is as good as an other which is the prevailing doctrine of these days Therefore Mr. Bold one whom I shall afterwards account with was much mistaken when he said he never hardly appear'd on a fashionable subject Rep. p. 3. for this Opinion and that One religion is as good as another is the Modish doctrine every where This Country Gentleman is in the Fashion and doth not know it And thence you may judge of the Truth of what Mr. Lock saith of him that he takes not up his Opinions from Fashion Pref. to his Vindicat. Now this is a fair step towards Rome for if one Religion be equivalent to an other and our Salvation is not concerned in the belief of the Necessary Articles of our Faith then we are at liberty to embrace what Form and Model of Articles we please and those of the Church of Rome will perhaps be thought as good as any There is a strange passage in this Writer p. 217 218. which speaks his favourable opinion of the Pontifician way I have often wondred saith he to hear men of several Churches so heartily exclaim against the Implicit Faith of the Church of Rome when the same Implicit Faith is as much practis'd and required in their own though not so openly profess'd and ingeniously own'd there First he lets us know that from that Converse which he hath had with persons of several Churches whether of the Communion of the Church of England or those of the Dissenters he finds that they are against the Church of Rome Secondly that though they are against the doctrine of Implicit Faith in the Church of Rome yet they like it well enough in their own Thirdly they not only like it but practise it yea the very same Implicit Faith Fourthly they not only practise but require it they command and enjoyn those of their Communion to believe all they say with an Implicit Faith But fifthly they do not this with so good a grace as those of the Roman Church do For those latter are very open and ingenuous in their profession and practise of implicit Faith but the former are not so Protestants have not that Candor and Fairness which are to be seen in Papists they neither so openly profess nor so ingenuously own this doctrine but yet as strictly practise it and require the practise of it as they do I leave it with the Reader to determine from the Premises which of these two those of the Roman or of the Reform'd Churches have the happiness to be most in favour with this Gentleman In the known stile of the Roman Priests and Writers he declares that the Scripture serves but like a Nose of Wax p 213. And as the Heads of the Church of Rome deny the Bible to the Common people so he is advancing towards this apace for he lops off three of the Evangelists for one he saith will suffice and all the Epistles And further to shew his good will to the Roman Catholicks and to their Beloved Notion of Transubstantiation he tells us p. 408 409. that if a man understands those words of our Saviour's Institution This is my body and This is my blood in a Literal sense he must believe the Bread and Wine in the Lords Supper are changed really into his Body and Blood though he knows not how And afterwards he saith He is obliged to belive it to be true and to assent to it And presently afterwards To deny assent to this as true would be to deny our Saviour's Veracity and consequently his being the Messiah sent from God Here he lets us know that his One Article is quite renounced if Transubstantition be not admitted You see what his making of Iesus is the Messias to be the Sole Article of Christian Faith comes to But this doctrine of Transubstantiation is so grateful to him that he brings it over again p 413 414. assuring us that the Old Gentleman at Rome who hath an Antient Title to Infallibility may make Transubstantiaâ—on a Fundamental Article necessarily to be believ'd as well as I make the Divinity of Christ and his Satisfaction c. for these he means by the Sense of any Disputed Texts of Scripture because the Texts concerning these Points are disputable with him Fundamental Articles necessarily to be believ'd It is brought to this issue it seems that Transubstantiation is as Fundamental an Article of the Christian Faith as any that can be nam'd besides Iesus's being the Messias Thus by the Over-ruling Providence of Heaven this sort of Writers discover the inward bent of their thoughts and inclinations though they labour to hide them from the world This Gentleman would be thought to have no kindness for Rome and yet his own words confuâ—â— him As I observ'd before that he stoutly Rails whilest he is remonstrating against that practice so here he stiffly patronizes Popery even when he had pretended to shew himself displeas'd at my charging him with it And I could produce several other passages out of his Writings which makes it appear that our Prester Iohn is inclined to receive the Roman Missionaries I could make it evident that he is Indifferent as to the Reform'd Religion and the Doctrines professed by the Owners of it and that he inspires mens minds with a dis-esteem of those Articles which the Christian Churches since the Reformation have unanimously asserted and vindicated and that he represents them as Ridiculous You must not saith he give ear to what the Preachers and Pulpit Orators of these Churches tell you about more Articles than One as necessary to be known and believed in order to making you Christians If you assent to this Single Proposition Iesus is the Messias I declare to you that you are as to matter of Faith as Good Christians as St. Peter and St. Paul were When your Parish-Priests endeavour in their Popular Harangues to perswade you that this is not the sum Total of the Christian Faith but that there are other Necessary and Fundamental Doctrines which are of the Essence of Christianity you must roundly tell them from me that the Catalogue of Fundamentals every one alone can make for himself no body can collect or prescribe it to an other but this is according as God hath dealt to every one the measure of light and faith and hath open'd each mans understanding that he may understand the Scripture These are the express words of our Vindicator p. 85. and from them it undeniably follows that though no body must be a Creed-maker yet every one may be a Fundamental-maker Mr. Hobbs was pleased to give this power to the King only but this Gentleman is more liberal and grants it to every Subject He may make what Catalogue of Fundamentals he pleases and put this into it among the rest that the Pope is Infallible and that the Religion of the Church of Rome is to be prefer'd to that of the Reformed Fundamentals depend not upon the Scriptures but upon mens Understandings and
within the Compass of the four Seas By the same way of Arguing I will prove that the doctrine of the Trinity is no part of Christianity as delivered in the Scripture And so you may saith the Vindicator for I hold there is no such thing as the Trinity in Scripture But I will try again by the same Argument I will prove that the Divine Decrees and the Attributes of God and his Providence are no Part of Christianity because these words Decrees Attributes Providence as it is understood of God are not in Scripture Nor do the Sacraments belong to Christianity because that word occurs no where in the Sacred Writings as Barclay Apol. p. 292. profoundly argues Nay The word Christianity is not to be found in Scripture why then doth this man talk of Christianity as delivered in the Scripture You see by this what strange and inconsistent things he obtrudes upon the Reader He will not allow of Satisfaction because the word is not mention'd in the Bible Is there any reason then to own such a thing as Christianity seeing the word is not found there But he will say the Thing is And the same I say of Satisfaction and so the Vindicator shews himself to be a sorry contemptible Wrangler and lets the World know that he hath dealt so much with Children that he 's of that number himself But afterwards p 157. he pretends to own the Thing and to say it may be collected out of his Reasonableness of Christianity Yet still the Stubborn and Stomachful Man which disposition he observes reigns much in Children Educat p. 121 122. will not buckle to the Word Surely this same word satisfying hath been some way or other very mischievous to him that he so starts back at the naming of it But to come close to the business I appeal to any Impartial Man whether it can in any probability be believ'd that a person own such or such a Truth or Doctrine of the Gospel and yet will not express it by that Word or Name which all the Professors of the Orthodox Faith have agreed to call it by This is the Case of the Vindicator he pretends to allow of the Satisfaction of Christ and yet he absolutely refuses to use the Word But till he can give us any Reason for this refusal we shall believe that the true Cause why he will not admit of the Word is because he disbelieves the Thing it self P. 159 he would be fastning two Properties of a Iesuite as he saith upon me but every one saith they are his Own and therefore I will not injure him by laying claim to them And this I 'll tell him moreover that he hath an Other Property of one of that Order which he hath not named and that is Trudging up and down and having no Home And if a man can be of Loiola's Order and a Mendicant too then I 'm sure he may put in for both What he jabbers p. 163 164. about Satisfaction not being named at the Admission of those of Riper Years to Baptism he might have seen answer'd if he had had two eyes in my Socinianism Unmask'd p. 47. P. 168. he comes to make little Whimsical Remarks on what I had said of the Apostles Creed he raises Trifling Objections he sets up a Phantom a mere Shadow and then encounters it he is wanton and freakish and in brief the Kitling plays with his own Tail He insists upon the terms Abstract and Abridgment p. 173 174. and spends a great many vain words about them but can't for his heart disprove what I asserted viz. that the foresaid Creed is an Abstract or Abridgment of the Christian Faith which is more fully express'd in the Holy Scriptures not only in the Gospel but in the Epistles which our Vindicator cannot endure to hear of At last I am to be the Iesuite again and he is to take Mr. Chillingworth's place and so the Protestant is to confute the Papist and there 's an end of that silly Fantastick Fiction of our Masker not worthy of one of the poor raw Boys that he hath drag'd up in his time Further it is to be noted that after he had banded as fiercely as he could against my notion of Abridgment and to thwart me had produced Chillingworth's sense of the word he confesses that he is ignorant whether what Chillingworth had given be the nature of an Abridgment or no. p. 177. Which shews how fickle and restive he is and that he builds upon precarious hypotheses and is not careful whether there be any Ground for what he saith This would make one doubt whether this Writer be in his right mind or no. Hath not former Thoughtfulness disorder'd his Brain that he thus talks P. 177. he would seem to pay some honour to the Primitive Church and the Church of England though no man believes it no not himself and to vindicate their practise in admitting persons to Baptism upon the Faith contain'd in the Apostles Creed as if no more were to be believ'd by them than what is in express terms in that Form of Confession But the Catechism of our Church may satisfy him that more is comprehended in that Form of Faith than is expresly there mention'd else it would not have been said that we are chiefly to learn in these Articles of our Belief to believe in God the Father in God the Son and in God â—he Holy Ghost He may look long enough into the Creed and never find there these words God the Son and God the Holy Ghost but Our Church lets us know that these terms are really contain'd in that Profession of Faith Whence it follows that when persons are baptized into the Faith of the Apostles Creed they are baptized into the Faith of the Trinity and consequently into more than is in express words mention'd in this Symbol of our Faith Which is the thing that this Quarrelsome Animal objects against but is not able after all his fluttering to effect any thing Besides it is evident that our Church thinks not this Creed to be absolutely Perfect and Compleat because she adds other Creeds to it as the Nicene and Athanasian Which it is probable she would not have done if every thing to be believ'd were in express direct and full words set down in the other Form of Belief And again as to what he saith of the Primitive Practise of admitting persons to Baptism upon the bare confession of the Apostles Creed he betrays his Ignorance having not learnt from several Eminent Writers that this Creed is not exactly the same that it was in the First Ages of Christianity but that some Articles have been added to it But the heedless Masker attends to none of these things but goes on Chattering and loves to hear his Clack move But you must pardon him for he that is used to the Conversation of Nurses and the whole Posse of the Chatting Crew can't be thought to moderate his Intemperate Organ P.
A Brief Vindication OF THE Fundamental Articles OF THE Christian Faith AS ALSO Of the Clergy Universities and Publick Schools from Mr. Lock 's Reflections upon them in his Book of Education c. With some Animadversions on two other late Pamphlets viz. Of Mr. Bold and a Nameless Socinian Writer By Iohn Edwards B. D. LONDON Printed for I. Robinson at the Golden Lion and I. Wyat at the Rose in St. Paul's Church-yard 1697. THE Epistle Dedicatory TO BOTH UNIVERSITIES HONOURED SIRS A Late Writer hath taken the confidence to make very Disrespectfull Indecent Rude and Scurrilous Reflections upon You and hath with that Scorn and Insolence which are peculiar to him and cannot be supposed to be in any other Man censured your Studies and Ways and Methods of Learning which are at this day own'd and practis'd by you They have always born the brand of Infamy who have shew'd their ill will to these Publick Schools of Education and Professed Seminaries of Arts and Literature Pope Paul the Second and Sixtus the Fourth who succeded him were infamous on this account for both of them were obâ—erv'd to bear a Hatred to Universities and publickly to declare their abhorrence of Academick Men and Learning Mr. Hobbes is a Modern Instance who was wont to decry the University-Studies and Learning because he had espoused a Set of Notions which were destructive not only to Academick but all Religious Principles But a later Instance we have in one Mr. Lock who though he infinitely comes short of the forenamed Person in Parts or Good Letters yet hath taken the courage to tread in his Old Friend's steps and publickly to proclaim his dislike of University-Men and to remonstrate against the Methods they take in bringing up of Youth The Name of Publick Schools and Academies is as hatefull to him as that of Athâ—nasius to a Socinian Nor is he pleas'd with our Old Christianity but hath offer'd a New Scheme to the World the same the very same in words as well as to the Thing with what Mr. Hobbes propounded as the Perfect and Compleat Model of Faith viz. To believe in Christ is nothing else than to believe that Jesus is the Christ and no other Faith besides this Article is required to Eternal life De Cive cap. 18. The belief of this Article Jesus is the Christ or Messias is all the Faith required for Salvation Leviathan Part. 3. Chap. 43. This is the Doctrine which is revived and furbish'd up in the pretended Reasonableness of Christianity and you see whence it is borrow'd When that Writer was framing a New Christianity he took Hobbes's Leviathan for the New Testament and the Philosopher of Malmsbury for our Saviour and the Apostles See how naturally a Man passes from arraigning and vilifying the Universities to affront and abuse Religion He had with pride and contempt trampled upon the former and now he attacks the latter and treads Christianity it self under his feet It may be few of you have taken notice of the Affronts done to your selves by this Bold Assailant as not busying your selves with such sort of Writers or as thinking such Reflections below your Resentments But I having had occasion to enter the Lists with this Gentleman it falls in my way to take notice of his Double Insolence i. e. to You and to Religion but more especially the latter which he hath miserably shatter'd and unsettled and almost reduced to nothing having baulk'd a great part of the Gospels and wholly laid aside the Epistles and renounced all Articles of Christianity but One as necessary to be believ'd to constitute a Man a Christian and having every where shew'd his disdain of the Ministry and Ministers of the Gospel especially the Clergy of the Church of England So that he deserves to be treated with Satyr rather than Argument And therefore if there be in the ensuing Papers a kind of mixture of the former with the latter I hope it will not be disrelish'd even by the most Serious and Iudicious Readers when they consider on whom it is bestow'd Gentlemen I have now an opportunity of vindicating the Honour of those Renowned and Learned Bodies to which you belong and likewise of asserting and defending the Cause of Christianity wherefore I thought I should be defective as to both these Concerns if I did not offer these Papers to You and humbly request You to take them into your patronage with the Author of them who is Most Learned Sirs Your entire Servant and Honoâ—â—er JOHN EDWARDS The Author to the Bookseller SIR YOu know Books Printed at Cambridge are commonly Licensed by the University and accordingly when I designed the following Papers for the Press there I requested Mr. Vice-Chancellor and the Regius Professor of Divinity to peruse them which they did and then returned them to me with an Imprimatur and two other Heads of Colleges for I applied my self to no more were pleased to sign the same The Form was thus April 17. 1697. Imprimatur Hen. Iames Procan Io. Beaumont Reg. Theol. Prof. Io. Covell S. T. P. Io. Baldersâ—on S. T. P. But since I found it necessary to be printed at London 〈◊〉 that I might not seem neglectful of 〈◊〉 â—avour and Kindness of the worthy Pâ—â—sons before mentioned And that you and the Reader may see that the Ensuing Undertaking was so far approved of by those Learned Gentlemen that they Licensed the Printing of it I have thought fit for their 〈◊〉 and yours to set down their Names Your humble Servant J. E. A Brief Vindication OF THE Christian Faith c. AFter I had observed the rude and surly Genius of a late Penman the Author and Vindicator of a Treatise which he entitules The Reasonableness of Christianity I had a mind to see what was his Humour in some other of his Productions and accordingly I look'd into his Papers of Education and there I soon discover'd that it was his settled Nature and Temper to Traduce all ranks of Persons and that he had taught his Tongue to Revel and that he can't write three Pages without thrice as many Calumnies and Falshoods and so I less wondered at his Rudeness to Me. There I found that he libels the most Learned and Celebrated Societies of Men in this Nation that he strives to blast the reputation of the most Useful Persoâ—s and to ridicule their Publick Employments and Statiens that with an ungovernable pride and disdain he discards some Arts and Sciences and laughs at the Professors of them And in brief I found that he imperiously flies at all and like some Barbarous Invader makes havock wheresoever he comes and spares no Sex Place or Quality of Persons Of which I will now give the Reader some particular Instances and undeniable proofs For I conceive it will not be expected that I should first endeavour to make it clear that the Author of the Reasonableness of Christianity is the same person that writ concerning Education for all his Friends and Admirers
as many as he can on the other's head The sum of all which is this CLAW ME AND I WILL CLAW THEE It is worth the observing that the Vindicator subscribes himself at the close of his Letter to Mr. Bold which in a conceited manner he claps into the Preface his most humble servant A. B. Upon which these short Remarks may be made 1. That he is ashamed of his Name and that with good reason 2. He is ashamed of his Cause and dares not Personally own it and set his Name to the defence of it This and the former may be reckon'd as the only Instances of Shamefacedness and Modesty that the man was ever guilty of But 3. We may gather from those two letters which he hath affixed to the end of his Epistle Who he is for though he hath only set down A. B. yet he hath left us to add the next letter C and then we know what person is meant viz. a Breeder up of Boys to learn their First Rudiments a Learned Teacher of A B C. concerning which you may find more p. 272 273. Educat From the Preface and Epistle I pass to the Book it self the first part of which is spent in the old known way of Malefactors at the Bar they are always willing to evade the Charge to insist upon the little Niceties and on the Formality of words and the Exact Punctilio's of Matter of Fact This is the practise of our Criminal p. 6 7. and he thinks thereby to palliate his Guilt He is loth to own it for he knows his demerit and the Consequence of it He is to be excus'd indeed for this or rather there is a known Proverb that excuses him that makes him so backward to Confess I have given an account of this matter in my Socinianism Unmask'd p. 5 6. and have also shew'd since that the Formal Words are agreed to by his late Proselite So that his own Gizzard Mr. Bold comes in Evidence against him and lets us know that we have no reason to listen to him when he waves the Enditement He will say and unsay as it comes into his head and will put the Reader off with any shuffling suggestions merely to evade what I had justly lay'd to his charge One of his great Cavils is that I alledge matter of fact but do not justify the Allegation p 2 and 7. and undertakes to prove it from my pretending as he saith to know and deliver his thoughts p. 8. This saith he there is an Instance of False Allegations in matters of Fact and such as are not capable of a Negative proof Such poor little trifling stuff doth he obtrude upon the Reader as if one that had read his Writings could not in a probable way tell what his thoughts of such a subject were unless you will say he dissembled when he wrote and this perhaps is it which he means when he saith there concerning me that that I affirm what I do not know And so you see what he hath got by caviling against what I alledged he hath before he was aware let the world know that he believes not what he writes that his Thoughts and his Pen hold no correspondence that when he pleads for One Article only he doth not think that there is but One but however he designs to root out All by reducing all the Articles of Christianity to One Who would attend to any of his Objections when it is plain that it is not his business to search out Truth but to betray it He hath nothing to say to what I replied to his former Vindication and therefore now to cheat the world and amuse the Reader and to give farther proof of his daring Confidences he bids me p. 9 25 72 c. go to work again 1. to prove that there are these words in his Reasonableness of Christianity viz. that Nothing is required to be believed by a Christian as absolutely necessary to make him such but this Proposition Iesus is the Messias 2. to prove that he set himself on purpose to find but one Article of Faith 3. to prove that he contends for One Article of Faith with exclusion and defiance of all the rest 4 to prove that the believing of Iesus to be the Messias is not the only Article sufficient to make a man a Christian. And several other things he calls upon me to prove and the silly Accountant scores them up as he goes along and sets down the Figures And he would not have left off where he doth but that the Innocent had number'd as far as he could go There is not one Particular he mentions which I have not proved and evinc'd in my Socinianism Unmask'd and therefore I scorn at the motion of such a Whiffling Objector such a Crude Repeater of what he had said before in his First Vindication but now hath lately vamp'd up and sent abroad again I scorn I say to produce the same Proofs again and to affront the Reader with Needless Repetitions which is the guise of this trifling Writer But seeing our A B C darian calls to me over and over again to prove this and to prove that I will now put him upon Proving and see how he will discharge that part In order to this I am to acquaint the Reader that this Gentleman in his Former Vindication call'd for a List of Fundamental Articles i. e. such as the Holy Scripture represents to us as requisite to be known and believ'd that we may be True Christians I obey'd the demands of this pert Vindicator and perform'd the Task which he was pleas'd to set me in my first Chapter of my forenamed Treatise I assign'd a considerable number of Articles of the Christian Faith as absolutely necessary to be known i. e. so far as they can be known for there are Great and Profound Mysteries couch'd in some of them so that I had reason to say they were in some measure which expression the Vindicator vainly objects against p. 70. to be known and understood and to be believ'd and I particularly and distinctly proved that all of them are of that nature and consequently no man can be a Christian without a competent knowledge and belief of these Doctrines I also there propounded a General Rule whereby all such Articles and Doctrines may be discern'd i. e. they may be known to be such from the Nature of the things contained in them for no Evangelical Truths are absolutely and indispensably necessary to be known and to be assented to in order to the constituting of us Christians but those that have Immediate respect to the Occasion Author Way Means and Issue of Mans Redemption and Salvation But our Vindicator attempts not in the least to invalidate this Description of Necessary Articles nay though he mentions it again p. 130. yet he can't invent any thing to object against it only asks this and the other Question nothing to the purpose Our bold Reformer in Divinity scribles on
to be Fundamentals he before hand asks why he should take them from me rather then from an Anabaptist p. 52. And in the same place he saith he hath as much reason to believe an Anabaptist or Quaker c. as me Which is as much as to tell me in express terms that he hath taken up a resolution to attend to no Articles of Faith that I shall propound Where were the Thoughts of our Pilgrim Tutour when his unwary tongue dropt such words as these Even when he is soliciting me yea challenging me to give him a List of Articles he proclaims to the world that he will not accept of any of them he declares that he would sooner take a Set of Articles and Fundamentals from a Socinian or a Papist for he particularly names them both on this very occasion than from me p. 52. And Sir we will believe you without swearing IV. An other Question I shall put to you and require an Answer to it Seeing you have taken part with the Follower of Socinus and have adopted several of their Notions and Tenents and interpret some Scriptures which relate to the Trinity in the same way that they do and thereby have given occasion to be thought one of the Party and yet you pretend to disown all acquaintance with them p. 222 223. seeing you appear thus with a double face and amuse the world with these disguises I require of you to return an Answer to this Query and the several parts of it Whether you verily believe that Iesus is so the Son of God that he is really God and that in the Unity of the Divine Essence there is a Trinity of Distinct Persons or Subsistencies that the Father is God the Son is God and the Holy Ghost is God and that these Three are One God as the Scriptures plainly and expresly declares Seeing you are so brisk in your demands I expect a positive Answer to mine and hereby shall we know whether you are a True Man or a Spie When I see you have performed this work I will still find you more employment I had proved Socinianism Unmask'd chap. 2. that his Opinion of One Article was founded among other things upon this Notion that all things in Christanity must be so plain that they may be easily comprehended and that there may be nothing difficult to mens understandings This I made clear from the tenour and coherence of his words from his 〈◊〉 of reasoning from the scope of his book and from the plain sense of his expressions But our Vindicator cannot bear this and therefore puts himself into a posture of shifting and evading whatever was brought against him and by all imaginable arts he labours to stifle my Reasonings and Arguings on that Point One of his knacks is to frame a Dialogue between me and him p. 34 35 36. and he is so silly in the contriving of it that it baffles him instead of favouring his Cause Fearing that the Dialogue would not do the feat he appears in the shape of a Syllogizer p. 39. though the Inconsiderate Man had derided Logick and Syllogism because they are University-Learning The next he falls into the old trade of Questions Where and When and after this is done he begins his Dialogue again This is one of the Distracted Scenes of his Vindication and the Reader may thence form an idea of the Whole Work and see with amazement what little Knacks and Conceits he applies himself to that he may juggle men out of the Truth He hath so accustom'd himself to shewing of Tricks among his Young Frie whom he hath had the Tutorage of that we must never expect any other of him whatever Subject he handles P. 93 94. he will not admit of any Mysteries in Christianity and therefore opposes what I had asserted viz. that there are some Doctrines in the Gospel which are not plain and clear and yet are of necessity to be believ'd If he had been Master of any Sincerity he would have observ'd how I explain'd my self and shew'd that all the Doctrines and Articles of the Christian Religion are not alike some of them are in themselves Evident and Illustrious others because of the Transcendency of their Matter are Obscure and Mysterious and not level to our humane understandings as the doctrine of the Holy Trinity Christ's Incarnation c. but yet are believ'd with a firm and unshaken Faith This is so Rational that none but the hood wink'd Masker would have excepted against it And he doth it after a very poor rate He nibbles at the distinction I make between the Certainty or Reality of some Evangelical Doctrines and the exact manner of the things themselves contain'd in those Doctrines But he finâ—s it pricks his chaps and so he gives it over However like the Gentlemen of Racovia he cannot endure to hear of Mysteries in Christianity and therefore here he takes occasion to express his great dislike of those who assert that in the Christian Religion there are Mysteries properly so called i. e. such Truths and Articles that as to the Manner of the things contained in them are not Intelligible but exceed humane Reason and cannot possibly be fathom'd by it The denying of this is one of his last Artifices and Contrivances for if we brieflâ— recount the Methods of this New Projector we shall find them to be in this order first he presented the world with odd Conceits of the Idea's of things thereby to undermine the Principles of Truth and to discompose the receiv'd Notions in Philosophy and Divinity as a very Reverend and Learned Writer though one of the chiefest and most Eminent of the Pulpit Orators hath lately proved against him Then that his Sentiments might prevail he prescribes a new way of Bringing up of Youth and seasoning them betimes in some Private Nurseries with such Principles as he and his Associates shall dictate and accordingly all Publick Schools and Universities and their Studies are cried down by him Next there comes forth a New Plat form of Religion all the Fundamental Articles and Doctrines of Christianity are discarded by him excepting One bare single Article which he thinks fit to retain till he hath a fair opportunity of throwing that off too Then he further advances and every where very warmly inveighs against Ministers and Preachers partly because of their University-Learning but chiefly because they oppose his groundless notion of One Article and assert the Fundamentals of Christianity And lastly to compleat his design he strikes in with the Deists and Socinians and laughs at the Mysteries of the Christian Religion and thereby encourages men to cast off all Reveal'd Religion the greatest part of which consists of Profound and Inexplicable Mysteries and such as Humane Reason neither found out nor can comprehend when reveal'd These are the Ways and Methods he hath applyed himself to in order to the undermining of the Orthodox Faith Here I will observe to the Reader how profoundly skill'd
those Doctrines before rehears'd though we know nothing of the nature and intent of them nay though we never heard of them for there is but One Article of Faith and no more that is required to make us Christians and that is this that Iesus is the Messias If you believe this take it upon my word you need nothing more I mean as to matter of Faith to make you True and Living Members of Christ. This alone is that which properly deserves the Name of Iustifying Faith and is that Faith which God will impute to a man for Righteousness I have been blamed by several of my Brethren in the Ministry for preaching and printing such doctrines as this and they have baffled me as they think out of the Holy Scriptures and have demonstrated that there are sundry other Points of Faith that are required to be believ'd in order to the making a man a Christian but I can't be brought to listen to what they say Neither Church-men nor Dissenters shall bring me off from this perswasion I will rather stick to Worthy Mr. Hobbs and Mr. Lock then part with my Opinion at the sollicitation of Thousands of Divines and other Christians whom they call Orthodox I 'm chiefly confirm'd in this Notion by the latter of those Gentlemen whom I named who cruises up and down the Countries to propagate this doctrine and I hope will take Steeple in his Circuit very suddenly and then he will further satisfy you though I should not have used that word Satisfying because it is â—o hateful to him and instruct you in that and some other matters relating to Religion which no Christian ear ever heard of before After Mr. Bold had asserted the Darling Proposition he presents us with an other which is no less strange and monstrous and from whence we may guess at the Character of the Man who is Mr. L's humble admirer His express words are these Pref. p. 5. A mans knowing that Iesus Christ hath revealed such a doctrine brings him not under an Obligation to believe it but he may notwithstanding that withold his Assent This is the maxim of Mr. L's New Christian but the Mischievous Ingredients of it are sufficient to shew the nature and design of this Writer for though he will perhaps say that he delivers that afterwards which is contrary to the interpretation which I make of these words yet the Answer is plain that he makes nothing of Contradicting himself and therefore this is no Plea He can say and unsay as he thinks fit of which I gave several Instances in my Reflections on what he writ before This then is no excuse at all but rather shews his Weakness that he can't tell when he talks inconsistently or his Insincerity and Perverseness that he will make use of Contrarieties to serve his own ends I know likewise he will say that he speaks this of those Doctrines the belief whereof doth not constitute a man a Christian but this is a mere Evasion and he can't possibly make use of it with any shadow of Sense for if you ask him what those Doctrines are he will tell you that they are those which I before specified and reckon'd as Fundamentals of Christianity But he denies them to be such and he can't do otherwise for if there be but One Article of Faith necessarily to be believ'd to make a man a Christian which is the thing he so stiffly maintains then all the rest are not necessary to be believ'd to make him so or to denominate him to be such Having thus prevented and obviated the Cavils which he might start I 'll now very concisely present unto the Reader a few Remarks on that Proposition which I quoted out of Mr. B's last printed Papers viz. that I knowing that Christ hath reveal'd such or such a Doctrine brings not a man under an obligation to believe it but he may notwithstanding that with hold his assent First this baffles the end of Christ's revealing his doctrines to the Sons of men for without doubt they were reveal'd for this very purpose that we should yield assent to them But this Gentleman tells you that there is no such thing Revelation hath no affinity with Assent and therefore this could not be the End and Design of that And herein he follows the Patern sent him by a late Writer in his Christianity not mysterious p. 38. Divine Revelation saith he is not a motive of Assent nor a ground of our persuasion or a reason we have to believe a thing as if we were to receive it only because reveal'd Secondly This separates Knowledg from Belief and makes Religion and even Christianity it self a mere Notional Speculative thing We may according to this Wise Shaper of Christianity read the New Testament and see what Christ and the Apostles deliver'd there as matter of Belief but we are not under an obligation to believe what they delivered We may if we please look into the Gospel and the Acts but have a care of peeping into the Epistles and thence stock our selves with Propositions and furnish our Brains with Knowledge as well as our Tongues with something to talk of but we are excused from yielding Assent to the truth of them Such a monstrous Idea doth this Writer give us of that Sacred Institution of the Blessed Jesus Thirdly This is bidding defiance to the Divine Authority of the Scripâ—ures for whoever refuses to believe those doctrines which are reveal'd in the Sacred Writings doth in effect declare that those Writings are not divinely inspired And yet Mr. L's Disciple assures his Reader that though Truths and Doctrines be reveal'd in the Writings of the New Testament yet we are not obliged to give credit to them and to profess our belief of them which is no other then annulling the Authority of the Scriptures Fourthly This Assertion destroys that very One Article which he contends for for if the revealing of a Truth obliges us not to believe it then we may with hold our Assent to this Proposition Iesus is the Messias as well as to any Other for seeing they are all equally reveal'd in the Scripture we ought to make no difference So that you see the poor Foolish Builder pulls down his own Structure with his own hands The Beloved Article which he so much insists upon is ruined by what he himself asserts This is the just Judgment of God on such audacious Innovators and Depravers of Christianity Whilest they are throwing down the Propositions which others with great reason assert they demolish their own Fifthly and lastly This wild Proposition of the Replyer is destructive of all Reveal'd Religion Let there be never so many doctrines reveal'd to us by the Holy Spirit in the Divine Oracles a Christian is under no obligations according to him to believe them for all being alike reveal'd they may be equally disbeliev'd This is the New Theology of our giddy Worshipper of that Idol Opinion of One Article One would scarcely
journeys end and therefore p 403 c. spends his languid remains upon Mr. Bold's feeble Vindication of him where he hath made his case worse if it be possible then it was and involves him further in self-contradiction But seeing the Western Gentleman was so loving and friendly to to the Creed-hater this same Creed-hater was resolv'd right or wrong to assert and vindicate whatever that Gentleman said it dropping from the pen of so Dear a Friend who did what he could to help our lame Vindicator over the stile Though afterwards he shews him a Dog-trick p. 440. where he snarls but covertly against him he disapproves of Mr. Bolâ—'s indispensaâ—ble necessity which he speaks of But because he must not seem to fall out with him so soon after sworn friendship he makes a Distinction between absolute and conditional necessity and so compromises the matter Now all is well again and Mr. Lock and Mr. Bold are as Great as two Inkle-makers Now the stile runs thus Mr. Bold and I say p. 448. I follow Mr. Bolds order p. 449. Mr. Bold's reasoning is clear and strong p. 468. because he reasons for him Now you 'l find Mr. Lock vouching every syllable that Mr. B. saith sense or non-sense he swallows all dowâ— and sordidly licks up his drivel as he doth his own in his Loathsom Repetitions and desires and infects his Paper with it Nay he solemnly engages for him for the future I dare answer saith he for Mr. Bold 418. But have a care Sir of satisfying remember that I pray if he shall please to turn Turk and read Lectures to me out of the Alcoran I promise to attend to him Our Stroling Tutor pretends to tell us p. 451. what answering with ill language is call'd in his Country but let him first prove that a Vagrant is of any Country There are several other Passages in this Authors Bundle of Sheets which I might reflect upon but lest I should be thought to be too Severe and Unmerciful to him I will here hold my hand I hate to insult over a poor Worm of what sort or denomination so ever otherwise I would here riâ—le and uncase the Whole Bloated Pamphlet that is before us and let the world further see what a miserable Arguer what a poor Manager of Controversies we have got and offer some other incontestable proofs of his design to erect a New and Maimed Christianity in opposition to the Old Catholick one It is but some part of his Paper-Fardel that I have handled perhaps when I have perused the rest he may hear further from me I deal with him as he doth with his Bantlings I don't cram and gorg him but give him a little at a time I have thrice as much more to say to him about his Vindication besides a Just Set of Animadversions on some other parts of his Education whence if I see Occasion I shall make it appear that he is neither fit to teach Children nor Men And I hope I shall do good service to Church and State in further unmasking of him Brief Animadversions on a late Reply of Mr. Bold of Steeple in Dorset-shire to what I had writ against his Defence of the One Article THere is a necessity of making some Addition here unless I should give the Reader the trouble of a Formal Answer to some thing that Mr. Bold one of Mr. L's Proselytes hath lately publish'd and unless I should send it to the Press by it self Which I find there is no reason to do because some very brief Animadversions on that Author 's feeble Attempt will serve the turn It is the unhappiness of this Gentleman who I think means well as to the main that he hath espous'd a Groundless and Unscriptural Notion and then thinks himself obliged to vindicate it Good man he is easily warped as his best Friends complain and lament They allow him to be serviceable in an honest Practical Discourse but find him not able to discern the Merits of a Cause in Controversy or if he did to manage it aright If you will believe him he is a man of a Cold Phlegmatick complexion p. 24. and he often boasts himself to be one of Temper and Mildness But then he must mean it thus that he comes sober and gentle to destroy our Religion and to shatter Christianity of which he hath given us sufficient proof in these as well as in his former papers Nay we must not think him to be so Phlegmatick and Mild as he would perswade his Readers he is for I assure you he comes on like a Smart Antagonist and falls upon me without Mercy as well as without Judgment He complains of Vineger in my Ink p 4. but let the Reader judg what Gall there is in his when he charges me with coarse treating Pref. p. 3. weak and sorry stuff p. 46 jumbling p. 24. banter p. 2. imperious rambling Pref. p. 16. Nay he rises higher and declares that he finds in my papers Railing p. 52. sulphureous eruptions p. 47. Malignity Pref. p. 4. nay to consummate all Antichristianism Pref. p. 4. You see the man disgorges choler in stead of Phlegm He hath got heart of late from his new Friendship and League with the Vindicator whose upstart Conceits he is resolv'd to defend and especially the One Article though it be with defiance of all the other parts of Christianity Accordingly he declares with much confidence that the belief of Iesus's being the Messias is the ONLY Article indispensably necessary to make a man a Christian and as the Consequence of that that the belief of more is unnecessary Pref. p. 4. Which is as much as if he should speak thus to his Auditors There are a great many Ministers of the Gospel that hold it is necessary to the making a man a Christian that he should believe several Truths and Doctrines recorded in the New Testament as that we are by nature the children of wrath that we are freed from this wrath by the Meritorious and All-sufficient Undertakings of Christ Iesus who is both God and Man that he gave himself a Sacrifice for us and satisfied Divine Justice by paying an Infinite Price for us that hereby he hath purchased Justification Pardon of sins and Eternal Life for us that this Saviour and Redeemer rose from the dead and is exalted unto Glory and will judg the quick and the dead at his last appearing But my Friends I must tell you those that preach these doctrines as necessary to be known and believ'd in order to make men members of Christ and of his Church talk idly and impertinently and are not at all to be attended to For it is my opinion and I have preach'd to you and I have thrice printed it that none of those foresaid doctrines which either Jesus Christ or his Apostles deliver'd are necessary to be believ'd to give you a Title to Christianity You and I may be true Christians though we are ignorant of every one of