Speaking Compelling without Force Rewarding without Inclination Punishing without Provocation Knowing Supporting Supplying and Governing all Things in all Times and Places at once with less Motion than that we call nutu aut intuitu this One this All in whom all Things are what is his Name and what is his Son's Name Mr. M. has set forth and magnified the Vigor Velocity and Extent of Man's Imagination and Intellect but they can by no means extend to utter true and adequate Conceptions concerning this Being Concerning whom Job's Friends say If thou art wicked what harm dost thou to him thy righteousness may profit a man like thy self but it can by no means affect that high Majesty Man's Goodness or Badness cannot raise in God either Joy or Grief Pleasure or Displeasure He has no more Affections than he has Parts He 's free from all Disturbances Passions or Inclinations acting Justice and Goodness through the whole space of his unconceivable Dominion resting in his own Clearness Constancy and Serenity He distributes throughout the whole Created World those Orders which among us upon Earth are the effects or products of Pleasure or Displeasure and distributes Rewards and Punishments without the incitements of Wrath but by the due and infallible directions of his Justice Wisdom and Goodness Men do not choose or suffer mortal Judges that are inclinable to Wrath Fear Pity Love or any other Affections And he that is the Judge of all the World does absolute Right among his Creatures without Affection Passion or Inclination or any thing like that we call Pleasure or Displeasure amongst Men. P. 75. Mr. M. saies You may tell Men of a future Resurrection and Judgment as long as you will but if they can stifle Reason so far as to disbelieve the Soul's Immortality they may far more plausibly deny the Article of the Resurrection As if he thought the Proof of the Immortality was stronger than that of the Resurrection To which the Observer Answers That there is no comparison in the clearness of the Proofs of the Resurrection and of the Immortality For that those of the Resurrection are clear and strong throughout the whole New Testament but those of the Immortality are neither positive nor firmly concluding Mr. M. saies Others will say as the Tree falls so it lies And the Observer agrees in the Truth of it that so it must do until the Resurrection That there is no Device nor Counsel in the Grave nor any sort of alteration after Death or between that and the Resurrection but as the Tree falls so it lies untill that Time and as Death leaves us so Judgment shall finds us P. 76. Mr. M. Demands What good purpose can there be in over-throwing the Immortality and establishing that of the Resurrection The Observer Answers The purpose is to establish Truth and reverse Error and to plant Expectation of future Recompences upon Sound and Rocky Ground viz. The Doctrine of the Resurrection which is irrefragable to any that believe the Scriptures VVhereas such an Expectation built upon the sandy Ground of the Immortality may be over-thrown by dint of Reason and other Scriptures and therewith all must fall which has been built upon it and great will be the fall of it endangering the whole Doctrine of future Recompences after the Death of the Person P. 77 Mr. M. says That the Opinion of the Materiality is directly contrary to the avowed Doctrine of the Church of England And for Proof thereof he Quotes Expressions of a Prayer used in the Office of Burial and those of a Homily dilating upon the Parable of Dives neither of which is a positive Proof of our Church's Opinion in this Point nor so strong a Proof of it as if it had been asserted amongst the Thirty nine Articles or in the Church-Catechism or in their Book of Canons But he does agree That it is a good presumptive Proof of the Church's Opinion about it and he doth also agree That the general Opinion of the Divines of this Church does stand with and support the Belief of the Soul's Immortality Mr. M. saies That no honest Materialist can declare his unfeigned consent to that Prayer Quoted out of the Office of the Burial And this shall be agreed to him but proves no more than that in this particular the said honest Man may hold his peace at the reciting of that Prayer and not join with the rest of the Company in it And Mr. M. saies further That if the Material Opinion be true the Dissenters from the Church of England should be more in the right if they sented in this Point also from the Tenet of our Church This also shall be agreed to him Mr. M. says P. 78. There is no Point of Doctrine wherein the Dissenters differ from the Church of England so important as this of the Soul's Materiality To this also the Observer agrees and says That he believes all the particular Points of Doctrine wherein the Dissenters differ from the Church of England are Things of very small moment in themselves but are blown up by the Wind of Phantasie to the show of a great appearance in the dazzled Eyes of the Dissenters only and are truly of no real importance to Religion They seem to ground their Offence upon our Church's observing such outward Modes of VVorship as have too near a compliance and accommodation with those used by the VVhore of Babylon Which Opinion if they will follow in Doctrine as well as Discipline they must forsake the Opinion of the Immortality because the Church of Rome do strongly maintain that Opinion and it has been by a General Council Ordained to be de fide amongst them Our Church of England does nor require so strict an Adherence to the Points of Doctrine or Discipline maintained by it as the Church of Rome does but opens the Bowels of her Compassion to her weak Children dissenting from some particular Parts of her Doctrine or Discipline provided they be still willing and ready to acknowledge Her for their Mother and submit to Her Orders generally or in Things wherein they have not particular Reasons to the contrary and especially when they profess a readiness to appeal to Her most considerate Judgment for the Hearing or Determining such Doubts and Scruples as at sometimes may fall upon them The Observer has already called upon the Bishop of Worcester assisted by the most Knowing Persons of his Faculty to produce their Reasons and give their Judgments in this Point and if he and they shall at present wave the delivery of their Opinions in this Point He Appeals further to a National Synod or Convocation to which he is ever ready to submit his Opinion with this caution not to be Determined by a bare Majority of Voices nor by a less Majority than Two third Parts of the whole Assembly As is reasonably observed in the Roman Conclave and as was pretended to be observed in the Trent-Council where they said They did
in Statu Composito and not to either of his Constituent Parts in a State of Separation of the one from the other P. 60. Mr. M. saies That many good Men have died with raised Expectations of entring immediately into a Blessed State This the Observer believes to be true and that Men Die with many other Conceptions and Errors about them besides this and yet receive no harm or hinderance by any of them Mr. M. here further Repeats divers like mistakes amongst the Philosophers P. 61 Mr. M. saies He will not mention the Raptures of many Christian Martyrs at the time of their departing grounded upon this Expectation The Observer thinks That such Examples of this as he can find among the Primitive Martyrs would deserve his Quotation Mr. M. saies further That it may justly seem a great wonder that many of the best Men have erred in this Point of great concernment and a very few Men and those of mean Parts and Credit should be in the right of of it The Observer Answers That this among other like Accidents is not so strange as true Whilst the Learned World thought the Earth to be the Center of the Planetary Circumvolution some very few there were that ascrib'd that Place to the Sun and they at last are proved to be in the Right Did not the Learned World and particularly the Governors of the Church absolutely deny the Being of Antipodes which is now as apparent and clear a Truth as that there are Countries called by the Names of China and Japan Do not all true Proselytes of the Romish Church profess firmly to believe That there is no Salvation for any who Die excluded from the Communion of that Church And do not all Sectaries and Dissenters and the very Quakers profess absolutely to believe That their ways and modes of Worship are the most Excellent that are to be found among the Christian Churches or any other Assemblies in the World and are they not ready to expos themselves to Dangers and Death for the Maintenance and Advancement of their Profession Errors as they are Was not the Truth of Religion justled into a very narrow room when it was all comprised in one single Family Despised Hated and Persecuted by the Learned Chaldeans on the one side and their Equals the Egyptians on another side whilst the vast compass of the Earth besides was muffled up in the dark Clouds of Ignorance and neither knew any thing of God or else apply'd themselves to him by Devils or Daemons or other dumb shows of Idolatrous Figures for maintenance of whose Vain Services they were ready to spend their Blood and put to Death all those who durst affront them Of which Truth Mr. M's Proto-Martyr Socrates is an undoubted Evidence who suffer'd Death for daring to deny that which the World at that time undoubtedly believ'd for a certain Truth In these Pages Mr. M. Repeats the Words wretchedly deceived many times over The Observer grants and believes That a vast number of very good Men have Died in the Opinion Erroneous as it is of the Soul's Immortality But that was no more hurtful to them than an holding either part of the Questions concerning Predestination Original Sin or the Procession of the Holy Ghost or any other Speculative Opinions of that Kind And that if the Observer's Opinion of the Materiality be true the Persons Dying in the belief of the Immortality shall never find or know that they were deceived in it That Faith and those Manners which will serve them at an Intermediate Judgment will serve them as fully at the Last Judgment their Works do follow them and will serve them as well at the one Judgment as at the other They will not be lost or diminished by the largest Account of Time which may pass between their Deaths and the Resurrection As the Persons rising shall be perfect and known yea and the very same that Died tho' they have suffered far greater Alterations than Mr. M. has before pretended The Faith and Works of such Dying Persons shall then also appear to be the same which they were at their several Deaths The Resurrection and Last Judgment are certain and clearly Proveable by a strong Current of Scripture But the Intermediate Judgment is neither likely nor Proveable by any clear Assertory Text of Scripture whatsoever The Observer Advises Men therefore to build their Expectations of future Recompenses upon the rockie and sure Ground of the Resurrection rather than upon the soft and sandy Ground of an Intermediate Judgment The Observer conceives it a very improper and something absurd Course to bring a Man to Judgment whilst the is asleep without first wakening him out of it And we know that every where the Scripture calls Death a Sleep St. Stephen stoned to Death fell asleep Those who sleep in Jesus shall God bring with him We that are alive shall not prevent them that are asleep If there be no Resurrection then all those that are faln asleep in Christ are perished All Dead Persons are said to sleep with their Fathers and all Men Naturally do know that Death is a sound Sleep and has the common Reputation of something beyond it but certainly it is that at the least We know further this Effect of a sound Sleep that whether a Man sleep Four Hours or Forty Hours when he awakes he can find no difference nor know any thing of the degrees of Time which have passed over him and so for Forty thousand Days 4000 Years When the Person shall be awaked he can have no sense or perceiving of any time that is passed over him but rises perfectly as if he had but faln asleep a short time before and then shall find himself the same that he was when he fell asleep and as able to Account for what he has done in the Flesh as he was in the best time of his Life So as they who have no other Impediments but their erroneous Tenet in this Point shall not find themselves deceived to their prejudice but shall receive those full and real Recompences which belong to their Faith and Manners Mr. M. here further Quotes his good Friend Cicero whose Words make plainly for his Opinion but are of little force for the convincing of the Observer who attributes as much to the Bp. of Worcester's Thoughts as he does to those of Cicero but concludes amicus Cicero amici Doctores sed magis amica veritas Mr. M. pretends to offer a Sixth Absurdity arising from the Opinion of the Materiality which has little that needs Answer in it and to that which needs it a sufficient Answer has been given it in the fore-going Pages P. 64 Mr. M. takes Exceptions at the Observer's Anatomy for his placing the Power of Sanguification in the Liver He allows therein That the Observer agrees with the Ancient Anatomists but saies That the later Anatomists differ in this Point from the former upon good Grounds denying that this performance is made
Adversary has very little of the Power of Christianity in him for that the latter Part of his Treatise is full of censorious uncharitable Expressions without any Truth in there or Provocation to them but proceeding rather from his own natural Inclination and Practice perfectly Pharisaical which was to dignifie and magnifie themselves by vilifying and despising other Men. Upon which Practice Meekness it self was whetted to use sharp Expressions Our Lord says Mat. 23.33 Ye Serpents ye Generation of Vipers how can ye escape the Damnation of Hell Ch. 12.36 I say unto you That every idle World that Men shall speak they shall give Account thereof in the Day of Judgment What then is like to become of the Adversary at that Day concerning his many idle uncharitable censorious false Expressions purposely deliver'd in this Treatise without any just Provocation given him for so doing May not our Lord's Words be reasonably applied to this Person Thou Serpent thou Generation of a Viper how canst thou escape that Damnation of Hell which after the Day of Judgment shall be made ready to receive not the Souls of condemned Persons but their Souls and Bodies together into everlasting Burnings where the Worm dyeth not and the Fire is not quenched If Practice has made this Course so habitual to thee as that thou canst not forbear the Usage of it yet oughtest thou to be careful to confine it to thy own Flock or Herd who probably are much us'd to it illa te carcere regnare sit tibi satis Be thou therefore advis'd to follow thine own Trade within the proper Sphere of its Activity and be guided by the old Rule Ne sutor ultra crepidam Solomon directs Men to take care of their own Flocks and their own Herds and St. Paul forbears to judge them that are without And yet if the Adversary thought himself oblig'd to contend for the Truth against those who are without his Precinct he ought however to have done this modestly tho' earnestly and therein to have avoided those contumelious Expressions which he has frequently used especially all Injuries and false Aspersions laid upon his Opponent contrary to the clear Truth and the Civility of Manners which ought to be used by Men of his Profession not to name his Calling for that it does not appear whether he has any or no. P. 144 The Observer demands of the Adversary Is this Course which he has follow'd to imitate the Innocence of little Children Is this to demonstrate we are Christ's Disciples by loving one other Or is it not rather to proclaim to the World that he knows not what Spirit he is of May his Readers not have a just Cause of Suspicion that such Fruits are earthly sensual and Devilish The Adversary says further That the Love born to one another is the best Badge of Christianity acting thereupon like Rowers in a floating Vessel who look one way and row another P. 145 He speaks of such who would hear God's Words but not do them What shall then his Judgment be who will speak but neither the Words of God nor those of civil Persons amongst Men. The Adversary speaks of many good Duties Men may be able to perform to which he shou'd have added That wise and good Men are able to bear patiently with other Men who may fall into such Over-sights as they may think to be Weaknesses and Errors without reproaching and reviling them upon those Accounts remembring St. Paul's Admonition Take heed to thy self lest thou also be tempted P. 146 he quotes divers Texts of Scripture good in themselves without any of his Comments upon them We read Matt. 4. Texts of Scripture used by the old Serpent in his Temptation of Christ and we meet with like Things in divers other Places of Scripture and that Satan can change himself and is apt to change himself into an Angel of Light thereby to deceive and mislead such as he can perswade to hear and follow him P. 147 He says It is no easie Matter to be a Christian indeed The Observer grants it and that the Adversary's present Treatise is a good Proof of it P. 149 He says meaning it is likely concerning his own Congregation That there are many who know not what Regeneration means nor the other ordinary Duties belonging to the Christian Religion and if they be ask'd concerning them cannot answer Three Words of Sense about them The Observer replies That in the Catechism of the Church of England the Doctrines necessary for the Salvation of Men are well deliver'd and specified and that ali devout Members of that Church are taught and requir'd to learn the same Memoriter and are daily taught in their Churches the Sense and Meaning of those Articles and all other Doctrines contained especially in the New Testament So as that if there be not great Fault and Defect either in the Teachers or the Hearers either one or both of them the People of our Church cannot be so ignorant as he pretends Men commonly are so as not to know the Water of Baptism is the Laver of Regeneration the Catechism teaching them That by Baptism they are regenerated and ingrafted into the Church of Christ and are thereby directed and enabled for dying to Sin and to be Partakers of a new Birth unto Righteousness the Benefits of which are to be made a Member of Christ and an Inheriter of the Kingdom of Heaven And in Prosecution of that Design Men are thereby directed to forsake the Devil and all his Works believe the Articles of the Christian Faith and keep God's Holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same all the Days of their Lives P. 150 The Advers does here wish to know many fine and curious Questions and Things concerning Angels and the future State of separate Souls The Observer thinks all his Conceit and Fancy thereupon to be vain and unedifying or else to be frivolous and false What he talks of the Angels is vain and utterly unknown to him what he pretends to know of Souls is false and frivolous He demands further Can ye believe two States so vastly different hereafter as a happy or cursed Resurrection and yet not consider there must be some suitable Preparatiens made whilst we are here for avoiding the one and obtaining the other The Observer assures himself There are very few Men who believe in that manner except they may be such as are of the Advers own Education The Advers says He has set a Description of Heaven before his Reader meaning it seems such a Heaven as Mens Souls go to presently upon the Death of the Person The Observer replies That he finds no Description of that or any sort of Heaven in this his Treatise and for Souls going thither at the Death of the Persons he and all they who read our Writings cannot but know that it is the very Point in Question And for him to think that any Body will be led away by his presumptuous