An Apologetical Narration Or a just and necessary VINDICATION OF CLEMENT WRITER AGAINST A Four-fold Charge laid on him BY RICHARD BAXTER And published by him in Print Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this To visit the Fatherless and Widows in their Afflictions and to keep himself unspotted from the World Jam. 1. 27. In vain do they worship me teaching for Doctrines the commandments of men Mat. 15. 9. Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you FOR I was an hungry and ye gave me Meat I was thirsty and ye gave me Drink I was a Stranger and ye took me in Naked and ye clothed me c. Mat. 25. 34 35 36. Woe be to you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men for ye neither go in your selves neither suffer ye them that are entring to go in Mat. 23 13 14. The Second Edition with an Appendix by the same Author LONDON Printed for Daniel White and are to be sold at his Shop at the seven Stars on the North-side of St. Pauls To the Reader READER I Have here set before thee the whole business between Mr. Baxter and my self intreating thee to bear with such faults as happily thou mayst apprehend either in me or the Book and the rather let me move thee hereunto First Because I may requite thee with the like kindness when ever thou shalt be provoked in like manner to make thy Defence being openly set upon by such a potent Assailant as now I have been Secondly because it is more then probable that thou and I as well as all other men may be mistaken in apprehending of Errors when indeed and in truth the Error may be and many times is meerly in our own apprehension being much vitiated by Custom and Education Wherefore I advise thee once and again seriously and impartially to consider the whole matter over and over and then also not hastily to enter into the seat of Judgment because things of such high deep and weighty concernment need always due and exact weighing and that with sutable Balances wherein humane learning must neither have the pre-eminence nor bear any sway at all And especially in thy judging be very sollicitous and exceeding careful so to doe it as neither to wrong the Truth nor thy own conscience For if thou doest I assure thee whosoever thou art all the Honour and Advantage Profit and Preferment which thou shalt either retain or get thereby will proveâ—tly unreparable damage at last Pray with me therefore that the eyes of our understandings may be opened and anointed with Eye-salve that we may clearly see perfectly apprehend and certainly judge between both Persons and things that differ And in the mean time to exercise mutual Charity and forbearance one towards another at least until our Ignorances be much less and our Authority much more to judge one another in these matters Worcester this 25. of March 1658. Farewel Reader I am against my will provoked by Richard Baxter to make here my just Defence against some charge laid upon me by the name of Clem. Writer in a Pamphlet of his INTITULED A second Sheet for the Ministry wherein though he something mistakes my name yet I suppose I am the Person he ayms at THe first Charge is in p. 6. thus That Clem. Writer told him That no man is bound to believe that Christ did rise again or the rest of Christianity that seeth not Miracles himself to prove it Answ 1. I deny these words in manner form and sence to be ever spoken by me And 2. If any such words or of like import were spoken by me it was to this effect and meaning namely That no unconverted or unbelieving man is bound by God upon pain of damnation to believe and obey the Gospel without Divine evidence to attest unto him the truth thereof whereon undoubtedly to ground that his faith c. This long hath been yet is and must be my judgement until I am otherwise informed and I conceive there are sufficient grounds both from Scripture and Reason to confirm me therein But I leave it to Gods will not determining what Divine evidence he please to use for that purpose whether Signs Wonders diversities of Tongues Miracles casting out of Devils curing of the Lame healing of the Sick raising of the Dead for I finde that by these and other the like demonstrations of the powerful works and gifts of the Spirit he usually confirmed the Word every-where preach'd by his true Ministers for the conversion of men to the Faith of the Gospel insomuch as by the meer shadow of Peter and by the very handkerchiefs of Paul were special Miracles and many Cures wrought as may be seen in Mark 16. 20. Heb. 2. 4. Act. 2. Act. 5. 14 15 16. Act. 8. 6 7. 1 Cor 2. 4. Compared with Act. 19. 11 12 18 19 20. and many other places And as for Tongues these were for a sign not for them that believe but for them that believe not 1 Cor. 14. 22. And we likewise finde that the end of Christs sending of these powerful gifts of the Spirit to abide with his true Ministry and Church for ever Joh. 14. 16. was chiefly to convince the unbelieving world Joh. 16. 8. Thereby not onely to afford them successively in all Ages an infallible ground of Faith but also to bring them under guilt of much sin if they obeyed not the Gospel which otherwise would have been no sin at all in them Joh. 15. 24. And hence it was that the Apostles themselves were commanded to stay until they were endued with power from on high to enable them to do those mighty Works for the attestation of the truth of their Mission and Message for the conversion of men to the Faith of the Gospel Luk. 24. 49. Act. 1. 4 8. And it 's likewise worthy our Observation That neither the twelve nor yet the seventy were sent out at first until they had power given them over Devils and diseases c. whereby to enable them by Divine Evidence to attest the truth of that their Mission although they were then sent but to preach in the Land of Judea only Mat. 10. 5 6. Luk. 10. 1. c. And these being persons meerly of the same Language Kindred and Country might therefore have challenged to have been credited by the Jews upon their own bare testimony only without producing any Divine Evidence at all if any had been so to be credited Yet neither were they nor ought they nor Christ himself to be so credited in these matters as is most evident Joh. 10. 37. Joh. 5. 31 34 36. compared with Joh. 15. 24. And since that none of these were nor ought to be so credited how then dare any mortal man or men of what degree order sort or company soever now upon the face of the Earth assume or challenge to themselves any such Authority or Divine
declare his Faith if he were in Spain He answered me No But soon after he would have supped up again that his answer by telling me If it concern'd the Glory of God he would After all which with a low voyce I told him That if we were alone I might haply be freer to speak and to tell him more of my minde Then stept he to the Lurcher and dismist him with words to this effect You may now be gone I have done with you there 's no more need now of your stay Which hearing I concluded as before I suspected that he was on purpose appointed in that manner to be there which made me think it best to say little more to him but rather to forbear until I had studied and found out the man and his aims more perfectly onely I wish'd him to answer the Book and not to be so inquisitive to know the Author and also to seek out some meeter Match then my self for him to Dispute and Contest withal Telling him in effect thus much further That when any great Boy encounter'd with a little one in the Street the very Women and Wenches passing by will reprove him saying Thou great Knave why quarrelest thou with this little Boy who is quiet not medling with thee nor is he any meet Match for thee so great a Lubber For shame let him alone and meddle with thy Match And having thus spoken I took leave and departed being glad to be so well quit of such a Companion well discerning of what Spirit he was Loe this is the sum of the whole that is worth the relating which then passed between this busy Bishop and my sel Since which came out his second sheet thus publiquely charging me which I have here answered and freely told him part of my mind and something of my Faith too which he so much desired to know for which I hope no Impartial Wise Just or Rational Man will in the least blame me doing it in my own Defence being so much assaulted and provoked thereunto and that both publickly in print and otherwise as is here already declared And now lest my Notes being in his hand should likewise be sent abroad either in some disguise or without the right and proper Sentences of the Book to which they relate I shall here make bold to publish them my self even as they came rudely and hastily at first from my Pen not in the least suspecting that I should ever have been thus caused to publish them in my own Defence as now I am Wherein for the Readers better satisfaction I shall first set down the Sentence as it is in the Book and the page where it is this shall be marked in the Margent with the letter B. for Book Next to which shall be my Note thereupon and this shall be marked with the Letter N for Note And where any need is to add a word for explanation this shall be marked with the letter A. for Addition The Title of the Book The Unreasonableness OF INFIDELITY Divided into Four Parts By RICHARD BAXTER 1. The Spirits Extrinsick Witness 2. The Spirits internal Witness 3. The sin against the Holy Ghost 4. The Arrogancy of Reason The First PART Page 16. B. TO one is given by the Spirit the word of Wisdom to another the word of Knowledge by the same Spirit to another working of Miracles to another Prophesie to another discerning of Spirits to another divers Tongues to another the interpretation of tongues but all these worketh that one and the same Spirit N. Why is Faith here omitted seeing the Text hath it Page 18. B. If we were in a case of doubt between several Teachers and one of them should write thus to publick Churches even the Churches of England Scotland Holland and Germany I appeal to your selves whether you did not by that Doctrine which I delivered to you receive the Holy-Ghost by which you all received either the gift of tongues healing prophesie or the like N. Can any Minister now truly so write to any Church or infallibly tell what that Gospel or Doctrine was which was so confirmed to the Galatians Page 30. B. We have yet Copies of Scripture extant of very great Antiquity N. Admit all this and that they all accorded as they do not yet the Quere will be Who gave those Copies or any Translations Authority to be a ground of true Faith to the world whereby they might be saved by their believing them or damned everlastingly for not believing them Page 32. B. Men must not believe Gods Law ceased or abrogated without good proof N. But the Gospel was in like manner confirmed to the Centiles also who had not the Law Page 32. B. We have the full use and benefit of the Holy Ghost which was given then that seal that was then set to the Christian Doctrines and Scriptures stands there still N. Hereby every several Opinion and Doctrine drawn from Scripture is justified the one as well as the other Page 33. B. Tongues are not for them that believe but for them that believe not saith Paul 1 Cor. 14. 22. that is to shew them the power of Christ and so convince them N. What are not now unbelievers in the world as well as then Page 33. B. But now the Scripture is sealed by these N. Who but Mr. Baxter dare to affirm this Page 34. B. These glorious Experiments and potent Workings will not suffer them to change their Religion N. This justifies the Quakers as well as Mr. Baxter if not more at least they may pretend the same as well as he Page 35. B. The gifts of strange Languages healing casting out of Devils fell on men ordinarily N. These gifts being ordinary Why do you elsewhere term them extraordinary A. Yea and why do you in the seventh page of your second sheet for the Ministry say If Miracles were ordinary few would be moved by them as any proof of a Divine Testimony And also in the thirty sixth page part two of your book of Infidelity say Miracles if common would lose their convincing force and be as none Yet here you tell us That they were ordinary when no such inconvenience followed their being so But these with other like slights and juggles are so common in your VVritings as no man in his VVits can take them for Miracles nor your VVritings for any proof of a Divine Testimony Page 35. B. That putteth such a new nature into the soul of every Saint N. â—quere VVhether this be any otherwise then by Faith or their believing the promise of having it 2 Pet. 1. 4. A. Afterward viz. at the Resurrection and now to have it meerly by promise See the Text. Page 36. B. If you would open your eyes you might see very much of it i. e. of the gifts of the Spirit before specified in the holiness of the Saints N. If it be with any now shew it and so end the Controversie but if not then rest onely on
Prerogative over any other man or men whatsoever For as the Divine Evidences were formerly so are they yet for the very same ends and purposes still useful and necessary to accompany the Ministry and so will they alway accompany the true Ministry for the conversion of men to the Faith of the Gospel But for R. B. thus to extend my words besides or beyond my meaning or to confine them short thereof is not to be allowed by me nor can it reasonably be approved by any man for whereas my meaning is limited onely to the conversion of unbelievers he extends them to any whether converted or unconverted as if I had been so irrational as to say or think That no man after his Conversion to the Faith of the Gospel was bound to believe or practise any other or further Duty of Christianity without some new Miracle yea new Miracles done in his sight to prove it for so much in effect his Charge amounts unto And who would ever think R. B. to be so void of understanding or ingenuity rather as to lay such and so irrational an aspersion upon any man that never did or thought him harm Now let any man in love convince me of my Errour in this my Position and I shall take it kindly and be as ready to retract and tread it under foot as he would have me but of all men in the world R. B. is least able to do it or to accuse me for it having asserted as much or more himself for in his Saints Rest Part 2. pag. 201. of the sixth Edition he asserts That Divine Faith hath ever a Divine Testimony and in pag. 205. That we must know it to be a Divine Testimony before we can believe fide Divina by a Divine Faith and I hope by a Divine Faith he intends no other then a true and saving Faith which must necessarily have a divine and infallible ground to be built on seeing of other Faiths he plainly tells us in pag. 201. That to believe implicitely that the Testimony is Divine or the Scripture is the Word of God this is not to believe God but to resolve our Faith into some humane Testimony even to lay our Foundation upon the Sands where all will fall at the next Assault And in pag. 236. he expresseth himself thus viz. I demand with my self by what argument did Moses and Christ evince to the world the verity of their Doctrine and I finde it was chiefly by this of Miracles and surely Christ knew the best argument to prove the Divine Authority of his Doctrine and that which was the best then is the best still And in pag. 33. of his book of Infidelity part 1. he tells us That Tongues are not for them that believe but for them that believe not that is saith he to shew them the power of Christ and so convince them And in part 4. pag. 46. of the same Book he tells us If it had no divine attestation or evidence that it is of God then you might (a) And I hope no man is bound by God to believe that which he may without sin or danger reject reject it without sin or danger Now let any rational and impartial man judge if R. B. himself hath not asserted sufficient and more then enough to justifie my Position and all that which I hold in the point yea and that which is tantamount the same although in many places of his writings he contradicts it which is no rare thing to see in men of his undertakings though they both speak and write much less then he hath done And amongst the multitudes of his failings in that and the like kinde in his voluminous writings thou mayst finde him friendly remembred of some few in a small Treatise entituled Fides Divina which when thou hast read then tell me If a Bear may not be known by a small Member even by his foot alone And whereas R. B. at the end of that his Charge intayles this viz. Adding withall That indeed Antichrist may do Miracles What cause of exception can be taken at Answ this my so saying when the Scripture it self affirms That the second Beast which came up out of the earth who is an Antichrist at least wrought Miracles Rev. 13. 11 14. Rev. 19. 20. This R. B. in his Saints Rest pag. 206. flatly contradicts by telling us there That no created power can work a Miracle Let him be pleased hence to be asked these sober Questions 1. Do you indeed and in truth as you pretend believe the Scripture to be the VVord of God 2. And that it was confirmed by Miracles as you assert it to be about the midst of your Preface to your Book of Infidelity and in divers other places of the same Book 3. How then dare you so presumptuously put the lye upon God by your flat contradicting his Word as here you have done This Charge lies upon him unavoydably unless he can prove that Beast to be an uncreated power which he can never do But we may see here as in many other places how he plays Bo-peep with us in rendring such persons abominable who do not with all readiness and without any chewing swallow all that which he pleaseth out of his own fancy to say of the Scriptures indefinitely being the VVord of God and that they (b) Which indeed is the harder for any man to belive because that some stuck not to raze and blot out of them senâ—ences above 1200 years since as Socrates reports lib. 7. ca. 31. And what hath been the boldness of others in that or the like kinde to do to them before and since is not known nor can be imaginâ—d were confirmed by Miracles when indeed and in truth he believes neither the one nor the other himself for if he did how durst he be so bold as flatly to contradict them as here he hath done And upon my saying that Antichrist may do Miracles R. B. infers thus viz. So it seems for all the talk Miracles themselves would not serve if they saw them Answ By this your inference you imply as if the signes and Miracles wrought by God himself for the Confirmation of the Gospel were no way dscernable by men from such as were or may be wrought by the Devil and his Instruments Is not this a casting a high disparagement upon the wisdom power and justice of Almighty God in his requiring faith and obedience to the Gospel upon pain of Damnation and yet produce no other nor better evidence for the Confirmation of the truth thereof then Satan or his Ministers can do for the Confirmation of falshood Doth not this amount to high Blasphemy against God himself For did not the Signes and Miracles wrought by Moses in Egypt so far transcend all those that were or could be wrought by the Egyptian Sorcerers or by the Devil himself as they were apparently discernable by all that saw them from those wrought by the
we shall then be necessitated to despise the other party and by consequence to despise Christ and God himself but God puts no people upon any such necessities and therefore also the Ministers of the reformed Churches are not the true Ministers of Christ Whence will as a necessary consequence follow That all the Arguments which are or can be brought by R. B. to prove them such are fallacious and deceitful and all the Scriptures brought by him to ground and make good the said Arguments are perverted and abused because no good or sound Argument nor any Scripture in its true and genuine sence can be brought or produced to prove a lye and falshood as this is And if they who said they were Jews when they were not blasphemed Rev. 2. 9. What do they less who say They are the Ambassadors and Ministers of Jesus Christ when they are not Now if any skilful in humane Arts will please to put these Grounds and Reasons into Syllogistical Forms he may but I must let him know That this is not desired by the forementioned plain man for we may gather his Opinion of humane Learning and of the Art of Logick by his words uttered at Nice who had therefore rather with a plain and sincere minde with Faith and good works trust to such plain and downright Grounds and Reasons of his own then to any Artificial Logical or Fallacious Arguments brought now into the Churches by humane Learning whereby such a cunning Sophister as R. B. is able to make plain men such as he was believe The Crow is white the Swan black and the Moon to be made of green Cheese A POST-SCRIPT READER THe supposed ground of this Charge if he had any at all from my mouth was from a small Conference he had with me some five years since after which about three years since he sent me a Book of his Infidelity desiring me impartially to read it over which when I did I found therein very many things unsound at least to my apprehension some few whereof I noted in the Margent with my Pen with some hints of my exceptions thereunto which Book when I had thus gone through I returned unto him again with an Epistle in a blank Page thereof The Copy of which here followeth To Mr. RICHARD BAXTER At KIDDERMINSTER This deliver SIR I Have read over this your elaborate Piece most Learnedly and Zealously compiled wherein are many observable Things some excellent Good and some liable to Exception being asserted with much more Confidence then Proof at least as I conceive I have noted some few Places bear with the Rudeness and Imperfections thereof being sudden Conceptions hastily exprest not in the least intending it for your scanning but marking them meerly for my own further Consideration upon a Re-view But in my second Thuoghts considering your Ingenuity and Worth in divers respects to exceed the ordinary Pitch of Men of your Function I altered my Intention and resolved to subject the same notwithstanding all its Defects to your View well knowing that you by your far greater Abilities can easily descant what further and more exactly to that or the like effect might be urged by an abler Pen which I wish you would please impartially and without offence to consider as I have done your Book sent me I hope in much Candor and Love for which being much obliged I kindly thank you Farewel Decem. 1. 1655. Clement Writer The Reasons of my thus returning the book were chiefly these First I saw the contents thereof were such as made me something suspect that it was sent me as an Assault to provoke me to some open Contest with him which I desired to prevent as being not onely indisposed thereunto but also utterly unable to incounter with such an Assailant though it were to defend Truth against him Secondly considering if I should have made no return nor given him any account at all of my reading it he might have imagined that Truth had been on his side and have ascribed the modesty of my silence to the prevalency of that which he mis-calls Truth Wherefore to prevent both these I sent him in this loving and private manner my notes for him to consider of taking him then to be both honest and ingenious but I am not the first that hath been mistaken in that kind and therefore thought that by my communicating to him my apprehensions in this Friendly and private manner I should have had the like Love and Friendship returned me or at least never any way to have been quarrelled with about our different perswasions otherwise then by some friendly and private conference about the same which I expected and desired But I heard nothing from him at all about my Notes nor ought else until about August 1657. He being then in Worcester sent to speak with me I readily went my selfe alone thinking then he intended some such Conference but I was much deceived therein for coming to the House where he was he sent for me up to him in a Chamber whereinto I had no sooner entred but in came one slinking after me in a Ministers habit and without speaking any word sate him down at a distance from us in the same Room which observing I resolved in my self to be very reserved whatsoever his business was with me The Scoene being thus set in a stern authoritative manner he began to question me about a small Treatise then lately come forth intituled Fides Divina wherein as it seems some few of his Doctrines are touch'd demanding of me who was the Author of that Book I told him If I knew I would not tell him without the Authors leave seeing the Author himself had conceal'd it He then told me That he knew that I was the Author because it concurred with my Animadversions or Notes which formerly I had sent him To which I answered If he knew the Author before why did he but then ask to know who it was Telling him withal that he might be much mistaken in his Conclusion from such a Ground because there were very Many in England of the same Judgement with my Notes and far abler then my self to compile such a Book After which he would have had me declare my Faith and he would declare his and then see how far we agreed and in that we differ'd he would reason or Dispute it with me but this I declined telling him That I was no meet Match for him so great a Scholar unless I had some as great as himself to unty his fallacies wherewith hee might else soon entangle me Yet then the better to allure me to speak out fully according to the monstrous shape and ugly look of his aims He said to me What dare you not declare your Faith You need not fear any thing now in this time of Liberty But this Bait neither would be swallowed by me for I then ask'd him If it would be his wisdome without all fear upon such terms to
disagreed about the Definitions of Faith Repentance and almost all Graces N. This proves them no true Divines The Third PART Page 9. B. If we can evince this That Christs great works and his Disciples were done by the Holy Ghost and not by evil spirits then I think we shew the credibility and certainty of Christian Religion N. I conceive the doubt lies not in this A. For it being granted That those works were done by the Power of the Holy Ghost yet the doubt still remains in full force namely How your Doctrines are any more confirmed by Christs or the Apostles works then the Jesuites or Dr. Kendals Mr. Crandons or Mr. Tombes his Doctrines by all whom most of your Doctrines are contradicted or then his Doctrines who may contradict both yours and theirs also Page 55. B. And what I speak of sight I say also of just report he that will not believe c. N. But by what warrant do you equalize these since Christ hath put so vast a difference between them John 15. 24. John 10. 37. Page 59. B. What evidence can be mentioned de facto of a divine attestation that ever God gave to mankind in any case that is higher clearer and more convincing then those works by which he hath sealed the Scriptures N. This is most true being applied as it ought to the preaching of Christ and his true Ministers whose preaching they did seal and attest but not the Scriptures nor any mans preaching from them is sealed by those mighty works formerly (k) This and divers other reasons are here urged which are not so much as hiâ—â—ed by the Author of Fides Divina done for a thing sealed precedes the sealing thereof Page 62. B. The inward work of the Spirit is either of common gifts as Learning or the like succeeding our industry or extraordinary as Miracles Tongues Prophesie c. N. Is it learning which makes Learning attained by Industry a Gift of the Spirit or is it not at least in consideration and if this may be justified by a distinction of Common and special or extraordinary then every natural gift and Science or Trade may as well be accounted a gift of the Spirit and given forth upon Christs Ascention A. Wherefore as the Art of making Hats Gloves Shooes Kettles or Pots and other the like Crafts acquired by Industry be not any of the gifts of the Spirit shed forth by Christ upon his Disciples mentioned Act. 2. so the Craft of humane Arts and Sciences acquired by Industry is no gift of the Spirit given forth by Christ for whatsoever is attained by Acquisition is not by gift and so on the contrary Page 67. B. Such works were done when in all Churches many of them were so common c. N. Were these common why then do you elsewhere term them extraordinary And why might not we expect them to be as common now as then if we had true Ministers and Churches now as then Mar. 16. 17. Page 69. B. There being but one Regeneration but one Baptism to signifie and seal it N. Where in Scripture is Baptism termed a seal of Regeneration A. Or of any other thing Page 71. B. If I had not done the works which no man else could do c. N. Among them is here and elsewhere omitted A. Which is no fair play nor just dealing Page 73. B. In case they hear onely of Christs Person Sufferings and Doctrines c. N. This hearing of Christs Person c. need to be attested likewise to bind men to believe else men may wave it without sin unless the Servant be greater and of more Authority then Christ their Master John 10. 37. Page 74. B. It is a not believing when they have fullest evidence to force belief N. The fullest evidence was to them in whose sight and presence the mighty works were done but not to such who onely hear of them by the report of another or by tradition or the like Page 75. B. The Spirit of Christ especially in his extraordinary works is the convincing attesting seal to draw men to believe and there is but one such Spirit and Seal N. Then where this one is wanting convincing is wanting John 16. 7 8 9. Whence I quere Whether the ground of this sin against the Holy Ghost be not also wanting since it is granted That there is but one such Spirit and Seal and this one being wanting A. You your selves confess That those convincing gifts poured out upon the Apostles are ceased against which the sin against the Holy Ghost might be committed and you never yet produced any thing in its stead armed with like Power and Authority for Convincement whereby to bring men under sin much less under the sin against the Holy Ghost for not believing any of you all Page 76. B. It is now the duty of all men to believe and repent N. Mens duty is in their power else not their duty required by the Gospel unless you can make it good news to any man to be required either to carry Pauls Church on his back or else be hanged Page 133. B. They to wit the Mahometans will not suffer it to be disputed nor reasoned of but absolutely to be believed without asking any evidence for its truth N. This is a fault among many who call themselves Christians as well and as much as mong Mahometans A. Yea and most of all among such as call themselves Ministers of the Gospel Page 191. B. The first Declaration of this undertaking to wit of Christs conquest over the Serpent c. was to the Serpent himself Gen. 3. 15 but doubtless in the ears of man to his comfort N. This is more then you find made known in Scripture Page 191. B. Here is meant the Devil himself the tempting Serpent N. So also is this and many other things affirmed by you A. Besides the Scripture tells us The tempting Serpent was a Beast of the field Gen. 3. 1. but so is not the Devil Page 195. B. Whether the Angels were ministring Spiritâ— to Adam in Innocency is more then I finde made known in Scripture and therefore I think it unsafe and imprudent to conclude either that they were or they were not N. This Moderation had been well used in many other places instead of your peremptory Assertions in things as doubtful A. Yea and more improbable by much Page 219. B. He to wit Christ telleth us That it was he to wit the Devil that deceived Eve 2 Cor. 11. 3. N. How doth this appear or Where doth Christ tell us so A. Not in the Text cited by you for that tells us It was the Serpent that beguiled Eve Page 245. B. Christ hath appointed the first day of every week for this end N. Where is this to be found Page 244. B. Christ used other kind of weapons then theirs they pleaded by words and he with mighty works they used Sophisms c. N. If we consider by what argument did