2. Neither truly were you more willing to effect such an altera. tion in me, than I was to have it effected. For my desire is to go the right way to eternal hapiness. But whether this way lay on the right hand, or the left, or straight forward; whether it be by following a living guide, or by seeking my direction in a book, or by hearkening to the secret whisper of some private spirit; to me it is indifferent. And he that is otherwise affected, and hath not a traveller's indifference, which Epictetus requires in all that would find the truth, but much desires, in respect of his ease, or pleasure, or profit, or advancement, or satisfaction of friends, or any human consideration, that one way should be true rather than another; it is odds but he will take his desire that it should be so, for an assurance that it is so. But I, for my part, unless I deceive myself, was, and still am, so affected, as I have made profession; not willing, I confess, to take any thing upon trust, and to believe it without asking myself why; no, nor able to command myself (were I never so willing) to follow, like a sheep, every shepherd that should take upon him to guide me, or every flock that should chance to go before me; but most apt and most willing to be lea by reason to any way, or from it, and always submitting all other reasons to this one-God hath said so, therefore it is true. Nor yet was I so unreasonable as to expect mathematical demonstrations from you in matters plainly incapable of them, such as are to be believed, and if we speak properly, cannot be known; such, therefore, I expected not. For as he is an unreasonable master, who requires a stronger assent to his conclusions than his arguments deserve; so I conceive him a froward and undisciplined scholar, who desires stronger arguments for a conclusion than the matter will bear. But had you represented to my understanding such reasons of your doctrine, as, being weighed in an even balance, held by an even hand, with those on the other side, would have turned the scale, and have made your religion more credible than the contrary; certainly I should have despised the shame of one more alteration, and with both mine arms, and with all my heart, most readily have embraced it: such was my expectation from you, and such my preparation, which I brought with me to the reading your book.

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3. Would you know now what the event was, what effect was wrought in me, by the perusal and consideration of it? To deal truly and ingenuously with you, I fell somewhat in my good opinion both of your sufficiency and sincerity, but was exceedingly confirmed in my ill opinion of the cause maintained by you. I found every where snares that might entrap, and colours that might deceive the simple; but nothing that might persuade and very little that might move an understanding man, and one that can discern between discourse and sophistry: in short, I was verily persuaded, that I plainly saw, and could make it appear to all dispassionate and unprejudicate judges, that a vein of sophistry and calumny did run clean through it from the beginning to the end. And letting some friends understand so much, I suffered myself to be persuaded by them, that it would not be either unproper for me, or unacceptable to God, nor peradventure altogether un

serviceable to his church, nor justly offensive to you (if you indeed were a lover of truth, and not a maintainer of a faction), if setting aside the second part, which was in a manner wholly employed in particular disputes, repetitions, and references, and in wranglings with Dr. Potter about the sense of some supernumerary quotations, and whereon the main question no way depends, I would make a fair and ingenuous answer to the first, wherein the substance of the present controversy is confessedly contained; and which, if it were clearly answered, no man would desire any other answer to the second. This, therefore, I undertook, with a full resolution to be an adversary to your errors, but a friend and servant to your person and so much the more a friend to your person, by how much the severer and more rigid adversary I was to your errors.

4. In this work my conscience bears me witness, that I have, according to your advice, " proceeded always with this consideration, that I am to give a most strict account of every line and word that passeth under my pen;" and therefore have been precisely careful, for the matter of my book, to defend truth only, and only by truth; and then scrupulously fearful of scandalizing you or any man with the manner of handling it. From this rule, sure I am, I have not willingly swerved in either part of it; and, that I might not do it ignorantly, I have not only myself examined mine own work (perhaps with more severity than I have done yours), as conceiving it a base and unchristian thing to go about to satisfy others with what I myself am not fully satisfied), but have also made it pass the fiery trial of the exact censures of many understanding judges, always heartily wishing that you yourself had been of the quorum. But they who did undergo this burden, as they wanted not a sufficiency to discover any heterodox doctrine, so I am sure they have been very careful to let nothing slip dissonant from truth, or from the authorized doctrine of the church of England: and, therefore, whatsoever causeless and groundless jealousy any man may entertain concerning my person, yet my book, I presume, in reason and common equity, should be free from them; wherein I hope that little or nothing hath escaped so many eyes which, being weighed in the balance of the sanctuary, will be found too light and in this hope I am much confirmed by your strange carriage of yourself in this whole business. For though, by some crooked and sinister arts, you have got my answer into your hands, now a year since and upwards, as I have been assured by some that profess to know it,* and those of your own party; though you could not want every day fair opportunities of sending to me, and acquainting me with any exceptions which you conceived might be justly taken to it, or any part of it (than which nothing could have been more welcome to me); yet hitherto you have not been pleased to acquaint me with any one: nay more, though you have been at sundry times, and by several ways, entreated and solicited, nay, pressed and importuned by me, to join with me in a private discussion of the controversy between us, before the publication of my answer (because I was extremely unwilling to publish anything which had not passed all manner of trials; as desiring, not that I, or my side, but

Some that know it.-Orf.

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that truth might overcome, on which side soever it was); though I have protested to you, and set it under my hand (which protestation, by God's help, I would have made good), if you, or any other, who would undertake your cause, would give me a fair meeting, and choose out of your whole book any one argument whereof you was most confident, and by which you would be content the rest should be judged of, and make it appear that I had not, or could not, answer it, that I would desist from the work which I had undertaken, and answer none at all; though by all the arts which possibly I could devise, I have provoked you to such a trial; and in particular by assuring you, that if you refused it, the world should be informed of your tergiversation; notwithstanding all this, you have perpetually and obstinately declined it! which to my understanding is a very evident sign, that there is not any truth in your cause, nor (which is impossible there should be) strength in your arguments ! especially considering what our Saviour hath told us, Every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved; but he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

5. In the mean while, though you despaired of compassing your desire this honest way, yet you have not omitted to tempt me, by base and unworthy considerations, to desert the cause which I had undertaken; letting me understand from you, by an acquaintance common to us both, how that "in case my work should come to light, my inconstancy in religion" (so you miscall my constancy in following that way to heaven, which for the present seems to me the most probable) "should be to my great shame painted to the life;" that " my own writings should be produced against myself; that I should be urged to answer my own motives against protestantism; and that such things should be published to the world touching my belief" (for my painter I must expect should have great skill in perspective)" of the doctrine of the Trinity, the Deity of our Saviour, and all supernatural verities as should endanger all my benefices, present and future:" that "this warning was given me not out of fear what I could say (for that catholics, if they might wish any ill, would beg the publication of my book, for respects obvious enough), but out of a mere charitable desire of my good and reputation ;" and that "all this was said upon a supposition that I was answering, or had a mind to answer, Charity Maintained; if not, no harm was done." To which courteous premonition, as I remember, I desired the gentleman who dealt between us to return this answer, or to this effect: That I believed the doctrine of the Trinity, the Deity of our Saviour, and all other supernatural verities revealed in Scripture, as truly and as heartily as yourself, or any man; and, therefore, herein your charity was very much mistaken; but much more, and more uncharitably, in conceiving me a man that was to be wrought upon with these terribiles visu forma, those carnal and base fears which you presented to me, which were very proper motives for the devil and his instruments to tempt poorspirited men out of the way of conscience and honesty, but very incongruous, either for teachers of truth to make use of, or for

lovers of truth (in which company I had been long agone matriculated) to hearken to with any regard. But if you were indeed desirous that I should not answer Charity Maintained, one way there was, and but one, whereby you might obtain your desire; and that was, by letting me know when and where I might attend you; and, by a fair conference, to be written down on both sides, convincing mine understanding (who was resolved not to be a recusant if I were convicted) that any one part of it, any one argument in it, which was of moment and consequence, and whereon the cause depends, was indeed unanswerable. This was the effect of my answer, which I am well assured was delivered; but reply from you I received none but this, that you would have no conference but in print; and soon after finding me of proof against all these batteries, and thereby, I fear, very much enraged, you took up the resolution of the furious goddess, in the poet, madded with the unsuccessfulness of her malice,

Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo!

6. For certainly those indign contumelies, that mass of portentous and execrable calumnies, wherewith in your pamphlet of Directions to N. N. you have loaded not only my person in particular, but all the learned and moderate divines of the church of England, and all protestants in general, nay, all wise men of all religions but your own, could not proceed from any other fountain.

7. To begin with the last; you stick not, in the beginning of your first chapter, to fasten the imputation of atheism and irreligion upon all wise and gallant men that are not of your own religion; in which uncharitable and unchristian judgment, void of all colour or shadow of probability, I know yet by experience, that very many of the bigots of your faction are partakers with you. God forbid I should think the like of you! yet if I should say that in your religion there want not some temptations unto, and some principles of, irreligion and atheism, I am sure I could make my assertion much more probable than you have done or can make this horrible imputation.

8. For to pass by, first, that which experience justifies, that where and when your religion hath most absolutely commanded, there and then atheism hath most abounded. To say nothing, secondly, of your notorious and confessed forging of so many false miracles, and so many lying legends, which is not unlikely to make suspicious men to question the truth of all; nor to object to you, thirdly, the abundance of your weak and silly ceremonies, and ridiculous observances in your religion, which, in all probability, cannot but beget secret contempt and scorn of it in wise and considering men; and consequently atheism and impiety, if they have this persuasion settled in them (which is too rife among you, and which you account a piece of wisdom and gallantry), that if they be not of your religion, they were as good be of none at all; nor to trouble you, fourthly, with this, that a great part of your doctrine, especially in the points contested, makes apparently for the temporal ends of the teachers of it, which yet, I fear, is a great scandal to many beau esprits among you; only I should desire you to con

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sider attentively, when you conclude so often from the differences of protestants, that they have no certainty of any part of their religion, no, not of those points wherein they agree, whether you do not that that which so magisterially you direct me not to do, that is, proceed a destructive way, and object arguments against your adversaries, which tend to the overthrow of all religion?" And whether, as you argue thus, "Protestants differ in many things, therefore they have no certainty of anything so an atheist or sceptic may not conclude as well, Christians and the professors of all religions differ in many things, therefore they have no certainty in anything? Again, should desire you to tell me ingenuously, whether it be not too probable, that your portentous doctrine of transubstantiation, joined with your forementioned persuasion of "No Papists, no Christians" hath brought a great many others, as well as himself, to Averroes his resolution, Quandoquidem Christiani adorant quod comedunt, sit anima mea cum philosophis? Whether your requiring men, upon only probable and prudential motives, to yield a most certain assent unto things in human reason impossible, and telling them, as you do too often, that they were as good not believe at all, as believe with any lower degree of faith; be not a likely way to make considering men scorn your religion (and consequently all, if they know no other), as requiring things contradictory, and impossible to be performed? Lastly, whether your pretence, that there is no good ground to believe Scripture, but your Church's infallibility, joined with your pretending no ground for this but some texts of Scripture, be not a fair way to make them that understand themselves believe neither church nor Scripture?

9. Your calumnies against protestants in general are set down in these words, chap. ii. § 2, "The very doctrine of protestants, if it be followed closely, and with coherence to itself, must of necessity induce Socinianism. This I say confidently, and evidently prove, by instancing in one error, which may well be termed the capital and mother heresy, from which all other must follow at ease; I mean their heresy in affirming that the perpetual visible church of Christ, descended by a never-interrupted succession from our Saviour to this day, is not infallible in all that it proposeth to be believed as revealed truths. For if the infallibility of such a public authority be once impeached, what remains but that every man is given over to his own wit and discourse? And talk not here of Holy Scripture; for if the true church may err in defining what scriptures be canonical, or in delivering the sense and meaning thereof, we are still devolved, either upon the private spirit (a foolery now exploded out of England, which finally leaving every man to his own conceits, ends in Socinianism), or else upon natural wit and judgment, for examining and determining what scriptures contain true or false doctrine, and in that respect, ought to be received or rejecte. And, indeed, take away the authority of God's church, no man can be assured that any one book, or parcel of Scripture, was written by Divine inspiration, or that all the contents are infallibly true, which are the direct errors of Socinians. If it were but for this reason alone, no man, who regards the eternal salvation of his soul, would live or die in protestancy. from which so vast absurdities