that being the Lord and Lawgiver of the Church, is jea­lous of his Prerogative, and abhorteth Idols, and w [...]ll not give his Glory to another:’ Which expression of Ab­horring Idols, why you should use, had you nor taken e­very Humane Imposition to be a kind of Idol we cannot Imagine: And therefore pray give us leave to summe up all together, and to say freely this, that had we but little to say upon this Argument in answer to others, yet we have enough for ever to silence you; and withal we profess, that though we do not therefore follow that which we take to be the Truth in this Que [...]i [...]n, because you once asserted it before us; yet we w [...]ll not therefore peevishly disdain and reject it, bec [...]use you have unworthily rec [...]ded from it; but rather we thankfully [...]wn the goodness of God, and admire the great force of [...]th, that you should here­tofore be stirred up to write [...]o m [...]ch (and of which you have not ( [...]hat we know of) yet Repented) by which you stand your self Self cond [...]ed, and that Cause which y [...]u so eage [...]ly opp [...]se, [...]lly and [...]pleatly justified.

I might here [...]d, for I w [...] [...] Wordy faculty, and [...]y pu [...]pose being mee [...]ly to [...] [...]ou, this is already so fully [...]ne, that I re [...]d not [...] upon this Subject; But your bo [...]d, and little le [...] [...] [...]theistical arguing a­gainst the Divine and self evide [...]cing [...]uthority of the Holy Scripture, r [...]quireth I [...]ould [...]p [...] [...]thing to it: The Position which you lay d [...]n is [...]ect [...]y contrary to the Doctrine of all our Ancient Protestant Divines, and par­ticularly [Page 9] to that of the First Reformers, and besides is the very Foundation of the Roman (that is of the Antichristian Church; For you say plainly (as Andradius, Stapleton, Bel­larmine, and others,pag. 188 the worst Defenders of the Trent Council do) that the S [...]lf evidencidg Light of Scripture is not sufficient, without humane Help and Testimony to make us know every Canonicall Book from the Apocryphal, [...]. And you instance Particularly in Solomon's Proverbs, Gab. p. 61. unto which our Saviour himself and his Apostles have witnessed as to a Divine Writing: And besides in defence of this, you urge an Argument, of a more impious sense and sound, than ever I read in any but your self; And I think that Bellarmine was modest, and but a Trifler to you; [...]ab. p. 63. &c. ‘Ma­homet, say you, and his followers (more numerous than the Christians) pretend that Mahomets name was in Gospel of John, as the Paraclete or Comforter, promi­sed by Christ, and that the Christians have blotted it out, and altered the Writings of the Gospel: and how shall we disprove them but by Historical evidence:’ To which I shall only reply in short, that if matters between them and us must be brought to this issue, Actum est, We have nothing substantial to plead, and it is not God's but Man's Word that must be taken, we having no certain nor infallible [...] left us, to discern and know the voice of Scripture by; I might urge what Whitaker, Chamier, and others have replyed, but I shall content my self with what I find briefly, yet fully stated, by that Judicious and Weightie Writer Mr. Hildersham, whose name in other cases (particularly that of Conformity where you think he maketh for you) you pretend great Reverence to. Indeed the Testimony of the Church, saith he, doth first encline us to think that the Scripture is the Word of God, and maketh us willing to hear and read it; but after we by hearing and reading it attain to further certainty and assurance: John 4. Lect. 76. ‘For God himself speaketh to us in the Scripture, Luke 1.79. Hebrews 1.1. and that so clearly and evidently, that the Faithful are undoubtedly assured that it is he that speak­eth. that it is indeed his Word; and they can say, as Cant. 2.8. It is the voice of my beloved. This is pro­mised to the Faithful, Isa. 52.6. They shall know in that day, that I am he that speaketh, behold it is I; and [Page 10] John 7.17. If any man will do his Will, he shall know of the Doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of my self; And indeed if we could not now be undoubtedly certain, that is indeed Gods Word, the Case of the Church were worse now, than it was when God spake to his people in Visions and Dreams; For they were without any external Testimony from Men, fully assured then, that it was the Lord himself indeed that spake unto them; Nay it is Certain that we may be more sure that God speaks to us in his Word, then they could be of his speaking unto them in Visions, 2 Peter 1.19. We have also a more sure Word of Pro­phesie.’

Thus far that worthy Writer, who asserteth no more in substance, than what is the unanimous judgement of Calvin, Luther, and all our Ancient Protestant Divines; and I wonder while you tax another of Falshood, you should ven­ture thus to reproach their Memory, as if they held with you; when not one of them, but some few bold In­novators of late (like your self) did ever assert that Opi­nion; which overthroweth and razeth to ground the whole Protestant cause, as tending wholly to enthrone Tradition, and to advance the Authority of Men in the Things of God.

I know you bear your self very high upon what you have already writ in defence (as you call it) of Scrip­ure;page 16. And you do insolently tell us. I know of no man living in this age that hath written so much (I say not so well) for the things in Question, Scripture and Christianity as I have done: To which Boast I reply. First, some have written large Books, and pretended great earnestness for many things, on purpose that they might attaque and set upon them afterwards with greater advantage; Thus Caesar Vanins wrote a very learned Book against Atheism, though it was his own professed and avoiwed Impiety, in defence of which afterwards he desperatly died. Secondly, give me leeve to ask you, To what purpose is all this VVaste? or who hath required this at your Hands? And why do [Page 11] you undertake a Needless, as well as an Impossible Task? That is to reconcile Religion to Natural Reason? to bring down the Things of God unto the understanding of Man; which is in effect to say you do not believe them to be Tremendous Mysteries. Thirdly, Me thinks you should be frighted by the dreadful falls of those pretendedly Rational men that went this way before you, from follow­ing after their bold and daring Example. Socinus, a man of no little Reason, proceeded so far as to deny the Di­vinity of Christ; And Grotius, who wrote as learned­ly on the Truth of Christian Religion as any, yet him­self died of none, or if as you say he died a Papist, Pres. to five Disp. it was worse than none: So that I may say of the [...]e Ra­tional Arguing [...], what the Apostle hath concerning meats, They have not profited those that walked in them. Lastly,Heb. 13.9. This I must testifie from my own Experience, and leave it as a warning to all, in whom the Itch of curious Enquiry is not yet healed, that had not I learn'd the Truth of Christian Religion from better A [...]guments, and a more Certain way of Reasoning than any your Bo [...]ks afford, I had still been plunged in the depths of Atheism; and I look upon your whole Discourse about the Na­ture, Being, and Decrees of God, the Immortality of the Soul, and The reward of the Life to come (which you pre­tend to found upon Natural Reason) to be so far from the Cogency of Demonstration, and the Evidence of Ra­tional Light, that such kind of Discourses serve much ra­ther to Teach, then to preserve from Unbelief, while they give Corrupt Reason leave to argue, and justifie it self, against that which is accounted the weakness and simplicity of believing. I look upon it as sound Doct­rine, and so I held it long before I read it in Mr. Hil­dersham, ‘That this glory is due to Christ and to him alone to believe him upon his Word;John 4. lect. 32. even without the Testimony or Authority of any man, yea though we see no Reason for it, yea though it seem never so contrary to our own Reason: we must in this case be-like Pythagoras his Schollars, and so rest in that [...]; when once we hear Thus saith the Lord, this must suffice us instead of all Reasons, [Page 12] here we must rest and satisfie our selves. This is cal­led the Obedience of Faith, Rom. 16.26. Yea this is the first and chief Obedience that God requi­reth of us: The first work of his Grace in us is to subdue our Reason, 2 Cor. 10.5. Till we have attained to this simplicity, we shall never be wise unto Salvation; nor come to any comfortable Cer­taintie in the matters of Religion. The same wor­thy Author goeth on, this serves, saith he, to re­prove the Disputer of this World, of whom the A­postle speaks 1 Cor. 1.20. Where is the Disputer of this VVorld? such as will receive no more in Religion then they can see Reason for, Scripture will not serve their turn, they must have Reason; But, saith he, it is a dangererous thing not to rest in the Au­thority of the Scriptures, not to count it [...]; For there be many truths of God revealed in the Word, which are such Misteries, as it is not possible for Man by Reason and by Light of Nature to con­ceive; Nay, indeed the whole Doctrine of the Gos­pel is so, 1 Cor. 2.7. 1 Tim. 3.16. Yea, the more a man excelleth in Natural Reason and Understanding, the more unable shall he be to conceive them, Rom. 8.7. The VVisdom of the Flesh is enmity to God: It is God alone that by the supernatural Light of his Spirit, revealeth those things, Mat. 16.17. And God will reveal it to none but to those [...]hat are Meek and Humble; to none that have such [...]igh conceit of them­selves, and attribute so much to their own Reason, Psalm 25.9. The Meek will he teach his way.’ I have at large repeated this passage of that truly judicious and excellent Writer, because he speaketh suitably both to Scripture, and to what every Person truly enlightened can witness to; But to shew how much you differ, both from him and others of our soundest Divines in this point, and to make a full discovery of your spirit and temper, I shall compare it with a quite contrary pas­s [...]ge, which some years ago I read, and much wonder­ed at in your self. ‘ [...] the [...] I know there is a sort of over­wise, and overdoing Divines, who will tell their fol­lowers [Page 13] in private, where there is none to contradict them, that the Method of this Treatise is perverse, as appealing too much to Natural Light, and over-valuing Humane Reason: and that I should have done no more but briefly tell men, that all that which God speaks in his word is true, and that Propria Luce it is evi­dent that the Scripture is the Word of God, and that to all Gods Elect he will give his Spirit, to cause them to discern it, and that thus much alone had been better than all these Disputes and Reasonings; But these Over-wise men who need no Reason for their Re­ligion and judge accordingly of others, and think that those men who rest not in the Authority of Jesus Christ, should rest in theirs, are many of them so well acquainted with me as not to expect that I should trouble them in their way or Reason against them— as much as I am addicted to scribling, I can quietly dismiss this sort of men without the La­bour of opening their ignorance.’ Thus you, who are, if compared to them, but a Rash and Insolent Seribler, because you have nothing to do, but are at leisure to be a Voluminous Trifler, dare with your breath blow upon, and seek to blast the Credit of all these worthy weigh­ty Writers (whom you call Over-wise, and Over-do­ing Divines) such as Calvin, Preston, Hildersham, Per­kins, &c. whom I quoated before, as if they were all but Bubbles for you to play with, and blow up and down at your pleasure; but their Name, and Doctrine shall live and flourish, when yours shall wither, as not being able to endure the Fiery Tryal; So far therefore, as I can by Entreaties or Example prevail with any, I do earnestly warn all persons truly fearing God, that they be not deceived by Names, nor take any thing up­on trust from a commonly Received and Mistaken Re­pu [...]ation: For if I understand any thing of the true na­ture of Religion, your writings do contain that secret Leaven, which will sowre and infect the Mind of an unwary Reader, with such Erronious Apprehensions, and Mis-conceits of the Truth, that nothing but a new and thorough Conversion will be able to recover them; For [Page 14] laying your Foundation in the Corrupt Will of Man, and building your Superstructure in the Carnal Ʋnder­standing, you leave no room for true Holiness and Mor­tification; but the Root of sin which lieth within, re­maineth untouched, and Carnal Presumption, or at the best Doubting (if not Despair) will be the utmost that such Principles can possibly end in, or lead unto: I shall therefore here leave off, and for the present (if not for ever) end any farther Controversie with you, as being one of whom I cannot say (what you do of me after all your virulence) that I am upright in the Main; page 26. For I hold you are altogether Rotten and Ʋn­sound in the Main, and so much the more incurable, in that you have greatly sinned, and turned Scorner, since your Admonition.

These being my most serious thoughts of all your Works, I do willingly pass by lesser Matters, which yet afford me sufficient ground of Exception, such are—

First, Your Absurd, and Insigniflcant way of speak­ing, although I have already reproved you for it; as when you talk of a Rash and Carolefly uttered Ʋntruth, page 29. which is Privatively voluntary (that is where the VVill omits its office) Where I am much to seek, what can be meant by Privatively voluntary, or how any action can be done where the VVill omits its office. Adde to this, your dis­course of a receiving Obediential Power in a Carnal VVill, which receiving Power you call a Passive Power: page 139. where the Comment and Explication is much harder than the Text. Lastly, To urge no more your saying that by Corrup­tion and [...]mposition barely seemeth to be meant such For­maliter quoad Actum without including the degree of the Matter. page 134. Sir, These, and the like expressions, though you and the Schools call them Distincteons, yet indeed are no­thing else but Learned Non sence; Which although they may not other wise have much hurt in them, yet they are [Page 15] those Big swelling words of Vanity, which are the usual Language of False Teachers, and one of the Marks which is fore-told by which they may be known, 2 Pet. 2.

Secondly, I might except against your scornful trifling with things, that are most sacred, and serious; as when you say,page 57. I am verily perswaded if Christ came perso­nally and visibly to demand it, the King himself would yeild up his Crown to him; and I am as verily perswa­ded the Turk or Pope would do so too; which yet at present I do not look upon as any great commendati­on to either of them: And besides, had ever the Ter­ror of that Day of the Lord fell upon you, and did you in spirit believe and apprehend how dreadful that Ap­pearance would be, you would not have spake so like those Mockers, who deride the Promise of his coming.

Thirdly, I might justly blame your scarce Tolerable Sophistry, and Fallacious way of arguing, fit only for Boyes and Children; as when you pretend to know no difference in point of Imposition, between one that useth a Form of his own, page 119, 120. and he that is Imposed upon to use always the Form of another: Whereas, in the one case, the hearer is at perfect libertie how far and how often he will joyn; In the other he is always tied up, and must either joyn in such a Prescript Form of Words or none at all: and this he knoweth before-hand, which ma­keth the difference vastly Disproportionable.

Lastly, Give me leave to wonder, since the Apostle maketh it so dangerous a sign of a proud distempered mind to dote about Questions, 1 Tim. 6. how it comes to pass that you so strangely delight in asking of them, especially in matters where Faith alone must give the last Solution; and therefore to all your twenty bold Quaeries about the Scripture, take this general An­swer that when you have satisfied me you did not sin greatly in raising such Mists and Doubts about them, and when you can give me security that you will not be as­king me twenty Questions more, I will endeavour your sa­tisfaction.

I conclude therefore, with this Short but True Character of your self and your late work, that you have writ neither with that Gravity, which became your Age; with that Sobriety, which became your Profession; nor that Modesty which became any tolerable Education; and since you so much forget your self, I must tell you, that that Person, whom you so insolently despise, is (to say no more) that your best, your Equal: but what he reckoneth he might Glory in, as some of his outward Advantages above you, he willingly waveth, as chusing rather to glory in this, as God hath chosen him a Poor despised Publican (as one born out of due time) together with those Women and Boyes whom you contemn, to cry Hosanna to the Lords Christ, and to bear witness unto that very Truth, and at that very time of the Day, when you a Learned Scribe and Pharisee (under the Notion of Repenting) have most unworthily betrayed and deserted it.