being no consistency in error or falsehood) is impossible. Mr. B. knows there is no one of the catechists he so decries, but directs them whom he so instructs, to the Scriptures, and settles their faith on the word of God alone; though they labour to help their faith and understanding, by opening of it, whereunto also they are called. I fear Mr. B.'s certainty will at length appear to be scepticism; and his settling of men, to be the unsettling; that his 'conversions are from the faith; and that in this very book he aims more to acquaint men with his questions, than the Scripture answers. But he says,

2. Those whom he aims to bring to this certainty, are such as would fain understand the truth of our religion. If by our religion he means the religion of himself, and his followers (or rather masters) the Socinians, I am sorry to hear that any are so greedy of its acquaintance. Happily this is but a pretence; such as his predecessors in this work have commonly used. For understanding the truth of it, they will find in the issue what an endless work they have undertaken, Who can make that strait, which is crooked; or number that which is wanting? If by our religion he means the Christian religion, it may well be inquired who they are with their just and pious desires, who yet understand not the truth of Christian religion? that is, that it is the only true religion. When we know these Turks, Jews, Pagans, which Mr. Biddle hath to deal withal, we shall be able to judge of what reason he had to labour to satisfy their just and pious desires, I would also willingly be informed. how they came to so high an advancement in our religion, as to desire to be brought up in it, and to be able to instruct others, when as yet they do not understand the truth of it, or are not satisfied therein. And,

3. As these are admirable men, so the way he takes for their satisfaction is admirable also; that is, by asserting nothing. He that asserts nothing, proves nothing, for that which any one proves, that he asserts; intending then to bring men to a certainty who yet understand not the truth

f Hoc illis negotium est, non ethnicos convertendi, sed nostros evertendi. Tertul. de Præscrip. ad Hæ.

g Expressere id nobis vota multorum, multæque etiam a remotissimis orbis partibus ad nos transmissæ preces. Præfat. ad Cat. Rac. Nam rex Seleucus me opere oravit maximo, ut sibi latrones cogerem et conscriberem. Pyrgopol. in Plaut. Mil. Glo.

of our religion, he asserts nothing, proves nothing (as is the manner of some), but leaves them to themselves. A most compendious way of teaching (for whose attainment Mr. B. needed not to have been Master of Arts) if it proves effectual. But by not asserting, it is evident Mr. B. intends not silence; he hath said too much to be so interpreted. Only what he hath spoken, he hath done it in a sceptical way of inquiry; wherein, though the intendment of his mind be evident, and all his queries may be easily resolved into so many propositions or assertions, yet as his words lie he supposes he may speak truly, that he asserts nothing. Of the truth then of this assertion, that he doth not assert any thing, the reader will judge. And this is the path to atheism, which of all others is most trod and beaten in the days wherein we live. A liberty of judgment is pretended, and queries are proposed, until nothing certain be left, nothing unshaken. But,

4. He introduces the Scripture faithfully uttering its own assertions. If his own testimony concerning his faithful dealing, may be taken, this must pass. The express words of the Scripture, I confess are produced; but as to Mr. B.'s faithfulness in their production, I have sundry exceptions to make.

As 1. That by his leading questions, and application of the Scripture to them, he hath utterly perverted the scope and intendment of the places urged. Whereas he pretends not to assert or explain the Scripture, he most undoubtedly restrains the signification of the places by him alleged unto the precise scope, which in his sophistical queries he hath included; and in such a way of procedure, what may not the serpentine wits of men, pretend to a confirmation of, from Scripture, or any other book, that hath been written about such things, as the inquiries are made after. It were easy to give innumerable instances of this kind; but we fear God, and dare not to make bold with him or his word.

2. Mr. B. pretending to give an account of the chiefest things pertaining to belief and practice, doth yet propose no question at all, concerning many of the most important heads of our religion, and whereunto the Scripture speaks fully, and expressly; or proposes his thoughts in the negative, leading on the Scriptures, from whence he makes his

objections to the grand truths he opposeth, concealing, as was said, the delivery of them in the Scripture, in other places innumerable; so insinuating to the men of just and pious desires, with whom he hath to do, that the Scripture is silent of them. That this is the man's way of procedure, in reference to the Deity of Christ, and of the Holy Ghost, the satisfaction and merit of Christ, the corruption of nature, and efficacy of grace, with many other most important heads of Christian religion, will be fully manifest in our considerations of the several particulars, as they shall occur, in the method wherein by him they are handled.

3. What can be concluded of the mind of God, in the Scripture, by cutting off any place, or places of it, from their dependance, connexion, and tendency, catching at those words which seem to confirm what we would have them so to do (whether in the proper order, wherein of God they are set and fixed, they do in the least cast an eye towards the thesis, which they are produced to confirm or no), might easily be manifested, by innumerable instances, were not the vanity of such a course, evident to all. On the consideration. of these few exceptions to Mr. B.'s way of procedure, it will easily appear, what little advantage he hath given him thereby, and how unjust his pretence is, which by this course he aims to prevail upon men withal. This he opens, p. 6. 'None,' saith he, ' can fall upon the things contained in his catechism (which he confesseth to be quite contrary to the doctrine that passeth current among the generality of Christians), as they are here displayed, because the answers are transcribed out of the Scriptures.' But Mr. B. may be pleased to take notice, that the displaying, as he calls it, of his doctrines, is the work of his questions, and not of the words of Scripture produced to confirm them; which have a sense cunningly and subtilely imposed on them by his queries, or are pointed and restrained to the things, which in the place of their delivery, they look not towards in any measure. We shall undoubtedly find in the process of this business, that Mr. B.'s questions being found guilty of treason against God, will not be allowed sanctuary in the answers which they labour to creep into, and that they disclaiming their protection, may be pursued, taken, and given up to the justice and severity of truth, without the least profanation

of their holiness. A murderer may be plucked from the horns of the altar.

Nor is that the only answer insisted on for the removal of Mr. B.'s sophistry, which he mentions, p. 7. and pursues it for three or four leaves onward of his preface: viz. That the Scriptures which he urgeth, do in the letter hold out such things, as he allegeth them to prove, but yet they must be figuratively interpreted.' For Mr. B.'s mystical sense, I know not what he intends by it, or by whom it is urged. This is applicable solely to the places he produceth for the description of God and his attributes, concerning whom, that some expressions of Scripture, are to be so interpreted, himself confesses, p. 13. and we desire to take leave to inquire whether some others beside what Mr. B. allows, may not be of the same consideration. In other things, for the most part we have nothing at all to do with so much as the interpretation of the places he mentions, but only to remove the grossly sophistical insinuations of his queries; for instance, when Mr. B. asks, 'whether Christ Jesus was not a man or no,' and allegeth express Scripture affirming that he was; we say not, that the Scripture must have a figurative interpretation, but that Mr. B. is grossly sophistical; concluding from the assertion of Christ's human nature, to the denial of his divine, and desperately injurious to the persons with whom he pretends he hath to do, who as yet understand not the truth of our religion, in undertaking to declare to them the special chief things of belief and practice, and hiding from them the things of the greatest moment to their salvation, and which the Scripture speaks most plentifully unto; by not stating any question, or making any such inquiry, as their affirmation might be suited unto. The like instance may be given in all the particulars, wherein Mr. B. is departed from the faith once delivered to the saints. His whole following discourse then, to the end of p. 13. wherein he decrys the answer to his way of procedure which himself had framed, he might have spared. It is true, we do affirm that there are figurative expressions in the Scripture (and Mr. B. dares not say the contrary) and that they are accordingly to be interpreted; not that they are to have a mystical sense put upon them, but that the literal sense is to be received, according to the direction of

the figure which is in the words. That those words of our Saviour, this is my body,' are figurative, I suppose Mr. B. will not deny. Interpret them according to the figurative import of them, and that interpretation gives you the literal, and not a mystical sense, if such figures belong to speech and not to sense. That sense, I confess, may be spiritually understood (then it is saving), or otherwise: but this doth not constitute different senses in the words, but only denote a difference in the understandings of men. But all this in hypothesi Mr. B. fully grants, p. 9. so that there is no danger by asserting it, to cast the least thought of uncertainty on the word of God. But, p. 10. he gives you an instance, wherein this kind of interpretation must by no means be allowed, viz. in the Scriptures attributions of a shape, similitude (that is, of eyes, ears, hands, feet), unto God, with passions and affections like unto us; which, that they are not proper but figuratively to be interpreted, he tells you pp. 10-12.those affirm, who are perverted by false philosophy, and make a nose of wax of the Scripture, which plainly affirms such things of God.' In what sense the expressions of Scripture intimated, concerning God, are necessarily to be reviewed and understood, the ensuing considerations will inform the reader. For the present I shall only say, that I do not know scarce a more unhappy instance, in his whole book, that he could have produced, than this; wherein he hath been blasphemously injurious unto God, and his holy word. And herein we shall deal with him from Scripture itself, right reason," and the common consent of mankind. How remote our interpretations of the places by him quoted for his purpose are from wresting the Scripture, or turning them aside from their purpose, scope, and intendwill also in due time be made manifest.