and if notwithstanding these folemn Obligations, any of them are guilty of fcandalous Practices, inconfiftent with their Profeffion, they have much to account for: Tho' in the mean time, that neither adds to, nor detracts from the Orthodoxy of that Worship. Was not St. Paul a powerful Preacher? And yet in his Time there was an inceftuous Corinthian. If you or any of your Tribe fower my Temper any more hereafter with that unhandfom Way of Dealing, you will force me to make an Enquiry that I am unwilling to do; and then perhaps I fhall find even in the very Catalogue of your Saints a Black Lift of fome guilty even of Beaftiality, Inceft, Murther and Rebellion. But I affure you this would be a very disagreeable Task. It's in your Power to prevent it, and I expect you will do it. I must tell you that that was the Way the heathen Philofophers of old treated the Chriftians, to bring Difcredit upon their Religion. As we have it from Juftin Martyr, Arnobius, and others of the Apologifts; and indeed, fometimes they retorted and compared Notes. If I fhould fo treat you, I fhould but follow their Example, which would be fufficient to vindicate me: But I fhall at prefent give you that civil Answer they gave them; Were there not standing Laws to punish them? Why were they not convicted before the Judges, who were ready to hear Accufations brought against them, and to punish them according to thofe Laws. ?

Are those of the Epifcopal Perfuafion in Aberdeen, fcreen'd from the Punishments appointed by Law, for any Crime committed by them? Are there no Judges to be found that will hear an Accufation against them, and do Justice upon them?

I was

I was informed you was witness to the contrary not long ago; that you found Judges fwift to hear, and ready to punifh; yea, even to extend the Law, as far as it would bear, against them, as (I am informed) may in due time appear. Are there no Acccufers, why do you not employ your Reverend BrotherMr. T B-n, who in the laft Process he managed, deserved so well of the Good Dld Caufe, that he never left the Court, nor gave the Judges Reft, Night nor Day, till he got its Enemies punifhed? Nay, he was fo eager in his officious Sollicitations, that he forc'd a Judge (who was no Friend to the Defendants) to give him a very fharp Reprimand from the Bench, even to tell him, That his Eagerness in that Profecution, made him almost think he was not in a Chriftian Country. You know where to get an Affife and a Clerk to the Procefs, I need tell you of neither, for I am told you was Witnefs to all. Mean time, I would give you, and all your Followers a Christian Advice: (r) Before you behold the Mote in your Neighbour's Eye, take the Beam out of your own: Confider whether you be in a State of Schifm or not, (as it would not be hard to prove you are) and the Nature of that Sin; try if you be duly fent, examine your Miffion, remember the Punishment God was pleafed to inflict on. him, who dared to put his Hands to the Ark to hold it up, even when it was a tottering. In the time of the famous fore-cited Martyr and Apollogift, Juftin, Crefcens the Philofopher traduced the Chriftians as atheistical and irreligious; the Answer he made Crefcens was, That he talked

(r) St. Matth. vii. 3.

about

about Things he did not understand, and feigned Things out of his own Head, to comply with the Humour of h's feduced Difciples and followers, in reproaching the Doctrine of CHRIST when he did not understand it, he difcovered a moft wicked and malignant Temper, and fhewed himself far worse than the most fimple and unlearned, who are not wont rafhly to determine in Things not known to them. Or if he did understand the Beauty and Excellency of it. He fhewed himself much more bafe and difingenuous in charging upon it what he knew to be falfe.

I

SIR,

HAVE now done with what I propofed, I have taken Notice of the Injustice of your Charge on the Orthodox Liturgy by which we worship GOD; I think I have treated you all along with good Manners But if you think fit to make any Reply, I am ready to defend what I have here af Je ted. I would have you duly to confider what Injury you have done to Truth, to the REFORMATION, and to the Character of a Minifter which you unjustly pretend to, and instead of fitting any longer in the Seat of the Scorner, I would have you to stand on the Stool of Repentance, and a knowledge how far the Violence of a Party Spirit tranfported you, beyond either Reafon or Religion; and I dare promife in the Name of those you wronged, you will find ready Forgiveness; but let me advise you for the future to follow the Exhortation of the Apoftle, Eph, iv. 25. Wherefore putting away Lying, speak every Man Truth - with his Neighbour.

I am,

Some farther

CONSIDERATIONS

CONCERNING

Set Forms of Prayer, Epifcopacy,
Schifim, &c.

HE foregoing Letter, in Subftance the fame that was fent, and carefully delivered into the Hands of M. MApril 16. 1715, had no other Effect (however well defigned) than to provoke him to breath out Threatnings against the Author, and perfift in his Calumnies against the Liturgy, not only from Houfe to Houfe, amongft fuch as have Zeal without Knowledge, but even from the Pulpit, which he continues to make the Seat of the Scorner, the common Shop of Heterodoxy and Slander, joyning with the Accuser of the Brethren, to mifreprefent the Principles, and defame the Perfons of all fuch as are not of his Way.

I was at firft willing to believe that all his Virulence and Invective, proceeded from his Unacquaintedness with our Excelent Liturgy, and that

he

he was rather led through Ignorance than acted with Malice in thofe unwarrantable Sallies of his mifguided Zeal, and therefore I was not without Hopes, that when I made a juft Representation of the Things he had mistaken, and fet before him the Opinion of the Reformers, (for whom we are united in Efteem) that if he would not ingenuously retract, yet in regard to Truth he would for the future forbear, any fuch Reflections as he must know, were unjust and falfe. His delaying to give me any Anfwer, or adduce any thing in Proof of what he faid, (to which I had invited him) helped to confirm me in this Expectation, till fuch time as I was informed from all Quarters of the Town, that he had refolved to confute me with Perfecution, and my Reasoning with Railing, and as a full Evidence of the Liturgy's being Popifh, had preffed the Obligation of the 50lemn League and Covenant, by which their Forefathers were fworn to extirpate POPERY, &c. in confequence of which they had overthrown Monarchy, Epifcopacy and Liturgy, which mutually fupport one another, and the beautiful Fabrick of a well ordered Kingdom.

Being thus disappointed in my Hopes of him," my next Concern was for the fimple well-meaning People, who are liable to be eafily led away by the confident Affertions of those bold Pretenders to Truth and Demonftration; and for their Sakes I have extended the Subject of the foregoing Letter, and have endeavoured in very plain Language to fet before them fome Confiderations about the Lawfulness and Expediency of Set Forms of Prayer, the English Liturgy, Epifcopacy and Schifm; by which I hope to make appear to the Convictien of all who fall read without Prejudice, and Byafs