Defense of the Report, Letter
To my Reverend, and much Eſteemed Friend Mr. Stephen Lobb.
SIR,
I Could heartily have wiſhed, that there had been no Occaſion adminiſtred for thoſe Accuſations, wherewith the Presbyterian and Congregational Divines have of late mutually charged one another. And though I do verily believe, that the Latter are as remote from all Friendlineſs to Antinomianiſm, as moſt of the Former are from being Tainted with Arminianiſm, or the having Embraced the Dogmata of Socinus; yet ſome Crude Writers of each Party, whoſe good Opinion of themſelves, doth far exceed their Knowledge in thoſe Controverſies, have had the misfortune to ſpeak leſs accurately, than the avoiding the being thought Infected with thoſe Heterodoxies, would have exacted of them. But, as for your Rebuker I will venture to ſay, that he hath not only Departed from the Received Opinions of moſt Proteſtant Divines, but that he hath Treſpaſs'd againſt all the Rules of good Breeding and Modeſty in his Pedantick, as well as Inſolent way of Writing. For, tho' I have not the vanity to pretend the being very Converſant in the Socinian and Arminian Controverſies; yet I dare affirm that the phraſes, which he aſſumes the liberty to Ridicule, as well as to Oppoſe, are thoſe that they of the greateſt character for Learning, who have Written either againſt the Remonſtrants, or them of the Racovian Belief, have both uſed, and judged neceſſary to be adopted into their Debates, not only as a Fence about the Received Faith, and a Barrier againſt Irruptions upon common Chriſtianity, but as ſuch without which the Doctrines of Chriſts Satisfaction, and of our Juſtification, could neither be Orthodoxly nor Intelligibly expreſſed. And were it not, that I intend to Imbarque in this Diſpute, in caſe it be further ſupported on his part, I could at preſent eaſily expoſe the Ignorance of your Rebuker, both in Claſſical and in Theological Authors, which whenſoever I do, you may aſſure your ſelf it ſhall not be in the Harlequin and Scarramuchio ſtile. Nor do I think your Author will much raiſe his Reputation, by his ſetting up for an Eccleſiaſtical Droll, ſeeing beſides the Indecency of it, he will by few be thought the more Witty for acting the Buffoon. For a ſmall meaſure of Intellectuals, if accompanied with a great degree of Aſſurance, will qualifie any man to Burleſque all that is Sacred, and thereby to advance him among ſuch as are truly ſerious to the Title of Blaſphemous and Atheiſtical. And you may eaſily imagine, how not only your Gentlemen of the Dry-Club (whoſe Libertiniſm was too long countenanced as well as connived at by ſome amongſt you) but your Partizans againſt all Revealed Religion, will hug themſelves upon the Preſident ſet them by this Diſſenter, in his Treating the moſt important Articles of the Chriſtian Faith with a Contempt as well as a Jocularneſs, which either a Wiſe or Sober Man would not allow himſelf to uſe, even in relation to the Dreams and Romances of Mahomet. And to deal with you without reſerve, I will not be poſitive, in concluding what his Opinion is in theſe Controverſies, tho' I fully underſtand the Language wherein he expreſſeth it, ſeeing I have an Exemplar before me of his ſincerity, in an Harangue upon an Addreſs in which his meaning hath ſince appeared …o be Contradictions to what he ſaid. But I will add this in Extenuation of the Authors guilt, that he uſeth ſometimes to be Delirous, and that then both his Genius and Diſtemper lead him to be Divertive and Comical▪ whereas when his Lucida returns, he leaves the Stage and puts off his Buskins, and reaſſumes the Gravity of a Theologue, and exchangeth the Language of the Theatre for that of the Pulpit.
Sir Adieu.
A REPLY TO A Faithful Rebuke.
IN my Endeavours to Clear the Report of the Preſent State of the Differences, in Doctrinals, between ſome Diſſenting Miniſters, in London, from the Charge of Falſhood; and Vindicate the Congregational Brethren from the Accuſation of being Antinomian; I will paſs over the Delicate Language, with which the Rebuker hath Adorn'd his Diſcourſes, as what is becoming neither the Auguſt, and Sacred Matters treated on, nor a Divine, a Chriſtian, or a Gentleman; Wondring, that the Checks of his Friends, and the Senſe of the like Contempt and Neglect, with which ſome years ago, his Adverſaries Accoſted him, when he had a Better Cauſe to Defend, have had no more Influence on him: Eſpecially conſidering, that He is now Drawing ſo very near to that Age, which few Attain unto. But being of Opinion, that what this Reverend Brother hath herein done, is as much the Effort of another Man's Heats as of his own Diſturbed Thoughts, I wou'd Hope, that on a ſerious Review, when he ſhall Reflect, not only on his way of Writing; but on the Nature, and Severity of thoſe Accuſations, which He hath, contrary to Truth, and without the leaſt Ground, loaded his Congregational Brethren with, he will ſee cauſe to Bewail what now He ſeems to Triumph in. I ſay, paſſing by theſe things, and whatever elſe may rather Provoke than Enlighten; I will Confine my ſelf to what he hath Objected againſt the Reporter and his Brethren, which may be Reduced to Matters of Fact, Doctrines of Faith, and Cha…ge of Antinomianiſm.