and consequently greatly wrong that learned and judicious Author How you and Mr. Danvers look upon your selves I know not but certainly I should be justly censured as a very unworthy Man should I wrest Authors words who are yet alive to countenance my own sentiments in a contradiction to their known practice before I had consulted the Authors themselves and known how they would reconcile their words and practice Will you but read the whole Exercitation and allow him the liberty that all writers whether sacred or humane use you will find he is vastly more for me than for you He is only shewing how God did preserve Abraham's natural Posterity as grown up in a visible standing under the Covenant till our Lord Christ came that the Promise made to him concerning the Messias coming of his loyns might be accomplished he meddles not with the case of Infants but supposeth them visibly in Covenant as the Seed of Parents visibly so when will you leave thus to abuse Authors whose names are precious in all the Churches of Christ But Secondly I have a few things to reccommend to your Conscience and these are of two sorts First Such as concern my self thus Page 3. where you use the Poets words so Page 5. line 10 11. Page 26. line the last Page 22. line 1 2. with others of a like nature can you prove what you have written if not what will you call these things Secondly Such as concern matter of Fact thus see what you write Page 3. where do I say Mr. Danvers Book is all forgery or leave that to the Readers observation See also Page 4. line 2. again see what you write Page 34. three last lines and compare it with my Answer Page 39. and 40. will you or any Man else deny what I there take for granted Again see what you write Page 7. line 24 25. Is the silence of the Scripture as absolutely considered my beloved Argument yea or any Argument at all I only enquire and give my Reasons for the affirmation whether supposing the Covenant was extended to the Seed of Believers under the first Testament which I judged I had formerly sufficiently proved that it was what may be truly said of the silence of the Scripture not whether the silence of the Scriptures as absolutely taken concerning the Baptism of Infants do not make it vastly more probable that they ought then that they ought not to be baptized and that supposition being granted I judge I shall have but few gain-sayers Yet again see what you write Page 50. line 1 2. and compare it with my Answer Page 117 118 119. and see whether there is any such reason given by me or no you may also reflect upon your 18th Page and consider whether what I suppose be a granting that the commission was given only with respect to the Adult Sir I cannot think you can have such a value for your Animadversions as you suppose me to have for my Book as for others I can hardly think there is any one learned Man of your own Perswasion but will blush to see such Animadversions fly abroad from the pen of any of their party Sir I have only one thing more and that is to intreat you not to complain of unmerciful dealing will you seriously review your Book you will find I have dealt gently with you and that you may not say I have wronged you if you desire it and can procure the testimony of any two learned Anti-Paedo-Baptists that they judge your Book deserves or can know that any two consciencious learned Paedo-Baptists judge it deserves a more full consideration your desire if providence interpose not shall be gratified FINIS Some Books lately Printed for and sold by Jonathan Robinson at the Golden-Lion in St. Paul's Church-Yard THe Harmony of the Divine Attributes in contriving Man's Redemption by the Lord Jesus Christ c. By W. Bates D.D. in quarto the second Edition enlarged with an Alphabetical Table XL Sermons on several occasions preached at Cambridge and elswhere By the late Reverend and Learned Anthony Tuckney D.D. in quarto Mr. Theoph. Gale's Anatomy of Infidelity octavo Idea Theologiae tam Contemplativae tam Activae c. in 12 s. Mr. J. Fladoes Quakerism no Christianity octavo Vindication of the XXI Divines A Contest for Christianity or an Account of two great Disputes between the Anabaptists and the Quakers infant-Infant-Baptism Asserted and Vindicated by Scripture and Antiquity c. By O. Wills M.A. More Proofs for Infant Church-Membership and consequently their right to Baptism c. By R. Baxter Vindiciae Vindiciarum or Infant-Baptism Re-asserted and Vindicatrd By O. Wills A Treatise of Justifying Righteousness c. In answer to Dr. Tully and Mr. Chr. Cartwright By R. Baxter Principles made Practical or Directions for plain Christians to pray on most occasions and to prepare themselves for the Lord's Supper by the use and knowledge of the Assemblies Catechism The great Concern or a serious Warning to a timely and through-preparation for Death c. By Edw. Pearce A Beam of Divine Glory or a Treatise of God's Unchangeableness By the same Author Correction Instruction or a Treatise of Affliction By T. Case in twelves The poor doubting Christian drawn to Christ By T. Hooker in twelves The worthy Communicant or a Treatise shewing the due order of receiving the Lord's Supper By Jer. Dyke in twelves with a Sacramental Catechism c. The Barren Fig-tree or the fruitless Professor's doom By John Bunyan in twelves Solitude improved by Divine Meditations By N. Ranew in octavo The Life and Death of Mr. Thomas Tregoss sometime Minister in Cornwal in octavo The sinfulness of Sin and the fulness of Christ c. By W. Bridg. The lost Sinner sought out by Jesus Christ
upon them any of those Fruits or Beaefits for the present and consequently that by the Application of the Token of the Covenant only Jus ad rem not Jus in re is sealed and confirmed But others conceive that as the Covenant and Promises thereof have only an indefinite respect to the Seed of Believers so that at least some of them have those saving Benefits and Blessings actually granted to and conferred upon them and consequently that they are actually regenerated and have a full and compleat Union with Christ the Remission of sins the Love and Favour of God c. And some having there Benefits and Blessings actually conferred upon them in their Infance we are to presume it may be so with each one in pqrticular and on that ground are to apply the Token of the Covenant to them universally And this Opinion could it be clearly proved from Seripture would free the Controversie about Infant Baptism from many difficulties it must be confest it is otherwise attended with And on that account I should readily comply with it but for the reasons after to be given I cannot but at present lay it aside cum pace tantorum virorum 2. Secondly others conceive that the Covenant is entred with the Seed of Believers definitely and answerably that the Promises appertaining to them are to be interpreted and understood in a definite notion and consequently that as the Covenant as at first established with Abraham did extend to Ishmael as well as to Isaac so is still continued to all Believers and each one of their Seed in particular And some of these that go this way conceive that all the Infants of Believers have true Grace in particular true Faith wrought in them either antecedent to the Application of the Token of the Covenant or at the time of its Application if not by yet in a concurrence with it But this opinion necessarily inferring a possibility to lose and fall from the truth of Grace is rejected by the generality of Protestants especially that bear the denomination of Calvinists Yet some grant yea assert some kind of supernatural Operations of the Spirit to antecede at least accompany the Application of the Token of the Covenant to them whereby at least a posse agere or some dispositions facilitating their saving acting of Grace are wrought But others distinguish of the Covenant it is say they internum out externum it is either Internal or External by the Internal Covenant they seem to mean the Covenant as really and truly entred with the Elect ensuring to them Grace and Glory by the External Covenant they seem to mean the Covenant as visibly appearing to be made with Men whether Infants or Adult when as it is not indeed really entred mutually between God and them This latter way of God's entring Covenant with Men whether young or old is expressed by some by entring Covenant with them in or according to an Ecclesiastical Dispensation that is as they express themselves in a visible Church-way Again others and sometimes the same Men distinguish of the Good contained in and conveyed by the Promises of the Covenant appertaining to the Seed of Believers it is say they either Spiritual and Saving or else only External and Ecclesiastical as Membership in the visible Church a right to the outward Ordinances and Priviledges of the Church and the like And they conceive that the Covenant as containing saving Spiritual Mercies only appertains to the Elect but as containing External Ecclesiastical Priviledges it appertains to all the Seed of Believers hence they call it as entred with them a Covenant of Priviledges This latter Opinion concerning the definiteness of the Covenant I take to be according to truth though to distinguish either of the Covenant or the good contained in it as entred with or extended to Infants I see no ground neither do I think it is at all necessary but I say as to the nature of the Covenant I doubt not but that it is entred with and extended to the Infant-seed os Believers definitely and answerably that the Promises appertaining to them are to be interpreted and understood in a definite notion as appertaining equally and alike to each one in particular I speak of the Covenant and Promises as entred with and made to the Seed of Believers merely as such There are it 's true some Promises of the Covenant appertaining unto them which are to be interpreted and understood in an indefinite notion as has been afore declared but those appertain not to them merely as the Seed of such Parents but as Members of the visible Church as was there shewed But now for the Covenant as extended to them as the Seed of believing Parents so it is extended to them definitely and answerably the Promises of the Covenant appertaining to them are to be interpreted and understood in a definite notion Infant Baptism from Heaven Book 1. Chap. 2. This I have in part proyed already yet I shall add somewhat morefor the further confirmation of it And it may be as I conceive proved two ways 1. In the Instance of Abraham's natural Children proceeding immediatly from his own Loyns 2. By some further Reasons equally respecting Abraham's and all other Believers Infant-seed 1. Let us see it in that particular instance of Abraham's Infant-seed and thus I shall only offer these two reasons beyond what I have given in the Treatise forecited 1. Unless the Covenant had been entred definitely with Abraham's natural Seed immediatly proceeding from his own Loyns there had been no rational ground for Ishmael's Circumcision That Circumcision was the Token of the Covenant is expressly asserted by the Lord himself and answerably that the Application of it did presuppose the Subjects to whom it was to be applyed to be in Covenant at least according to visible appearance or according to arational Judgment of Charity is above any rational doubt evident This I have also proved elsewhere But now unless the Covenant did extend unto Ishmael in particular there was no appearance at all of his being in Covenant but an undenyable discovery of the contrary and that from the mouth of God himself By promising Abraham a Son of Sarah and that as the Mother of that Son she should be a Mother of Nations he did set aside Ishmael and exclude him from the number of those that should inherit the Good promised and was so understood by Abraham which was the groud of his prayer for him and is accordingly interpreted by the Apostle in that Rom. 9.1 Hence had not the Covenant extended to Ishmael in particular there had been no ground for the Application of Circumcision to him especially under that notion viz. As the Token of the Covenant under which notion it was yet applyed to him he could not be lookt upon as an Heir designed to inherit the Good of the Promise now made much less to have true Grace already wrought in him seing he was excluded by God
upon supposition of their performance of the conditions of the Covenant 2. What is the Good intended in and consequently conveyed and made over to the Seed of Believers by these Promises 1. For the latter of these Promises viz. that of future Salvation To begin with that first because there is no difficulty in it as to what concerns our present purpose requiring a large discussion of it and therefore in brief by Salvation we are to understand all that Glory Happiness and Blessedness whether consisting in liberation and freedom from evil or any positive Good that God has purposed and Christ has purchased for his People to be possessed and injoyed by them in Heaven or in the life to come which though we may rationally suppose will gradually differ as injoyed by Infants from that to be possessed and injoyed by Adult Believers especially who have attained to higher degrees in Grace and Holiness or have done and suffered much for Christ here in the World yet as it will be the same for kind so it will be exceeding great Though the Glory Happiness and Blessedness of the Saved as well as the Misery of the Damned will differ gradually yet the lowest degree of Glory Happiness and Blessedness to be injoyed in Heaven as also of Misery to be suffered in Hell will be unconceiveably great The Holy Ghost tells us eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for them that love him that is for all them that love him In what latitude we are to understand these things said to be prepared for them that love God we need not enquire be sure 't is true of the things prepared and reserved for Saints in Heaven they are things that eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have they entred into heart of man not into the heart of a merely natural man so as to conceive what much less how great they are but not into the heart of spiritual or regenerate men so as fully to apprehend what or how great and excellent they are And as this is true of things that God has prepared for them that love him So it is alike true of the things prepared for them that are beloved of him though through the immaturity of their age they are incapable of an actual love to him The Glory Happiness and Blessedness of the lowest Saint in Heaven whether dying in Infancy or living to years of Maturity will quite surpass the present thoughts and apprehensions of the most enlightned understanding And I say all that Glory Happiness and Blessedness is included and intended in this term Salvation they shall be saved that is perfectly freed and delivered from all misery that man through sin is become subject to and instated in the contrary state of Glory Happiness and Blessedness But 2. For the other Promise viz. That of God's being a God to them there is more difficulty in determining what is that Good contained in and granted to the Infant-seed of Believers by it In the general this seems plain that it must be interpreted and understood as appertaining to Infants as it is to be interpreted and understood as appertaining to the Adult seing we have no warrant from the Scripture neither does the different capacity of Infants and the Adult necessitate us to interpret and understand it otherwise as appertaining to the one than we do as appertaining to the other and therefore we must a little enquire into and endeavour to state the true sense and meaning of this grand Promise of the Covenant wherein God promises to be a God to his People whether as appertaining to Infants or Adult Believers and thus taking the Covenant in a strict and proper sense for a mutual engagement between God and Man so I conceive only these two things are intended and included in it 1. A mutual Relation between God and his People is constituted and established thereby and as by the constitution of this Relation between God and his People they are brought nigh to him and he is nigh to them Hence they are said to be near to God He also exalteth the Horn of his People the praise of all his Saints even of the Children of Israel a People near unto him Psal 148.14 And if they are near to him he must needs be nigh to them so they have a mutual propriety and interest each in other Hence are those appropriating terms in Scripture and that on both parts Hence on God's part says he yea I sware unto thee and entred into a Covenant with thee and thou becamest mine Ezek. 16.8 Though God has a propriety in all Creatures they are all his yet we see he lays a peculiar claim to his People as having a more especial interest and propriety in them above what he has in others and that by vertue of the Covenant entred with them So on the People of Gods part My Beloved is mine saith the Spouse Cant. 2.16 Oh my soul thou hast said unto the Lord thou art my Lord Psal 16.2 And the like appropriating terms we have frequently in Scripture Man by his sin has lost his propriety and interest in God hence whosoever now has an interest and propriety in him it must be by vertue of his own free Gift and Promise they only can groundedly lay claim to interest and propriety in him to whom he promises to be a God Hence his People hold their interest in him not by vertue of their relation to him as his Creatures but by the Covenant entred with them wherein he has promised to be a God to them and take them to be his People And that is the first good contained in and conveyed to the Infant-seed of Believers by this Promises there is a mutual relation constituted thereby between God and them by means whereof they have a mutual interest and propriety each in other as they are God's and therefore said to be born to him and to be his Children Ezek. 16.20 21. so he is theirs and how great a Good is that for God to give himself to the Seed of his People as well as to them themselves That the great God quantus quantus est is and may be said to be in a proper sense their God their Portion and Inheritance 2. The Good of or contained in this Promise is this that God thereby has put himself under an obligation to his People to communicate himself to them and act for their good benefit and advantage according to his own infinite Perfections the true tenour of the Covenant made with them and their capacity to receive or thus he has by this Promise put himself under an obligation to his People to improve and imploy all his Attributes for their good benefit and advantage in a way agreeable to the whole Covenant and their capability of receiving any good benefit and advantage by that improvement and imployment of his several Attributes for them
Covenant And thus it 's true the Covenant of Grace is frequently affirmed to be an everlasting Covenant Gen. 17.7 Isa 55.3 Jer. 32.40 But to that I would say three things First That the Covenant may be called an everlasting Covenant on either of these two accounts First On the account of the Good promised in it The Good promised in the Covenant is not a mere temporal or temporary Good but an eternal or everlasting Good even everlasting blessedness and happiness Thus the Land of Canaan is said to be an everlasting Possession because the Good typified by and principally intended in the Promise of that Land is everlasting Happiness and Blessedness Or Secondly The Covenant may be said to be an everlasting Covenant on the account of the duration of it throughout all ages and that as to the essence or substance of it invariable whether we respect the Promises on God's part or the duties to be performed on Man's part though there has been and may be some variations in the administrations of the Covenant yet it is as to the substance of it one and the same and so shall continue while Abraham has a Seed upon the earth and on either of these accounts it may be called an everlasting Covenant Obj. But it may be some will say if we grant that the Covenant is not called an everlasting Covenant from the constancy and immutability of it as made with particulare Persons the foundation of the Doctrine of Perseverance will be greatly shaken thereby Answ To that I shall only say two or three things First That its true we must have an equal respect unto all the Doctrines of the Gospel especially that are of equal weight and importance and answerably take heed that we do not establish one Doctrine upon the ruines of another that we do not by end eavouring to establish one Doctrine shake the foundations of another and hence as we must be careful that while we end eavour to establish the Doctrine of infant-Infant-Baptism we do not shake the Doctrine of Perseverance and so vice versa both Doctrines may be sufficiently established upon Scripture grounds without prejudice each to other And therefore Secondly Though we grant the Scriptures affirming the Covenant to be an everlasting Covenant will not infallibly prove its constancy and immutability as made with particulare persons yet the Doctrine of Saints perseverance may be established against all rational opposition upon other Scripture grounds Of which more hereafter and therefore Thirdly We may grant yea affirm that the Covenant is said to be everlasting from its constancy and immutability as made with particulare persons and yet hold and maintain that God may extend it in the sense exprest to some that are not elected and answerably an Argument may be drawn from this property of the Covenant See my Infant-Baptism from Heaven Book 1. Page 50. viz. its Eternity for the establishing the Doctrine of Perseverance without any prejudice to the Doctrine of Insant-Baptism only then we must dinstinguish between the Covenant as compleatly made with the Adult and as less compleatly entred with Infants as the Seed of believing Parents And that when the Covenant is called an everlasting Covenant it 's to be understood of the Covenant as compleatly made with the Adult is evident from the way it comes to be so and that is by God's putting his Laws in the minds and writing them in the hearts of those with whom it is made Now these Promises of putting the Law in the mind and writing it in the heart as they are only made indefinitely to the Church in general and consequently secure not the Good contaiued in them to each individual person to whom in common with others they do appertain so they are at least ordinarily only made good to the Adult and to whomsoever they are made good the Covenant abides firm and as estabished between God and them may be truly called an everlasting Covenant But this brings me to the third Branch of this second thing proposed for proof of the minor Proposition of our foregoing Argument so that what is declared in the Scriptures concerning the everlastingness of the Covenant may very well consist with what is affirmed concerning God's extending it to the Non-elect It may be said to be an everlasting Covenant on several accounts but grant it to be so called on the account of its constancy and immutability as made with particular persons yet it must then be taken as made only with the Adult God has made his Covenant conditionally with all mankind whereby though all men as absolutely considered are put in a capacity or possiblity of being saved yet Salvation is absolutely secured to none he has so extended his Covenant to the Seed of Believers as thereby to constitute a true and proper Covenant-relation between himself and them when yet the Covenant being not fully compleat their state is mutable when the condition devlves upon themselves they may fail in the performance of it and thereupon be cast out but when once the Covenant becomes compleat is mutually plighted between God and an Adult person through the saving operations of the Spirit upon the heart now it is an unchangeable and everlasting Covenant the soul's performance of the conditions being secured by the abiding presence of the Spirit in it But Thirdly That for God so to extend his Covenant to some that are not elected as to constitute a true and proper Covenant-relation between himself and them is no way inconsistent with what the Scriptures declare concerning any Good vouchsafed or to be vouchsafed to those that are taken in as Subjects of it And here again a twofold Good can only as I judge be pleaded as opposing what is affirmed First Their discharge and immunity from the guilt and concemning power of Original sin resulting from their Covenant-state Secondly Saving Grace The former is a Good actually vouchsafed the latter may be supposed to be necessarily vouchsafed by vertue of the Promise made to the Covenant-people of God But for the former I shall only say 't is sufficient that God has no where declared in his Word that all that are or may be discharged of and have an immunity from the guilt and condemning power of any however of Original sin shall infallibly be preserved in a Covenant-state and thereby brought to Salvation at last I know in part what is said as to this but let me say to bottom the Doctrine of Perseverance upon such a supposition is altogether unsafe Whether the guilt of Original sin do revive and be recharged upon such of the Seed of Believers as do when they grow up to years of Maturity neglect to take hold of the Covenant and thereby forfeit their interest in it is a question of more difficulty to resolve than usefulness when resolved and therefore I shall pass it by For the latter Good which may be supposed to be necessarily vouchsafed to all that are taken in
and therefore I shall be so far further impertinent as to tell him I am yet in statu quo and consequently if I had any such design as he intimates his suspition I had it has miscarried only I have this in lieu that being freed from family-intanglements I have a greater liberty to attend the service of Christ in vindicating his truths from such assailants But to go on the second part of my Answer shews the insufficiency of Mr. Danvers proofs for Believers Baptism in opposition to that of Infants with reference to Mr. Hutchinson's Animadversions To this part I shall only remark three things and leave them First Is his complyance with me in what he yet seems and that with severe reflections upon me to oppose thus in all those instances I had given of things indeterminable by the Commission for the preaching of the Gospel and administration of Baptism to evidence the necessity of taking in other Scriptures for the full understanding of Christ's mind therein Now Mr. Huthinson himself does what I say we ought to do neither dares he deny any of those things I offer to consideration to shew the invallidity of Mr. Danvers his Argument drawn from that Commission and yet with what vehemency does he seem to oppose it The second is the gross mistakes Mr. Hutchinson proceeds upon thus he mistakes my very design in this part of my Book supposes me to be proving Infant-Baptism when that is none of my design or business that he proceeds on this mistake is evident as from variety of Passages so eminently from that Paragraph Page 21. beginning about line 18. so also from Page 55. upper end hence what he animadverts with the greatest shew of plausability as concerning the baptizing of the Children of Unbelievers Bells c. Page 17. is wholly impertinent Alas how easie to shew that that will not prove any Doctrine or Practice which was never designed for that end Again as he mistakes my design and business so he mistakes about the ground I would have laid for Infant-Baptism had it been my work there to prove that Practice Hence he supposes that I take it for granted that Infants were Chuch-members under the Law Page 22. when I neither did nor had any occasion to meddle with their Church-membership either under the Law or under the Gospel And he still goes upon his mistakes in his attempts to shew the repeal of that Priviledge from Paul's preaching that the Gentiles ought not to circumcise their Children he supposes that Circumcision gave a right to as well as the actual possession of Church-membership and that we hold the command for Circumcision did vertually include a command for Baptism both which are gross mistakes That which gave a right to Church-membership was the Covenant and it is the command to keep the Covenant that obliges to Baptism but Mr. Hutchinson either cannot or will not distinguish between that command as more generally laid down and reaching all Abraham's Seed whether natural or mystical and the command laid upon Abraham's Seed to observe that special Rite of Circumcision as the Covenant that is the Token of the Covenant then to be kept and alas what heed can be given to Men that proceed upon such gross mistakes Thirdly That which lies alike plain and obvious with both the foregoing particulars is his overlooking what he ought to have taken notice of Thus he wholly overlooks all that I had written in my former Treatise designedly for the proof of Infant-Baptism and whereunto I often refer in this my Answer though he had seen it So he takes no notice of what intimations I gave of offering something further to publike view which is now made publick concerning the Doctrine of the Covenant as Infants are concerned therein and from his overlooking of both a considerable part of his Animadversions are either wholly impertinent as to me or in answering a matter before he hath heard it take for an instance his whole Discourse upon that Promise Acts 2.39 beginning Page 26. and ending Page 30. yea he overlooks what is written in this very Book he animadverts upon Hence Page 11. he calls for a reconciliation of our seeming contradictions which had been needless had he attended to what he might have found in Page 13 14 15 of my Answer Hence again are those Questions Page 30. about the Salvation of all in the houses of Believers which are answered at the 113th Page and so on of my Answer and Men will make but sorry work in their Replyes to our Animadversions upon any Book when they overlook what their Antagonists have written or declare their intentions to write Thirdly My Answer consists in a vindication of those grounds laid by Paedo-Baptists for their Judgment and Practice As to what Mr. Hutchinson animadverts upon this part I need say little he seems to have been himself utterly at a loss what to say yea he seems to be in a kind of maze witness that Argument the only Argument he lays down syllogistically in his Animadversion Page 39. unless he be greatly abused by the Printer witness also his crying out Ignoratio Elencht where no Argument was laid down by me yet once again witness his reasonings Page 47. Hence he wholly passes over these several Arguments I had occasionally laid down to prove the tenour of the Covenant to be such as infallibly infers the interest of the Seed of Believers in it excepting only that afterwards he singles out here and there a passage without due regard to their Contexts and animadverts upon them at his pleasure and himself becomes opponent and pretends to determine three of those four Questions I had said the resolution of which were necessary and sufficient for the discovery of the grounds laid in the Covenant as at first established with Abraham for Infant-Baptism which he only does by a naked repetition of Mr. Danvers unproved dictates with the addition of some by discourses which appertain not to the Questions proposed and yet hath the confidence to conclude Page 47. So then these things being found mere mistakes on Mr. Whistons side we may conclude they have no footing in the Covenant for Infant-Baptism And also what does he think of the Men even of his own perswasion can he think there is any of them so weak or so far blinded as not to see the frivolousness of such Animadversions But not to tire the Reader only I must beg Mr. Hutchinson's patience a little longer I have a few words to him and have done First Sir I assure you I have read yea had read long before my Answer to Mr. Danvers saw the light that Exercitation of Doctor Owen and in special that part of it you refer me to and can find nothing in that or any other of his writings as a cure to that ignorance you speak of I am at as great a loss about those Promises Mr. Danvers mentions as I was before and must tell you you greatly mistake