sides even where the Truth lay and where it lay not For we are here further to observe that whereas our Apostle sadly considered that many among these Christians of Galatia were lapsed and fall'n from the Purity and Sincerity of Religion he apprehended too that they who were not so fallen took not the best course for the recovery of them that were Which that Admonition of his must mean Chap. 6. 1 2. Brethren if a man be overtaken with a fault ye which are Spiritual restore such an one in the Spirit of meekness considering thy self lest thou also be tempted Bear ye one anothers Burdens and so fulfil the Law of Christ. It seems he reckoned that the sounder part among them and that ought and 't is like thought themselves to be more Spiritual while they shewed not more of a Spirit of Meekness towards the lapsed were not so Spiritual as they should be and discovered more Carnality than became them more Wrath and Bitterness of Spirit than could comport with the Law of Christ. They will be little aw'd by this and be apt for all this to indulge their own furious Passions that think he hath no Law But tho' one were never so sure he hath the Truth on his side 't is in it self a dreadful thing to whosoever shall allow himself the liberty seriously to think of it For what must we conceive of such Truth that is to be defended in some cases I say that in some cases ought to be so We must surely conceive of it as a Divine a Sacred thing an Heaven-born thing a thing of Heavenly descent part of a Revelation immediately come forth from the very Bosom of God so is the whole Gospel-revelation to be look'd upon Now here is Carnality that lusts such a kind of Carnality as the Context speaks of Wrath Strife Hatred c. Here is such Carnality lusting actually lusting seeking Prey ravening for Food And what doth it feed upon No meaner thing than Divine Truth Evangelical Doctrines Monstrous Thought Consider I beseech you my Friends what this comes to The feeding an impure Lust upon Sacred things or upon that which is Divine I must have my Lust satisfy'd says the proud contentious Spirit Wrath burns Anger boils Sacred things are not spared but fall'n upon as the prepared Food of Lust. It will be fed they are not forborn All Reverence of God is forgotten Heaven is ravag'd the most Sacred Mysteries of God's own Kingdom are violated and torn this way and that O horrid thing by Harpies Vultures by most fierce and furious Lusts. And if a Man would know recognize take knowledge of the most deeply inward Sensations and Intention of his own Heart thus it is I must now apply my Thoughts bend my Mind to consider a Revelation come from Heaven what for the end for which it was given to enlighten purify quicken my Soul towards God renew and form it for God to serve and enjoy him no but on purpose to feed to gratifie a Lust We can too often make neither better nor worse of it but just so it is These things being premised I would now go on a little more particularly to shew you wherein Carnality may appear exerting it self even about such things or what will be manifest Indications of such a Carnality as is here referr'd unto acting about or in reference to the things of God the most sacred and important Truths and Doctrines of his Gospel 1. First When in comparison of some less things wherein we find occasion or pretence to differ little Account is made of the incomparably greater things wherein all serious Christians are agreed and wherein they really cannot but be agreed Let it be considered whether pains be not taken to devise some matter or other to contend about that shews a great Disposition And then having found out some minuter things about which to differ our Differences as little as they are quite swallow up our Agreements The whole Gospel signifies nothing tho' full of the most glorious Wonders in comparison of some Punctilio's either that we have invented or that it may be doubted whether there be any thing in them or nothing Here is some Mystery in all this A Lust is to be gratify'd an Appetite to contend This winds and wriggles this way and that loath to appear but under some specious Disguise of Zeal for Truth Indignation against False Doctrine or the like but it bewrays it self and unawares shews it's ugly Serpentine Head For if the thing chosen out to be the matter of Contest be thought worth so much when it is manifestly either in comparison little or nothing but a Figment Why are not the things on all hands most confessedly great and most evident more highly esteemed lov'd relished and with Gust and Delight fed upon Why do not the greater things signifie more to unite us in Love and Communion with all that agree with us in them than the lesser things to divide us about which we disagree Indeed the Disagreements were in themselves vastly great between the Vntainted Christians of these Galatian Churches and that horrid Sâ—ct that the Aopstles Discourse has manifest reference unto Blessed be God there are not such Disagreements amongst us But while there is less Taint of Error in our Minds as to these things are we nor concern'd to take heed there be not as great a Taint of this vicious Carnality in our Hearts It speaks too much of it when having devised a difference we are prone to overlook and make little account of the great things wherein we are intirely and most professedly agreed If we consider the things which the Doctrinal part of this Epistle doth more expresly refer to as I have noted already how great things in reference hereto are we fully agreed in We are all agreed that a Sinner an Apostale lapsed Creature can never be saved and brought to a blessed state but he must be justified and he must be sanctified He must be justified to make his state safe He must be sanctified to make the Temper of his Spirit good capable of Communion with God in this World and of final eternal Blessedness with him in the other We are agreed that such Justification and such Sanctification are both the effects of most absolutely free and Sovereign Grace that none could be ever justified but by freest Grace that none can ever be sanctified but by freest Grace most absolutely and most Soveraignly free We are agreed That the highest Perfection of Sanctification that can ever possibly be attained unto signifies nothing at all to deserve to procure by Merit our Justification We are agreed that both at they are from the most free and soveraign Grace so do come through the Mediation of Jesus Christ the alone Mediator between God and Man That the Righteousness is intirely and only Christs by which we are justified That the Spirit is most entirely and only Christs by which we are sanctified according to
that in 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11. Such as are mentioned there were before the grossest and vilest of Sinners Fornicators Adulterers Idolaters c. And such saith the Apostle were some of youâ— But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God You cannot but be in all these agreed We are agreed that whoever does sincerely Evangelically believe in God through Christ receive Christ is united with him or is in him who doth by serious Repentance turn to God whose Heart is won to love him in Truth as his highest and best Good who is conformed to the Image of his Son and who having been made willing in the day of his Power doth now render a sincere Obedience to him every such one is in a safe state accepted with God has found Grace in his Eyes For no Words of Scripture can be plainer than that they that believe on Christ shall not perish but have everlasting Life John 3. 16. Yea that they have it ver 36. That Life is begun with them which is never to end or which is in the sure way to be continued till it become everlasting That they that repent and turn from all their transgressions their Iniquities shall not be their ruine Ezek. 18. 30. That God hath prepared the things which Eye hath not seen for them that love him and will give them the Crown of Life according to his own Promise 1 Cor. 2. 9. Jam. 1. 12. That Christ doth become the Author of eternal Salvation to them that obey them Heb. 5. 9. That there is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ that walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8. 1. That it must turn wholly to the praise of the glory of his Grace that God makes them accepted in the beloved Eph. 1. 6. We do all agree That they that do never believe they that never repent they that never love God they that are never brought to obey him that live in Enmity and Rebellion against him to the last breath must needs be in a lost state are never justified never accepted with God are liable unto coming and abiding Wrath and remain under Condemnation John 3. 16 36. Luke 13. 3. Col. 3. 6. We agree That such Faith such Repentance such Love to God such Obedience even in the most entire Sincerity are not to be considered at all as any cause of such a Persons Acceptance with God They do characterize the accepted person but they cause it not they deserve nothing nay they could not if they were perfect No internal Work of the Holy Ghost tho' in this our present state it were most absolutely perfect so as to exclude every thing of sin could be any part of that righteousness that must justifie us before God To suppose that it could would be manifestly to confound the Offices of the Redeemer and of the Holy Ghost It was Christ that was to merit for us the Holy Ghost was never to merit for us It was not the Holy Ghost that died for us nor can his Operations or Productions in us have any causative Influence to the meriting the justified and accepted state of any Person before God They were never meant for that purpose nor have any aptitude or accommodateness thereunto They cannot make us never to have sinn'd nor can at one for our having done so We cannot but be agreed in this for 't is plain and carries it 's own Evidence in it self i. e. Suppose we a Person as soon as he is converted made perfectly free from Sin that very moment by some extraordinary powerful Work of the Holy Ghost on his Soul how shall that expiate for his having been a Sinner Now where there are so great things wherein we agree and we make little of them things that should raise up our Souls and awaken all our Powers unto highest Acts of Love Gratitude and Praise to God and our Redeemer and fill us with wonder and pleasure as oft as we think of them an Indisposition of Mind to take notice of and consider such things so as to improve and use them to the great purposes of the Christian Life as Incentives to the love of God an entire devoting of our selves to him vigorous and diligent serving of him and walking holily and comfortably with him in our daily course through a greater Disposition to contend about we well know not what besides too plainly shews much of that carnal Disaffection which the Apostle doth here animadvert upon There are other things belonging to this same purpose that I find I cannot reach to at this time SERMON II. Gal. V. xvi This I say then Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh I Have begun to shew you by what Indications much Carnality may appear and show it self in and about Spiritual matters As for instance in the controverting yea even in the defending the Truths of the Gospel and intend now to proceed You have heard It does so 1. When Christians who are very far agreed in the most important things make little of the things wherein they are agreed tho' never so great in comparison of the much less things wherein they differ As all serious Christians must be understood to agree in far greater things than it is possible for them to differ in I lately mentioned to you sundry great Agreements that I cannot doubt to be very common with serious and intelligent Christians which I shall not now stay to repeat but add 2. Such Carnality shows it's self when there is too much aptness to lay greater stress than is needful upon some unscriptural Words in delivering Scripture-doctrine Here we may take Carnality as the Apostle doth 1 Cor. 3. 3. While there are divisions among you are you not carnal and walk or act as Men There is more of the Man in it than of the Christian. When we can make a shift to divide about a Word and that in the present Use of it devised only by Man When Words that are meerly of Humane Stamp and used in no such Sence or to no such purpose in Scripture however they may be significant yet too great a stress and weight is laid upon them either by too stiffly adhering to them on the one hand or too vehemently decrying them on the other hand while perhaps and it is a certain and a known case the meaning may be the same on both sides and would be so or would appear to be so if such and such Words were waved and others more understood were chosen and used in the room of them It 's true we are not to think and no Man of Sense can that we are obliged never to use other Words in such matters but such as the Translators of the Bible have hit on in their Version of it as if that must consecrate those Words and leave all other under a Profane
and Derision most probably to every one else In this case every Man is however most commonly innocent in his own Eyes or still thinks he is in the right amidst the so vast a variety of Apprehensions and Sentiments no one suspects himself to be in the wrong All are for the Truth and they are all for Peace and Vnion By which some indeed more gently mean they hope all will quit their former mistaken Opinions and ways as in great kindness to themselves they take for granted all Men's are but their own and come wholly over to them Others that have not Breasts capable of even so much Charity as this not only are as much Lovers and Admirers of themselves but so vehement Haters of all that presume to differ from them that they think them not fit to live in the World that durst adventure to do so The meaning therefore of their being for Peace is that they would have all destroy'd that are not of their minds And then as the Roman Historian speaks Quando solitudinem fecere appellant pacem When they have made a Desolation so that they themselves are left alone in the World that they will call Peace But you will say What is to be done Or what would I perswâ—de in this case of differing Apprehensions and ways still remaining among Christians I answer Not presently to unbelieve all that ever a man hath believed before or to abandon on the suddain his former Sentiments or to find fault with himself for having thought them right For 't is a Contradiction to be of any Opinion and not then to think it right Nor therefore is it Scepticism by any means that I would advise to as if there were nothing to be thought certain But this That whereas the greatest and most necessary things in Religion are most plain that is either most plain in themselves or most expresly revealed in the Word of God Here let us be stedfast our selves without being severe towards other men Other things that are more matter of doubt and dispute by how much the less plain they are we should count so much the less necessary In reference therefore to these loss momentous things about which there is with us most of Jangling there ought always to be great modesty and distrust of our own Understandings and a continued readiness to receive Information with constant looking up to the Father of Lights for further Illumination and a Resolution wherein we with others have attained to walk by the same Rule minding the same agreed things hoping God will reveal his Mind to the otherwise minded in his own time as the Apostle in 3 Phil. 16 17 But to hasten to a Close I further add in the Last place Such Carnality greatly shews it's self in an Affectation and Desire of having such Disputes still kept a-foot and the Contests continued without either Limit or rational Design This shews a deep Tincture and is a plain Indication of a Mind to a very great degree carnaliz'd when a mighty pleasure is taken to see the Saw drawn and the Ball kept up And if the Question be ask'd Pray how long So little of reasonable Answer can be given that it might as well be said in plain terms Till all Words be spent till Speech or Language fail till Elias come or Dooms-day come So that if there were never so much reason to commend the having said somewhat in defence of this or that disputed Point we might yet say as Seneca did of Cicero's so much overpraising his own Consulship I blame him not for praising it without Cause but for doing it without End or that he could never give over or tell when he had said enough Upon the same Terms upon which it is now so much desired such Disputes should be continued when what is truly enough is already said they might as well wish they always should Which signifies that when we say we would have Men contend for Truth we wish it not so much for Truth 's sake as for the Contention 's sake By all means say they strive for the Truth Not that they care so much for Truth as for the Strife For in some Circumstances there is not an End in view that is rationally to be designed or served by it on this side the End of all things Nor consequently any good Principle that is to be exercis'd or gratify'd thereby What is needful to be said in the matters already referr'd to for the informing and satisfying of tractable Minds sincerely willing to understand the Truth lies within a little Compass And when in Controversie that is once said which truly belongs to the very Point in question the rest is commonly trifling and reflexion or the perplexing of the matter more and darkning Counsel by words without knowledge If Love to Truth be alledged for the Principle that prompts Men to covet so continual Altercations about it I would say this shews more want of love to it For hereby they are diverted from that which renders it most of all amiable and for which it ought chiefly to be loved As it is the Truth according to Godliness and by which we are to be sanctify'd and begotten more and more as of an Immortal Seed into the Divine Likeness Experience shews how little Disputes better Men's Spirits If we love Divine Truth why do we not feed and live upon it and enjoy it's pleasant Relishes But relish Gravel more or Chaff and Bran. For thither the Agitation of continued Controversies about it doth soon sift it the Grain or Floure the Kidney of the wheat being pass'd away and gone from us Can none remember when the Disputative Humour had even eaten out the Power and Spirit of Practical Religion and Godliness Thither things are again tending if either by Severity or Mercy one may say rather than not otherwise by merciful Severity God do not prevent and repress that Tendency As yet I fear the Humour is violent when the Fervour of Men's Spirits is such as to carry them over all Scripture directions and Animadversions that they signifie nothing with them Only make it their business each one to animate the more vogued Champions of their own Party into the highest Ferments and cry Dispute Dispute Write Write Preach Preach one against another let not the business go over so do not keep silence Thus are many as the Apostle speaks puft up for one against another 1 Cor. 4. 6. And what has such a Text of Scripture as that no Edge no Point by which to lance to pierce such a Tumour No when the Humour is once up and has inwrapt Men's Hearts is settled there and hath obdur'd them to a brawny hardness Such Texts of Scripture though so mighty pat and apposite are esteemed by them but as Leviathan esteems Spears and Swords like Straw and rotten wood they do not enter into Men's Heares A strange kind of Obduration And how supposeable is it that they who are so
Direction and Conduct thither And therefore none dare upon serious thoughts allow in themselves any kind of regret or disgust as to so material and important a part of this holy Woâ—d We are assured the Words of God will do good to them that walk uprightly that is to upright-hearted ones who it must therefore he supposed will walk or deal uprightly in their attendance thereunto And I cannot but hope that God will graciously help us to speak â—â—d hear with that Uprightness and Integrity of Heart that this word of his may do good to some without doing hurt to any In speaking therefore to this sort of Carnality for we must mention it by such a Term as the Holy Ghost hath thought fit to be put upon it I shall First note to you some previous things more generally Then shall Secondly let you see what Appearances there may be of it in such a Case as the Apostles present Discourse hath reference unto First It will be of use to us more generally to note these few things 1. That the several Expressions of it which we find in this Context in closer Connection with Heresie as it were guarding it before and behind viz. Hatred Variance Emulation Wrath Strife Seditions Envyings do all note but one radical Evil and do all agree in one root Whereupon it will be the less needful to insist upon them severally or to give you the Criticism of each Word by it self which it were a great deal more easie to do than it will be useful or of any avail to us What I shall say therefore will be more general but will however give you the occasion of casting your Eye upon the Particulars whereby you will have the more distinct account of that Carnality which is here referr'd to by the Apostle 2. This is needful to be noted too that this Precept of the Apostle considered as a prescription against fulfilling the lusts of the Flesh has more immediate and direct reference to this sort of Carnality This is plain if you will but again peruse the Words as they lie in their closest connexion For when he had said in the 14th Verse That all the Law is fulfilled in this one word even in this Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self most of all no doubt ones Christian Neighbour he adds But if you bite and devour one another take heed ye be not devoured one of another Then immediately come in the Words of the Text This I say then Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfil the lusts of the Flesh q. d. The Lust of the Flesh will be working this way putting you upon biting and devouring one another According as Sentiments begin to differ and Minds are divided Inclinations will carry one this way and another that and then you will be too prone to be at biting and be ready to fall to devouring one another Now I have no better Remedy to prescribe you against both than this Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the Lusts of the Flesh. I should have been a very unfaithful Interpreter of this Context to you if I had not taken notice of this so immediate Connexion 3. This is further ro be noted That this sort of Carnality that lies in Strifes in Emulations in Envyings in Hatred c. may come to have it's occasion of being exercised of working lusting and exerting it's self about the Doctrines of the Gospel Than which nothing is more evident in that you find that these things are put in Connexion with Heresies which must be understood to be a Corruption of Gospel-Doctrine Very true indeed it is that that Word Heresie among the more ancient Philosophers was used in a more gentle and no way infamous Sense signifying only this or that Sâ—ct of Philosophers But the Word coming to be borrowed and transferred by Sacred Writers into the Holy Scriptures there it is mostly taken in a very ill Sense tho' not always as signifying Error or Corruption in Doctrine of a very high and destructive Nature as Tit. 3. 10 11. 2 Pet. 2. 1. For tho' all Heresie be Error or carry Error in it yet all Error is not Heresie that must be such Error as strikes at the Root and is conjunct with Heart disaffection and Malignity as was noted the last time standing in opposition to Faith which is not a meerly Mental thing but lies very principally in the Heart Doctrinal matters are however here referr'd unto even in the very Notion of Heresie and therefore about those matters these Carnalities may have place For when the several Passions here mentioned are raised and do tumultuate in the Breasts of this and that particular Person they soon and easily spread and propagate themselves to others so as to insect the Community And then it comes to the forming of it into Parties or dividing it into two sides as the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we translate Seditions signifies the one stated and posited as in an hostile Posture against the other till at length the matter arrive to that height and pitch of contumacious and fixed Obstinacy as in matters so important as the Apostles Discourse reflects upon will compleat the Notion of Heresies viz. on one side at least not perhaps without great Faultiness on the other which comes next to be noted 4. As such Carnalitie may have place and exercise about Gospel-Doctrine so it is very possible it may shew it's self on both sides even on their part who have the Truth with them as well as on theirs who oppose it and make it their business to propagate the contrary Error or false Doctrine The very Defence of Truth it self may be accompanied with such Carnalities such Strife Wrath Malice Envy as divides the Guilt between the divided Parties and leaves neither side innocent I am you know by meer Providence in the Series and Tract of a Discourse long continued upon this Context led to say what I now do and I have therefore the more hope that through the Blessing of God it may be of some use to us But this comes most directly under our notice and let it be noted that whereas in such Contests both sides are wont to be confident they are in the right neither the one nor the other may be over-confident or careless of not being in the wrong in what may be of equal or greater importance than the matters themselves disputed among them that agree in the Substantials of Religion or that hold the Head can be Let us I say deeply consider it that such sinful Carnality may have place and exercise not only about Religious Concernments but even on that side where the Truth lies which is from hence evident that the Apostle immediately before the Text as I have noted says If you bite and devour one another take heed that ye be not bitten and consumed one of another A great aptitude he therefore observed there was to be biting on both
injudicious distempered Spirit And 't is a like case as if a Malefactor at the same time is under Sentence by which he is condemned to die and under a most dangerous Disease that appears very probably mortal to him He has a compassionate Prince willing to save his Life and he at once vouchsafes him his Pardon and provides a very skilful and able Physician for the curing of his Disease The wretched Creature hearing of this falls a disputing which of these is the greater Favour to have my Disease cured or to have my Crime pardoned and in the heat of the Dispute he neglects both looks after neither This is indeed less supposeable in the instanced case but how great a Distemper doth it shew that it should be so in this which is of so unexpressibly greater importance And now further it is agreed on all hands that Faith in a Redeemer is necessary to Salvation with those that are Adult and capable of attending to the Gospel Revelation But here what Disputes are there raised With what Fervor are they managed concerning the place of it or the kind of that necessity which this Faith is of in order to the safe state of a Sinner A like Case again as if such a Condemned Malefactor is told of his Princes professed gracious Intendments towards him but he doubts the Sincerity of his Professions He gives him all desirable Assurances and tells him Do but trust me and all shall be well But he presently falls a disputing Yea but how am I to consider this trust We suppose it only such a Trust as may be fitly enough placed upon a Man Which way is it to contribute towards my Safety or Welfare Is it to be an Instrument or a Condition How absurd an Abuse were this of the Clemency of a Propitious Prince If there were a publick Proclamation of Pardon to many Offenders at once concerned together and they all agree only to disagree to vie with one another their skill in criticizing upon the Words or in disputing the Method contending about the Order and Coherence of Parts and make it their business not thankfully to accept but cavil at to tear and mangle and pluck in pieces the Proclamation and defeat the kind Design and gracious Tender of their Prince What Clemency would not this provoke to the highest Resentment and Indignation And what now can be stranger or more perverse than that a Revelation from Heaven of so much good will to men in the substance so plain and that so directly concerns the Salvation of Souls should be so torn and mangled Consider'd for no purpose less than that for which it was vouchsafed and that the very end it self should be in so great part eluded that was so kindly designed in it Tho' yet the Endeavour of salving Difficulties that occur by earnest Prayer diligent Study and by amicable and placid Collation among Brethren or comparing of Sentiments sincerely designed for a clearer understanding the Frame of the Gospel-truth or how it may be with most advantage represented to Men for the promoting of the Common Salvation can be liable to no just Reprehension being managed with that Reverence that so Sacred things challenge and with a due sense of our own Ignorance and Imperfection That only which is blamable in this case and whereof I reckon no Account can be given or Defence made is that when for the substance the Gospel propounds and lays before us so plain a way wherein men are to endeavour the saving of their Souls as wherein the wayfaring man tho' a Fool needs not err i. e. That there must be Repentance towards God Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ a renewed Heart an Holy Life One comes and pretends to shew that Order of these things one way so as to compose a Scheme of them that is represented as most necessary to be observed and held to No saith another I 'll give you a righter Scheme of Salvation another way and mightily presses the Necessity of that and the dangerous mistakes of the other And thus they cover a plain way with Thorns and Briars do not instruct but perplex and distract whom they should direct create Distinctions and Oppositions of Scheme to Scheme not only without necessity but almost without a difference and yet insist with Vehemency and lay Men's Salvation upon their understanding the matter so or so when it is hoped thousands have been saved that never heard of the one Scheme or the other as they are distinguished and opposed to each other Who can justify this Again in the 7. Place When any do with great Zeal contend for this or that Opinion or Notion as very Sacred and highly Spiritual as they account with no other Design than that under that pretence they may indulge their own carnal Inclination with the greater liberty It was the very Genius of this sort of men against whom this Epistle was meant whether they were then called Gnosticks it matters not The Name well agreed to them and they were known by it afterwards They were Men of much pretenâ—e to Knowledge and sublime Notions as they counted them And herein lay their Religion and under this pretence they indulged themselves in all manner of Licentiousness When any do take up with meer Notions which they are zealous for accounting them very highly Spiritual and under pretext of these they indulge the Carnality of their Hearts if not of their Lives and Practices too And their sine Notion as they account it which they more uncertainly father upon the Spirit of Truth must be substituted in the room of all that Love Meekness Humility Heavenliness Self-denial which are the most certain and undoubted Fruits of this blessed Spirit When under the Pretence of being Notional Men and of knowing a great deal more than most others do any neglect their own Spirits and suffer Pride Avarice Ambition Vindictiveness and Falsehood to shelter themselves under the thin Cobweb of a few sine-spun Notions and they can now hereupon live at random with more case to their own Minds and they think with better Reputation as to other Men. Here is a glittering shew only of an aiery imagin'd pretended Spirituality drawn over but which doth not hide corrupt rotten putrid Flesh. Have you never known such a case when it might be said there goes a proud ambitious Mâ—n a covetous Man a false Man a malicious Man but he is a Man of rare and singular Notions knows a great deal more than most others do and this must atone for all his Crimes with God and Man and both quiet his Conscience and salve his Credit together And who can doubt but this man must be very fond of his own Opinions and zealously contend and dispute for them upon any occasion tho' he never so ineptly make it when they are to do him so great Service and to stand him in so much stead i. e. to supply the room for him of all real Religion and