utterly unconcern'd in fuch a Cafe. Yet had your Bitterness been only private and perfonal Reflections, or on a Subject of a lower Nature, and private Opinion, I fhould have flighted it, or have anfwer'd in a cooler manner: But in the defence of the Great Truths of God, and the Rights and Priviledges of the Gospel, I ought not to be Lukewarm. And yet as great and as just as the heat was, I was careful to pay you all the perional Refpect that was due to your Character, and was never fevere with you, further than the particular Subject we were upon offered the juft Occafion.

And now after Sixteen Months from the Date of my Letter, you are come forth with a Vindication of that your Difcourfe of Schifm, wherein I humbly confefs you have by far outdone me, in that fort of Learning, wherein I am not ambitious of imitating, or contending with you, but which indeed is easier to do than to forbear. I fee 'tis an hard matter for a Man that hath been accustomed to Dictating, and whofe Words have been always taken for Oracles by his Admirers, to fuffer a Contradiction. Should all the foul Language, the nauseous Repartees, the difingenuous Reflections, the falfe Accufations, the extravagant Impertinencies, and wilful Wreftings of my Words, which, with fuch Supercilious difdain, every Page of your pretended Vindication is befpatter'd with, be thrown together into one heap, I think it would look but oddly upon you, and contribute very little to the Glory or Succefs of your Undertaking, in the Opinions of any impartial Judges. Sir, had you walk'd by St. Auftin's

Rule to Petilian, as you have fo amply Vind. p. 14. quoted it, you had fhewn the World more of a Chriftian, and more of a Wife Man; but I fee 'tis easier to bind up a Burden for others, than to bear it ones felf, and harder to practice good Rules, than to prefcribe them.

Had

you

you not been very fore, you would never have winc'd at this rate: But all this Burlesque of your angry Pen, (which is the greater part of your Book) I fhall lay afide as calmly as I can, as forreign. to the Questions in debate, and unworthy of Recognition; and as far as I am but perfonally concern'd in it, do heartily forgive it, and pitty the Impotency of the Paffion that drew it from you.

But before I come to attend you on the Questions in Dispute between us, give me leave to take a little notice of fome things which you charge me with in your Preface, and by which you endeavour to reprefent me in as ill a Character as you can, as if the ruin of my Arguments did wholly depend upon that of my Reputation, which indeed is a Method much older than your felf, and which the Enemies of the Truth have been always careful to praatice.

Pref. p. IV.

I. You charge me of Boafting that I had given you very much in a very little. Μέγισον ἐν ἐλαχίσω, which was in truth fo far from a Boaft, in the way that I used it, that it was only an Excufe for faying fo little (which yet I thought was enough, and more than you could well anfwer) to justifie our Minifters in Preaching the Gospel of Chrift to us, even as many as will hear them, which was one of the greatest Fundamentals of the Controverfie, and to which you have yet given no fatisfactory Answer.

II. You accufe me of Railing, and representing you as our inveterate Enemy, that would fill the Prifons with us, as with Thieves and Robbers. Tho' I'never fuggefted this as your perfonal Intentions or Defires, but as the natural confequent of your Arguings with us, and Accufations of us. Did you not charge us as guilty of that which was worse than Murder or Idolatry?

A 4

fdolatry? And fet us forth as the most execrable and hopeless Villains on the face of the Earth; as the worst of Thieves and Traitors, and much viler than Drunkards or Adulterers,and endeavour'd to cut us off from the Mercy and Benefit of the Laws and Government under which we live? Let any one that underftands Senfe, but read over your Difcourfe of Schifm, and tell me, if I have herein wrong'd you: And is not the charging us with the Crimes, an expofing us to the Punishments due to them? Therefore let the load of Infamy reft where you fay you will be content it fhould, if this be true.

III. You accufe me of cafting Reproach Page V. upon Perfons of the greatest Worth, when they come in my way, and are not of my mind. For which you produce my words, That it had been better for the Church of England, if her Reformers, in refpect of Wifdom, Faith, Patience, Zeal and Self-denial, had not been too Ordinary. This you call a vilifying of our Reformers, which I think, the beft of Themfelves would not have call'd fo. To make Comparifons I know you will not like, neither do I do it with any perfonal Reflections. We blefs God with you, for the Zeal that did, at that time, appear in them, at leaft the leading part of them, and for the good Succefs of their Zeal. But the Difficulties under which fo great a Work as this laboured in thofe days, in refpect of the main Body of the Clergy, as well as of the People; and the Sweetness of that Worldly Grandeur which they had had fo long in Poffeffion, offered them fuch Temptations, as. required a measure of Wisdom, Faith, Patience, Zeal and Self denial, that was very Extraordinary, and which is too rarely found in its Eminency in Dignify'd Perfens.

Ibid

Proceedings of fome
See the Copy of the
Worthy and Learned
Divines, appointed by
the Lords to meet at

the Bishop of Lincoln's in Weftminfter, &c. Printed 1641. Subfcribed by the Archbi shop of Armagh,Bishop of Lincoln, Dr. PriBrownrigg, Dr.Featdeaux,Dr.Ward,Dr. ly, Dr. Hacket.

IV. You charge me with vilifying their Work,and with faying, That their Reformation ought rather to be call'd Accommodation with the Church of Rome. Sir, This is not very fairly quoted; I was there only fpeaking of the Liturgy, which Dr. Beveridge had beftow'd fuch Panegyricks upon, and my words were thefe, How the Liturgy was compil'd in that juncture of the Reformation, or rather Accommodation, the true Hiftory of these times would inform you : So that the Accommodation which I mention'd, had a particular refpect only to the Reformed Liturgy, and not to the Reformation in general, as you reprefent me: And I there farther told you, that to fay that this (that is, the Liturgy, under which all the Rites and Ceremonies of your Church are comprehended) confider'd as an External Mode, or Inftrument of Divine Worship, and of Mens own compofing, was that which was defended, or confirmed by the Martyrdom of many, of any, was the Doctor's great Mistake and yours too, and in the fame Opinion I must continue till I am. better convinc'd of the contrary: Yea, thofe are indeed the fouleft Traducers of thefe Holy Men, who make them but Martyrs to their own Inventions, and fuch as Sacrific'd their Blood to the Models of Mens compofing, and that in things which themselves confefs'd to be Indifferent. Let others judge then who hath vilified them, you, or I. Yet how far their Reformation was really an Accommodation, will appear beyond Contradiction, by their own Confeffions and Complaints,and the undeniable Records of that Revolution. To, tranfcribe all that offers

it

it felf from the authentick Hiftory of these times, in evidence of the truth of what I have faid, would be too large and laborious a Service, I will take up here but a few of many, and those from fuch hands, as no true Son of the Church of England can have any pretence of Reason to except against.

First, If you please to confult your own Heylin, he will tell you, That he cannot See Dr.Heylin's reckon the Death of King Edward the Hiftory of the Reformation. 'Sixth for an Infelicity to the Church of England: That not to prefs too "much at once upon the People, it was thought fit to fmooth the way to the Reformation, by fetting out fome Preparatory Injunctions, all which was done to this intent, that the People in all places, being prepar'd by little and little, might with more eafe, and lefs Oppofition, admit the Total Alteration, which was intended in due time to be introduced. That fome Godly Bishops, and other Learned and Religious Men (the fame that made the Liturgy) were imploy'd in the Castle of Windfor by the King's Command, to confult about one Uniform Order, for the Adminiftring of the Holy • Communion; and they agreed on fuch a Form and "Order, as might comply with the Intention of the King and Parliament, without giving any just Offence to the Romili Party. That when Queen Elizabeth came to the Crown, he retained fuch as had been of TrivyCouncil unto Queen Mary (her Sifter) to be of ber Council. And in the Parliament, which altered, and again impofed the Book of Common-Prayer, great care was taken for expunging all fuch Paffages in it, as might give any Scandal or Offence to the Popish Party. And tho' by Calvin's means, fome Reformation had been made in the Second Liturgy, in King Edward's time, now it is returned back into the First Form, and by Compliances, the Book was made fo paffable among the Papifts, that they repair'd unto our Parish-Churches. without Scruple. That things abolished by King Edward

"the