cura commissa est A Law there was made by Solon that all Assemblies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutarch in Solone were unlawful that the highest authority did not cause to meet Among the Heathen Nebuchadnezzar makes a Law Darius a Decree the King of Nineveh sends forth a Proclamation for a Fast for a Religious service which certainly they had never done had it not been received that they were empowred And among the Romans there was no sooner an Emperour but he took upon him potestatem pontificiam In the Acts we read that the City of the Ephesians was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Mr. Selden teacheth us was an Office to take care of the whole worship and Temple of Diana Seld. not in Marmor Arundel Now this could not be done by any warrant from Scripture evident therefore it is that even by the light of nature seen it was that the supreme power is invested with anthority in Religious duties Care they ought to take that God be served as well as the people governed since they have been hitherto taken to be Custodes utriusque Tabulae 2. Thus it was while reason bare the sway But now let us look into the Scripture How is it written in the Law how read you There it was ordained that the King should have a book of the Law written by the Priests and the end was Deut. 17.18 19 20. that he might fear the Lord and keep it And in this Law there be many precepts that concern him as a man many as a Prince for as Austin Rex servit Deo aliter qua homo aliter qua Rex as a man by a holy Conversation as a Prince by making and executing holy constitutions Austin Ep. 50. As he is the Superiour he is there made the Guardian of Gods Law and the whole Law is committed to his charge By vertue of which Commission when the Kingdome and Priesthood were divided Moses the Civil Magistrate made use of his power over Aaron and reproved him for the golden Calf Joshua a Prince no Priest by the same authority circumcised the sonnes of Israel erected an Altar of stone caused the people to put away their strange gods and renewed the Covenant betwixt God and the people And what other Kings did you have heard before These Acts of these famous Kings performed in Ecclesiastical causes shews clearly what power Kings had under Moses Law And one thing more let me put you in mind of that when there was no King in Israel that was a supreme power for it was no more every man did that which was good in his own eyes and that good was extream bad as the story shews 3. Yea but it may be said that thus it was while the Judicials of Moses were in force but why so now Now the Superiours authority is confined to Civil Lawes Now the Kingdome is Christs and he must rule Indeed could we finde in the Gospel any restriction or rather revocation of what power had formerly belonged to Superiours this plea were considerable but since the rule is true that Evangelium non tollit precepta naturae legis sed perficit The Commission once granted to the Superiour by nature and the Moral Law must be good And be it that the Kingdome is Christs and all power in his hands yet this will be no impediment to what I contend for neither That Christ wants no Vicar on earth but as head of his Church doth govern it is a truth beyond exception But this is to be understood of the spiritual internal government not of that which is external because he must be serv'd with the body as well as with the Spirit in an outward forme of worship as well as an inward therefore he hath left superiours to look to that Their power extends not their accompt shall not be given for what is done within for they cannot see nor cannot judge what is done in that dark cell they have nothing to do with the secret affections of the heart with the sacred gifts of the Spirit with the stedfast trust of future things They are only to moderate and direct the outward actions of godlinesse and honesty and what may externally advance Christs Kingdome So that the question is not here of the internal and properly Spiritual but of the external government order and discipline of the Church which when the supreme power administers as it ought it sets up and no way pulls down the Kingdome of Christ These two are then well enough compatible that the Kingdome is Christs and yet the Superiour way make use of his power in Christs Kingdome A Prophesie there was that under the Gospel Kings should be nursing fathers and Queens nursing mothers to the Church Isa 49.23 Nourishment then they must give that ordain'd for babes that for men the Word and Sacraments they cannot give no more then Uzziah could burn incense or Saul burn Sacrifice no nor yet ordain any to do it The sustenance then which Christians are to receive from them must be that of external discipline and government Those that gave such food were call'd nursing fathers those that denyed it tyrants and persecutors without the favour and execution of this duty Christian Religion had never been so highly advanc'd and therefore the Apostle ordains that Christians pray for those in authority that we may live a quiet and a peaceable life in all godlinesse 1 Tim. 2. and honesty Godlinesse comprehends all duties of the first Table Honesty all duties of the second and where those who are in authority are careful both will be observed both shall be preserved because they know they have a charge of both Thus you see reason Law and Gospel have given a supremacy to those in power non solum in ijs quae pertinent ad humanam societatem verum etiam in ijs quae attinent ad religionem divinam I have enlarg'd my self on this subject beyond my intention least you should split upon that dangerous rock of Jesuitisme while out of a dislike of the British King you make him a violent head of the National Church for what you say of him is as true of all others and what is denyed of him is denyed of all others in that their claim and right is all alike and in case it be not just their violence and usurpation is all alike which to affirm is perfect Jesuitisme And wheresoever this doctrin is turn'd into practice it sets up regnum in regno and if it should be brought into this Common-wealth would reduce again what Henry the eight cast out though under another notion for every Eldership of a Combinational Church would be perfect Papacy absolute independent answerable to none to be guided by none in Church matters punishable by none but themselves to which if you will give a right name it is meere Popish power This is it which Superiours have wisely disclaimed and not admitted themselves like children to be
electus superponeretur caeteris Rev. 2. 3. 1. It is Unus it is One not many that the care of the Church might especially belong to one Christ directs his message to the Angel individually of such or such a Church 2. He must be Electus of whom Hierome saith not of that more anon but I dare say considering the time of which Hierome speaks it was not without the consent of the Apostles if not by them 3. Note out of whom he was to be elected it was de Presbyteris and I shall prove unto you after that they were no Lay-men 4. Ut superponerentur caeteris He was to be super over the rest whether Clergy or Laity and that not onely in preheminence honour and dignity but in power of jurisdiction also for otherwise how could the end be obtained here aimed at how could Schisme be restrained and removed Thus far you see what makes for me and now I shall clear up what seemingly makes against me in this testimony 1. The fiâ—st words seeme against me For Hierome saith Idem est Presbyter quod Episcopus But he can meane no more than that the Bishop is sometimes called a Presbyter The Names then may be common that 's true but not the Office Now the Office consists in Ordination and Jurisdiction as I shall by and by make appear That Presbyter and Episcopus was Idem ordinatione and consequenly in Office Jerome could not meane except he should contradict himself Hieron ad Evagium Ordination he reserves to a Bishop and debarres a Presbyter from it Quid facit Episcopus quod Presbyter non faciat exceptâ ordinatione Mark the mood is potential He may not do it He may not meddle with Ordination for that sure belongs to the Bishop in his own judgment In this power then the Identity lies not 2. He must then meane in Jurisdiction and that this is his meaning is apparent by those words Communi Presbyterorum consilio Ecclesiae gubernabantur which your side catch at too as making for the present Ruling Presbytery as indeed at the first sight they may but throughly lookt into nothing at all I will shew you where the mistake lies First in the word Presbytery for yours apply it to the whole Presbytery Lay and Clergy whereas Hierom as is manifest speaks onely of the Ecclesiastique for it is of the Presbytery that was before or when those Schismes reigned Secondly he saith gubernabantur in imperfecto and when was that in the Apostles dayes for then in a Church that had a Presbytery without a Bishop put case at Corinth or had a Presbytery with a Bishop over them as at Jerusalem Antioch Alexandria Ephesus it is most true Communi Presbyterorum consilio gubernabantur the Presbyters were admitted in partem sâ—llicitudinis It cannot be denied that the Apostles ordaining these Presbyters had power in themselves and might have governed durante vita alone retaining the power when then they gave any power to others it was deligated for I hope they lost none of their power in giving Orders Whence it will follow that the Presbyters when admitted in some acts of Jurisdiction with the Apostles cannot challenge a right of governing affixed to their Order qua Presbyteri because they did assist in subordination and dependencie That the Apostles assumed these Presbyters in acts deliberative and consiliary to assist first at Jerusalem Acts 15. was a meer voluntary act from which example that it was derived to other Churches will not be denied and hence the last clause of Jeromes words will be most clear Noverint episcopi se magis consuetudine Ecclesiae quam Dominicae dispositionis veritate Presbyteris esse majores in communi debere Ecclesiam regere For by the Commission Sicut misit me Pater given to the Apostles and in them to their successors onely they could not challenge it It may well proceeding from the voluntary act of the Apostles be called an Apostolical Tradition and Ordinance but in strict termes Dominica it was not nor Dominicae dispositionis veritas according to Jerome 2. But if this sense of Jeromes words like you not I shall yet offer you another At first as I said the Presbyters by delegation from the Apostles with common advice and equal care guided the Church under the Apostles but after Bishops were appointed the whole care by little and little was derived to one and so at last by custome Presbyters were utterly excluded from all advice and counsel and Bishops onely intermedled with the regiment of the Church This indeed grew onely by continuance of time and not by any Ordinance of Christ or his Apostles this Jerome dislik'd and to that purpose he fixes his Noverint Episcopi c. And that this is likeliest to be Jeromes meaning in that place his following words shew Imitantes Moysen qui cum haberet in potestate solus praesse populo Israel 70. elegit cum quibus populum judicaret The Bishops then ought to do as Moses did What to have Governours equal No but when they might rule alone to joyne with them others in the fellowship of their power and honour as Moses did Moses did not abrogate his superiority above others but took seventy Elders into part of his charge So Jerome would have them And thus much the King was content to grant and restore as you may read in his book cap. 17. about the middle I saith he am not against the managing of this precedencie and authority in one man by the joynt councel and consent of many Presbyters I have offered to restore it c. You see of what Presbyters I am content the prescribed Ministery shall consist and what Presbytrry I shall allow you 2. Or Teaching and Ruling Elders HEre again your words are dark For if by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elders you meane those in Orders I shall readily admit them to the Church ministry whether Teaching or Ruling But if you intend under these words to introduce into the Ministry either to teach or rule men that are not of the Clergy so you know we speak and so I must speak for distinction sake for else I cannot be understood in this question I absolutely deny it For there was never any Lay-man ex Officio admitted to teach ordinarily in Scripture called and sent he must be before he did undertake to preach So the Apostle intimates Rom. 10.15 How shall they preach except they be sent If any be gifted I shall allow him ex debito charitatis privately and charitably to make use of his talent to exhort to reprove to admonish but publikely to divide the Word of God and to teach I may not admit him For as a man must have inward endowments gifts and sufficiencie so he must have an outward calling before I shall call him a Teacher in the Church of God And I hear you are not against me in this 2. But about a Ruling Elder I fear you and I shall
and therefore I hope when you write next you will shew more Christian love To conclude the Corporation of which the British King was head was as I have prov'd both Canonical as adhering to the Canon of the Scriptures and Spiritual as endow'd with the Gifts and Graces of the Spirit and so your reason hath no reason at all in it Well if this will not do it a second shall which is 2. Partly because of the said National Corporations inconsistence with the Scripture precepts Mat. 18.17 1 Cor. 14.23 which doth require its ordinary congregating in one place The words of the Letter A Wonderful demonstration ' The Church must be gather'd together in one place to the service of God as that place of the Corinths proves and must be assembled to exercise discipline as in that of Matthew therefore there may be no national Church therefore no head or governour in that Church Baculus in angulo 'T is as if you should argue thus such or such a County must meet together to elect a Burgesse to the Parliament or to see justice done at a Quarter Sessions or at an Assize therefore it is inconsistent that there should be a head over the Nation whereof they are parts Who sees not the absurdity of such an argument But now in particular to these places The first is Matth. 18. vers 17. And if he shall neglect to hear thee tell it to the Church which is so difficult that St. Austin saith of it dicant qui possunt si tamen probare possunt quae dicunt ego me ignorare profiteor And the reason is because the word Ecclesia is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a term of divers acceptions and from terms aequivocal nothing can be concluded till distinction be made But this I must tell you by the way that no man by Ecclesia understood the Combinational Church til you arose and therefore you can never conclude out of this place that a head of a National Church is inconsistent with Christs precept For the Pope Presbyter Praelate all acknowledge a National Church and a head of a National Church and yet never thought that they did transgresse Christs precept Your proof therefore cannot stand secure til you have everted the claim of every one of these no more then til he who pretends a right to a piece of Land which is in other mens possessions hath shew'd his own title to be only good and all the rest of no force Be not so hasty then with your inference for there 's not one of these who will not say you are an intruder It would fill a book to tell you what is written and what I have read upon this place Whether by the Church you are to understand a civil or an Ecclesiastical consistory or whether a mixt because our Saviour alludes out of question to the Jewish Sanedrim Beza Annot. in locum Rutherf cap. 8. Then whether by the Church again you are to understand the whole Congregation or the chief in that Congregation the Elders say the Presbyters only you as by Rutherfords disputes against you I guesse the whole body of believers or as the Prelates contend those to whom Christ gave the Keys meaning the Apostles and their successours Yet farther whether the wrong to be here tryed by the Church be only that which is private because of those words If thy brother trespasse against thee Lastly whether our Saviour speaks here of any Church censure at all because our Saviour saith not let him be excommunicate but sit tibi Let him be unto thee as a Heathen and a Publican Among many interpretations of these words I shall propose one which I preferre above the rest as that which to me carrieth the fairest evidence with it The Jews were at this time conquered by the Romans under their power and judicatory yet they left unto the Jews so much power as to judge betwixt man and man according to the Law of Moses reserving strangers and Publicans to be tryed in the Romane Court. This being the state of the Jews when our Saviour spoke these words in private quarrels and actions Christ proposeth three degrees of proceeding The first by the Rule of charity If thy brother trespasse against thee tell him privately of the wrong offered thee betwixt thee and him alone and if this prevail not in charity go one step further call two or three Witnesses and rebuke him before them manifest the wrong if he hear thee thou hast wonne thy brother there ought to be an end of the debate This is the first direction 2. But say he be yet refractory then thou mayst proceed further even by the order of Moses Law then convent him before the Mosaical Magistrate the Triumvirate the 23. or the great Sanedrim the 71. Dic Ecclesiae 3. But if he will not hear them to which he is bound by Moses Law then take help from the Romane Soveraignty Let him be unto thee as a Heathen or Publican esteeme him for a brother Jew no longer but proceed against him in that Court where Heathens and Publicans were to take their trial This is the natural and genuine Exposition of these words the precept belongs to the state of the Jews at that time and cannot be applyed to the Christian Church except by the way of Accommadation For it is clear that the case Saint Peter put was of private wrong Master how often shall my brother sinne against me and I forgive him and the case is put of a private wrong if thy brother shall trespasse against thee c. Whereas those cases in which the Church ought to proceed must be notorious and scandalous in which it is not necessary that the two admonitions precede either that private or the other under Witnesses neither after sentence past by the Church is the man to be accompted in the state of a Heathen or Publican for Christ and his Church did never refuse to converse with either So that it as not proper to understand these words of the Christian Church which then was not That yet they may be referred thither I gain-say not but then that which will be collected from hence can be no more but this that in the Church of Christ there must be a Court erected And so there alwayes hath been that it be Combinational onely there is not any man who looks upon this place with an unpartial eye can ever say that in this place there is a precept for it He may with more reason conclude the contrary because the Church concerning whom the precept was given Dic Ecclesiae was the Jewish Church which is confessed at that time to have been National not Combinational In this place then you missed your mark As for the other That to 1 Cor. 14.23 I wonder what you can pick out of it for a Combinational Church much lesse a precept for it The words are If therefore the whole Church be gathred together in one place
Mystery there is an Indument and a stripping Rom. 13.14 Gal. 3.27 which the ancient Church reduced to two words Credo Abrenuncio In the first there is the putting on of the Lord Jesus Christ For as many as are baptized have put on Christ First as Lord acknowledging no other Master whose voice to hear whose doctrine to rely upon but onely his Secondly as Jesus assuring themselves that there is no other Name given under heaven whereby they may be saved Thirdly As Christ as well their anointed King submitting themselves to his will giving their names in to fight under his banner and swearing themselves his subjects As also their anointed Priest resting in his one sacrifice as the onely sufficient in his sole intercession as the onely powerful Secondly In the Abrenuncio or stripping part they renounce and forsake the Devil Gal. 5.20 and all his works the pompes and vanities of the wicked world the sinful lusts of the flesh among which are all Heresies and Schismes 2. For the forme it is by our Saviour appointed in the name of the three persons of the indivisible Trinity and so it is performed neither of Cephas the sirnamed Rock nor of Paul a great Apostle Mat. 28.19 1 Cor. 1.13 The reason wherof you may read in my exposition of the Church Catechisme page 172 173. 3. For the end they which are baptized are thereby made the sonnes of God by Adoption and Grace invested with an inheritance everlasting Gal. 3.26 Rev. 1.5 Mal. 1.11 Rom. 12.1 Col. 3.5 made Priests to God to offer and slay To offer that mundâ—m oblationem pure offering or living sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is their reasonable service viz. the cleane and unbloody sacrifice of prayers and thanksgiving and then to slay themselves mortifying their affections and lusts Yea but men may be minded of all this by a new Covenant and upon a second engagement made more watchful to keep their first vow Be it so for this also the Church had provided without this separating combination when she ordained that all baptized children when they could say their Catechism should be brought to the Bishop to be Confirmed which order were it in use and restored to its original purity the wrangle about the formality of a Church Covenant and collecting of members might be quieted and composed There being in Confirmation the substance of what is so much and so hotly contended for and that farre better grounded and bottomed than any new device can be as I shew you in my Catechisme page 6. Thirdly This Elogy you give to your Combinational Church that it is their opinion and practice quietly and cordially to subject their earthy erring and unruly wit to the heavenly infallible and uncontrolable will of Christ That so it should be I confesse and desire but how it is we see and feele ever since the Combination But what now is this but an opinion and onely commendable I thought it had been necessary de fide that it must be so and could not be otherwise For Opino is eutis vel non eâ—tis You shall have it in Amesius words Assensus ille qui praebetur veritati contingenti propter rationem pracipuè probabilem ab intellectu apprehensam Medulla 1. Thes de fidei divina unitate opinio vocatur The truth must be contingent and probable onely of which a man retaines an opinion it may be it may not be if no other reason can be produced for it but a Topical But that all men must subject their earthy will to the heavenly Will of Christ is so certain that it cannot be denyed by any good Christian Hereafter let it passe then for necessary and let it be a principle of faith which is more than opinion 2. But you go on and say This hath been the commendable practice of your Combinational Church But here you must give me leave to think for if I would say what I know I should fetch blood and perhaps pay for it too Your Combination was for the worship of God and that cultus naturalis institutus Amesius so divides it the principles of the first are faith hope charity the acts hearing of the Word and Prayer under which is an Oath Of the last Gods prescribed Will or his Word This is the Rule but what 's become of the practice I will not meddle with your faith which yet you know in many of your Combinational Churches is not sound nor in the Socinians nor Antimonians nor in the Brownists Familists nor the Anabaptists nor the Quakers nor the Singers These you le say are not of you but are gone out from you yet you cannot deny that these are Combinational Churches The practice then of all the Combinational Churches is not commendable in Gods worship in this respect Your hope may be great but I fear it may be presumption when the foundation of faith upon which it should be built is so uncertain and tottering As for the charity of your party in general I finde it dying rather â—uite dead charity teacheth a man to love his neighbour as himself charity to be just and to do to all men as he would all men do to him Amongst your Combinational Churches what 's become of this charity this justice Religiously observant a man may find divers of you of three of the Commandments of the first Table but of the third your practice shews you make little accompt and as for the second Table he who shall lay to heart your actions must needs conceive that you esteeme it but for a cypher I will no farther rake into this wound I wish you had not given me occaâ— on to do it when you affirmed that it was the commendable practice of your Combinational Church to subject their earthy erring and unruly will quietly and cordially to the heavenly infallible and uncontrolable will of Christ to which I finde their practice so contrary I pray presse me not for instances for I am resolved not to give theâ— you but if you are desirous to be satisfied of the opinions and practice of the Combinational Church I aime at be pleased to reade a book written by Robert Baily a Scot entitled A Disswasive from the Errours of the times Printed in London 1645. and published by Authority Where he makes a large Narrative of the opinions and practices of your Churches in New-England and whether he sayes true or no you can best judge because you were upon the place If true all is not gold that glisters 2 A Presbyterial Church THis is your other Epithet and I suppose you mean by it a Church to be governed by Presbyters The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is equivocal and therefore till it be distinguished nothing can be concluded from it 1. Presbyter in the Old Testament properly belongs to the Elders of the people either in a common notion or as members of the Sanhedrim not any body or persons peculiarly
Text of the sacred Record but such slender and far fetch 't and forced collections as these are I beseech you weigh them once more in the balance of sad reason and set aside passion humour fancy prejudice and over-much love to that cause you labour to defend and say if you can without blushing whether they directly speak out what you have produced them to witnesse 'T is no llight offence to take Gods Name in vain but to deliver that for his word which he never spake nor meant is a heinous transgression You seem to me to have done that here which you and I and others were wonâ— to do in the Schools when we were young Sophisters our aime you know was to presse the respondent with an argument till we had clapt upon him a Text of Aristotle which he durst not for shame deny whether the Philosopher intended to say that in that place for which we produced his words we never regarded we thought it enough if we put our Adversary to a non-plus And thus you have done here offered your assertion and backed it with This is witnessed by God in Jeremy Ezekiel Isaiah Saint Luke Paul not much regarding what was the purpose of the Spirit in those words sufficient I suppose you thought it to say something that might serve the turn for the present and non-plus a weak Adversary But it ought to be Truth for which we should contend and not victory which will never be till we weigh our words in the balance of the Sanctuary and value our Texts by weight and not by number God amend what is amisse for Iliacos inter muros peccatur extra Till then to use your own words nor you nor we can upon good grounds expect the manifestation of sure mercy or the enjoyment of solid peace You go on Knowing that Combinations are properly appertaining to vile and violent sinne-loving sinners as is shewed by the Oracles of God Psal 5.5 11.5 6. Rev. 14.10 22.15 The Reply This no man will deny you And you prove it well out of the Psalms and the Revelations but if you will be pleased to consult the places and view the Characters by which those vile and violent sinne-loving sinners may be known you may with a wet finger pitch upon the men Only I shall desire you in that twenty second Chapter of the Revelations to look a little further and at the twenty ninth verse you shall read that if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophesie God shall take away his part out of the book of life and out of the holy City and from the things that are written in this book Tantum veritati obstrepit adulter sensus Tertull. quantum corruptor stylus I say no more we have enough to tremble at And that Church-promises and that Church-priviledges as well as Christs Consolations are pecullarly applicable to such Covenant-makers with God and men as through the strength of their surety are Covenant-keepers with both The Reply This is well observed by you for there is no reason that any man expect a comfort or benefit from any promise or by any priviledge who doth not as much as lies in him keep the condition of that Covenant upon which the favour was promised The priviledges we know and of the promises we are not ignorant but if they belong to none but such who have made and kept their Covenant with God and man then let them look to it that have kept neither In the next place you shew us the way how this may be known Which Covenant-making and Covenant-keeping is expressed and perceived by a regular walking toward them who are without as well as towards them that are within according to what is written Isa 55.3 Gal. 6 16. 1. Tim. 4.8 The Reply That godlinesse is profitable unto all things having the promise of the life that now is and that which is to come that as many as walk according to this Rule shall finde peace and mercy 1 Tim. 4.8 Gal. 6.16 is evident by these Scriptures and therefore the Prophet calls Encline your ear and come unto me hâ—ar and your soules shall live Isa 55.3 and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David Thus much is here expressed and you over and above shew us how it may be perceived even by a regular walking towards them that are without as well as toward them that are within which rule of yours had some had a care and conscience to walk in I assure my self those who are counted to be without had been better dealt with For the inhumanity and incivility that some have found from your Combination hath alienated many a mans mind and as I have been credibly informed kept off many a poor Heathen from turning Christian I could tell you if I list an odde story but I spare you You may read it in Dr. S erres History of France in the life of Lewis the ninth If you can tell any such tydings as a heavenly promise to unheavenly persons c. The Reply I nor any Orthodox or conscientious Minister hath or will ever undertake to bring any such tydings 'T is not unknown to you that I have reduced all the Articles of the Creed to practice and drawn into duty the whole Catechisme without any ifs or ands here is no promise made to an unheavenly person We constantly teach that we were therefore delivered from the hands of our enemies that we serve God in righteousnesse and holinesse without fear all the dayes of our life you needed not therefore closely by your if insinuated us as guilty for teaching false and impious Doctrine If there be any among you that being wolvs in sheeps clothing send abroad their Diurnals stuffed with such news we are not apt to beleeve them for heaven is prepared for heavenly persons But then again we say that all those whom you will call heavenly are not presently so because daily experience informs that they minde too much the things of the earth neither are many of those unheavenly whom you superciliously cast aside God be blessed for it heaven is a large place and in it are many Mansions and they are prepared for more than ever yet were of your Combination Or a holy priviledge to the souls or seed of unholy parents that you would finde in your heart to give me some notice thereof and to acquaint me with any of those good grounds of any lively hope that they shall be everlastingly happy is the last of those motions which I make bold for to leave with you to consider and meditate upon The Reply Your proposal is disjunctive and therefore must receive a different answer for you cunningly clapped together things that should be separated there being great disparity betwixt the souls and the seed of unholy parents That the souls of unholy parents shall be everlastingly happy I know not any