to his wretched Scribbles but if he had time lying upon his hands he will not easily be perswaded to do such bald rude Scriblers so great an honor But if any one that is able to write sense and to do any thing like a Scholar or man will be dealing with him such a one may be certain that as busie as he is he will find him work But he will not have so little a regard for his repute with discreet and understanding persons as to give himself leave to be in the least concerned at the brutish barkings of such a Creature as this though it lies not in his power to hold the Pens of others from returning upon him If you wonder Reader that I should use such an expression as brutish barkings do but turn to the Catalogue I have given you of some and but some of his most scurrilous and vile language at the end of this Pamphlet and there see at what a rate he raves at Mr. F. and his Treatise whose only business it is to promote holiness and for which reason it hath had as general a good acceptance with pious and good people as most books I have known I say do but turn to that Catalogue and then thou wilt acknowledg that I might have said devillish contumelies instead of brutish barkings and not have fouled my Pen with unseemly words But to conclude whereas Mr. F. is now upon the publishing of an excellent Scripture Catechism composed by a Learned and very worthy Person now deceased when that is Printed if I can perswade him he shall send this J. B. one of them which he infinitely more needs than he doth an answer For though he impudently takes upon him to be a Teacher of others he hath need that one teach himself which be the first principles of the Oracles of God And besides Mr. F. cannot desire that the doctrine of his Design of Christianity should be better defended than to my knowledg any man may do it by the assistance of that Catechism Farewel IMPRIMATUR Tho. Tomkyns Ex AEd. Lambethanis Sept. 10. 1672. ERRATA PAge 18. last Line adde in effect p. 19. l. 3. for justifies read intitles p. 19. l. 33. for almost r. at most p. 22. l. 11. for as r. than p. 28. l. 24. add on p. 29. l. 27. for in r. is p. 32. l. 3. 4. for where he said 'tis r. where 't is said Courteous Reader These and other Faults have been occasioned through the Authors absence and by the hasty Printing of this Treatise which thou art desired both for thy own sake and for his to correct with thy Pen before thou settest thy self to the serious reading thereof DIRT WIP'T OFF OR A manifest discovery of the Gross Ignorance and most Unchristian and Wicked Spirit of one JOHN BUNYAN OF all the mischievous things that poor mortals are or ever were infested with there is scarcely any one comparable to Ignorant Fanatick zeal nor are there to be found in nature so implacably spiteful and cruel Creatures as those that are acted by this Fury And as she hath produced unspeakably Sad and dismal Effects in this our once too too happy Church and State and in innumerable other places so the most horrid impieties that ever the Sun saw have received their birth from her Womb. It was this Zeal that hurried those Proud and ill-natur'd Religionists the Pharisees on all those horrible affronts and indignities that they offered to and heapt upon the Lord of Glory nor would it suffer them to rest till it had made them his inhumane and most barbarous murtherers And when I consider this prodigious instance of the Wickedness of those Zealots I cannot wonder at any Villanies that I ever understand are acted by the people of their Spirit Nor when we call to mind how our most Blessed Saviour suffered both from their tongues and hands because he preached such doctrine as did distaste their humor and set himself against their corrupt opinions and practices can we think it any other than what ought to be expected that in all ages his faithful Ministers and Servants should meet with the same usage for therein following their Lords Example and especially since he himself hath forewarned them that they shall be no otherwise entertained by that Sort of men than as he was For saith he Matt. 10. 24. The disciple is not above his Master nor the Servant above his Lord it is enough for the disciple that he be as his Master and the Servant as his Lord if they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub how much more shall they call them of his houshold Again John 15. 20. if they persecuted me they will also persecute you And among the many true Successors of the Pharisees that among our selves do daily verifie those predictions there are I have reason to believe none whose breasts are fuller of rancour and malice towards those that are industrious not to make Converts to Sects but to Christ Iesus and to propagate not the fancies of men but the genuine doctrines of the Gospel than is the breast of the man that hath occasioned the publication of this Pampelet viz. Iohn Bunyan a person that hath been near these twenty years or longer most infamous in the Town and County of Bedford for a very Pestilent Schismatick Never did any more cry out of Persecution nor inveigh against others as Persecutors than he hath done but in the mean time no one is of a fiercer and more persecuting Spirit than he himself For besides that a slanderer is a cruel Persecutor as doing what in him lies to deprive his brother of his good name which in the Wise man's judgment is rather to be chosen than great riches nay to a good man is deservedly more precious than is life it self such a one demonstrates that nothing but want of Power is the true cause that he persecutes not by deeds as well as words Calumnies being ever taken up by impotent Creatures for want of sharper Weapons And that this I. B. is a most Black-mouth'd Calumniator besides innumerable other evidences his late Pamphlet or rather Libel intituled A defence of the doctrine of Iustification by Faith c. will abundantly satisfie any person that hath but the wit and honesty impartially to examine how he attempts to make good what he therein hath charged against Mr. Fowler viz. That he doth propagate in his Treatise intituled The Design of Christianity the Doctrine of Quakers of Papists and Heathens writes Blasphemy is an Enemy to the Son of God and Salvation of the world tramples under foot the blood of the Son of God together with many the like dreadful and most horrid accusations which shall be presented together at the end of the Book to the Readers eye Before I go further I must needs tell thee I. B. Thou art a man of Metal thou scornest I perceive to play at small game to give thine Adversary some
invincibly defended by Abundance of the Orthodox Divines of the Church of England and by none more effectually than by Mr. Baxter in his Book against Crandon long since written and in many other of his works Which if it be possible thou shouldest yet be dissatisfied concerning it thou wilt do well to peruse and which if this I. B. had ever read or but anyone of them and had the wit to understand it he had never made himself so infamous as to publish to the world such filthy stuff nor brought out the worst of those woful arguments for the defence of his doctrine that have been answered a thousand and a thousand times In Page 66. and other places he makes woful work with Mr. F's saying that Christ trod every step before us of the way that leads to Gods Kingdom and cryes therefore he went to heaven by vertue of an imputative Righteousness and by vertue of his own intercession and faith in his own bloud and then Christ must come to God and ask mercy for some great wickedness that he hath committed But here he also discovers a most ill nature and perverse spirit for no man of any candour could otherwise have understood Mr. F. in those words than thus That Christ was an example of all those vertues or graces that qualifie men for the Kingdom of God was he not an example of all those graces that together denominate a man pure in heart can he dare to say he was not Now doth not our Saviour say Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God But then faith he what say you to going to heaven by vertue of an imputative Righteousness and of his own intercession and faith in his own bloud I say all these are no other than going thither by Faith in Christ that being faith in his bloud and Righteousness and intercession but those that understand the Christian Religion will tell him that the obtaining of this purity of heart or the graces Christ was an example of is the end of this Faith So much the Apostle intimates in those words purifying their hearts by faith and it is the business of the Design of Christianity to demonstrate this So that 't is most true that whosoever follows Christs example shall see the Kingdome of God but we cannot follow it without faith in his merits faith in his power or in one word without effectual believing the Gospel which takes in the whole of the Christian Faith And whereas he saith that if this doctrine be true Christ must ask God mercy for some great wickedness committed by him how does that follow Christ ask'd God mercy for us and do not we do as he did when we ask it for our selves But then he monstrously foolishly proceeds and saith if this be so then we cannot come to heaven before we be accursed of God we must first make our body and Soul an offering for the sin of others then we must go to heaven for the sake of our own Righteousness And then he insultingly cryes O Sir what will thy gallant generous mind do here This might be a Sad nonplus indeed were Mr. F. a perfect Changling But observe did Mr. F. say that Christ trod no steps but those we must tread is this saying that he trod before us every step which he hath told us leads to the Kingdom of God or that we must go in to the Kingdom of God the same with this that he trode no other but those we must tread Can any man be such a sot as not to discern the wide difference between these two propositions By the way take notice that it is blasphemy to say that Christ was accursed of God in any other sense than this that he suffered such a kind of death as was by the law of Moses pronounced accursed So the Apostle explains his being made a curse Gal. 3. 13. Christ was alwayes Gods beloved Son nor was he ever more a darling of heaven than when he hung upon the Cross. And that the Reader may be truly informed in the Doctrine of Christ's Satisfaction false notions whereof make this I. B. talk most gross things I entreat him to get and carefully peruse the Learned Dr. Stilling fleets Treatise upon that Subject there you will find that Christ did not suffer the very same punishment that is due to sinners but that what he suffered for sinners sakes was as Satisfactory and answered the ends of Government as much as if all mankind had perished And thanks be to God that Doctrine of Christs suffering the very same is now generally exploded But to return observe but these Scriptures and you will then need no more than what hath been said to discern how ridiculously and wretchedly this I. B. talks in several places about the life of Christ. Luke 9. 23. If any man will come after me or be a Christian let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and sollow me 1 Pet. 2. Christ suffered for us leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth who when he was reviled reviled not again c. 1 John 2. 6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked V. 29. If ye know that he is Righteous ye know that every one which doth righteousness is born of him 1 John 3. 7. Little Children let no man deceive you he that doth righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous 1 Iohn 4. 17. Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of judgment because as he is or was the Analage of the tense being ordinary so are we in this world Now this I. B. saith p. 106. that our Saviours life in all duties that respected morals was not principally or first to be imitated by us but that the Law even in the preceptive part thereof might be fully and perfectly fulfilled for us Mark 1. he saith in all duties that respected morals what nonsense is this any body may see he does not know what Morals means 2. That our Saviours life in these duties was not principally to be imitated by us he dares not say not at all to be imitated though any body may see that reads his book he would be glad to say so with all his heart But what Scripture doth he bring for this none at all So that if you will not take his word for it he hath nothing to say to you 3. But saith he that the Law even in the preceptive part may be fulfilled for us was Christs principal design in living as he did What proof hath he for this Rom. 10. 5. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness the end saith he not only of the Ceremonial law but of the 10 commandments too but is he the end of both alike then we are no more now obliged to the one than to the other In
another thing in p. 70. that I 'le bestow two or three lines upon He there tells Mr. F. that he will have a little touch upon his Principle of Freedom which saith he you in p. 9. call an Understanding and Liberty of Will Observe his non-sense again But what is it Mr. F. there saith that offends this man 'T is this that he supposeth men indued with Understanding and Liberty of Will Now proceeds he there is no such thing in man by nature as liberty of will or a principle of freedom in the saving things of the Kingdom of Christ. But 1. Mr. F. saith never a word of liberty of will as to those things but only supposeth this in general that man is indued with liberty of will And this he himself supposeth in denying it only as to the Saving things of Christ's Kingdom 2. He limits that too and saith there is no such thing in man by nature as to those things will he therefore acknowledge there is such a thing in man by grace If he will not that limitation is ridiculous but if he will he is never like to have Mr. F. for his Adversary in this point nor any of his judgment He hath declared in the book several times cited p. 239. that the men of his judgment hold no free will that is opposite to free grace and acknowledgeth in the next page the necessity not only of assisting but also of preventing grace And now let the Reader judg whether Mr. F. hath written the least tittle contrary to any one of the 39 Articles of the Church of England and particularly to those there concerning Free-will Iustification and Works before Faith which in general terms he hath charg'd him with without shewing wherein he hath done it though I acknowledg if he hath not abused Mr. F's Book that his accusation is no slander But he is to his perpetual infamy most sensibly demonstrated to have bewrayed most woful ignorance and notorious dishonesty and ill nature besides the foulest erroniousness in what he hath published against The Design of Christianity But 't is pleasant to observe that this wretch who abominates any thing if one may judg by his rude behaviour that bareth the name of the Church of England should cite three of her Articles as main Orthodoxy's in order to the more effectual defaming of Mr. Fowler This is just like the Devils making use of Scripture to assist him in his malicious designs against our Saviour Lastly He falls to compare Mr. F's Doctrine with Campian's the Jesuite and Pen's the Quaker and makes a parallel between several of his Sayings with Seven of the former and Eight of the latter By the way take notice that this lamentable piece of work is the labour of more clumsy Brains than this poor I. B's For First How should he come by Sayings out of Campian but Secondly which is more considerable he hath a company of Terms and Phrases that he was never in a capacity of understanding as Commixed Radicals Abstract Replication c. derived from the Latin Again Characteristical Diametrical Parenthesis Paragraph c. borrowed from the Greek Language And he is up with his arguing from a thing to a thing habit and act which smell of one whose name hath had the honour to stand a little while in a Colledge Buttery Book and that had the luck sometimes to hear his Masters chopping Logick together For I 'le warrant him who ever was I. B's fellow-labourer in this worthy performance is a fellow that never was under a much higher dispensation And 't is he I presume that hath helpt our Author to his after-conclusions p. 9. as if there were fore-conclusions Thirdly The whole is a motly thing piec't and patch't together as if it were the product of not so few as two but a Club of Wise-akers But yet all that understand I. B's manners ability and temper will accuse me as injurious should I rob him of the honour of the down-right non-sense knavery Calumnies and vile language which make a very great if not the far greater part of the Pamphlet But to our business that is to the parallel between Mr. F's doctrine and a few Sayings of the Papist and Quaker set down by him to which I reply in a few words I know not whether this I. B. hath not as falsly represented these mens Sayings as it hath been proved he hath done many of Mr. F's I have neither of the Books to examine the matter nor have I ever read either and therefore I cannot accuse him but he hath been proved so very notoriously dishonest in this particular that he ought never more to be trusted upon his own word But suppose he hath not too favourably represented any of them the Reader will see if he compares them with the Sayings of Mr. F. set under them that he abuseth most of these in making a parallel between them as I would particularly shew but that it will take up too much time and any man of understanding that hath his book will immediately perceive that I charge him truly But Mr. F. I am sure will not stick to acknowledge that there may be put upon most of them such a sense as may speak them good and true sayings As where Campian saith that Faith justifies but not faith only this is no other than what S. Iames affirms in express words chap. 2. 24. And Mr. F's doctrine is that faith if it be taken for a mere relyance on Christ's Righteousness which is but one act of faith doth not only justifie but if it be understood so as to include the receiving of Christ according to all his offices or for an obediential faith so it doth only justifie That is as hath been shewn again and again not as a meritorious cause but as a condition He abhors to assert with the Papists the merit of works nor doth he affirm that works are a necessary condition of justification but as they are virtually in faith for he every where makes a true and sincere willingness to obey Christs precepts which is implyed in Faith the necessary condition of justification There is not an Heretick in the world but hath some good Sayings this I. B. himself as grosly erroneous as he is is not out in every thing And no wise man will love truth one jot the worse for hearing it from the Devils mouth And I freely declare that if the Papists and Quakers did assert no worse things than those I. B. hath cited and withal understood them as he by his parallel makes them to do I would as heartily defend the principles of both as I now oppose them Every body knows that understands these men that this I. B. and his Brethren joyn hands both with Quakers and Papists in not a few Opinions and Practices as they are enemies to the Church of England but doth he think himself and them one jot the more hereticks upon that account
Thus the Reader sees how idle and malicious that is like all the rest this his last charge also against Mr. F. is Before I come to the conclusion of all I must advertise the Reader that whereas Mr. F. p. 300. hath these words Let us declare that we are not barely relyers on Christ's Righteousness by being imitators of it I. B. hath p. 111. for barely put hearty and so makes Mr. F. to give this most wicked advice Let us declare that we are not hearty relyers on Christ's righteousness I examined his erratae to find whether it were not a mistake of the Printer though 't is not easily to be thought it should there being no resemblance between the words barely and hearty but there is no such thing And to confirm the suspicion that 't was done designedly he makes this to bring up the rear in his Catalogue of Mr. F's 40. Doctrines destructive of Christianity but here thus words it To be imitators of Christ's Righteousness even of the Righteousness we should rely on is counted by Mr. F. more noble than to rely thereon or trust thereto pag. 300. Now mark if he intended honestly he would have said thus viz. Mr. F. saith Let us declare that we are not barely relyers on Christ's Righteousness by being imitators of it For those and no other are Mr. F's words he refers to but he knew that none but the most paltry hypocrites could take any offence at that saying Or if he must be giving it in those other words of his own he might have added the word barely and then the saying would have been without all exception viz. thus To be imitators of Christ's Righteousness is accounted by Mr. F. more noble than barely to rely on it I am confident the Reader will say that he never knew any one so impudent as thus effectually to prove himself in print a man of a prostituted and debaucht conscience And my observing of this hath occasioned my taking notice of the foregoing Doctrine viz. this To do well is better than believing p. 299. But Mr. F's words are only these Let us exercise our selves in studying the Gospel to enable us not to discourse or only to believe but also and above all things to do well Now that doctrine of his cannot be so much as gathered from these words all that follows from them is this that any honest man will say as well as Mr. F. namely that to do well is better than believing without doing well for well-doing supposeth believing The Reader can no longer wonder at his flying in Mr. F's face so often with worse than brutish rage and fury for asserting that Christ's Righteousness cannot be imputed to a wicked man while he continues so his Conscience could not but tell him that this touched his Copy-hold and that if that doctrine be true his case is sad I will now I am gotten to the Catalogue again take notice of one of the Doctrines more that he chargeth on Mr. F. viz. the 37. namely There is no duty more affectionately commanded in the Gospel than that of Alms-giving p. 284. I don't remember he saith any thing of this in the Book but only sets it down here as that the Reader would presently perceive is a doctrine destructive of Christianity Mark I say I don't remember he doth I do not positively affirm he doth not But 1. Mr. F. doth not say that no duty is more affectionately commanded but recommended and who knows not that these two are not the same 2. Now judg Reader whether any duty can be more affectionately recommended when 't is said that pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the Fatherless and widows in their afflictions c. Iames 1. 27. Again S. Iohn asks how the love of God can dwell in that man that refuseth to perform this duty 1 Iohn 3. 17. And Iames ch 2. 14 15 c. Sheweth that the Faith that is void of this particular good work is a dead Faith that is no Faith at all And our Saviour saith Matt. 5. 7. Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy That is those that are merciful from a good principle And lastly our Saviour instanceth in no other works but these that men shall be judged according to at the great day Mat. 25. 34. to the end Can a duty be more affectionately and effectually recommended than this of Alms-giving is in these places To which may be added many more What can hard-hearted hypocrites say to these places The only fence they have against them is their paltry explication of the doctrine of the imputation of Christ's Righteousness by which also they can make all the Precepts of the Gospel to signifie nothing Again in the same page viz. 111. he tells Mr. F. that he hath applauded the Godliness of heathen Philosophers when as he hath no where done so and but only cited several of their excellent Sayings and that too for the service of the Christian Religion But this is no more than S. Paul himself doth Acts 17. 28. and Titus 1. 12. But if Mr. F. had said that very many of the Heathens were much better qualified for the Kingdom of Heaven than this I. B. hath demonstrated himself to be I make no doubt but he had spoken truly and not at all transgressed the Law of Charity for there were multitudes of Heathens that would have abominated such practices as have with the most undeniable evidence been proved against this pretended Christian. I can give several more instances of this mans unchristian dealing with Mr. F's Sayings and I doubt not but many have escaped my notice for I have not narrowly lookt for any but let the Reader when he finds any thing cited by him out of Mr. F's Book that looks strangely consult the book itself and I dare promise him he shall find that by either altering the Sentence or omitting part of it or basely wresting the words to another sense than the Context will bear I. B. hath abused Mr. F. in it And now who that hath read this I. B's book will not tell me that it is much more than high time I should have done with it and that I have done abundantly more than enough to convince the Reader of the apparent folly and wickedness of it Indeed I might well have concluded as soon as I had answered his miserably simple objections against that doctrine that Christ came to restore the holiness we had lost for he saith p. 42. If you can prove that any of these promises were made to the Holiness we had lost or that by these promises viz. those of the Holy Spirit remission of Sin and eternal happiness in the enjoyment of God we are to be possessed with that holiness again I will even now lay down the Bucklers And again when he had done his utmost to confute that doctrine he brags that he had rased the foundation of Mr. F '
s. book so that the bare shewing how wofully he hath performed that one undertaking would have been a sufficient confirmation and defence of it But though I have not found so much as one thing in it that deserves to have a serious reply made to it I have so far denyed my self as not only to say enough to undermine but also to give an utter overthrow to the whole of it And to shew that so far as it opposeth The Design of Christianity 't is composed of nothing else but the most horrid absurdities belyings and revilings of that Treatise Nay it fully appeareth from what I have written that never did any writing more flatly that is in more evident consequences oppose the doctrine of justification by faith in Christ Iesus than this that he stileth a defence of it And that were Mr. F. a Iulian Celsus or Porphyry an utter enemy to Christianity as he wickedly accuseth him he could never have wished to have a greater dishonor done unto it than this man in his book hath done So that should I have considered every absurd and base passage from one end to the other of it and given it its due remark I should have made my self a most unmerciful drudg and swelled these leaves to a large Volume and been guilty of the most profuse and unaccountable expence of my time and Paper For I sedately and consideratively profess that I never read that I remember any thing that was half so full thrapt and crowded with both non-sensical and wicked stuff To conclude if any Reader is now able to think that there needs more than I have written or so much either to wipe off the dirt that is flung upon the Design of Christianity I must be so free with him as plainly to tell him that he is honor'd far beyond his merits in having one wise word bestowed upon him A Catalogue of some few of the abundance of absurd and most wicked Doctrinals and Assertions that are contained in John Bunyans Pamphlet against the Design of Christianity 1. HE calls this Paul's definition of a man There is none righteous no not one there is none that understandeth c. page 4. Mark as he most absurdly calls this Paul's definition so he calls it too his definition of a man not of a wicked man And sutably to this fine doctrine 2. He makes no real distinction between the humane Nature and Sin p. 3. As if Sin were not the corruption of our nature but essential to it 3. He Saith that of mans supreme faculty the Scripture teacheth that man in his best estate is altogether vanity Psal. 39. 5. p. 5. When as David speaks there only of mans bodily frailty But I might have spared this as being but a peccadillo in this man 4. He saith that the Command of the Law was not the great and principal argument with Christ no not in its first and highest principles to do or continue to do it p. 14. Then the first reason of our Saviours obedience was not the Command of God 5. He interprets those words of the Apostle of moral duties viz. They speak of the world and the world heareth them 1 John 4. 5. p. 19. 6. He saith that the new man is dead to the Law as to principles of nature and interprets that of the Apostle you are become dead to the law of the moral as well as Ceremonial law and further saith that a man must first be dead to your principles both of nature and the law If he will serve in a new spirit if he would bring forth fruit unto God p. 22 The only sense of which sayings whatever he meant by them is this that a man must cease to be a man and turn beast nay and Devil too before he can bring forth fruit unto God 7. He interprets those words in 1 Cor. 15. 46. and after that which is Spiritual of Spiritual holiness p. 23 Whereas the words are only spoken of an immortal body 8. He saith that the holiness of Adam in his best estate even that which he lost and we in him it was no other than that which was natural even the sinless state of a natural man p. 24 Thus he makes Adam a mere Brute as to holiness but in this he contradicts himself elsewhere as hath been shewn 9. He saith that even the inward holiness that is in Saints it is none other than that which dwelleth in the person of the Son of God in heaven p. 27 Then there are no graces of the holy Spirit wrought in us then our holiness is perfect and infinite and then according to his rate of arguing with Mr. F. p. 66. Christ's righteousness is by Faith in himself and an imputative righteousness 10. He saith that Christ dyed to put us into a personal possession of pardon before we know it p. 33 He that hath read his or this Pamphlet knows his meaning in this saying viz. that Christ dyed to put men into a personal possession of pardon while they continue in their wickedness 11. He Saith that for Christ to come to establish this righteousness viz. the righteousness which we have lost is all one as if he should be sent from Heaven to overthrow and abrogate the Eternal purpose of Grace which the father had purposed should be manifested to the world by Christ. p. 37. Let the Reader match me this Saying for the horrid wickedness of it out of any other books than this mans if he can 12. The wrath that the Law is said to work Rom. 4. 15. he interprets to be murmure and anger against the Lord. p. 39 Whenas the next words shew that the meaning is it renders men for their disobedience to it lyable to the judgment of God 13. He saith that that Repentance which hath its rise originally from the dictates of our own nature is called the sorrow of the world and must be again repented of p. 40. So that to be sorry for my sins because my reason tells me that they are an unworthy requital of Gods goodness to me is the worldly Sorrow condemned by the Apostle and must be again repented of 14. He saith that he that looks to or seeks after that holiness we have lost is as sure to be damned and go to hell as he that transgresseth the law because that is not the righteousness of God the righteousness of Christ the righteousness of faith nor that to which the promise is made p. 42. So that according to this devilish doctrine to endeavour to bring our hearts to the love of God above all and to the hatred and abhorrence of all sin is as ready or sure a way to hell as living in disobedience to all Gods Commandments And take notice that it is Proved that that is the Righteousness of God of Christ and of Faith 15. He saith That it is a foolish and an heathenish thing nay worse to think that the son of God should only or especially
fulfil or perfect the law and the prophets by giving more and higher instances of moral duties than were before expresly given This would have been but the lading of men with heavy burthens p. 46. Observe that those words and the Prophets are of his own adding But whereas he saith that our Saviours giving more and higher instances of moral duties c. would be but the lading of men with heavy burthens he should have said it would have been the lading of Hypocrites such as himself with heavy burthens none but such can think them so 16. Christs Exposition he saith of the Law was more to shew thee the perfection of his own obedience than to drive thee back to the holiness thou hadst lost p. 47 Can any Ranter talk at a madder rate Read but Matth. 5. and then believe this wretched assertion if you can could S. Paul be of his mind when he said Rom. 2. 13. not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the Doers of the Law shall be justified 17. He saith that in Heaven there shall not be in us only a likeness to but the very nature of God p. 63 For this he cites as hath been shewed that of the Apostle Heirs of God That is Heirs of his nature or substance Here is Blasphemy with a witness 18. He saith the dictates of humane nature are never urged in the New Testament but in order to shew men they have forgotten to act as men p. 72. That is they are not urged that they may be obeyed and yet almost all the precepts of the Gospel are dictates of humane nature He himself saith somewhere that trust in God is one and so are love to God and our neighbour humility meekness patience purity c. all such as we are told are our duty by the dictates of nature Never did wicked creature more industriously set himself to make the Gospel precepts mere insignificant and vain things 19. Whereas Christ is called a Prince and a Saviour he thus interprets it that is a Prince as a Saviour because the righteousness by which he saves beareth rule in Heaven and Earth p. 77 I want words to express my amazement at and detestation of his as senseless as wicked perverting this place to make it favour his Ranting doctrine Thus Reader thou seest he is as good at abusing and wresting of Scripture as of Mr. F's words God grant that his timely repentance may prevent his doing it to his own destruction 20. He saith that the obedience or inclination to obedience that is before faith or the understanding of the Gospel is so far from being an excellent preparative or good qualification for faith and the knowledge of the Gospel that in its own nature which is more than in its consequences it is a great obstruction thereunto p. 96 Still like himself a blessed faith that must be in the mean time that is obstructed by a readiness to obey whatsoever God reveals and would the Reader see what his Faith is let him go back to page 17. of his book there as hath been shewn 21. He saith God hath forgiven him that is enabled to believe and what is it with him to believe he tells you in the next words that is to trust to and venture the Eternal concerns of his Soul upon the righteousness that is no where to be found but in the person of the son of God p. 17 This is all and as much as any one can expect from him 22. He saith that for a man to confine himself only to the life of the Lord Iesus for an example or to think it enough to make him in his life a pattern for us to follow leaveth us through our shortness in the end with the Devil and his Angels for want of faith in the doctrine of Remission of Sins p. 108 1. How sottish is this Ranter For faith in Christ and his whole Gospel is enjoyned as a means to bring us to the blessed state of likeness to him as is fully proved in the Design of Christianity and we may not once suppose that we can obtain this likeness without that Faith 2. But how desperately wicked is it likewise as if a man may be damned that is exactly like Christ and hath all that done in him for the sake of which Faith in Christ is required That is is enabled from holy principles to perform all holy obedience But this is another discovery of his wickedness in contemning moral Righteousness and advancing only imputative and I never knew a brutish creature do it like him Nay he cannot forbear somewhere in his book to speak contemptuously of our Saviours life in asserting that Mr. F. hath given a mere heathenish account of it where he as is to be seen in the beginning of this Pamphlet gives the four Evangelists account of it I do assure the Reader that this I have read in his Book but I do not now remember the page Observe that I do not call these two and twenty doctrines nor yet distinct assertions for I have not nor will I so much trouble my self about them as to consider to how many or few heads they may be reduced the mere transcribing them must needs be trouble and discomposure enough to any man that hath the least affection for the Gospel of Christ and true goodness I could present not a few more but never was horse more tired at a mill than I am at this work and I assure the Reader as I shall answer it at the great day that I have been most severely just to him in this Catalogue as he may quickly see so far have I been from dealing with his Sayings as 't is shewn he hath dealt with Mr. Fowlers And now I conjure the followers of him and his Brethren as they have any the least regard for their Souls that for the future they abandon them as those that feed their hearers with the deadliest poison instead of the sincere milk of the word and the most wholesome food of the Gospel of Christ I say I conjure them to avoid such as they will Answer it at the dreadful day of our Saviours appearing with ten thousand of his Saints to execute judgment upon all and to convince all that are ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodlily committed and of all the hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him against the blessed doctrines of his Glorious Gospel and his faithful ministers And now I will present you with another Catalogue of the hard speeches of this man of whom whether he be one of St. Iudes ungodly Sinners or no the Reader is by this time well able to judge or at least will be anon A Catalogue of some of John Bunyan's horrible Revilings and most Abominable Scurrilities 1. IN the Title page he tells us that the design of Mr. F's Book is proved to be nothing more than to trample under foot the blood of the Son of
God and the Idolizing of man's own Righteousness And that he falls in with Quakers and Romanists against the Articles of the Church of England 2. He tells Mr. F. that he hath vilely exposed the rottenness of his heart in Principles Diametrically opposite to the simplicity of the Gospel and calls the Doctrine of his Book open Blasphemy Page 1. 3. With the graces of the Spirit of God you have nothing to do p. 3. 4. Here are pure dictates of a brutish beastly man that neither knows himself nor one tittle of the word of God p. 5. 5. Whatsoever is brought in your book and urged for the proof of this your description of holiness it is but the abuse of Christ c. p. 17. 6. Why should this Thief c. p. 29. 7. How far off this mans Doctrine is of Sinning against the Holy Ghost let him that is wise consider ibid. 8. Spit your intended venome at Christ. p. 31. 9. In all you have yet asserted you have shewed no other wisdom than of a Heathen or of one that is short even of a novice of the Gospel p. 35. 10. Sundry and damnable errors that like Venome drop from your pen. ibid. 11. You have in this your discourse put an unsufferable affront upon the Son of God in making all his life and conversation to center and terminate in the holiness we had lost p. 43. 12. About all these things you are heathenishly dark there hath not in these 150. pages one Gospel Truth been Christianly handled by you 13. What man that ever had read or assented to the Gospel but would have spoken more honourably of Christ than you have done ibid. 14. All this Villany against I suppose it is the Son of God the rest is torn out p. 77. 15. This is no other than barbarous Quakerism ibid. 16. All others like your self being fearful and unbelieving despise it and wonder and perish Rev. 20. 8. Acts 13. 40 41. p. 80. 17. Having broken the Head of your Leviathan p. 85. 18. Your great Question by which you would have all men make judgment of their Saveable or damnable estate p. 236. is according to your description of things most Devilish and destructive p. 88. Reader this is Mr. Fowlers great Question he refers to Am I sincerely willing to obey my Creator and Redeemer in all things Do I entertain no lust in my breast Do I heartily endeavour to have a right understanding of the holy Scriptures and chiefly of the Gospel in order to the bettering of my soul by them and the direction of my life and actions according to them 19. He calls the Ministers of the Church of England The whole Gang of our Rabling Counterfeit Clergy who generally like the Ape ly blowing up the glory and applause of our Trumpery and like the Tail with foolish and sophistical arguings cover the filthy parts thereof See also p. 73. p. 90. I now appeal to Authority whether this man ought to enjoy any interest in his Majesties Toleration who is so far from being satisfied with his own liberty that he falls thus fouly upon not only one Minister of the Church of England and a Book licensed by Authority but also upon all the Ministers of the Church together and likewise the Discipline and Rites establish't And whether the letting such Fire-brands and most impudent malicious Schismaticks go unpunish't doth not tend to the subversion of all Government I say let our Superiours judge of this 20. But to proceed he saith thus of the Design of Christianity From the beginning to the end from the top to the bottom it is a cursed blasphemous book a book that more vilifies Iesus Christ than many of the Quakers themselves p. 92. 21. Had you joyned here with such as vilifie and trample upon the bloud of the Lord Iesus preferring the Snivel of their own Brains before him you had herein but drawn your own picture and given your Reader an Emblem of your self p. 93. 22. I tell you again that your self is one of them that have closely privily and Devilishly by your book turned the Grace of our God into a lascivious Doctrine bespattering it with giving liberty to loosness and the hardning of the ungodly in wickedness wherein if you persist I shall not fail may I live and know it and be helped of God he should have said of the Devil to do it to discover yet farther the rottenness of your Doctrine with the accursed tendencies thereof p. 90. Here 's a Rabshakeh But with what brow can this wicked man thus accuse Mr. F's book when his own Conscience must needs tell him that the only thing that makes him thus Spit his venome at it is that it's design is to take away all shadow of pretence for his filthy libertinism and mad licentious principles And as to his Threat I will only say Do thy worst thou fierce and fiery Bedlam and persist in treasuring up to thy self wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the Righteous judgment of God But know that all thy wicked attempts against that Book that all good men have a most hearty and affectionate kindness for or against the Author of it and such like books and men can be no more regarded by people of but common sense and honesty than are the Ravings of a perfect mad man But I have not yet done with his Raylings though I shall present the Reader but with a few in comparison of those I can 23. He calls Mr. F's doctrines his filthy errors compiled and foisted into the world by his devilish design to promote Paganism against Christianity p. 265 266. p. 96. 24. No man proceeds he is more brutish or Heathenish nor so void of satisfaction about it that is the truth of the Gospel nor more involved in error concerning it than your self being 1. Grosly ignorant 2. Too highly opinionate 3. Proud in affection 4. Licourish 5. A self-lover 6. And for your blasphemy under the just judgment of God p. 102. 25. To Mr. Fowlers calling these the Divine perfections viz. Iustice and Righteousness universal Charity Goodness Mercy Patience and all kinds of Purity He saith To call these the divine perfections when they are only your own humane virtues bespeaks you Fond impious and Idolatrous c. p. 104. 26. He saith The way of Salvation or the Design of Christianity as prescribed by you is none other than the errors of your own Brain the way of death the sum and heart of Papistical Quakerism and is quite denied by the Lord Iesus and by his Blessed Testament p. 109. Once more he saith 27. I admonish my Reader to tremble at the blasphemy of your book and account the whole design therein to be none other but that of an enemy to the Son of God and salvation of the world p. 110. And I admonish my Reader to tremble at that Religion that incourageth such a most Hellish and Devillish Spirit that gives mens Pens