therefore every man according to his apprehensions may make as many and as few Fundamental Articles as he thinks fit What think you now of our Tutor our Anti-Academian Is not this Man of One Article disposed to entertain the Twelve New Articles of Faith of the Council of Trent It is impossible to conceive how Great Mischief that person may do whose Head is stuff'd with such Notions as these especially if we consider he is always creeping into Houses and insinuating into Families and wheadling the Masters and Mistresses and infecting the early thoughts of young Ones with such Principles Such a one the Commonwealth is concern'd to have an eye upon for the safety of the Publick And though all this while I don't suppose him to be set on work upon any consideration of his extraordinary Skill or Ability as if I took him either for a Conjurer or a Jesuite yet he may be made use of as a very fit Tool as a Convenient Machin and as I said before he may serve to be an Under-hand Factor And if the Creature had not been some such thing it is impossible he should startle and stare and fling about as the Reader may observe he doth at the naming of Popery and Rome He conceals the resentment as well as he can but the Observing Reader may plainly discern it None would have been guilty of this but our Ridiculous Masker who in imitation of the Changling kind hides his face and then thinks no body sees him But notwithstanding all his Arâ—ifices and Disguises he bewrays himself As they vulgarly say of the Fiend that when he appears in Humane Shape he can never dissemble it so well but he is some way or other discover'd there is some mark to discern him by A little after p. 229 230. he returns to the One Article again and upbraids me for many I have he saith a reserve of the Lord knows how many more p. 233. which is Irreverently and Prophanely spoken because he uses the Sacred Name so slightly and vainly By this we may guess what manner of Education his Children and Nurslings have He that abuses that Holy Name himself will not check this fault in others Then in three pages together 232 233 234. he falls into his old Trot of telling me and desiring to shew and let him know c. Without any shame or remorse he continues to stuff whole pages with Reiterations of his former Writings Though he was lately not for telling but for weighing of money yet he hath other thoughts with respect to his Books for he reckons Number to be Weight Such Writers glory in the number of their Lines and think to be Voluminous is to be Argumentative Next p. 238 c. he runs back to Object against the Reason which I assigned why the believing of Iesus to be the Messias is so frequently mention'd in the New Testament And he busies himself with Wire drawing every word that I had said and scores up all along as he had done before what I must shew him and what I must prove and sets them down in distinct Figures And yet after all these little devices and pedantick tricks he hath not rais'd one Objection against me that hath any thing more in it than his Childrens Rattle And indeed it must needs be so and can't be otherwise when men have taken up false deceitful Notions and then labour to Vindicate them it is presently seen that their pretences of Arguing are mere Sound and are nothing but Childish and Noisy Amusements In no less than 20 pages afterwards he busies himself in hunting for Objections and Cavils against what I had said and at last resolves to admit but of a single Article as necessary to be believ'd in order to the making a man a Christian But will not that Sermon of St. Peter in Acts 2. evidence that there are more Fundamental Points than that one Iesus is the Messias Are not our Saviour's Passion Death and Resurrection particularly mention'd in ver 23 24 and are they not Fundamental Articles of Faith Can you believe Iesus to be the Messias without believing him to have suffer'd died and rose again To this it is answer'd p. 268. that these Articles were not proposed by St. Peter to the unbelieving Iews as Fundamental ones and consequently they are not to be reckonâ—d as Fundamental Articles for it is certain that the Holy Apostle proposed them as they were I request the Serious and Judicious Reader to take an estimate of Mr. Lock 's Reasonableness of Christianity from this one thing viz. his denying the Articles of our Saviour's Suffering Death and Resurrection to be Articles of the Foundation i. e. such as are necessarily required to be believ'd for the costituting a man a Christian. That he deniâ—s this is plain because he tells us that St. Peter propounded not these Articles as Fundamental and because according to him there is but one Fundamental Article If there be but One then these are no Fundamental Propositions unless you will say that three added to one make but one Which I think he will scarcely assent to unless his Arithmetick be proportionable to his Christianity Besides in an other place p 233. he is Positive as to this matter for his words are these The Death and Resurrection of Christ are recorded by the Spirit of God in Holy Writ but are no more necessary to be believed to make a man a Christian than any other part of Divine Revelation that is than any Inferiour Truth mention'd in the New Testament as that Christ rid upon as Ass. This he declares to be as requisite to make a man a Christian as that Christ died and rose again But stay we must not think the day is our own the Adversary begins to rally and pushes upon us with his strong Reserves as thus p. 268. Those Articles of the Crucifixion Death and Resurrection of Christ were not propos'd here as the Fundamental Articles which St. Peter principally aim'd at and endeavour'd to convince them of And afterwards They are not the Principal thing aim'd at p. 269. but only brought in by the bye A Wager on it that he is good at Pushâ— pin None but such a Trifler as the Vindicator could have been so shameless as to offer this to a Reader of any sense and consideration for it is evident in this Sermon that our Saviour's Crucifixion and Death and Rising again are equally urged with his being Lord and Christ And the Apostle mentions his Resurrection again v. 32. This Iesus hath God reised up and therefore exhorts his Country-men and Brethren to imbrace this Iesus to believe that he suffer'd and laid down his life and took it up again for the Good of the World But our New Modeller of Christianity tells us that these are Articles occasionally brought in here by St. Peter and only as Arguments to perswade the Jews but were far from being Fundamental and Necessary Points of Christian Faith
A Brief Vindication OF THE Fundamental Articles OF THE Christian Faith AS ALSO Of the Clergy Universities and Publick Schools from Mr. Lock 's Reflections upon them in his Book of Education c. With some Animadversions on two other late Pamphlets viz. Of Mr. Bold and a Nameless Socinian Writer By Iohn Edwards B. D. LONDON Printed for I. Robinson at the Golden Lion and I. Wyat at the Rose in St. Paul's Church-yard 1697. THE Epistle Dedicatory TO BOTH UNIVERSITIES HONOURED SIRS A Late Writer hath taken the confidence to make very Disrespectfull Indecent Rude and Scurrilous Reflections upon You and hath with that Scorn and Insolence which are peculiar to him and cannot be supposed to be in any other Man censured your Studies and Ways and Methods of Learning which are at this day own'd and practis'd by you They have always born the brand of Infamy who have shew'd their ill will to these Publick Schools of Education and Professed Seminaries of Arts and Literature Pope Paul the Second and Sixtus the Fourth who succeded him were infamous on this account for both of them were obâ—erv'd to bear a Hatred to Universities and publickly to declare their abhorrence of Academick Men and Learning Mr. Hobbes is a Modern Instance who was wont to decry the University-Studies and Learning because he had espoused a Set of Notions which were destructive not only to Academick but all Religious Principles But a later Instance we have in one Mr. Lock who though he infinitely comes short of the forenamed Person in Parts or Good Letters yet hath taken the courage to tread in his Old Friend's steps and publickly to proclaim his dislike of University-Men and to remonstrate against the Methods they take in bringing up of Youth The Name of Publick Schools and Academies is as hatefull to him as that of Athâ—nasius to a Socinian Nor is he pleas'd with our Old Christianity but hath offer'd a New Scheme to the World the same the very same in words as well as to the Thing with what Mr. Hobbes propounded as the Perfect and Compleat Model of Faith viz. To believe in Christ is nothing else than to believe that Jesus is the Christ and no other Faith besides this Article is required to Eternal life De Cive cap. 18. The belief of this Article Jesus is the Christ or Messias is all the Faith required for Salvation Leviathan Part. 3. Chap. 43. This is the Doctrine which is revived and furbish'd up in the pretended Reasonableness of Christianity and you see whence it is borrow'd When that Writer was framing a New Christianity he took Hobbes's Leviathan for the New Testament and the Philosopher of Malmsbury for our Saviour and the Apostles See how naturally a Man passes from arraigning and vilifying the Universities to affront and abuse Religion He had with pride and contempt trampled upon the former and now he attacks the latter and treads Christianity it self under his feet It may be few of you have taken notice of the Affronts done to your selves by this Bold Assailant as not busying your selves with such sort of Writers or as thinking such Reflections below your Resentments But I having had occasion to enter the Lists with this Gentleman it falls in my way to take notice of his Double Insolence i. e. to You and to Religion but more especially the latter which he hath miserably shatter'd and unsettled and almost reduced to nothing having baulk'd a great part of the Gospels and wholly laid aside the Epistles and renounced all Articles of Christianity but One as necessary to be believ'd to constitute a Man a Christian and having every where shew'd his disdain of the Ministry and Ministers of the Gospel especially the Clergy of the Church of England So that he deserves to be treated with Satyr rather than Argument And therefore if there be in the ensuing Papers a kind of mixture of the former with the latter I hope it will not be disrelish'd even by the most Serious and Iudicious Readers when they consider on whom it is bestow'd Gentlemen I have now an opportunity of vindicating the Honour of those Renowned and Learned Bodies to which you belong and likewise of asserting and defending the Cause of Christianity wherefore I thought I should be defective as to both these Concerns if I did not offer these Papers to You and humbly request You to take them into your patronage with the Author of them who is Most Learned Sirs Your entire Servant and Honoâ—â—er JOHN EDWARDS The Author to the Bookseller SIR YOu know Books Printed at Cambridge are commonly Licensed by the University and accordingly when I designed the following Papers for the Press there I requested Mr. Vice-Chancellor and the Regius Professor of Divinity to peruse them which they did and then returned them to me with an Imprimatur and two other Heads of Colleges for I applied my self to no more were pleased to sign the same The Form was thus April 17. 1697. Imprimatur Hen. Iames Procan Io. Beaumont Reg. Theol. Prof. Io. Covell S. T. P. Io. Baldersâ—on S. T. P. But since I found it necessary to be printed at London 〈◊〉 that I might not seem neglectful of 〈◊〉 â—avour and Kindness of the worthy Pâ—â—sons before mentioned And that you and the Reader may see that the Ensuing Undertaking was so far approved of by those Learned Gentlemen that they Licensed the Printing of it I have thought fit for their 〈◊〉 and yours to set down their Names Your humble Servant J. E. A Brief Vindication OF THE Christian Faith c. AFter I had observed the rude and surly Genius of a late Penman the Author and Vindicator of a Treatise which he entitules The Reasonableness of Christianity I had a mind to see what was his Humour in some other of his Productions and accordingly I look'd into his Papers of Education and there I soon discover'd that it was his settled Nature and Temper to Traduce all ranks of Persons and that he had taught his Tongue to Revel and that he can't write three Pages without thrice as many Calumnies and Falshoods and so I less wondered at his Rudeness to Me. There I found that he libels the most Learned and Celebrated Societies of Men in this Nation that he strives to blast the reputation of the most Useful Persoâ—s and to ridicule their Publick Employments and Statiens that with an ungovernable pride and disdain he discards some Arts and Sciences and laughs at the Professors of them And in brief I found that he imperiously flies at all and like some Barbarous Invader makes havock wheresoever he comes and spares no Sex Place or Quality of Persons Of which I will now give the Reader some particular Instances and undeniable proofs For I conceive it will not be expected that I should first endeavour to make it clear that the Author of the Reasonableness of Christianity is the same person that writ concerning Education for all his Friends and Admirers
Then why may not your One Article Iesus is the Messias be reduced to this Jesus is he whom we call the Messias or whose Proper Name is Messiah What is the reason that you did not take the word Christ for a Proper Name in all those other places where you alledge that Name to signify his Office And what is the reason that the word Messias in your Collection of Texts may not be thought to be the same Unless your Pedantship will say that a Greek word but not an Hebrew or Syriack one is capable of being a Proper Name You see the strength of our Adversary After so many years plodding and booking it he cannot afford any other then such weak insipid trash as this Get thee gone I say to thee for a maker of poor thin Physickâ—broth P. 399. he thinks it Prophane that I say of him that he makes our Saviour a Coward But if I prove that he represents him as such then the Prophaneness will lie at his own door Though it is true our Saviour used great Caution at the first Preaching of the Gospel and did not on all occasions and to all persons declare himself to be the Messias yet he was not so Reserv'd and Timerous as this Writer would have us believe for he hath the confidence to say in his Reasonableness of Christianity that Christ made no other discovery of himself at the beginning of his Ministry but by Miracles and Circumlocutions and general Discourses p. 59. And in an other place of that Book he saith he did this lest the Sanhearim should have laid hold on what he said to have got him into their power and thereby to take away his life p. 62. And afterwards he saith our Saviour would by no means in express terms profess himself to be the Messias p 72. and that for the same reason Nay he tells us that out of this wary and cautious principle he never in the whole course of his Ministry so much as to his Disciples much less to the multitude or the Rulers of the Iews declared himself to be the Messias in express terms p. 148. And in almost a hundred pages together viz. from p. 59. to p. 152. he labours to instill this Notion into the minds of his Readers that our Blessed Lord had not Courage enough to own himself to be the Messias the views of Danger hindred him from letting the world know Who he was But how contrary is this to what we read in the Evangelical Writings When the women of Samaria had mentioned the Messias Iohn 4. 25. Christ immediately thereupon said unto her I that speak unto thee am he i. e. the Messias Here in plain and direct words he owns himself to be the Messias and this was at the very entrance of his Ministry Again we are assured that he went about all Galilee preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom Mat. 4. 23. i. e. that the Messias was come and that he himself was that Messias for it was no more dangerous to proclaim himself to be the Messias than to tell the Jews that the Messias was come for they would soon know what Particular Person it was Further though our Saviour as is particularly taken notice of by the Evangelists shew'd his Prudence and Discretion in not exposing himself to unnecessary dangers by too great a freedom of speaking yet at the beginning of his Ministry we find that he plainly and without any reserve told the Jews that God was his Father Iohn 5. 17. or which is equivalent that he was the Son of God which is as much as if he had said he was God for so the Jews interpreted it in that place for they said this was making himself equal with God v. 18. He told them at the same time that he had power to raise the dead v. â—1 and that he is to be Iudg of the world at the last day v. 22 27. that all men ought to honour him as they honour the Father v. 23. that he gives Eternal Life to those that believe on him v. 24. and more fully and amply in other expressions in that Chapter he publickly and expressly declares himself to be the Messias and the Son of God And it is observable that he made this free plain and open profession of himself and his Divine Nature and Messiaship at that very time when the Iews persecuted him and sought to slay him v. 16. Judg then of the Truth and Consistency of what this Dabler in Scripture and Divinity saith of our Saviour viz. That in the whole course of his Ministry he never expresly declared himself to be the Messias Nay which makes it the more unaccountable and prodigious he holds that Christ never all that time own'd himself to be the Messias although according to him there was no other Article of Faith propounded by Christ and the Apostles to be believ'd to make a man a Christian but this that Iesus is the Messias Judg of the truth of what he saith viz. that our Saviour always spoke to the Jews whether his own Apostles and Disciples or others concerning himself in obscure and mystical terms p. 99. as being afraid to speak out and standing in awe of the Angry Iews who sought to kill him p. 85. Is not this clearly confuted by what I have alledged out of the Gospels and is it not further confuted by what we read in Mat. 10. 28 32 where our Saviour disâ—wades his Apostles from fearing them that kill the body and requires it of them as their duty that they confess him before men i. e. as is most evident from comparing Iohn 9. 22. with 12. 4 that they confess him to be the Messias And can we think that they were obliged to do this unless he had plainly told them that he was the Messias But according to this New Expositor Christ exacted more of his Apostles than he dared to do himself for he was Cautious and Fearful and therefore would not confess himself to be the Messias he had not Spirit and Valour enough to own that Character in the whole course of his Ministry lest he should thereby be in danger of his life as he expresses it What is this but belying our Blessed Saviour and making him a Coward And who but a Poltron a Cowardly Flincher from the Fundamental Articles of our Faith would entertain such a vile and impious thought of our Lord and Master It is pleasant to see p. 222. which should indeed have been mention'd before how this Imperious Dragger up of Youth handles the Antient Grave Citizen who dedicated a Book to him and most submissively crouch'd to him In stead of acknowledging his good will and respect to him this Supercilious and Unmannerly Well bred man snibs him for his forwardness and condemns him as a System-Maker though the poor man had rail'd in three or four places of his Pamphlet against all Systems What a Magotted Vindicator is this Now our Pilgrim is approaching towards his
and Good Temper as any Man yet I will never be bribed to a faint-hearted Relinquishing of the Truth No I will by the Divine Aid vindicate the Religion of the New Testament and the Faith of the Christian Church in all ages and that with open face And particularly as to what I last writ and publish'd I will make it stand the shock of the most daring Socinian in Christendom But to let these Gentlemen see that I am no Man of Contention I declare to them that I am not averse from complying with their Offers if they be Sincere and in Good Earnest and if they resolve not to violate their own Articles of Peace I will forgive their Colts teeth as this pleasant Gentleman words it if for the future they use not as they have done in most of their Writings those of the Bear And why indeed should I contend with these Catholick and Orthodox Men for that is the Stile now in their last Print Who will fall out with those that profess Agreement with the Catholick Church But especially the Title of Orthodox which they so abhorr'd is much courted by this Author as the Reader cannot but observe Which may be an occasion to us to think that these Persons are inclined to do something to deserve that Name It is my hearty Prayer and Wish that they may shew themselves to be of this number And I promise them thus far to yield to the Terms of Peace that if they renew not the Quarrel and assault me not afresh this shall be our Last Campagne and so here is an End to our Debates and Rencounters ERRATA PAge 8. Line 29. read and if those p. 11. l. 14. r. Vnreasoâ—ably p. 12. l. penult r. which p. 13. l. 6. r. numbers l. 11. r. nor the p. 19. l. 15. r him for p. 33. l. 22. r. assented p. 34. l. 27. r. task l. 31. for they r. you p. 38. l. 21. r. declare p. 39. l. 15. dele the p 42. l. 20. r. more to p. 46. l. r. peruse p. 56. l. 17. r. owns p. 5â— l. 31. r. bandied p. 64. l. 4. dele and p. 75. l. 13 for give r. go p. 94. l. 22. before to insert it BOOKS written by the Reverend Mr. John Edwards AN Enquiry into several Remarkable Texts of the Old and New Testament which contain some Difficulty in them with a Probale Resolution of them in two Vol. 8â— A Discourse concerning the Authority Stile and Perfection of the Books of the Old and New Testament with a Continued Illustration of several Difficult Texts throughout the whole Work In three Vol 8â— Some Thoughts concerning the several Causes and Occasions of Atheism especially in the Present Age with some brief Reflections on Socinianism and on a Late Book entituled The Reasonableness of Christianity as deliver'd in the Scriptures 8â— price 1 s. 6 d. A Demonstration of the Existence and Providence of God from the Contemplation of the visible Structure of the Greater and the Lesser World In two Parts The first shewing the Excellent Contrivance of the Heavens Earth Sea c. The second the wonderful Formation of the Body of Man 8â— price 4 s Socinianism Unmask'd A Discourse shewing the Unreasonableness of a Late Writer's Opinion concerning the Necessity of only One Article of Christian Faith and of his other Assertions in his Late Book Entituled The Reasonableness of Christianity as deliver'd in the Scriptures and in his Vindication of it with a brief Reply to another Professed Socinian Writer 8â— price 1 s. 6 d. The Socinian Creed Or a Brief Account of the professed Tenents and Doctrines of the Forreign and English Socinians wherein is shewed the Tendency of them to Irreligion and Atheism With Proper Antidotes against them 8â— price 3 s. A Brief Vindication of the Fundamental Articles of the Christian Faith as also of the Clergy Universities and Publick Schools from Mr. Lock 's Reflections upon them With some Animadversions on two other late Pamphlets viz. of Mr. Bold and a Nameless Socinian Writer 8â— price 1 s. 6 d. Brief Remarks upon Mr. Whiston's New Theory of the Earth and upon another Gentleman's Objections against some Passages in a Discourse of the Existence and Providence of God relating to the Copernican Hypothesis 8â— price 6 d. BOOKS Printed for Jonathan Robinson and John Wyat. A Practical Exposition on the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer in two Volumes in Quarto The Vanity of the World with other Sermons in 8 vo Sermons or Discourses on several Scriptures in Four Volumes in Octavo The Almost Christian discovered in some Sermons on Acts 26. 28. All these written by the Right Reverend Father in God Ezekiel Hopkins late Lord Bishop of London-derry Bishop Usher's Life and Letters By Dr Parr in Folio 's Body of Divinity or the Sum and Substance of the Christian Religion Folio 's 22 Sermons on several Subjects Fol. Iosephus's History of the Jews Folio Dr. Bates's Harmony of the Divine Attributes Octavo 4th Edition 1697. Charron of Wisdom in three Books All Dr. Antony Walker ' s Works viz. The Sinfulness and Danger of delaying Repentance The Vertuous Woman or the Life of the Countess of Warwick The Vertuous Wife or the Life of Mrs. Eliz. Walker His Sermons of Water-drinking Preached at Tunbridge wells c. The worthy Communicant a Treatise shewing the due Order of Receiving the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper The 17th Edition By Ieremiah Dyke Newly reprinted 1697. The Poor Doubting Christian drawn unto Christ. By Thomas Hooker Ovid's Metamorphosis in English Verse By George Sandys Aesop's Fables in Prose with Cuts Solitude improved by divine Meditation By Nathaniel Ranew late Rector of Felsted in Essex Practical Discourses concerning Death and Heaven By Nathaniel Ranew Correction Instruction or a Treatise of Afflictions By Tho. Case The Principles of Christian Religion with a brief Method of the Doctrine thereof By Bishop Usher The sinfulness of Sin and the fulness of Christ In two Sermons By W. Bridge Brinsley's Posing of the parts reprinted 1697. Sir Simon D'ews Journal of all Queen Elizabeths Parliaments Folio Bacons Historical and Political account of the Government of England FINIS * Occasional Paper Numb 5. p 38. * Answer to the Archbishop's Sermon p. 44. * Bâ— of Worcester in his Vind. of the Trinity ch 10. * Letter to the Bishop of Worcester p. 69. * Smalc cont Frantz Disput. 4 †Homil 4. in 1 Iohan Catechism de morte Christi Qu. 12. ‖ The Antitâ—luâ—tarian Scheme of Religion p. 18. * Mr. Norrâ—'s Accoâ—nt oâ— Reason and Faith p. 13. * Bishop of Worcester's Pref. to his Vind. of the Doctrine of the Trinity †Pref. to the Account of Reason and Faith