a way of Satisfaction Impetration Merit or Intercession it were true but as he words it it may be very Erronious and it is to Scrue an Error he doth thus express it Hence because he finds Repentance and Faith are so necessary to our Salvation he hath in his Pulpit endeavoured to inform Men how Christ repented and that he repented for us and though he doth not-publish it in this Sermon as he did elsewhere That Christ believed for us yet you 'll see presently how much he endeavours to convince us that he did so for if he believed whilst humbled it was for us and it 's imputed to us as he oft in this Book affirms Had I Mr. M's liberty what would I call this Error for though it 's in Christ's Strength and Grace that we Repent Believe turn to God and do good Works yet if we do not these as our Personal Acts Misery will be our Portion If you not I believe not you shall die in you Sins John 8. 24. Except you not I repent you shall all perish saith Christ Luke 13. 3. I say Except your Righteousness not mine exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Matt. 5.20 Had Mr. M. been an Auditor he had not said Lord thou understandest not the Gospel it 's thou art to do these things this is the deep Counsel of God however legally thou speakest He might as well say it 's thou Christ shall perish as thou Christ art to repent 2. Faith is a prime and principal part of our Being conformable to the Image of Christ c. He is the first Pattern and original Copy of Believing P. 62 63. Reply Is Christ's Faith the Pattern of Faith in Christ I remember somewhere Dr. Goodwin speaks of God's trusting Christ till he was Incarnate and of Christ's trusting the Father since the time of his Sufferings Yea we may easily grant that Christ believed God's Promise and as a Man depended and relied on God's Power and Truth But this is no other Faith than Adam in Innocency acted than the Law of Works directed to By this account we may think better of the State of Pagans than most do for without Gospel-Revelation they may believe in God trust him and depend on him But what is this to the account the Scripture gives of Faith in Christ Did Christ come to himself as a Saviour Did he receive himself as a Crucified Redeemer Did he eat his own Flesh and drink his own Blood for Eternal Life Did he plead his own Merits and rely on his own Righteousness for Pardon and restored Peace Did he consent to be married to himself Did he look to himself for Healing Or to use Mr. M's account of Faith in this very Page Did he go out of himself unto himself for all Yea take part of his Description of Faith in Christ p. 39 40.1 The Subject of Faith is the Heart of a convinced broken-hearted Sinner c. The very Nature of Faith and the acting of the Soul in it is such as doth imply and include a Sight and Sense of Sin and Misery and a lively heart-influencing Conviction of utter Helplesness in a Man's self and unworthiness to be helped by God c. Reader Doth Christ's Faith in the Nature of it imply a Sense of utter Helplesness and Unworthiness in himself or of his Sin and Misery The Reason he gives for Justling out such as Abram and setting up Christ for the original Copy of believing in himself is this The Humane Nature of Christ lives and subsists in the second Person leaning on the Eternal Deity of the Son of God it hath its Subsistence in the Bosom of the Godhead c. and hath the Eternal Power of the Deity clasping about it P. 63. The Apostle did not know this Faith when he said that Charity was greater than Faith Well as Sublime as this Reason seems to be I will venture to say This is not that Faith in Christ which the Gospel requires of Sinners 1. I will give you a Reason of Mr. M's which besure is none of the best P. 7. Christ's dwelling in our Nature is no part of the Punishment of Sin for then the Divine Nature only is punished and not the Humane at all nor the Person It 's a bad one for what he brings it since that Assuming the Nature and dwelling in it differ and I have answered it before and it needs a great Allowance to keep it from But if the Sufferings or Acts of only one Nature be not the Sufferings or the Acts of the Person of Christ then the acting of Faith of the one Nature on the other Nature is not acting of Faith upon the Person of Christ and consequently not Gospel-Faith which is to be acted on the Person of Christ here the Humane Nature believes but that is not with him Christ that believes it believes on the Divine Nature and that with him is not Christ who is believed on What now is become of Christ's Believing even by his own Reasoning 2. The Object of Faith in Christ is God-Man Mediator a Crucified Christ c. but the Deity of the Son of God abstractedly considered is not God-Man Mediator c. Truly if our Gospel-Faith is specified by this I see not the need of Christ's Incarnation or Death yea or regard thereto 3. This leaning and especially to the purposes assigned to this Act of Christ's Humane Nature is not all that which is Essential to the Faith in Christ which the Gospel requires But why should I Scribble the little Paper left It 's like the Reasons he gave for Christ's Repenting viz. The reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me and he was a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with Grief 3. He plainly discovers his Mind to be that Faith is an Act of the Soul whilst spiritually dead and unregenerate P. 61. He joins with such as say Faith is the means and way of our being made spiritually alive rather than our acting Life as being already brought into a state of Life as the Bodies Clasping hold on the Soul by the animal Spirits which are Corporeal things is rather the means of Life than an act of Life c. P. 62. Suppose that the principle of Grace begotten and created in us in Regeneration contain in it the Habit of Faith which I will not now call in question Yet c. P. 32. All our new Obedience and all the Graces of the Spirit comprized under that one word Love are the Effects and Fruits of our being justified P. 60. In Vnion by Faith which is the cause of this Union we are brought immediately into a state of Spiritual Life first Relative then Qualitative c. Repl. Here with the Arminians he denieth the habit of Faith necessary to the actings of Faith He is contrary to the Assembly of Divines who tell us That God in effectual Vocation takes away
adjudged just right to the Rewards promised him for performing the foresaid Conditions The dueness of the Reward to Christ in a way of strict Justice is his Righteousness Ius ad premium it was to him a Reward of Justice and not of Grace because Justice proportioned the Conditions to the Reward and the Reward to the Conditions if it were not so governing Justice never glorified or discover'd it self in the dispensing of Rewards To finish this Point consider 1. The Reward to which Christ hath a Right includes all that was promised to Christ or to others on the account of his Satisfaction and Merits Not only that he should be exalted and have a name above every name Pâ—â—â— 2.8 with whatever Glory or Homage which was to be render'd to him as a Saviour But it comprehends all by the Father promised and by himself bequeathed to his Members as Justification Adoption the Sanctifying Spirit Perseverance and Eternal Glory to his Regenerate Seed As also Regeneration and Faith to all the Elect that they may be raised to be a Seed to him and united with him 2. The Lord Jesus was solemnly adjudged to have performed all the Conditions and to have a Legal Right to all this Reward His Righteousness was adjudged he was justified as foretold Is. 50.8 God by Voice declared this but it was more manifest in his Resurrection and yet more in his Solemn Enthroning in the Heavens where he sits at Gods right hand Heb. 8.1 Yea he had Authority given him to execute his own Right Ioh. 5.27 Exh. Rejoyce and Glory in the Perfection of Christs Righteousness You see that in all respects it's compleat The Law of Redemption prescribed as became Gods Essential Justice to propose To these Governing Justice annexed a due Reward upon performing the Conditions the perfectly Holy Jesus had a right to all the Reward and was solemnly adjudged to have performed the Conditions and to have that Right to the Reward His Right is founded in a full performance of the Conditions which includes a full Conformity to the Law of Works yea and what far exceeds it In this then we may glory there 's no blot in his performance there 's no flaw in his right Can Sinners need anymore than this applied for it will serve to all the purposes it 's designed to Oh! Christian honour it by laying the stress of thy Hopes and Comfort on it and clearing thy Interest in it above all good it answers guilt weakness yea thy want of all things except that without which it cannot be applied to thee nor its effects attained viz. a Penitential Faith When thy Body rotteth in the Grave because of Sin thy Spirit will be safe and Eternally live on the account of this Righteousness Rom. 8.10 thou mayest chearfully venture thy Soul upon it 6 Pro. The Lord Jesus is and always will be possessed of this Righteousness in his own Person In the Lord have I Righteousness and Strength Is. 45.14 with respect to this it 's said our Redemption is in Christ by which we are justified Rom. 3.24 The Meriting Acts are over as Acts but the Merit never ceaseth His Sufferings are past but the Righteousness acquired thereby remains it 's not only their Vertue simply that continues but the Righteousness or Right founded thereon abideth He hath a Right to Faith for all the Elect who are yet uncalled he hath a Title to Pardon for all True Believers he hath a Right to Eternal Glory for all Persevering Saints There is our Right best secured It is for the Righteousness that is in Christ that we are acquitted and adopted and on it as in him we must still depend Exh. Sinners and Saints look to Christ as having in him a full Righteousness Let this Commend him to thy Acceptance and Trust. Sinners you need him on this very account to answer for your Unrighteousness all his Offers and Calls should have power with you from this very motive he hath a perfect Righteousness it were else in vain to believe in him it were to no purpose to repent and turn to him were not he by this Righteousness mighty to save thee an answer to his Call might not be expected But know with assurance that he is a Fountain deep enough for thy Uncleanness Zech. 13.1 The Son of Righteousness hath healing under his Wings Mal. 4.1 and peace and glory in his power You may trust the Promises by which the Gospel allureth you to Christ for as amazing as the Good is which they contain they are by his Righteousness Yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 but take care of separating his Person from his Righteousness you must accept of him as a whole Christ if you hope for good by his Righteousness and your Faith must be directed to him in a firm dependance and entire subjection or he 'll be to you as unuseful as if he had not this fullness of Righteousness 7 Pro. All Graces and Saving Benefits are dispensed to Men in the Righteousness of Christ. By his Satisfaction he render'd it consistent with the Perfections of God to visit blind Souls with his light and surprize the dead with spiritual life on Christs account the Spirit descends to strive with the rebellious and awake the sleepy His Regenerating Influences are the effects of Christs Merits he acts as the Spirit of Christ. I do not mean that Christ's Righteousness is imputed to Men in order to the working of Faith in them as it is in order to Pardon you may as well say it 's imputed to Men in order to the preaching of the Gospel to them for that 's an effect of Christ's Righteousness but these are the result of a Divine Constitution wherein Christ is acknowledged but no right in Men supposed The first Grace is absolute and an arbitrary act as to any claim the Sinners hath Though Christ hath a right to the Elects being brought to believe yet he transfers not his right to the Elect who till they believe are not united to him and so are Aliens to his Righteousness But God hath an Eye to the Merits of Jesus in all his Grants and Gifts from first to last from the least to the greatest When he forgives Sin it is a rendring to us what is purchas'd by Christ's Blood Eph. 4.32 It is a giving forth of what he hath bought We are made Kings and Priests as a proper Reward to Christ and a Testimony to his Righteousness Exh. Say of every Saving Benefit and of all Graces This I receive because the Lord Iesus hath a full Righteousness The Heavens had been Brass as to Vital Influences but for this The Word had been a dead condemning Letter but for this My Sins had been eternally sealed up among his Treasures Pledges of his Love to my Soul I had never found my Prayers would have been excluded audience Christian Hopes and Comforts I had not intermeddled with but that Christ is Righteous yea perfectly so But because his Righteousness
their Happiness as if themselves had done and suffered what Christ did Reader were these Men duly tender or honest when they pervert Words â—o plain and ascribe to me what is as directly contrary to my Words as yea and no. They say I affirmed what I do deny and that I denied the very thing I affirmed But the Turn could not be served without these Methods 3. The Ground of Jealousie I 'll give and judge you how just it is 1. I did affirm that Christ did bear the Punishment of our Sins yea and he bare the Guilt of our Sins which is that respect of Sin to the threatning of the Law whereby there is an Obligation to bear the Punishment of Sin But I denied that Sin it self as to its Filth and Fault was transacted on Christ and that Christ was made and accounted by the Father the very Transgressor the Adulterer and Blasphemer Gospel-Truth p. 10 11. Here 's my Crime for Mr. M. hath oft preached up the later 2. I affirm as thou seest of the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness but my Fault is that I deny that God accounts that we legally died and obeyed that we made Satisfaction to God though I grant that Christ died for us yea in our Place and stead 3. I have through the Goodness of God lived to declare in this Book enough to confute his Prophesie and his Opinion too though I think he should pray for a more calm and charitable Spirit before he prâ—tend to Predictions concerning his Brethren 4. Will he repent of his rigid censorious Slander For I 'll here declare that I assent to his own Words p. 18. By imputed I mean that it Christ's Righteousness is looked on by God as belonging to us in order to our being judicially dealt with according to the Merit thereof This I have oft affirmed but it 's far short of what elsewhere he strains it too 4 Charge The Son of God was united to an Embrio which is a Piece of ignorant Blasphemy Repl. My Words were Oh! For God-Man to be at any time unactive as an Embrio or Child in the Womb for him to be born of a Woman I said not that the Son of God was united to an Embrio unactive as an Embrio is another thing And I 'll â—â—ing him twice Ten to oppose his two Witnesses But had I said it where is the Blasphemy when the divine Nature I hope was united to Christ's dead Body in the Grave as all grant And very many say that the divine Nature was united to the Flesh before it was organized or animated of whom Turretin's Instit. Theol. p. 372. Etsi anima infundi non potuit in Corpus nisi jam organizatum c. Non sequiter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non potuisse carnem statim sibi unire cum Opus ejus non possit aut praesente aut absente anima sibi coarctari Pierson and Multitudes are Blasphemers with this bold Man But supposing that though the Virgin conceived by the Power of the Holy Ghost and went her usual Time and that Christ was like other Children and the Faetus had Matter and Nourishment ministred thereto by the Virgin who conceived by the Power of the Spirit Yet that the Divine Person was not united to the Flesh before it was animated But are not many Phisicians so ignorant as to judge the Soul is united to the Body unorganized and if so either the humane Nature of Christ had a separate Subsistence from the Divine Person which is false or the Divine Person assumed it when the Body was unorganized But it 's a Theme not fit for me to pursue who must confess my Ignorance therein in Comparison of Mr. M. who can tell us how the humane Nature of Christ leans on the God-head in the Son and hath the eternal Power of the Deity clasping about it and holding it in that Vnion p. 63. May not this seraphical yet very dull Author call what he please in this Point a Piece of ignorant Blasphemy whatever greater Divines or skilful Phisicans say to the contrary 5 Charge Because I would wash off all his Dirt at once I 'll give you one Charge out of his Book that he forgets in his Postscript though it hath been their best Tool viz. That I lick up Bellarmin's Vomit in my Exposition of Phil. 3.8 9. Repl. This is as true as the rest for when I expounded that Text I plainly affirmed thaâ— 1. We are justified by Christ's imputed Righteousness only 2. That all Holiness compared with winning Christ is to be esteemed as Dung 3. The best thing in us is vile compared with Christ's Righteousness And indeed if that Text speaks only of Justification and that the Apostle designes to oppose his own Righteousness to Christ's then his own and ours are as unfit as Dung to be found in 4. But I then judged and still do that the Apostle there designed to proclaim the Preferrableness of Christianity to Judaism and what was Pharasaical yea or self-invented And therefore as he enumerates all the Dignities of Judaism so he ascribes to Christ the whole Glory of his entire redeemed State shewing that not only his Justification but his Sanctification too came from and by Christ both which were of a diviner Nature as well as appointment than what he arrived to whiles he was a Stranger to Christ and therefore expected and pressed after a Perfection therein whiles he despised all Things Priviledges and Attainments which stood in Competition with Christ Yea was glad he had lost them all for Union with him a Perseverance in whom with higher Communications from him was the very main Aim of his Life and Endeavours I am sure this Sense best agrees with the Context and is far enough from Bellarmin's Sense neither want I Reasons sufficient to prove it had I room yea my Exposition of that Text is so far from militating against Justification by Christ's Righteousness that it proves it strongly 2. I come now to consider Mr. M's Defence of his own Errors He confines them to two Saying I kept Silence as to more When others read this Book they 'll see a greater Number though it seems he could not perceive them when he read my Notes and hath left out of his printed Sermons many obnoxious Passages yet he 'll meet with his Suretiship Righteousness the Debtor being as clear as the Surety P. 24. With his limiting so far Christ's Merit to his active Obedience p. 13. With his Position that all Graces of the Spirit are Effects of our being justified and not at all the Means thereof p. 32. That all our Obedience avails no more to our Justification than our worst Sins p. 71. Though he ascribes a Causality to Faith that the Crown of Glory is due to us in Justice p. 12. Even a remunerative Justice is exerted to us p. 15. c. But let us take what he thinks most concerns him the first whereof is that Christ's Incarnation was no
the Law which we had frustrated But this will not make him such a Surety in this broken Bond as shall make us legally accounted to do all and suffer and answer all and be as righteous as he that did it though it be in his very Righteousness that we are saved notwithstanding we have failed in all this For I ask when he put his Name in this broken Bond Sure not before it was broken then he was Surety before Again when he did put his Name did he do it to the same very purpose as we were originally bound viz. that we might live by our Innocency and Obedience as our Righteousness No it was to redeem us from the Effects of our own Disobedience Did he engage that we should do and suffer what would be a Price of our Redemption and Salvation No he was to do it himself in his own legal Person I say legal because the divine Dignity of his Person gave the legal yea supralegal Value in God's Account to what he did and suffered for one meer Man's doing and suffering what the meer Law injoined would not have satisfied for Millions and the broken Bond it self did not require a divine Person 's obeying any more than the whole Bond did though the Attainment of its Ends did so Again if Christ's Suretiship was so limited within this broken Bond than as he was bound to do and suffer no more than it required so neither he nor we are entitled by that Obedience to any more than this broken Bond at first covenanted to give Yea further Mr. M. faith P. 57. The elect were constituted at first under another Head and under another Covenant which had nothing in it of Christ and his Righteousness either to be brought in for them or to be applied to them Reply But if Christ's Righteousness be no higher than that Covenant did require before it was broken the Righteousness of perfect Adam had been as great as Christ's And if the unbroken Covenant was the same as the broken Bond How should the unbroken Covenant neither have nor require any Righteousness of Christs and yet the broken Bond measure and limit Christ's Righteousness and Sentence us legally Righteous for it But if as Mr. M. saith the Covenant with Adam and the Elect was another Covenant from the broken-Bond then we are not under the Covenant requiring what at first it injoyned and being federating Parties only in the first and subjected to Penalty only by it as it 's broken Here 's no Obedience-work for a Surety nor place for a proper Surety in bearing the Penalties But I have elsewhere enlarged and therefore conclude That such Confusion about the Suretiship should abate Mens regard to his Censures against such as will not own he himself knows not what and proveth none sees how 6. I find after all that this Equality of Righteousness between Christ and us is not so much from Legal Union or Judicial Imputation but from a Coalescence of Believers into one mystical Person with Christ by Vital Union Thus p. 55. Between our believing and our being justified there comes in our Coalescing into one mystical Person with Christ by this Vital Vnion and our having his Righteousness upon us unto the Iustification of Life and so our being justified is not the next or immediate effect of our Believing c. Here indeed if I understand what one person is he may well argue we are as Righteous as Christ for we are Christified with Christ not in Name or on Account of his undertaking or his being the Head of the Church as his mystical Body But as being one mystical Person opposed to a Legal Person than by pointing at any Believer you may avoid the danger of Ioh. 8.24 If you believe not that I am he you shall die in your sins Mr. M. may rise higher than that we are as Rightâ—â—us as Christ and say we are as Holy as Christ as Honorable as Christ as Wise as Christ and so interpret his proof 1 Cor. 1.30 Nay are we not assumed into a Personal Union with the Eternal Word as the Humane Nature of Christ is which I think is unavoidable unless Christ hath more Persons than one Besides his being a legal Person which he opposeth this mystical Person to And that he means something like this hear him p. 60. It 's called a Vital Vnion because in effecting it there is a Vital Touch as I may say between Christ and us and a clasping each on other Compare this with P. 63. The Humane Nature of Christ leans on the Godhead in the Son and hath the Eternal Power of the Deity clasping about it and holding it in that Vnion c. The Eternal Power of the Godhead in Christ and not so much the strength of any created Principle of Grace in us holding our Hearts unto him and causing them for ever to live upon him Can you find much difference though he pretend a Disproportion The Awfulness of the Subject restrains me from exposing this affected Cant which is the only Gospel with these Men because its Mystery i. e. unintelligible Nonsence fitted to a Rosocrucian or Behemist It is not enough that Christ is the Author of all in us and the Securer of all promised Good to us and that he condescended to confirm this and comfort our Souls by such gracious Instances of a Mystical Union as that between Vine and Branches Head and Members Husband and Wife yea that the same Spirit dwells in Christ and us each of which inform and assure to us the Blessing designed to be signified thereby but not whatever our Profane Fancies may wrest a Metaphor or force an Expression to Must Men strain it to one Person whereby Christ's Prerogatives and our Vile Defects are in common to Christ and us Is this to let Christ in all things have the Preheminence Col. 1. 18. The Scriptures needed not so many Metaphors to represent to us the several Benefits we have by Union with Christ This one would have served for all yea far exceeded all only that one Person would consist but with few of them nay with none Head and Members do not make one Person but one Body yea one Spirit in Christ and us doth not make one Person unless you 'll make the Holy Ghost to be an animating Soul to the Body and so be the chief constitive part of the whole Person What will a deluded vain Fancy expose Men to at last Exceptions against some more Passages in Mr. M's Book I Have been already engaged to hint at some yet among many obnoxious enough let 's consider some more of his Stamina 1. That God hath ordained Christ to do all with God for the Elect and that he shall be aâ—â— from God to them c. All I say that in this ruined Condition they need to bring them to that heighth of Happiness c. P. 56 58. Reply If he had meant only that Christ was to do all with God in
the Objects of the respective Effects thereof as the Gospel determines the Distribution of them His Notion of legal Union between Christ and the Elect from Eternity as being one legal Person is an unscriptural Notion which I have confuted though I acknowledge Christ from Eternity undertook to Redeem and Save the Elect but that is far from one legal Person being that we are not reputed to Redeem or Save our selves alike ungrounded is one Mystical Person It 's time to put an end to my Remarks on his Story made up of Steps which I wonder he hath acquired no better Skill in relating than to represent the Counsels of God in a manner so inconsistent with nay reproachful to the Glory of the Blessed God 9. I shall not take notice of such things as these all your Obedience to the Law avails no more to justifie you than your worst Sins the not failing of Faith is not a means of our continuing justified Repentance is the effect of Pardon and not necessary thereto These and the like being already insisted on in this Book and elsewhere neither shall I demonstrate as I might it must be his Judgment that all our Sins are pardoned at once even past present and to come and that God cannot be displeased with or afflict Believers for their Sins c. 10. He vainly supposeth many things possible to be in Unbelievers which are certain Evidences of true Faith Effects of Faith yea they are the Execution of the Consenting Act of Faith and without them if Men have time all his Faith is but a Dead Faith that will never Save I will admit that no Act of Grace or Godliness can Save us without Faith But I as positively affirm That there is no one Act of real Grace or Godliness without true Faith nor yet any true Faith without Acts of other Graces Why then should he put the Graces of the Spirit into a War and tell us of mending our Ways and reforming our Lives and our Hearts too so as never more to Sin and live as a Saint dropt down from Heaven c. yet they are not Faith and the Righteousness of Christ would not be upon thee P. 67 68 c. Can Mens Hearts be changed and their Lives thus reformed in Obedience to the Call of Christ's Gospel and not accept of Christ and trust in him No. And I ask If any Man go out of himself to Christ for all and yet never repent nor have his Heart and Life changed nor love God Would that Man have the Righteousness of Christ upon him for Salvation Yet this is as possible as the other yea and more easily mistaken 1 Thess. 1. from 5. to 10. you 'll see the Spirit of God makes the things concur which Mr. M. would set at so great an Opposition To me it 's evident that Christ's Righteousness extends it self through all the Benefits and Privileges of a Saint as the Sole Meriting Cause whatever be the Condition And all the after-gracious Acts and Godliness of a Believer are the Operations of Faith they are his first Conjugal Consent executed as well as the Effects of his Dependance on Christ for new Supplies 1. Faith as it acts upward towards Christ still Craves Prays Hopes Trusts Expects with Affection Adheres and renews Self-dedication and Consent 2. As it looks into the word it finds Motives Excitements Directions c. to urge and apply to it self from invisible things realized 3. As it acts under the Power of both the former with respect to External and Internal Effects it Purifieth Melts Loves Quickens Strengthens to Duty and against Temptations Comforts Reclaimeth Recovereth Guardeth Watcheth c. So that our renewed Act of Repentance Love and Fear c. our Godliness Reformation Zeal and all sincere Obedience is the Operation of Faith and the Obedience of Faith Faith is in them and they are in Faith not formally but in the way above expressed Whence I conclude it 's a false Faith that omits Obedience to Christ in all these as it is a false Obedience which excludes a Dependance on Christ in or by any of those 11. Mr. M's Criminations of his Brethren are intolerable becoming neither an honest Man nor a true Believer and much less a Gospel-Minister more wicked Malice and Falsehood hardly any Man can be guilty of than his Accusations and Insinuations are justly chargeable with unless they proceed from real Ignorance which Charity prompts me to hope I have instanced already how he hath perverted my words but had he confined his Reproaches to me I should not think my Resentments so fit to be expressed but he spares not the Dead he strikes at the Body of our Usefulest Ministers alive and at their Ministry too Who or what could excite any Man to render the Labours of so many Ministers useless when so adapted to promote the Kingdom of Christ in the World Who will dare to attend their Labours or avoid being filled with Jealousies Prejudices and Abhorrence that believe this fiery Man when he saith They hold Soul-damning Errors if there be any in the World P. 46. That they have a Dislike and Heart-hatred of standing in the Righteousness of Christ imputed and it only that lies at the bottom in these Oppositions to our being as Righteous as Christ P. 76. and the Devil by them laboureth to Forestall and shut up Mens Hearts against what he calls the Blessed Truths nay his Malignant Spirit riseth so high as to call them oft Semi-socinians and studiously brands them with that name as what he would have them called by in his Preface as well as Socinians in his Sermons and that the Gospel of our Salvation is Craftily and Insolently assaulted by them in the very Vitals and Fundamentals of it And this and much more as an Apostasie from the Truth he fixeth on Old and Young even many of the rising Generation not only among Conformists but Dissenters also Reply The Angel said The Lord rebuke thee when he durst not bring railing Accusation sure he knoweth not what Spirit he is of nor who doth instigate him to these things any more than Holy Peter did whose Design was better After long working at this Trade under Ground he proclaims it when he comes into open Air and hides not his Spirit or his Purpose I hope others injured so deeply will joyn with me in forgiving him and Praying for his Repentance that the Blood of Prejudiced Souls may not be required at his hands nor these Injurious Reproaches be imputed to him I shall make a few Remarks on the Names he give us 1. He of all Men seems least allowed to give us any Name for we are not the Children of his Church-Members and others he will not Baptise he pleads that the Ancient Church called the Off-spring of Pelagius his Heresie Semi-Pelagians May therefore one that utterly denies a Catholick visible Church pretend to it yea who thinks he ceaseth to be a Minister when his Relation