know when and where I may personally wait upon him to be convinced of it: in the mean time, so much for that section in the second, he declares what my judgment was in that treatise about the distance between pastors and people, and of the extremes that some men on each hand run into: and I now tell him, that I am of the same mind still, so that that note hath little availed him. In the third, he relates what I delivered, 'that a man, not solemnly called to the office of the ministry by any outward call, might do as to the preaching of the gospel in a collapsed church-state:' unto this he makes sundry objections, that my discourse is dark, not clear, and the like; but, remembering that his business was not to confute that treatise also, but to prove from it my inconstancy, and inconsistency with myself, he says, I am changed from what I then delivered: this is denied, I am punctually of the same judgment still: but he proves the contrary by a double argument. 1. Because I have renounced my ordination. 2. Because I think now, that not only in a complete church-state, but when no such thing can be charged, that gifts and consent of the people is enough to make a man a preacher in office: both untrue and false in fact. I profess I am astonished, to think with what frame of spirit, what neglect of all rules of truth and love this business is managed. In the fourth section, he chargeth me to have delivered somewhat in that treatise about the personal indwelling of the Holy Ghost in believers, and my words to that purpose are quoted at large. What then? am I changed in this also? no, but that is an error in the judgment of all that be orthodox: but that is not the business in hand, but the alteration of my judgment; wherefore he makes a kind of exposition upon my words in that treatise, to shew that I was not then of the mind that I have now delivered myself to be of, in my book of schism; but I could easily answer the weakness of his exceptions, and pretended expositions of my former assertions, and evidence my consistency in judgment with myself in this business ever since; but this he saith is an error which he gathered out of my book of schism; and somebody hath sent him word from Oxford that I preached the same doctrine at St. Mary's. I wish his informer had never more deceived him; it is most true I have done so, and since printed at large what then I delivered, with sundry additions thereunto; and if this reverend author shall think good to examine what I have published on that account (not in the way in this treatise proceeded in, which in due time will be abhorred of himself and all good men, but with candour, and a spirit of Christian ingenuity and meekness), I shall acknowledge myself obliged to him and in the mean time I desire him to be cautious of large expressions, concerning all the orthodox, to oppose that opinion, seeing evidences of the contrary lie at hand in great plenty and let him learn from hence how little his insulting in his book on this account is to be valued. Sect. 5. he shews that I then proved the name of priests not to be proper, or to be ascribed to the ministers of the gospel; but that now (as is supposed in scorn) I call the ministers of their particular congregations parochial priests: untrue! In the description of the prelatical church, I shewed what they esteemed and called parish ministers amongst them. I never called the presbyterian ministers of particular congregations, parochial priests. Love, truth, and peace; these things ought not thus to be. Sect. 6. he labours to find some difference in the tendency of several expressions in that treatise, which is not at all to the purpose in hand, nor true, as will appear to any that shall read the treatise itself. In sect. 7-11. he takes here and there a sentence out of the treatise and examines it, interlacing his discourse with untrue reflections, surmises, and prognostications and in particular, p. 238, 239. But what doth all this avail him in reference to his design in hand? not only before, but even since, his exceptions to the things then delivered, I am of the same mind that I was, without the least alteration. And in the viewing of what I had then asserted, I find nothing strange to me, but the sad discovery of what frame of spirit the charge proceeded from. Sect. 12. doth the whole work; there I acknowledge myself to be of the presbyterian judgment, and not of the independent or congregational. Had this reverend author thought meet to have confined his charge to this one quotation, he had prevented much evil that spreads itself over the rest of his discourse, and yet have attained the utmost of what he can hope for from the whole; and hereof I have already given an account. But he will yet proceed, and, sect. 13. inform his reader, that in that treatise I aver, that two things are required in a teacher, as to formal ministerial teaching. 1. Gifts from God. 2. Authority from the church: well! what then? I am of the same mind still: but now I cry down ordination by presbytery; what, and is not this a great alteration and sign of inconstancy? Truly, sir, there is more need of humiliation in yourself, than triumphing against me; for the assertion is most untrue, and your charge altogether groundless; which I desire you would be satisfied in, and not to be led any more by evil surmises, to wrong me, and your own soul. He adds, sect. 14. two cautions, which in that treatise I give to private Christians in the exercise of their gifts, and closeth the last of them with a juvenile epiphonema, divinely spoken, and like a true presbyterian and yet there is not one word in either of these cautions that I do not still own and allow; which confirms the unhappiness of the charge. Of all that is substantial in any thing that follows, I affirm the same, as to all that which is gone before. Only as to the liberty to be allowed unto them which meet in private, who cannot in conscience join in the celebration of public ordinances, as they are performed amongst us, I confess myself to be otherwise minded at present, than the words there quoted by this author do express. But this is nothing to the difference between presbytery and independency: and he that can glory, that in fourteen years he hath not altered or improved in his conception of some things, of no greater importance than that mentioned, shall not have me for his rival. And this is the sum of Mr. C.'s appendix; the discourse whereof being carried on with such a temper of spirit as it is, and suited to the advantage aimed at, by so many evil surmises, false suggestions, and uncharitable reflections, I am persuaded the taking of that pains, will one day be no joy of heart unto him. CHAP. III. A review of the charger's preface. His first chapter consists for the most part in a repetition of my words, or so much of the discourse of my first chapter as he could wrest, by cutting off one, and another parcel of it from its coherence in the whole, with the interposure of glosses of his own, to serve him to make biting reflections upon them with whom he hath to deal. How unbecoming such a course of procedure is, for a person of his worth, gravity, and profession, perhaps his deurépai ppovrides, have by this time convinced him. If men have a mind to perpetuate controversies unto an endless, fruitless reciprocation of words and cavils; if to provoke to easy and facile retortions; if to heighten and aggravate differences beyond any hope of reconciliation, they may do well to deal after this manner with the writings of one another. Mr. C. knows how easy it were to make his own words dress him up in all those ornaments wherein he labours to make me appear in the world, by such glosses, inversions, additions, and interpositions, as he is pleased to make use of; but 'meliora speramus.' Such particulars that seem to be of any importance to our business in hand, may be remarked as we pass through it: p. 1. he tells us the Donatists had two principles. 1. That they were the only church of Christ in a corner of Africa, and left no church in the world but their own. 2. That none were truly baptized, or entered members of the church of Christ, but by some minister of their party. These principles, says, are again improved by men of another party: whom though yet he name not, yet it is evident whom he intends; p. 3. he requires my judgment of those principles. he and Because I would not willingly be wanting in any thing that may tend to his satisfaction, though I have some reason to conjecture at my unhappiness in respect of the event; I shall with all integrity give him my thoughts of the principles expressed above. 1. Then, if they were considered in reference to the Donatists who owned them, I say, they were wicked, corrupt, erroneous principles, tending to the disturbance of the com munion of saints, and everting all the rules of love that our Lord Jesus Christ hath given to his disciples and servants to observe; if he intend my judgment of them in reference to the churches of England, which he calls independent, I am sorry that he should think he hath any reason to make this inquiry. I know not that man in the world who is less concerned in obtaining countenance to those principles than I am. Let them who are so ready on all occasions, or provocations, to cast abroad the solemn forms of reproach, schismatics, sectaries, heretics, and the like, search their own hearts as to a conformity of spirit unto these principles. It is not what men say, but what men do, that they shall be judged by. As the Donatists were not the first who in story were charged with schism, no more was their schism confined to Africa. The agreement of multitudes in any principles, makes it in itself not one whit better, and in effect worse. For my part, I acknowledge the churches in England, Scotland, and France, Helvetia, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Muscovia, &c. as far as I know of them, to be true churches; such, for aught I know, may be in Italy or Spain; and what pretence or colour this reverend person hath to fix a contrary persuasion upon me, with so many odious imputations and reflections, of being one of the restorers of all lost churches, and the like, I profess I know not. These things will not be peace in the latter end; shall the sword devour for ever? I dare not suppose that he will ask, why then do I separate from them? he hath read my book of schism, wherein I have undeniably proved, that I have separated from none of them, and I am loath to say, though I fear before the close of my discourse I shall be compelled to it, that this reverend author hath answered a matter before he understood it, and confuted a book, whose main and chief design he did not once apprehend. The rest of this chapter is composed of reflections upon me from my own words wrested at his pleasure, and added to according to the purpose in hand, and the taking for granted unto that end that they are in the right, we in the wrong, that their churches are true churches, and yet not esteemed so by me, that we have separated from those churches, with such like easy suppositions. He is troubled that I thought the mutual chargings of each other with schism, between the Presbyterians and Independents, was as to its |