people in general are very desirous to have some new and further demonstration of it but behold a base cheat put upon those that buy the book for there is no mention of the Popish Plot it is not so much as named in all the pages neither the Root nor the Branches upon first sight of the Title there is cause given to conclude that a new Evidence was risen up for the good of the King and Kingdom who could out-do all the former Evidences about the Popish Plot in discovering the very root of it O Excellent and Stupendious sham and now I will enter upon the Consideration of the Pamphlet it self in the begining I find the Author declaring himself like a Prince or some great Prelate Page 1. It hath been our endeavour to correct some of the extravagant strains found in many well meaning Dissenters viz. by good Arguments and Examples together with a sight of their folly in being debarâ—d of the Civil Rights and the close Concurrency of Penal Prosecution they have been at last prevailed upon to come to Church now what these good Arguments were and whether the second was before the first and what those Examples were they are not visible to me but the injoyment of Civil Rights with the close Concurrency of Penal Prosecutions I do now well understand and do believe that the Church of England will rather count such a person a Bastard then a true Child who shall conform upon such base considerations as to comply with the matters of Christianity upon the account of outward safety and in page the second the Author goeth on and saith that it hath been the work of our Adversaries for a long time to put the Protestant Clergy upon Persecuting thereby to justify their old accustomed Cruelty and in this page saith these Adversaries do influence and perswade the poor simple Dissenters that Persecution is an infallible mark of an Antichristian Church now who these Adversaries be that is not plainly said however this Author doth venture to give them a mistical name viz. the Sons of Leviathan and truly I cannot at all think he meaneth the people of Morocco but there is good ground to conclude he meaneth the Papists and if so I believe the Church especially the Protestant Clergy of England will not think that he hath done them any kindness to declare them to be influenced by the Papists to Persecute their Fellow Protestants and so are but the Popes Drudges and it is basely insinuated as if there were a Confederacy between the Papists and the Protestant Clergy which I do not at all believe and it is also as basely insinuated that the Protestant Dissenters are influenced by the Papists to maintain their Nonconformity whereas it is well known that the Protestant Dissenters in general are wholly strangers to that Party and Detesters of their Principles and Practices and in page the fourth the aforesaid Author presumeth to declare all things necessary to Salvation of which he could never yet learn more than these four viz page the third First the learning of a good Catechism to aid and conduct their faith 2dly a good and well composed Form of Prayer to discharge their devotion 3dly To hear learned and good men Preach to revive and quicken them to duty 4thly To square and Regulate their Lives by Moral Precepts or the Law of nature the which whosoever shall humbly and carefully observe constantly and Conscientiously perform then this bold undertaker doth declare as followeth we will assure them Salvation and undertake to answer to God for them and be content to stand chargeable with their Blood if they miscarry Unto which particulars I reply as followeth First A man may learn a good Catechism so as to understand all the Questions and Answers therein and may have the right notion of all those truths in his head and yet be without the real possession of them in his heart 2dly A man may have a well composed Form of Prayer to discharge his devotion and yet be without the Spirit of Prayer 3dly A man may hear Learned and good men Preach to revive and quicken them to Duty and yet be without the Word of God in the power and demonstration of the Holy Ghost 4thly A man may square and regulate his life by Moral Precepts or the Law of Nature humbly Carefully Constantly and Conscientiously and yet be without Spiritual Regeneration and Christ saith without Regeneration there is no Salvation John 3.3,5 And now for the said Author so boldly to assure men of their Salvation and undertake to answer to God for them be content to stand chargeable with their Blood if they miscarry upon those four things before proposed I am at a loss what to conclude concerning the man only this I will venture to say he bids fair for the Care and Cure of Souls Thirdly Absurdity is Contained in the said Pamphlet for he pretendeth to srame Arguments and draw Conclusions from them to ingage persons who are Dissenters to come to the Sacrament in the Church of England but instead of making sound and weighty Arguments that may convince mens judgments they are but very pittiful Images of Arguments not of Gold or Silver or Wood as made by an Artis but more like Images of Clay made by a Child that bedaubs and fouls his Fingers in so doing Which briefly take as followeth First To Communicate in the Supper is either a Civil or a Spiritual thing if Civil as such it may be done 2dly It is Commanded by the Laws of our Country 3dly 'T is no natural Injury to our Neighbours therefore can be no real hurt or prejudice to his own Soul This is a cunning and base insinuation of a Corrupt Notion to Represent the Holy Communion as a Civil action if this once take upon mens minds being willing to save themselves from Sufferings by Penal Laws farewel to the right performance of Holy Ordinances From these Carnal Resonings First if I go to the Sacraments I shall not be so obnoxious among my Neighbours 2dly There is very good Neighbourly Sociiety in Eating and Drinking 3dly The Laws of my Country doth require it 4thly If I do it but seldom I shall escape Sufferings 5thly I shall hereby be qualified to maintain my Civil Rights and Priviledges and thus the Ordinance of God the Word of God and the Law of the Land is most abominably abused for the Law of the Realm doth Require them that come to the Sacrament to come to it not as to a Civil Action but as to Gods Holy Ordinance humbly and devoutly and the Minister is to lay before the people the danger and indignation which God hath threatned to them which shall presume to receive the same unworthily see the Statute Anno primo Edward the sixth Chap. the first Then the Author goeth on thus page the fourth If it be spiritual goodness it cannot be dangerous and unsafe because we have the Word of God that
Modesty and Faithfulness In Opposition to Envy and RASHNESS Proverb 22.15 Foolishness is bound up in the Heart of a Child but the Rod of Correction shall drive it out Mr. John Child THis is to let you know that I met with a Childish wandering Pamphlet full of Pernitious matter the Person who is the Author hath not put his Name unto it but I am Informed he had more mind to have J. J. then J. C. put unto it I am perswaded you have been formerly much acquainted with him therefore call to mind things and Persons and do not forget your SELF and there is great Reason to conclude that if the Author of it had been 25 years ago told that he should put forth such a Pamphlet he would have been ready to say as Hazael did 2 Kings 8.13 Is thy Servant a dog that he should do this thing The title in short is a second Argument for Non-Conformists to take the Sacrament of the Church of England but indeed I cannot find any thing of Argument in that Pamphlet for the matter proposed and believe that the most wise sober and substantial men of the Church of England will hardly think such to be right members of the said Church who shall be brought to conform by no better Arguments or Considerations then is contained in the aforesaid Pamphlet and though the Author hath not put his name unto it he may be easily known by his Communication in it and truly I think I may say without wronging the Author that the matter contained in the said Pamphlet doth discover him to be such a man as Christ speaks of in Mat. 12.43,44,45 viz. A man out of whom went an unclean Spirit who wandred about and found no rest and in Process of time Returned to his house and found it empty swept and Garnished and took with him seven other Spirits more wicked then himself and they dwelt there and so the last state of that man is worse then the first and truly Sir upon a further consideration of the aforesaid Pamphlet I find cause to conclude the Author to be such a man as Wise Solomon speaketh of Proverbs 26.25,26 When he speaketh fair believe him not for there are seven Abominations in his heart Whose hatred is covered by deceit his Wickedness shall be shewed before the whole Congregation Sir I know you have been concerned in the Consideration of Numbers as Expressed in the Holy Scriptures I pray Sir set your thoughts at Work about these before mentioned Numbers viz. Seven Abominations in a mans heart spoken by wise Solomon and seven Wicked Spirits spoken by Christ who is greater then Solomon and let this matter be so Considered and Improved by you as may be for your Edification but it may be you will inquire what should be the Reason of applying the forementioned Scriptures to the Author of the aforesaid Pamphlet unto which I answer First it doth arise from that Account I have of the Person who though he hath not put his Name to his Pamphlet yet there be some In the World who know me and do also very well know him and the Account of him is as followeth First That he hath been a Professor of Christianity in the way of Separation from the Church of England about thirty years 2dly That he was baptized upon Profession of Faith and Repentance and so joined in Fellowship with a People called Baptiss himself judging Infant sprinkling to be mans invention and not Christs Institution 3dly He did so grow in understanding of the Holy Scriptures that in a little time he was a man of Name and Fame considered as a Preacher in Bedfordshire Buckinhamshire and Harfordshire 4thly He hath appeared in Print highly Vindicating the aforesaid Profession and practice and has been ready to undertake publick Disputations against any that Opposed what he Professed 5thly In Process of time from being very poor he began to grow wealthy and then he decayed in his Christianity and made some change of his former Principles though still in the way of Separation 6thly He removed from the Country to the City and joined himself with a very worthy Congregation of faithful Christians where the pure Word of God was preached and the Ordinances of God were duely Administred who also were a numerous Wealthy and Bountiful People but it seems that they did not find any Extraordinary need of this new Members Assistance so as to employ him and settle him in the Work of the Ministry though their Pastor was newly dead however there was another smaller Church of good Christians that had more need of help and as they did partake of his Spirituals he did partake of their Temporals sufficient for that pains that he took amongst them but they did not see cause to continue him as their constant publick Preacher and so they parted but this was not done by that Congregation to save their Mony as being a covetous People for they do now allow a Maintenance to a deserving man who is well known to be an able preacher and a great Schollar 7 thly Thus things not suting with the mans temper or rather his Distemper he soon became a Wandering Star sometimes two Meetings and sometimes to Church and now a time of suffering is come upon the poor Protestant Dissenters this poor man is all for Conformity knowing very well that the Profession of Religion is much cheaper in the Church of England over what it is like to be among the Persecuted Dissenters O Excellent and Stupendious Policy Secondly I now come to shew that the words of Christ concerning the seven Wicked Spirits and the Words of Sâ—lomon concerning the seven Abominations in a mans heart may be fitly applyed to the Author of the aforesaid Pamphlet by considering the bad matter contained therein from the title page to the Finis of the said Pamphlet which is stuffed full of abominable things viz. First of Nonsence 2dly Of Falcity 3dly Of Absurdity 4thly Of Envy Fifthly Of Railery Sixthly Of Forgery Seventhly Of Hypocrisie demonstrated as followeth First Non-senfe sheweth it self to the World with a brazen Face in the very title of the said Pamphlet calling or stiling it a second Argument when as the first is not Extant being not yet in Print truly Sir if the Author hath thus counted his Children viz. hath called and Recorded his first born the second child I think I may say to him O Excelling and Stupendious folly what has the man a mind to turn child indeed or is he studying how to change the common account of England by making a new book of Arethmetick surely if he can reckon no better the Bishop of Ely will not be his Imprimatur Secondly Great Falcity is in the said Pamphlet for in the Title Page are these Words The Root and Foundation of the Popish Plot further discovered I must confess this was a cuning way to make the book sell especially considering that the Popish Plot is almost lost and