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 A N 
 
 ANSWER 
 
 T O A 
 
 PAMPHLET, 
 
 ENTITLED 
 
 Pietas Oxonienfis, 
 
 O R 
 
 A full and impartial Account 
 
 of the Expulfion of Six Students from 
 
 St. Edmund-Hall, Oxford. 
 
 I N A 
 
 LETTER to the AUTHOR. 
 
 ^Ry THOMAS N O W E L L, P. D. 
 
 Principal of St. Mary Hall, and Public Orator of 
 the Univerfity of Oxford. 
 
 Beloved, believe not every Spirit, but try the Spirits, whether 
 they be of God ; bccaufe many falfe Prophets are gone out 
 into the world. 
 
 9 8 2 6 
 
 OXFORD, 
 
 At the Clarendon-Press. MDCCLXVIIT. 
 
 Sold by Daniel Prince. And by John Rivington in St. Paul's 
 Church-yard, London.
 
 Imprimatur. 
 
 N. Wetherell, Vice- Can. 
 Coll. Univ. 051. J9 no . 1768.
 
 ~3* 
 
 t SIR, 
 
 * /^ | AHE act of difcipline exercifed upon fix 
 members of St.* Edmund-Hall by the 
 ■*" Vice-ChanceJlor, in confequence of a fo- 
 lemn appeal made to him, as Vifitor of that Hall, 
 however commendable in itfelf, and pleafino- to 
 the true friends of learning and religion, yet 
 could not fail to draw upon him, and his aflef- 
 jg fors, the indignation and refentment of a fet of 
 ^ men, who are enemies to both. Their views of 
 "^ filling the church with their votaries have by this 
 ^feafonable interpofition been difappointed; and the 
 plan, which they have for fome time been labour, 
 ing to accomplifh, is at prefent difconcerted at 
 leaft, if not entirely defeated. The rage of their 
 difappointment has vented itfelf in the common 
 News-papers in foul invectives, and railino- accu- 
 c £ fations ; which, as they carry with them their own 
 c= confutation, are belt treated with neglect, and 
 "^ pafled over in fijence. _ 
 
 A The 
 
 301.333
 
 [ » ] 
 
 The firft who undertook to patronize their caufe 
 by a formal defence was the Rev. Mr. Whitefield\ 
 and certainly it was very proper that He fhould be 
 their advocate, who may be juftly reputed the 
 leader of their feci: ; that He fhould be their 
 champion, under whofe banner they are enlifted. 
 I confefs it gave me fenfible pleafure to fee him 
 Hep forward in their vindication, as it ftrongly 
 marks the complexion and characters of thefe 
 young men, difcovers the principles by which they 
 are actuated, and muft convince the fober part of 
 mankind of the propriety and expedience of that 
 cenfure, which they have incurred. 
 
 With this obfervation I leave his performance 
 to the admiration of thofe, whofe applaufe it 
 courts, whofe fentiments it flatters, and for whofe 
 judgment and tafte it is calculated. Neither 
 mould I have thought myfelf obliged to pay any 
 regard to what you have advanced either in fa- 
 vour of them, or to the prejudice of the Vice- 
 Chancellor and his afleffors, had you brought only 
 a general charge againfl: them, and been contented 
 to complain of the feverity, or even iniquity of a 
 fentence, by which you may fancy the Church will 
 be deprived of fo many godly teachers, and yourfelf 
 perhaps of the fruit of your labours. 
 
 But fince you have thought proper to fix a par- 
 ticular charge of a diflimulation and prevarication 
 a P. %. on
 
 [ 3 ] 
 
 on the Vice-Chancellor ; of a partiality, imperti- 
 nence, and want of integrity, on me ; as well as 
 the general one of cruelty, opprefiion, and in- 
 juftice, on all; filence may now be interpreted 
 into a confeflion of guilt: a regard therefore to 
 our private characters, thus openly attacked, and 
 perfonally vilified, requires that a charge fo inju- 
 rious to our reputation fhould be as publicly re- 
 futed. Tho' this may effectually be done by bare- 
 ly ftating the fads alleged againft us, placing 
 them in their true light, and clearing them from 
 the artful mifreprefentation by which You have 
 difguifed them ; yet for the fatisfaction of the pub- 
 lic, who have been greatly abufed, and impofed 
 upon by your " full and impartial account," I 
 chufe to enter more largely into the fubject, and 
 to attend you thro' the whole progrefs of your 
 work ; from a fair examination of which the world 
 will be able to judge " b how far thefe fix mem- 
 bers have, or have not, deferved the punifhment 
 inflicted upon them-," and whether in the de- 
 fence of their caufe you have been guided by that 
 " c Spirit of wifdom, truth, love, and candor," by 
 which alone you profefs to be actuated. And if I 
 enter into a difcuffion of the doctrinal points, it 
 is with a view to bring back to the profeflion of 
 the true faith thofe deluded perfons, who are now 
 carried away with every wind of vain doctrine by 
 the Height of men, and cunning craftinefs where- 
 by they lie in wait to deceive. 
 
 a P. 64. 85. b Dedic. vi. c P. 2. 
 
 A 2 To
 
 [ 4 ] 
 
 To begin with your dedication. — Had your 
 book been written in defence of the eftablifhed 
 rules and ordinances of the church of England, 
 or in fupport of the laws and difcipline of the 
 Univerfity of Oxford, you might with the greateft 
 propriety and confidence have dedicated it to the 
 Protection and Patronage of the Chancellor ; whofe 
 illuftrious character, diftinguifhed abilities, and 
 zealous attachment to the true interefts of both, 
 reflect the higheft honour on himfelf, and thefe 
 ancient feats of learning and religion, over which 
 
 he prefides. But to folicit his patronage and 
 
 protection, while you are undermining his autho- 
 rity, and expofing to ridicule and contempt the 
 venerable body over which he prefides ; to claim 
 the fanction of his name, in order to fix a mark 
 of infamy on thofe, who have acted by his com- 
 
 miflion, and with his approbation What is 
 
 this, but to tread in the fteps of the old puritans, 
 who molt dutifully addreffed the King, and made 
 the mofl folemn profefiions of loyalty and obe- 
 dience to his perfon and government, while they 
 were meditating the deftruction of both ? Nor is 
 it to be wondered at that you fhould imitate the 
 conduct of men, whofe principles you have adopt- 
 ed, and whofe tenets you fo ftrenuoufly maintain. 
 
 After this very extraordinary addrefs to the 
 Chancellor, you proceed to inform his Lordfhip, 
 
 " a that
 
 [ 5 ] 
 
 " a that however the late fentence may have the 
 appearance of an Univerfity-Act, yet it rs the 
 higheft injuftice to that ancient and refpectable 
 feminary of true piety and learning to look 
 upon it in this light." The Chancellor was 
 before too well acquainted with the nature and 
 circum (lances of the whole proceeding to want 
 this information : Nor is there any danger that 
 " b it may pafs for fuch in hiftory, when children's 
 children (hall read the dire account," unlefs 
 they are milled by your reprefentation of it. For 
 it was never pretended to be an Univerfity- 
 Act ; to conftitute it fuch, it mufl have had the 
 fanclion of convocation, to which this complaint 
 was not, nor indeed could with any propriety be 
 fubmitted. The depofitions of Mr. Higfon were 
 made before the Vice-Chancellor as Vifitor of Ed- 
 mund-Hall, and he pronounced the fentence by 
 his vifitatorial authority, in which capacity alone 
 he acted by the advice of the Heads of Houfes, 
 and with the afliltance of three of them, to whom 
 was afterwards added the then fenior Proctor. That 
 I happened to be one of that number was not the 
 effect of my own inclination, or the Vice-Chan- 
 cellor's appointment, but merely in compliance 
 with the requeft of Dr. Dixon, the Principal of 
 St. Edmund-Hall ; for whom I then had, and frill 
 retain, the fincereft regard •, and who, I am per- 
 fuaded, when he defired me to appear on that 
 cccafion, never meant that my friendfhip for him 
 a Dedie. P. v. b Ibid. 
 
 A 3 mould
 
 [ 6 ] 
 
 mould warp my judgment, or influence my de- 
 termination : and on the other hand I folemnly 
 declare that no motives but thofe of truth and 
 juftice; no affection, but for the welfare of the 
 Church and Univerfity, directed my opinion, and 
 determined my fentiments. Nor do I apprehend 
 that any " a great and eminent men in the Uni- 
 verfity have teftified their difapprobation of what 
 was then done/' but on the contrary have rea- 
 fon to believe that had all the Heads of Houfes, 
 and every man of eminence in the Univerfity 
 been prefent, they would have confirmed the fen- 
 tence by their unanimous voice. I farther declare 
 that in a converfation with the Principal fometime 
 before the vifitation, He affured me that, if any 
 of the young men accufed appeared to be impro- 
 per members of his fociety, tho* he gave them 
 all a good character, he mould readily acquiefce 
 in their removal. Had he not given me this af- 
 furance, I mould certainly have declined an invi- 
 dious office, in which friendfhip and duty could 
 not be united, but mult one of them be facrificed 
 to the other. 
 
 What I have here faid of myfelf, may with equal 
 truth be applied to the Provoft of Queen's, who 
 alfo became one of the afTelTors by the defire of 
 Dr. Dixon, in confequence of a long intimacy and 
 friendfhip which had fubfifted between them ; and 
 who, as Patron of Edmund-Hall, was himfelf inte- 
 
 a Dedic. v. 
 
 refled
 
 [ 7 ] 
 
 refted in the honour and reputation of it, and 
 could not therefore be fuppofed to be defirous of 
 bringing any of its members into difgrace, or fix- 
 ing any ltigma or opprobrium on them, but what 
 they mould appear upon examination to deferve. 
 
 * To thefe the Vice-Chancellor thought fit to add 
 the Prefident of Corpus Chrijii College, his fenior 
 Pro-Vice-Chancellor, and Lady Margaret's ProfefTor 
 of Divinity, and one who had always lived in the 
 greateft friendfhip and intimacy with Dr. Dixon. 
 The Prefident was fenfible this might be an invi- 
 dious office, and would willingly have declined it : 
 but being prefTed by the Vice-Chancellor to give 
 him his affiftance, he thought he could not with 
 decency refufe. it. He had no connections, nor ac- 
 quaintance, with Mr. Higfon, but entered on this 
 Office with ftrong inclinations to favour the Princi- 
 pal, as far as truth and juftice would permit. 
 
 Let me add that, from fome circumftances 
 which happened at a previous meeting in the Prin- 
 cipal's lodgings, the Vice-Chancellor and his affef- 
 fors had conceived rather an unfavourable opinion 
 of Mr. Higfon's caufe, which nothing but the force 
 of evidence produced at the examination could 
 have altered. 
 
 I cannot difmifs this point without commending 
 the candor of the Vice-Chancellor, who permitted 
 the Principal himieif to nominate two out of the 
 three afTeflfors, who were at firft appointed to afiilt 
 
 him 5
 
 [ 8 ] 
 
 him ; the fourth was, as I before obferved, added 
 afterwards at the requeft of Mr. Higfon, who had 
 ungeneroufly exprefTed fome apprehenfions of par- 
 tiality in the other afleffors to the caufe of the 
 Principal. 
 
 You conclude this dedication with declaring 
 that "you have been particularly careful not to 
 affert any thing upon hear-fay evidence, but have 
 taken much pains to trace up every circumftance 
 and faft you have alleged to the fountain-head." 
 The truth or falfhood of this declaration will beft 
 appear from an examination of your "full and im- 
 partial account" &c, to which I now haften. 
 
 YO U preface this account with profeflions of 
 the higheft veneration for the doctrine and 
 difcipline " a of the eftablifhed Church, into whofe 
 communion you were in your infancy baptized, 
 and whofe caufe, b together with that of violated 
 truth, trampled laws, and injured innocence, you 
 . now mean to defend.*' When you made thefe 
 profeflions you would have done well to have 
 confidered the nature and importance of them. 
 Your veneration for the doctrine and difcipline 
 of the Church of England, had it been real, would 
 not have permitted you to advance tenets fo con- 
 trary to the one, and fubverfive of the other, or 
 to defend thofe who have been convicted of acting 
 
 a P. i. b P. 2. 
 
 in
 
 [ 9 ] 
 
 in contradiction to both -r— You would not have 
 violated that truth, for which you pretend to be 
 an advocate ; or have trampled on thofe laws, 
 you are by the moll folemn obligations bound to 
 obferve. — - You would not have injured that in- 
 nocence in others, which you falfely attribute to 
 thofe, whole guilt became notorious by their own 
 confeflion and the cleared evidence. 
 
 " a A s to the fix members expelled from 
 £dmund-Hall" you fay, " I had very little ac- 
 quaintance with any of them, and fome of them 
 were totally unknown to me till after the fen- 
 tence was pafled, fo that I am in lefs danger of 
 partiality on that account." I beg, Sir, that you 
 would recoiled whether fome of thefe young men 
 had not attended the meetings of a perfon with 
 whom you are intimately connected ? were not his 
 difciples ? Whether they did not all of them af- 
 femble at his chambers foon after their expul- 
 fion ? — which probably was the fountain-head from 
 whence you derived your intelligence, and where 
 the plan of your defence was concerted. Whe- 
 ther therefore from all thefe confiderations their 
 caufe may not in fome meafure be deemed your 
 own ? and whether there was not confequently 
 fome danger of partiality on that account ? Not 
 to mention the undue influence you lie under from 
 a blind attachment to your feci, which difcovers 
 itfelf in every page of your book. 
 
 a P. 2. 
 
 You
 
 [ io ] 
 
 You next invoke the graces of " a wifdom, 
 truth, love, and candor", which you feem to in- 
 troduce here only to take your leave of them ; 
 for fcarce any footfteps of either of thorn are to 
 be found in any fubfequent part of your work. 
 
 What b pafTed between Mr. Higfon and the Prin- 
 cipal, before he had made his complaint to the 
 Vice-Chancellor ; what may be Mr. Higfon's Natu- 
 ral difpofition •, what diforders of body or mind 
 he may have laboured under ; or what differences 
 may have iubfifted between the Principal and him, 
 are fecrets which I have no right to pry into, as 
 they no way relate to the prefent queftion. And I 
 think your reprefentation of fome of thefe particulars 
 is equally impertinent and uncharitable. Are you 
 acquainted with Mr. Higfon ? do you know him 
 to be of " a proud revengeful difpofition" ? or 
 have you given this character of him upon hear- 
 fay evidence ? The charge of infanity is ftill more 
 cruel, and your feigned pity the greateft infult. 
 
 Nor am I at all concerned to enquire whether 
 Mr. Higfon acted of himfelf ; or was made, what 
 you term him, " d the tool or cat's-paw of others 
 to perpetrate what, through fhame or fear, they 
 durft not undertake themfelves" ; tho' I am in- 
 clined from his own declaration upon oath to be- 
 lieve the former j and that he was induced to it 
 
 a P. 2. b Ibid. c P. 3. d P. 4. 
 
 from
 
 [ " ] 
 
 from a fenfe of the difgrace brought upon that 
 fociety by the admiflion of perfons totally unfit to 
 become members of the Univerfity. 
 
 The affection of a Tutor for his pupils natu- 
 rally prejudices him in their favour, and will pre- 
 vail on him rather to conceal than expofe their 
 failings and imperfections, where he can do it 
 confiftently with the principles of duty and con- 
 fcience — While a regard to his own intereft, as 
 well as theirs, will not eafily fuffer him to facrifice 
 both either to his own private refentment, or the 
 malevolent fuggeftions of others •, much lefs to 
 become without the greatefl necefiity their public 
 accufer. But whatever were his motives, I am 
 convinced that neither the Vice-Chancellor, nor 
 his affefTors were in the lean: degree influenced 
 by them, or by any other confideration than that 
 of truth, and the honour and welfare of the 
 Univerfity. They therefore heartily defpife the 
 infinuation of their being a led and influenced by 
 a mad-man to pafs, what you call, b the moft cruel 
 and ignominious fentence which can poflibly be in- 
 flicted by the Univerfity; into the merits of which 
 we come now to enquire. 
 
 But before you proceed to the particular charges, 
 you loudly complain of the moil unprecedented, 
 illegal, and arbitrary proceedings — « viz. — " c that 
 all the witnefTes againft the parties accufed were 
 
 a P. 4. b P. 68. c P. j. 
 
 " examined
 
 [ 12 ] 
 
 examined without being put to their oath, except 
 one, a very worthy confeientious man, who was 
 juflly fuppofed to be their friend ; that not only 
 whatever thefe witneffes advanced from their own 
 perfonal knowledge, but likewife every idle re- 
 port they had picked up by hear-fay was admit- 
 ted as genuine and charged upon thefe young 
 men ; who were even compelled to turn' their 
 own accufers, or elfe be condemned for contu- 
 macious behaviour". I mail confider thefe feve- 
 rai articles of accufation, which, I confefs, appear 
 very formidable, and give an anfwer to each of 
 them diftinctly. 
 
 It is true the witneffes were examined without 
 being put to their oath, nor was it thought ne- 
 ceffary that the evidence mould be taken upon 
 oath. The Vice-Chancellor acted not in this cafe 
 in a judicial capacity, as if the proceedings had 
 been in his court, but in a vifitatorial one, ( a dif- 
 tinction which I am again obliged to remind you 
 of) and therefore did not require ftrictly legal 
 proof, but only the teftimony of credible wit- 
 neffes. This is the common method of proceed- 
 ing in all enquiries made into the conduct of per- 
 fons, who, for any crime laid to their charge, are 
 cited or convened before their refpective focie- 
 ties ; where upon fuch proof, as the Head and 
 Fellows deem fufficient, they inflict a punifhment 
 according to the nature of the offence, without 
 the formality of a judicial procefs ; and this even 
 
 to
 
 f 13 ] 
 
 to expulfion ; of which, notwithftanding what you 
 aflert in page 17. with a malicious defign to ex- 
 pofe the Univerfity as the common fink of drunk- 
 ennefs, rioting, gaming, and every other enor- 
 mity, I could give you many inftances ; and one 
 in particular for irreligious and blafphemous te- 
 nets i to the infliction of which I myfelf was chiefly 
 inftrumental. Had the parties accufed objected to 
 the evidence thus taken, it might then have been 
 proper that it fhould be given upon oath ; but 
 the truth is, they confeflfed every tning material 
 that was alleged againft them, and confequently 
 there was no occafion for this confirmation of it. 
 Mr. Greaves was indeed put to his oath at the de- 
 fire of Mr. Higfon, who apprehended he would 
 not give his teftimony unlefs he became thus 
 obliged to do it. Had the other party made the 
 fame requeft, it would undoubtedly have been 
 granted ; but confcious that it would have been 
 of no fervice to them on their trial, they chofe 
 to referve this circumftance as matter of future 
 complaint to the world, and a pretence for crying 
 out perfecution, ftar-chamber, &c. &c. 
 
 Whether the Vice-Chancellor admitted every 
 idle report that had been picked up by hear-fay ; 
 or whether thefe young men were obliged to turn 
 their own accufers, or elfe be condemned for con- 
 tumacious behaviour, will bell appear from the 
 minutes of the examination, which I began to 
 take for my own private fatisfaction, the regiftrar 
 
 being
 
 [ i4 ] 
 
 being prcfent to act in that capacity ex officio ; 
 who, obferving that I was very punctual in noting 
 every circumftance, requefted me to continue my 
 obfervations ; in confequnce of which I, as you 
 call it, " a officiated as fecretary" — With what 
 fidelity I officiated, the minutes themfelves will 
 evince •, but I beg leave to inform you, that they 
 were examined article by article by the Vice- 
 Chancellor and all the aflefibrs, before he pro- 
 ceeded to fentence ; and were unanimoufly affent- 
 ed to, as faithfully recording every material cir- 
 cumftance of the examination. As they will be 
 inferted in their proper place, I fhall forbear to 
 make any reflections on thefe, and the many 
 other falfe and injurious insinuations, with which 
 your pamphlet abounds, till I come to that part 
 of the proceedings -, when the world will be able 
 to judge whether " b both law and juftice, as 
 well as religion and confcience, were put out of 
 the queftion in this tranfaction." 
 
 B y what method Mr. Higfon c procured the 
 evidence he produced, which is your next com- 
 plaint, was by no means material to the Vice- 
 Chancellor, who was only concerned to be inform- 
 ed of the truth. Yet, as if forefeeing what mif- 
 reprefentations would be given of his conduct, he 
 was cautious even in this point, and did not ad- 
 mit the evidence of the clergyman, whole cha- 
 racter you load with fo much infamy, till what was 
 a P. 6 + . b P. 6. c Ibid. 
 
 advanced
 
 [ 'J ] 
 
 advanced in his letter concerning Mr. Jones had 
 
 been confirmed by Mr. a gentleman of 
 
 Chrift Church, who was prefent at the examination, 
 bore teftimony to the fair reputation of that cler- 
 gyman, and declared that he had received from 
 his own mouth every circumftance mentioned in 
 the letter. 
 
 Yo u likewife a complain that a copy of the ar- 
 ticles was refufed the unhappy fufferers after they 
 were expelled ; and in your b note upon this place 
 you reprefent the Vice-Chancellor as acting a very 
 inconfiftent, not to fay a bafe, part, difapproving 
 in private what he had done in public; laying 
 the odium of his conduct on the other Heads of 
 Houfes ; " and by a foothing fpeech to the young 
 men in private hoping to fhake off a little dirt 
 from himfelf" — or rather throwing a great deal 
 bonh on himfelf and his affeffors. That there 
 was no injuftice in refufing a copy of the articles 
 is evident from the common practiie of the courts 
 of law on like occafions, of which we have a very 
 
 recent inftance in the cafe of Mr. IV s : — that 
 
 a copy was refilled, was the refult of the Vice- 
 Chancellor's own opinion and determination, fe- 
 conded by that of the other afTeiTors ; for my own 
 part, I thought it quite a matter of indifference ; 
 but he forefaw what ufe would be made of it, 
 and therefore prudently referved it, till your mif- 
 repreientations had made it necefTaiy to be pub- 
 
 a P. 7. b P. 8. 
 
 lifhed
 
 [ 16 ] 
 
 lifted in his vindication. In the a conclufion in- 
 deed of your performance by way of foftening 
 matters, and foothing him, who equally defpifes 
 your cenfure and your praife, you qualify thefe 
 expreflions, by faying that he only intimated as 
 much •, which in my opinion is reflecting ftill 
 greater difhonour upon him ; making him mean 
 enough to be defirous that Mr. Grove and Mr. 
 Middleton mould think he meant to infinuate, what 
 he dared not openly avow to them. The truth 
 is, the Vice-Chancellor, as every man of huma- 
 nity naturally would, expreffed to thofe gentle- 
 men his concern for being obliged to pafs fo fe- 
 vere a fentence on them, not thereby intimating 
 that he thought they did not juftly deferve the 
 punifhment, but quite the contrary, lamenting 
 that their mifconduct had compelled him againft 
 his inclination to exercife fo difagreeable an act 
 of difcipline. The murtherer, when condemned 
 by his judge, who generally tempers his fentence 
 with exprefljons of pity and compaflion, may 
 with equal reafon infer from thofe expreflions, 
 that he did not deferve fo fevere a punifhment. 
 The thanks given to Mr. Higfon by the Vice- 
 Chancellor were in the name, and with the ap- 
 probation of all the afleffors, who confidered him 
 as facrificing his own intereft to the welfare and 
 reputation of the Univerfity, and therefore en- 
 titled to this mark of their approbation. 
 
 a Pag. 85. 
 
 I MUST
 
 [ >7 ] 
 
 I must beg leave to add, by way of anfwef 
 to the laft part of your note, that the Vice-Chan- 
 ccllor did hot inflict this punifhment " for the 
 fake of obliging any perfons whatever j" nor 
 was there any danger that "the pious harmlefs 
 youths woulcl be thereby reduced to the very 
 want of bread," fince moft of them had been 
 brought up to employments more fuitable to their 
 capacities, and ftation in life, whereby they 
 might get an honeft livelihood •, but which they 
 had deferted in order to intrude themfelves into 
 an office, for which they were utterly unqualified. 
 It was kindnefs therefore, and not cruelty, to Tend 
 them back to their Own proper bufinefs ; not that, 
 were the confequences of their amotion even fuch 
 as you reprefent them, they would be chargeable 
 on the Vice-Chancellor, but on themfelves ; not 
 on him, who was obliged ex officio to inflict the 
 punifhment ; but on them, who had juftly incur- 
 red it. 
 
 We come now to the articles of accufation, 
 which were exhibited to the Vice-Chancellor by 
 Mr. Higfon in the form of depofitions, of which 
 the following is an exact copy. 
 
 B Before
 
 [ i8 J 
 
 Before the reverend and worfhipful Da v i d 
 Durell, Doctor of Divinity, Vice-Chancellor 
 of the Univerfity of Oxford, Viiitor of St. 
 Edmund-Hall in the faid Univerfity of Oxford, 
 John Higson Mafter of Arts, Vice-Principal 
 and Tutor of the faid Hall, appointed and 
 admitted as fuch, by Thomas Shaw Doctor 
 in Divinity, Principal of the faid Hall for the 
 time being, in the year of our Lord one thou- 
 fand feven hundred and fifty one, and ap- 
 proved, and confirmed by the reverend and 
 worihipful John Brown Doctor in Divinity, 
 Vice-Chancellor of the Univerfity of Oxford 
 for the time being, as the ftatutes in that cafe 
 made and provided direct, begs leave to pro- 
 pound and offer fome articles of accufation 
 againft the following perfons, fcholars of the 
 faid Hall, Benjamin Kay, James Mat- 
 thews, Thomas Jones, Thomas Grove, 
 Erasmus Middleton, Benjamin Blatch, 
 and Joseph Shipman, and other Matters 
 relative thereto. 
 
 jft, That the aforefaid James Matthews, Tho- 
 mas Jones, and Joseph Shipman were bred 
 to trades, and that the three laft mentioned per- 
 fons, as alfo Erasmus Middleton and Ben- 
 jamin Blatch were, at the refpective time of 
 Entrance in the faid Hall, and at prefent are, 
 deftitute of fuch a knowledge in the learned lan- 
 guages
 
 [ 19 ] 
 
 guages as is neceffary for performing the ufual 
 exercifes of the faid Hall and of the Univerfity. 
 
 idly. That the aforefaid Benjamin Kay, James 
 Matthews, Thomas Jones, Thomas Grove, 
 Erasmus Middleton, and Joseph Shipman 
 are enemies to the doctrine and difcipline of the 
 Church of England, which appeareth either by 
 their preaching or expounding in, or frequent- 
 ing, illicit conventicles, and by feveral other 
 actions, and expreffions, contrary to the ftatutes 
 of the Univerfity and the laws of this realm. 
 
 %dly, That the aforefaid Erasmus Middleton 
 is moreover an enemy to the doctrine and dif- 
 cipline of the Church of England, as appears 
 by his officiating as a minifter in holy orders, 
 altho' a layman, in the parifh Church of Chevely, 
 or in one of the Chapels of Eafe belonging and 
 appertaining unto the faid Church of Cbevely in 
 the county of Berks, and diocefe of Salijbury. 
 
 4-thly, The aforefaid James Matthews, Eras- 
 mus Middleton, and Benjamin Blatch, 
 have behaved indecently towards the faid Higfon 
 Vice-Principal and Tutor, either by neglecting 
 to attend his lectures, or mifbehaving them- 
 felves, when at them •, or by going out of the 
 Univerfity without his the faid Higfon's leave, 
 contrary to the difcipline and good order of the 
 faid Hall. 
 
 B 2 c,thly,
 
 $tbly, That the above premifes are true, public, 
 and notorious, and what the faid parties named 
 jointly and feverally know in their confeiences 
 to be true. * 
 
 6tbly, That by the ftatutes and ufage of the Uni- 
 verfity the faid Hall is notdrioufly fubjec*r, to the 
 vifitation of the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford for 
 the time being. 
 
 Jtbly, And laftly; That the faid Higfon from a 
 regard to the honour and welfare of the Uni- 
 verfity in general, and the faid Hall in parti- 
 cular, and actuated by every principle religious 
 and civil, makes this application to you the 
 faid Vice-Chancellor, as Vilitor; and not con- 
 fining himfelf to any fuperfluous proof, but on- 
 ly fo far as he fhall prove in the premifes, that 
 he may obtain in his prayer, he prays that thefe 
 perfons, againft whom thefe articles are exhi- 
 bited, may be treated and dealt with according 
 to their demerits, and as the ftatutes of the Hall, 
 and the Univerfity require, as far as it fhall feem 
 good to your wifdom and juftice, humbly im- 
 ploring the aid of your worfhip's office. 
 
 Oxon. St. Edmund-Hall, February the twenty*, 
 ninth, 1768. 
 
 J. HlGSON. 
 
 Sworn before me on the 
 day and year above- 
 written 
 
 D. Durell, Vice-Chancellor.
 
 [ " 1 
 
 The Vice-Chancellor in confequence of thefe 
 depositions, having previoufly confulted the Heads 
 of Houfes, and notified their opinion to the Prin- 
 cipal, who exprefled his approbation of it, caufed 
 a citation to be fixed on the chapel-door of Ed- 
 mund-Hall, requiring the parties accufed to appear 
 on a day and hour therein fpecified, to anfwer the 
 feveral charges brought againft them. Soon after 
 the citation was put up, Mr. Grove, one of the 
 perfons accufed, took his name out of the Hall- 
 books, in order to efcape the cenfure which, he 
 had reafon to apprehend, might be inflicted on 
 him ; but upon better advice he returned, and 
 was re-admitted by the Principal, the Vice Chan- 
 cellor not being confulted in either of thefe points : 
 however no notice was taken of this unwarrantable 
 behaviour of Mr. Grove at the examination, tho' 
 the Vice-Chancellor might with great propriety 
 have animadverted upon it. 
 
 When the day arrived, he and his afTeflbrs came 
 to the Principal's lodgings, and from thence pro- 
 ceeded to the common Hall, intending to exa- 
 mine into the grounds of the complaint in a pri- 
 vate manner : when they came there, they found 
 a great number of gownfmen of all degrees af- 
 fembled to hear the examination : however the 
 Vice-Chancellor thought this unexpected audience 
 would be no obflruction to the proceedings, and 
 
 B 3 confc-
 
 [ 12 ] 
 
 confequently that there was no reafon on that ac- 
 count for deferring them ; but rather the reverie ; 
 as by this means the whole Univerfity would be- 
 come acquainted with the nature of the accufa- 
 tion, the grounds of the proof, and, I will add, 
 the impartiality of the Vifitor. After the articles 
 of accufation were read, Mr. Higfon proceeded to 
 his proofs in fupport of them ; the fubftance of 
 wfiich I took down with what exactnefs I could 
 in the following minutes. I mall make no apo- 
 logy for any inaccuracy which may appear either 
 in the form or ftile of thefe memorandums, which 
 were taken without any connection, in the order 
 in which they now ftand, merely for my own pri- 
 vate fatisfaction, without the leaft thought of their 
 being made public. Let me only obferve that, 
 while I was employed in taking thefe minutes, I 
 did not fuppofe that the Vice-Chancelior and the 
 other afleflbrs were inattentive to what was going 
 forward, or that the whole was to reft on what I 
 had minuted down : but on the contrary had rea- 
 fon to believe that whatever circumftance might 
 efcape my notice would be fupplied by the recol- 
 lection of the other gentlemen; which was the 
 real cafe. 
 
 Minutes
 
 t n 1 
 
 Minutes of the accufation brought againft 
 James Matthews, Thomas Jones, Jo- 
 seph Shipman, Erasmus Middleton, 
 Benjamin Kay, Thomas Grove, and Ben- 
 jamin Blatch of Edmund-Hall \ their exa- 
 mination, &c. 
 
 James Matthews. Accufed that he was brought 
 up to the trade of a weaver — that he had kept 
 a tap-houfe — confefled — Accufed that he is 
 totally ignorant of the Greek and Latin langua- 
 ges, which appeared by his declining all exami- 
 nation — faid that he had been under the tui- 
 tion of two clergymen for five years — viz. Mr. 
 Davies and Newton ; though it did not appear 
 that he had during that time made any profici- 
 ency in learning — was about thirty years old 
 — accufed of being a reputed methodift by the 
 evidence of Mr. Atkins formerly of Queen's- 
 College — that he was afiiftant to Mr. Davies a 
 reputed methodift, that he was inftructed by 
 Mr. Fletcher a reputed methodift, — that he main- 
 tained the neceflity of the fenfible impulfe of 
 the holy Spirit — that he entered himfelf of 
 Edmund-Hall, with a defign to get into holy Or- 
 ders, for which he had offered himfelf a candi- 
 date, tho' he ftill continues to be wholly illite- 
 rate, and incapable of doing the exercifes of the 
 Hall — proved — That he had frequented illicit 
 conventicles held in a private houfe in Oxford — 
 
 con-
 
 [ H } 
 
 fefled. He produced two teftimonials, one voucfi- 
 ed by the Bifhop of Litchfield and Coventry, the 
 other by the Bilhop of fVorcefter. 
 
 Thomas Jones. Accufed that he had been 
 brought up to the trade of a barber, which he 
 had followed very lately — confeiTed — Had made 
 a very fmall proficiency in the Greek and Latin 
 languages^— was two years Handing, and ftill in- 
 capable of performing the ftatutable exercifes 
 of the Hall — that he had been at the meetings 
 at Mrs Dur bridge's — that he had expounded 
 the fcriptures to a mixed congregation at Whea- 
 . ton-Jfion, tho' not in holy Orders, and prayed ex- 
 tempore, Ail this he confeffed. He urged in his 
 defence that he had afked his Tutor whether he 
 thought it wrong for him to pray or inftruct 
 in a private family, and that his Tutor anfwered, 
 he did not, which he faid, was the reafon of his 
 continuing to do it. 
 
 Joseph Shipman. Accufed that he had been 
 brought up to the trade of a draper, and that he 
 was totally illiterate ; which appeared on his exa- 
 mination — accufed that he had preached or ex- 
 . pounded to a mixt affembly of people, tho' not 
 in Orders, and prayed extempore — all which 
 he confeffed. 
 
 Erasmus Middleton — confefTes to have done 
 . duty in a chapel of eafe belonging to Cbeveley, 
 
 not
 
 [ *> ] 
 
 hot being in holy Orders, three years before he 
 entered of the Univerfity, but not finee. That 
 he was difcarded by his father for being connect- 
 ed with the methodifts — That he had been re- 
 fufed Orders by the Bifhop of Hereford, that he 
 had written a letter to the Bifhop acknowledging 
 his Fault, and recanting his errors , — That he was 
 now in hopes of being reconciled to his father — 
 That he had been maintained by his friends, but 
 did not explain who thofe friends were — Ac- 
 cufed that he was deficient in learning— that he 
 was attached to Mr. Haweis, who had boafted 
 that they mould be able to get him into Orders. 
 That he holds that faith without works is the 
 fole condition of falvation — that the immediate 
 impulfe of the fpirit is to be waited for — that 
 he denies all necefiity of works — that he had 
 taken frequent occafion to perplex and vex his 
 Tutor — Part of this charge, efpecially concern- 
 ing his tenets, he denied, tho' proved by the evi- 
 dence of two gentlemen of the Hall. 
 
 Benjamin Kay. Confefies that he has been pre- 
 fent at the meetings held in the houfe of Mrs 
 Durbridge where he had heard extempore prayers 
 frequently offered up by one Hewett a ftaymaker, 
 that fometimes Mrs Durbridge has read to them 
 — Accufed that he endeavoured to perfuade a 
 young man of Magdalen-College, who was fent in- 
 to the country for having been tainted with cal- 
 viniftical and methodiftical principles, to leave 
 
 his
 
 [ *M 
 
 his father — that he talked of their meeting with 
 great oppofition, meaning from the Univerfity 
 
 — of this there was not fufficient evidence — 
 that he holds, that the fpirit of God works ir- 
 refiftibly — that once a child of God always a 
 a child of God — that he holds abfolute election 
 
 — that he had endeavoured to inftil the fame 
 principles into others, and exhorted them to con- 
 tinue fledfaftly in them againft all oppofition — 
 Some of thefe tenets he feem'd to deny, tho' it 
 was fully proved by the evidence of Mr. Wellin y 
 commoner of the Hall. 
 
 Thomas Grove — Accufed that he had preached 
 to a mixt aflembly of people called methodifts, 
 not being in Orders, which he confefTed, and 
 likewife that he prayed extempore — that he could 
 not fall down upon his knees, and worfhip God 
 in the form of the church of England^ though he 
 thought it a good form ; proved by the evidence 
 of Mr. Bromhead. 
 
 Benjamin Blatch. A gentleman, who has not 
 had any fchool-learning, is not certain whether 
 he mail purfue any profeflion — and therefore 
 difmiffed. 
 
 Th is, Sir, is the fubflance of what appeared to 
 me material during the courfe of the examination, 
 put down indeed in a hafty manner, as the time 
 would permit, but with fidelity and without aggra- 
 vation :
 
 t 27 ] 
 
 vation : and, tho' I had omitted lome circumftances 
 which occurred to the other affefibrs, yet I am con- 
 fcious of having placed nothing to the account of 
 the parties accufed, but what was urged and proved 
 againft them, though the proof itfelf be not always 
 mentioned ; taking notice at the fame time of what- 
 ever was urged by any of them, either in their de- 
 fence, or extenuation of their crime. How little I 
 have deferved the ievere cenfure contained in your 
 note p. 64. will appear from my minutes of Mr. 
 Middletorfs examination •, from which the world will 
 be able to judge whether you, or I, have been guilty 
 of putting down a falfe accufation, as true ; and 
 whether the a Spirit of truth, love, and candor in- 
 fluenced your heart, and guided your pen, when you 
 wrote that malicious flander. 
 
 When we met at the Vice-Chancellor's lodgings 
 to review all that had palled at the examination, 
 every circumftance recorded in the above minutes 
 was thoroughly canvafled : fome particulars not 
 mentioned in them recollected ; and the whole of 
 the accufation, proof, and defence, duly weighed, 
 and maturely confidered: when we came to an 
 unanimous determination ; which, together with the 
 reafons whereon it was founded, is fully expreffed 
 in the fentence pronounced by the Vice-Chancellor, 
 of which the following is an exact copy. 
 
 a P. 2. 
 
 Oxford
 
 Oxford, Mdrcb nth, 1768. 
 
 I. It having appeared to me D. £)urell, Vicc- 
 Chancellor o*f the Univerfity of Oxford, and un- 
 doubted VifitOr of St. Edmund-Hall within the faid 
 Univerfity, upon due information and examination, 
 that James Matthews of the faid Hall, had been ori- 
 ginally brought up to the trade of a weaver, and 
 afterwards followed the low occupation of keep- 
 ing a tap-houfe ; that, afterwards, having connect- 
 ed hinifelf with known methodiils, he did, with- 
 out any the leaft' proficiency in fchool knowledge, 
 enter himfelf of St. Edmund-Hall aforefaid, with a 
 defign to get into holy Orders ; and that he flill 
 continues to be wholly illiterate, incapable of doing 
 the ftatutable exercifes of the Hall, and confe- 
 quently more incapable of being qualified for holy 
 Orders, for which he had lately offered himfelf a 
 candidate. Moreover it having appeared by his own 
 confeflion, that he had frequented illicit conventicles 
 
 held in a private houfe in the city of Oxford. ■ 
 
 Therefore I D. Durell, by virtue of my vifita- 
 torial power, and with the advice and opinion of 
 the Reverend Thomas Randolph, D. D. Prefi- 
 dent of C. C. C. and Margaret Profeflor of Divinity 
 in this Univerfity, of the Reverend Thomas Fo- 
 thergill D. D. Provoft of gueen's-College, of the 
 Reverend Thomas Nowell D. D. Principal of 
 St. Mary -Hall, and Public Orator, and of the Re- 
 verend Francis Atterbury M. A, Senior Proc- 
 tor
 
 C '4M 
 
 tor of this Univerfity, my feveral afleflors regu- 
 larly appointed on this occafion, do expel the jaid 
 Jafnes Matthews from the fajd fjajl, wd do here- 
 by pronounce him expelled. 
 
 II. It hayjng alfo appeared to me that Thomas Jones 
 of St- Edmund-Hall had been brought up to the 
 trade of a barber, which occupation he had fol- 
 lowed very lately -, that he had made but a fmall 
 proficiency in learning, and was incapable of per- 
 forming the ftatutable exercifes of the faid Hall : 
 and, moreover, it having appeared by his own 
 confefiion, that he had frequented illicit conven- 
 ticles in a private houfe in this town, and that he 
 had himfelf held an afifembly for public worfhip 
 at Wheat- Afton \ in which he himfelf, though not 
 in holy Orders, had publicly expounded the 
 holy Scriptures to a mixt congregation, and of- 
 fered up extempore prayers. Therefore I 
 
 D. Durell, by virtue of my vifitatorial pow- 
 er, and with the advice and opinion of each and 
 every one of my afleflbrs, the reverend perfons 
 aforenamed, do expel the faid Thomas Jones, from 
 the faid Hall ; and hereby pronounce him alfo 
 expelled. 
 
 III. It having alfo appeared to me that Jofeph 
 Shipman of St. Edmund-Hall aforefaid had been a 
 draper ; was very illiterate, and incapable of per- 
 forming the ftatutable exercifes of the faid Hall. 
 
 Moreover
 
 [ 3o ] 
 
 Moreover, it having appeared by his own con- 
 feflion, that he had expounded publicly, though 
 not in holy Orders, the holy Scriptures to a mixt 
 congregation, and offered up extempore prayers. 
 
 Therefore I D. Durell, by virtue of my 
 
 vifitatorial power, and with the advice and opi- 
 nion of each and every one of my affeffors, the 
 reverend perfons aforenamed, do expel the faid 
 Jofeph Shipman from the faid Hall* and hereby 
 pronounce him alfo expelled. 
 
 IV. I t having alfo appeared to me, that Erafmus 
 Middleton of St. Edmund-Hall aforefaid, by his 
 own confeflion, had formerly officiated in the 
 chapel of eafe belonging to the parifh of Chevely 
 in the county of Berks, not being in holy Or- 
 ders; that he had been rejected from holy Orders 
 by the Bifhop of Hereford for the faid offence ; 
 that he was difcarded by his father for being con- 
 nected with the people called Methodifts^ and 
 that he ftill lies under his father's difpleafure for 
 the fame. Moreover, it having appeared by cre- 
 dible witneffes, that he is ftill connected with the 
 faid people, and profeffes their doctrines. Viz. 
 that " Faith without works is the fole condition 
 of falvation ; that there is no neceflity of works 
 — that the immediate impulle of the Spirit is 
 
 to be waited for." Therefore I D. Durell, 
 
 by virtue of my vifitatorial power, and with 
 the advice and opinion of each and every one 
 of my affeffors, the reverend perfons afore- men- 
 tioned,
 
 [ 3i ] 
 
 tioned, do expel the faid Erafmus Middleton from 
 the faid Hall, and hereby pronounce him alfo 
 expelled. 
 
 V. It having alfo appeared to me that Benjamin 
 Kay of the faid Hall, by his own confeflion, had 
 frequented illicit conventicles in a private houfe 
 in this town; where he had heard extempore 
 prayers frequently offered up by one Hewett, a 
 Haymaker. Moreover, it having been proved by 
 fufficient evidence that he held methodiftical prin- 
 ciples; viz. "the doctrine of abfolute election \ 
 that the Spirit of God works irrefiflibly ; that 
 once a child of God always a child of God :" 
 that he had endeavoured to inftil the fame prin- 
 ciples into others, and exhorted them to continue 
 
 ftedfaftly in them againft all oppofition. 
 
 Therefore I D. Durell, by virtue of my visi- 
 tatorial power, and with the advice and opinion 
 of each and every one of my afifeflbrs, the reve- 
 rend perfons before- mentioned, do expel the faid 
 Benjamin Kay from the faid Hall, and hereby 
 pronounce him alfo expelled. 
 
 VI. It having alfo appeared to me that Thomas 
 Grove of St. Edmund-Hall aforefaid, though not 
 in holy Orders, had, by his own confeflion, lately 
 preached to an affembly of people called Metho- 
 dijls in a barn, and had offered up extempore 
 
 prayers in that congregation. Therefore I 
 
 D. Durell, by virtue of my vifitatorial power, 
 
 and
 
 I 3* ] 
 
 and with the advice and opinion of each and every 
 one of my affeffors, the reverend perfons before- 
 named, do expel the faid Thomas Grove from 
 the faid Hall, and hereby pronounce him alfo 
 expelled. 
 
 Such, Sir, was the fentence, which you repre- 
 fent to be the moft cruel and unjuft that ever was 
 parTed •, and fuch the reafons on which it was 
 founded. I fhall not ftay to make any general ob- 
 fervations on it, but haften to anfwer the particu- 
 lar objections you have urged againft it, article by 
 article. 
 
 But before I proceed, I cannot help obferving 
 that under a pretence of a greater method and per- 
 fpicuity you have inverted the order of the charge, 
 even as it ftands in your own articles of accufation. 
 The order in which it flood on the examination, 
 and which is moft natural, was this — ift, the ac- 
 cufation of fome of them being brought up to 
 trade •, which would have had no weight, had it 
 not been connected with the fecond — viz* that they 
 were totally illiterate, and incapable of performing 
 the ftatutable exerciies of the Univerfity, and their 
 Hall — then followed the third — viz. that they 
 had frequented illicit conventicles, in which they 
 had preached, and prayed extempore ; and that one 
 
 a P. 11. 
 
 Of
 
 t 33 ] 
 
 of them had officiated as a minifter in holy Orders, 
 though a layman ; — the 4th was, that they held and 
 maintained tenets contrary to the doctrine of the 
 church of England; however, that I may not be 
 obliged to turn over your book backwards and for- 
 wards to reduce it to regularity and method, I fhall 
 take it as it (lands, and attend you page by page, 
 as nearly as I can, through the whole labyrinth of 
 your work. 
 
 a The firft charge you confider is that of attend- 
 ing illicit conventicles. To afcertain what is a con- 
 venticle you quote Jacob's law dictionary, but with 
 great partiality, and want of fidelity ; you adopt 
 only what may beft ferve your turn, leaving out 
 what makes againft you, though immediately con- 
 nected with what you quote : thus, you drop the 
 definition of a conventicle, which is <c a private af- 
 fembly for the exercife of religion," but take the 
 words immediately following it ; and here you flop ; 
 paying no regard to Mr. Jacob's quotation from 
 22 Car. II. which declares what conventicles are 
 illegal. Nor are you more faithful in quoting that 
 act of parliament ; you give us the preamble, but 
 conceal the part, which alone relates to the point 
 in queftion, where it is enacted that, if any perfon 
 above the age of fixteen (hall be prefent at any af- 
 fembly, conventicle, or meeting, under colour or 
 pretence of any exercife of religion in other manner 
 than according to, the liturgy and practice of the 
 
 a P. 12. 
 
 C church
 
 [ 34 ] 
 
 church of England, at which conventicle there mall 
 be five perfons or more affembled together over and 
 befides thofe of the fame houfliold, if it be a houfe 
 where there is a family inhabiting 'i or if it be in a 
 houfe, or field, or place where there is no family in- 
 habiting, then, when any five perfons or more are 
 fo aflembled, every one fhall be fubjecl; to the pe- 
 nalty of five millings for the firft offence, and ten 
 millings for the fecond. 
 
 Sect. 3. Every perfon, who fhall take upon him 
 to preach or teach in any fuch meeting, affembly, 
 or conventicle, fhall forfeit twenty pounds for the 
 firft offence, and forty pounds for the fecond. 
 
 Sect. 4. If any perfon fhall fuffer any fuch con- 
 venticle, affembly, or unlawful meeting, as afore- 
 faid, to be held in his houfe, out-houfe, barn, yard, 
 or back-fide, fhall forfeit twenty pounds. 
 
 This act, as the author of the remarks .upon 
 Mr. WhitefieWs letter obferves, is indeed in fome 
 degree altered by the toleration-act •, by which fome 
 conventicles are permitted under certain reftrictions ; 
 but all other conventicles, which come not under the 
 defcription given of fuch as are thereby permitted, 
 are flill continued to be forbidden by the 22 Car. II. 
 
 Thus feci:. 19. No congregation, or affembly 
 for religious worfhip fhall be permitted or allowed 
 by this ad, until fuch place of meeting fhall be cer- 
 tified
 
 I 35 J 
 
 tified to the Bifhop of the diocefe, or Arch- deacon 
 of the arch-deaconry, or to the Juftices of the 
 peace at their general quarter-fefiions for the coun- 
 ty, city, or place, in which fuch meetings fhall be 
 held, and regiftered in the faid Bilhop's or Arch- 
 deacon's court, or recorded at the faid general quar- 
 ter-feflions of the peace. Hence all conventicles, 
 affemblies, or meetings, as defcribed in 22 Car. II. 
 chap. 1. and not regiftered or recorded according 
 the toleration-act, are illicit and prohibited. The 
 meetings therefore which thefe gentlemen attended 
 were certainly conventicles, being " private affem- 
 blies for the exercife of religion •," and they were 
 illicit conventicles, " there being more than five per- 
 fons afiembled there, befides thofe of the fame houf- 
 hold." Nor does the law require proof of any dan- 
 gerous practices carried on at fuch meetings ; it 
 provides a fpeedy remedy againft the dangers, which 
 may poffibly, and will probably, arife from fuch 
 meetings j and forbids them, becaufe fectaries have, 
 or may, at fuch meetings, contrive infurre&ions. 
 
 Not being acquainted with the *KentiJh ftory to 
 which you appeal as decifive in this point, I cannot 
 contradict you with regard to the fact itfelf, but 
 have great reafon to fuppofe it did not turn on that 
 hinge, on which you reft it. The conventicle might 
 be illicit, and yet the Juftice of peace become liable 
 to punifhment for having taken unwarrantable and 
 illegal meafures to fupprefs it ; he might therefore 
 
 a P. 14. 
 
 C 2 be
 
 t 36 ] 
 
 be glad to compound matters, and make them up 
 in the manner you relate ; a cafe which, I appre- 
 hend, frequently happens. And as to the a religi- 
 ous focieties in Queen Anne's time ; if they were 
 compofed of Lords fpiritual and temporal, &c. I 
 will take upon me to pronounce that they did not 
 permit laymen, barbers, weavers, Haymakers, &c. 
 to pray extempore, or to preach, and expound the 
 fcriptures to them — But that members of the 
 church of England may be, and actually have been, 
 cenfured for frequenting illicit conventicles is very 
 evident from Queen Elizabeth's circular letter to 
 the Bilhops throughout England j in which your 
 meetings are exactly defcribed, and the pernicious 
 tendency of them fully fet forth — The following 
 is a copy of it, taken from Stripe's life of Arch- 
 bifhop Grindal — Appendix P. 85 
 
 The Queen to the Bifhops throughout 
 England for the fuppreffing the exercife 
 called prophefying, &c. 
 
 RIGHT Reverend Father in God, we greet 
 you well. We hear to our great grief, that in fun- 
 dry parts of our realm there are no fmall number 
 of perfons prefuming to be teachers and preachers 
 of the church (though neither lawfully thereunto 
 called, nor yet fit for the fame) which, contrary to 
 our laws eftablifhed for the public divine fervice of 
 
 a P. 15. 
 
 Almighty
 
 t 37 ] 
 
 Almighty God, and the adminiftration of his holy 
 facraments within this church of England^ do daily 
 devife, imagine, propound and put in execution 
 fundry new rites and forms in the church, as well 
 by their unordinate preaching, reading, and mi- 
 niftring the facraments, as by procuring unlaw- 
 fully of aflemblies, and great number of our peo- 
 ple out of their ordinary parifhes, and from places 
 far diftant (and that alfo fome of our fubjects of 
 good calling, tho* therein not well advifed) to be 
 hearers of their difputations, and new devifed opi- 
 nions upon points of divinity, far unmeet for vul- 
 gar people : which manner of innovation, they in 
 fome places term prophefyings, and in fome other 
 places exercifes. By which manner of aflemblies 
 great numbers of our people, efpecially the vulgar 
 fort (meet to be otherwife occupied, with honeft 
 labour, for their living) are brought to idlenefs, 
 and feducedj and in manner fchifmatically divi- 
 ded among themfelves into variety of dangerous 
 opinions, not only in towns and parifhes, but even 
 in fome families, and manifeftly thereby encou- 
 raged to the violation of our laws, and to the 
 breach of common order, and finally to the offence 
 of all our quiet fubjects, that defire to live, and 
 ferve God according to the uniform orders efla- 
 bliflaed in the church : whereof the fequel cannot 
 but be dangerous to be fuffered. 
 
 Wherefore confidering it mould be the duty 
 of the Bifhops, being the principal ordinary officers 
 
 C 3 in 
 
 30j_oo3
 
 [ 3§ ] 
 
 in the church of God, as you are one, to fee thefe 
 diforders againft the honour of God, and quietnefs 
 of the church reformed; and that we fee that by 
 the encreafe of thefe, through fufferance, great dan- 
 ger may enfue, even to the decay of chriftian faith, 
 whereof we are by God appointed the defender ; 
 befide the other great inconveniences, to the Dif- 
 turbance of our peaceable government : we there- 
 fore according to the authority we have, do charge 
 and command you, as the bifhop of that diocefe, 
 with all manner of diligence, to take order through 
 your diocefe, as well in places exempt as other- 
 wife, that no manner of public and divine fervice, 
 nor other form of adminiftration of the holy facra- 
 ments, nor any other rites and ceremonies, be in 
 any fort ufed in the church, but directly according 
 to the orders eftablifhed by our laws : neither that 
 any manner of perfon be fuffered within your dio- 
 cefe to preach, teach, read, or exercife any func- 
 tion in the church, but fuch as fhall be lawfully 
 approved and licenfed, as perfons able for their 
 knowledge, and conformable to the miniftry in the 
 rights and ceremonies of this church of England. 
 And where there fhall not be fufficient, able per- 
 fons for learning in any cures, to preach and in- 
 itrucl: your cures as were requifite, there fhall you 
 limit the curates to read the public homilies, ac- 
 cording to the injunctions heretofore by us given 
 for like cafes. 
 
 And
 
 [ 39 ) 
 
 And furthermore, confidering for the great 
 abules that have been in fundry places of our realm, 
 by reafon of the aforefaid afTemblies called exer- 
 cifes ; and for that the fame are not, nor have not, 
 been appointed nor warranted by us, or by our 
 laws, we will and ftraitly charge you, that you do 
 caufe the fame forthwith to ceafe, and not to be 
 ufed : but if any fhalt attempt, or continue, or re- 
 new the fame, we will you not only to commit 
 them unto prifon, as maintainers of diforders, but 
 alfo to advife us, or our council, of the names and 
 qualities of them, and of their maintainers and 
 abetters: that thereupon, for better example, their 
 punifhment may be made more marp for their re- 
 formation. 
 
 A n d in thefe things we charge you to be care- 
 ful and vigilant, as by your negligence, if we 
 fhould hear of any perfon attempting to offend in 
 the premifes without their correction, or informa- 
 tion to us, we be not forced to make fome ex- 
 ample in reforming of you according to your de- 
 ferts. 
 
 Given under our fignet at our manor of Green- 
 wich, the 7 th day of May 1577, in the xix th 
 year of our reign. 
 
 You
 
 [ 40 ] 
 
 You next appeal to the canons of the church ; 
 or rather having put your own conftru&ion on one 
 of them, you infer in general that " from their 
 a authority Ukewife it is mod clear that there is no 
 prohibition laid on any member of the church of 
 England for meeting together for religious purpo- 
 fes, ( I quote your own words though they are not 
 very grammatical) provided fuch meeting tend 
 not to the impeaching or depraving the doctrine 
 of the church of England, the book of common 
 prayer, the public peace, nor any part of the go- 
 vernment and difcipline eftablifhed in the church." 
 Suppofing this to be the cafe, I believe the meet* 
 ings which thefe men frequented, and in which 
 fome of them officiated, will juftly come under the 
 above defcription, and manifeftly tended to the 
 impeaching and depraving the doctrine of the 
 church of England, the book of common prayer, 
 and the government and difcipline of the church. 
 
 But is this the only canon of the church which 
 relates to the point in queftion ? does not the 71ft 
 canon forbid even ministers to preach, or admi- 
 nifter the holy communion, in any private houfe, 
 except it be in times of neceMity; upon pain of 
 fufpenfion for the firft offence, and excommunication 
 for the fecond ? Laymen therefore are a fortiori 
 prohibited from prefuming to do either. Nor b are 
 all minifters permitted even to expound any fcripture 
 
 a ?f 13. b 49. can. 
 
 or
 
 [. 4i ] 
 
 or matter of doctrine, in their own cure, or elfe- 
 where ; but fuch only as have been examined and 
 approved by the Bifhop of the diocefe, or licenfed. 
 Will you now fay that thefe meetings in private 
 houfes, in which not only minifters, but illiterate 
 laymen take upon them to preach, and expound 
 the fcriptures, are not prohibited by, or that the 
 perfons guilty of fuch prefumption do not offend 
 againfl, the canons of the church ? And if they 
 offend againfl the canons of the church, they cer- 
 tainly incur the penalty of the ftatutes of the Uni- 
 verfity ; which forbid all perfons to frequent illicit 
 conventicles under pain of expulfion ; and call all 
 fuch conventicles illicit, in which men meet either 
 publicly or privately in a way not allowed by the 
 ftatutes of the realm, or the canons of the church, 
 or the rules of the Univerfity ; they are prohibited 
 by the two former, and confequently muft be a 
 violation of the latter. Befides, thefe young men, 
 had they been capable of conftruing the Univerfity 
 ftatutes, which they had fworn to obferve, muft 
 have known that all fcholars are forbidden to fre- 
 quent the houfes of townfmen, and confequently 
 that meetings held at fuch houfes are not allowed 
 by the rules of the Univerfity. And furely in this 
 place there can be no occafion or pretence for fuch 
 religious meetings : there are prayers here in every 
 chapel twice a day ; there are fermons at the Uni- 
 verfity church twice every Sunday, and once every 
 holiday ; befides other occafional fermons. If this 
 were not fufficient, thofe pious gentlemen might 
 
 have
 
 [ 42 ] 
 
 have joined together in prayer within their own 
 halls, or colleges. But to hold fuch meetings in 
 private houfes in the town was. directly contrary to 
 the difcipline and rules of the Univerfity, to the 
 canons of the church, and the flatutes of the realm ; 
 I may add, to the articles likewife ; which, at their 
 admiflion into the Univerfity, they fubfcribed to. 
 The 23d article exprefsly declares, that it is not 
 lawful for any man to take upon himfelf the office 
 of preaching, before he is lawfully called. — " a But 
 was it the defign of the legiflature to prohibit all 
 members of the church from joining together in 
 prayer for the welfare of the church, unlefs it were 
 within the confecrated walls ?" — was this all that 
 was done ? was there* not expounding ? were there 
 not extempore prayers offered up ? and that by 
 perfons unauthorized to do either. b " But if upon 
 any occafion there happened to be half a dozen 
 guefts, or ftrangers prefent at the flated family- 
 worfhip in a houfe" — was then the prefence of 
 thefe guefts only accidental, or once upon an oc- 
 cafion ? I am well acquainted with the nature of 
 thefe meetings in general, and the numbers which, 
 deferting their own parifli church, flock together 
 from all parts of the neighbourhood to attend 
 them ; I have frequently been an eye witnefs of 
 the vain felf-fufficiency of thefe gifted teachers, 
 and of the ignorant zeal, and ftupid admiration of 
 their hearers : I cannot therefore be impofed upon 
 by your repreientation of them. Yet fuppofing 
 
 a P. 14. b Ibid. 
 
 there
 
 [ 43 ] 
 
 there were only five thus prefent, it is contrary to 
 the exprefs words of the act of Parliament cited 
 by you ; and which, one would have thought, 
 muft have flared you in the face, as they follow 
 immediately after thofe you have quoted. Strange 
 it is indeed that undergraduates in the Univerfity, 
 greatly deficient in learning and abilities, without 
 regular orders, or million, mould think themfelves 
 qualified, or authorized, to expound the fcriptures 
 in a mixt congregation, and to offer up extempore 
 prayers for, and in the name of, fuch congrega- 
 tion : and flill more ftrange is it that a filly wo- 
 man, or illiterate ftaymaker, fhould prefume to do 
 this; and that thefe gentlemen fhould, by their 
 attendance at thofe meetings, uphold and encou- 
 rage fuch prefumption. Nay, one of them was 
 convicted of officiating, tho' not in orders, as a cu- 
 rate in a country parifh church : a this indeed you 
 allow to have been a " very high indifcretion -, 
 though you muft believe that his motive was 
 good-," that is, you are refolved to believe no- 
 thing bad of him, tho' ever fo true, and every 
 thing good, however falfe. But why muft his mo- 
 tive be good ? b " becaufe, fay you, he could have 
 no temporal intereft in what he did" — that is 
 more than I know, or you can be certain of — But 
 might not his motive be pride, arrogance, felf- 
 conceit, prefumption ? and call you thefe motives 
 good ? you urge likewife that this c was before he 
 was a member of the Univerfity, and that he had 
 
 a P. 23. b Ibid, c P. 24. 
 
 behaved
 
 [ 44 ] 
 
 behaved ever fince with the greateft regularity. 
 Had this daring impiety been known before his 
 ad million, the Vice-Chancellor would not have per- 
 mitted him to become a member of the Univer- 
 fity ; as foon as it was known, it was a fufficient 
 reafon to remove him. An indifcretion is furely a 
 very mild term for a high offence againft the laws 
 both of God and his country, the fin of Korah, 
 Datban, and Abiram. Nor did it appear that he 
 had behaved ever fince with the greateft regulari- 
 ty, but juft the contrary. 
 
 Three others were alfo convicted of preaching, 
 or expounding, as they call it, in congregations 
 in the country. I wonder how they could think 
 themfelves called or qualified fo to do, unlefs they 
 had the gift of immediate and extraordinary infpi- 
 ration •, and this you feem to think they had, as 
 you compare their cafe with that of Chrift and his 
 Apoftles. But if this were really the cafe, what 
 bufinefs had they here ? They had no occafion to 
 come to the Univerfity for inftruction or degrees, 
 or to apply for orders. They were mifpending 
 their time ; not (landing in need of any qualifica- 
 tion, they could be fuppofed to acquire here — 
 But this point will be more fully confidered in its 
 proper place. The other two confefied that they 
 had frequented thefe meetings — All of them had 
 therefore incurred the penalty of expulfion under 
 this firlt charge. 
 
 You
 
 t 45 ] 
 
 You fay in their defence, " a that they did 
 abftain from thefe meetings, as foon as ever they 
 were told that they were contrary to the will of 
 thofe, who had the authority over them in the 
 Univerfity, and that not one of them had been 
 prefent at any fuch meetings for fome months before 
 their expulfion •, but all declared it was their de- 
 termination not to attend them again" — But how 
 does this declaration agree with their prefent be- 
 haviour ? was it not a mere jefuitical one, made 
 only to ferve their turn at that time ? but not an- 
 fwering their purpofe then, they have ever fince 
 totally difregarded it, and acted in open violation 
 of it. For (I aflert it on very good authority) 
 they are now, and have been for fome time, preach- 
 ing, and expounding, and holding thefe meetings 
 up and down the country, to the reproach of their 
 conduct, but to the full j unification of the Vice- 
 Chancellor's fentence • A fentence which you 
 
 call mod cruel and ignominious ; and tell us that 
 " b only one example can be produced within thefe 
 hundred years of fo public an infliction of a like 
 punifhment" — ■ I have already refuted this afler- 
 tion j and could give you many inftances of the 
 like punifhment, did I think it confident with 
 charity to rip up private characters, and again ex- 
 pofe thofe, who have already fufTered for, and, I 
 hope, long ago repented of their crimes. But I 
 muft take the liberty to tell you that you have 
 
 a P. 16. b P. 17. 
 
 greatly
 
 [ 46 ] 
 
 greatly mifreprefented the fa£t you allude to. If 
 you mean Mr. -*« — of H— f — d C it is noto- 
 rious that he was expelled the Univerfity by a 
 public aft of convocation — If you allude to an 
 affair which happened forty years ago at A — d — n, 
 
 wherein fome perfons of M — d — n C were 
 
 concerned ; the perfons guilty of that act of im- 
 piety, tho' not fuch as you reprefent it, were like- 
 wife expelled, and the fentence of their expulfion 
 now Hands recorded on the college regifter, ex- 
 preffed in terms of the greateft abhorrence. — But 
 you relate nothing upon hearfay — 
 
 The next charge againft thefe perfons, in the 
 order in which you place it, was, that a three of 
 them were bred to trades. You allow the charge ; 
 but plead that St. Paul was a tent -maker; 
 that David was called from the fheepfold; that 
 Amos was an herdfman, our Lord himfelf a car- 
 penter, and his Apoftles fifliermen —What trifling 
 is this ? when you will mew that thefe men have 
 the fame divine mifilon, which the prophets and 
 apoftles had, and bring the fame proof of it from 
 the gift of miracles and prophecy, then we will 
 allow them to do, as the prophets and apoftles did. 
 But b feveral worthy prelates were bred to trades : 
 it may be fo. Some perfons have been fent to 
 fchool, and, their parents not being able to main- 
 tain them at the Univerfity, have been afterwards 
 put out to trades : but having imbibed a relilh for 
 
 a P. 18. b P. 19. 
 
 learning
 
 t 47 ] 
 
 learning, and having in confequence a diflike for 
 the bufinefs of trade, they have met with friends, 
 who have fupported them here. Others have been 
 originally bred to trades, but difcovering a genius 
 for learning, they have been fent to fchool, and, 
 after a proper education there, have entered them- 
 felves in the Univerfity ; and fome of thefe per- 
 fons have become afterwards eminent in the learn- 
 ed profetfions. But as you have had the confidence 
 to fhelter the illiberal education and low ignorance 
 of thefe men under the fanction of a very learned 
 and venerable character, I beg leave to contradict 
 your account of that eminent prelate's education 
 upon the beft authority, which is, his own. That 
 dignitary, by whofe death the church of England 
 is deprived of her greateft Ornament, and bell 
 fupport, being juftly offended at the liberty you 
 have taken with him, drew up with his own hand 
 the following account of the manner in which he 
 was educated, before he became a member of the 
 Univerfity : which he defired might be here in- 
 ferted in anfwer to your mifreprefentation of it.— 
 His words are thefe, " Whereas it is aflerted in a 
 pamphlet entitled Pietas Oxonien/is, p. 19. that a 
 very great dignitary in the church was educated 
 in the profeffion of a man-midwife among the dif- 
 fenters : the real fact is this, that the perfon fup- 
 pofed to be meant was educated firft in a public 
 grammar fchool, then for five or fix years in dif- 
 fenting Academies, then for two years purfued 
 his ftudies privately; that in the year 171 6, and 
 
 not
 
 [ 48 ] 
 
 not before, he applied himfelf to the ftudy of phy* 
 fie, which he continued till near the middle of 
 
 1720, and not longer; that, during this time, 
 among many other courfes of lectures, he attended 
 (at Paris only) one in midwifery •, but that he ne- 
 ver profefled, nor practifed, nor intended to prac- 
 tife that, or any other branch of furgery, nor ever 
 acted as a phyfician, otherwife than occafionally 
 among the pooreft of his Parimioners." This is 
 the account that great prelate gives of himfelf. I 
 think it neceffary to add, that he was admitted a 
 gentleman commoner of Exeter college in April 
 
 1721, being then twenty years old ; and had the 
 degree of Bachelor of Arts conferred on him in 
 the act term following, in confequence of the flu- 
 dies he had purfued, and the progrefs he had made 
 in literary accompliftiments. The letter, by which 
 theChancellor exp retted his afient to that favour, con- 
 tains a very remarkable circumftance, which ought 
 not to be omitted, and upon which the petition 
 was founded. It is this, "that, contrary to his own 
 inclinations, he was fent by his guardians to the 
 Univerfity of Leyden, where he proceeded regu- 
 larly to the degree of Doctor of phyfic, as appear- 
 ed by the printed exercife which he performed on 
 that occafion." His character from this time be- 
 came too well known in the learned world to need 
 any farther account of it here. 
 
 Nor are you more happy in the other inftances, 
 by which you would countenance the ignorance of 
 
 thefe
 
 [ 49 ] 
 
 thefe men. The great cardinal Woolfey, of what- 
 ever quality or occupation his father might have 
 been, (though it appears by his will that he was a 
 man of no mean circumftances) was bred up from 
 his infancy to learning, in which he made fo rapid 
 a progrefs, that he took the degree of Bachelor of 
 Arts in this Univerfity when he was only 14 years 
 of age ; and was at that time diftinguifhed for his 
 abilities in every branch of literature. Suppofmg 
 then that his father was a butcher, will that juftify 
 your aflertion that the fon was bred up in a butch- 
 er's fhop ? unlefs you mean that every fon muft be 
 of the fame occupation as his father. 
 
 Bishop Maddux likewife was from a child bred 
 up at a regular grammar fchool : but having the 
 misfortune to lofe his father, he fell into the hands 
 of friends who were Diffenters, and were therefore 
 unwilling that he mould be ordained according to 
 the rites of the Church of England-, while he on 
 the other hand was old enough to declare againft 
 taking Orders in their Church: They therefore 
 put him to a paftry-cook upon trial, but before he 
 was bound apprentice, the mafter came to his re- 
 lations, and told them that the boy was not fit 
 for his trade, and was fure he would never make 
 any thing of it, that he was continually reading 
 books of learning above his (the mailer's) compre- 
 henfion, and therefore advifed that they mould 
 take him away, and fend him back to fchool to 
 follow the bent of his inclination. This was ac- 
 
 D cordingly
 
 [ So ] 
 
 cordingly done, and from fchool he was entered of 
 Queen's College. I need not inform you what 
 figure he made in life. 
 
 i 
 You may depend upon the truth of the above 
 
 relation j which is given by a very eminent Per- 
 
 fon, who received it from the bifhop's own mouth. 
 
 The late Proctor was educated on the founda- 
 tion at Weftminjter y and from thence elected a Stu- 
 dent of Chrift Church : after feveral year's refidence 
 in the Univerfity he ferved his country for fome 
 fhort time, not in the army, but in a county mi- 
 litia. — To what purpofe then have you introduced 
 any of thefe inftances ? how different is the cafe of 
 every one of them from that of the perfons re- 
 moved from hence by the Vice-Chancellor? when 
 they left their trades, they did not go to any 
 regular fchool, but were fent to the houfe of fome 
 private clergyman, where they might poffibly im- 
 bibe the principles of methodifm, and a contempt 
 for human knowledge, but appeared to have made 
 no proficiency in the languages, or any part of 
 learning. Nay, one of them, tho' totally illi- 
 terate, was afiiftant to one of thofe clergymen ; 
 from whence we may fairly conclude what fort of 
 learning was cultivated under his tuition. Their 
 being bred to trades therefore was hot charged 
 upon them as a crime, nor would it have been 
 made any objection at all, if they had appeared to 
 have made a proper proficiency in learning, but 
 
 the
 
 i St ] 
 
 the contrary appeared moft plainly. Which is the 
 third charge you confider. 
 
 You affect to laugh at this charge as full of ab- 
 furdity — " a if they were backward in their ftu- 
 dies, was not this the belt reafon in the world 
 why they fhould be fuffered to purfue them? 
 Would feyou drive a man from the feat of learning 
 and knowledge, becaufe he is yet deficient in the 
 knowledge of the languages?" If this bejuft rea- 
 foning, then the moft ignorant perfons are the 
 the moft proper to become members of the Uni- 
 verfity, then ought our Colleges and Halls to be 
 filled with mechanics and plowmen. Surely fome 
 qualifications of fchool learning are necefTary in 
 thofe who have any reafon to expect improvement 
 here. The fphere of the Univerfity, efpecially in 
 its prefent ftate, is rather the fciences than the firft 
 elements of learning. Can it be expected that 
 perfons, whofe early years have been engaged in 
 the purfuit of fuch employments, as fuppofe a to- 
 tal inattention to ftudy, Ihould, when they arrive 
 to the ftate of manhood (which was the cafe of 
 thefe men) be qualified for a learned profeffion, or 
 capable of receiving academical knowledge ? Such 
 knowledge, to borrow the ingenious metaphor 
 which you have adopted from a news paper, was 
 too ftrong meat for fuch weak ftomachs. ' If a 
 perfon can neither conftrue the ftatutes, which are 
 his rule of action, nor perform the exercifes re- 
 a P. 19. b p. 20; 
 
 D 2 quired
 
 [ 52 ] 
 
 quired both in the Univerfity, and in every Col- 
 lege and Hall, he is not likely to improve much 
 here : Such an ignorant perfon is not fit to be ad- 
 mitted here, nor is it any injury to remove him 
 from hence. And it is more efpecially neceflary 
 lb to do, if it mail appear that he entertains hopes 
 by this means to thruft himfelf into the miniftry. 
 
 But " a can their tutor," fay you, " deny that 
 they had made confiderable progrefs in their learn- 
 ing, fince they entered at the Hall ?" Yes, he can, 
 and did deny it ; this was part of his charge againft 
 them, and their examination fhewed that they had 
 made no fuch progrefs. But you feem to think 
 their b " literary abilities were not put to a proper 
 trial." Their examination was very eafy •, they 
 were only required to conftrue the Greek teftament, 
 and the flatutes of the Univerfity ; and could do 
 neither. They were allowed all the time to recol- 
 lect themfelves, and to confider the paffages pro- 
 pofed to them, that they could defire. Jf they 
 " c were under much confufion and difcompofure in 
 fuch a public place," why did they not defire a 
 more private examination ? This the Vice-Chan- 
 cellor and his Alfeflbrs would have readily confen- 
 ted to, but none of them made any fuch applica- 
 tion. But they did not appear to be under the 
 lead confufion or difcompofure — they had been 
 ufed to fpeak before much larger afiemblies, and 
 it was obferved that they did not want confidence 
 
 a P. 20. b Ibid. c Ibid. 
 
 on
 
 t 53 ] 
 
 on this occafion. a " But there were very many 
 perfons of the Hall, equally, if not more defi- 
 cient." I hope not. There was only one perfon 
 more accufed ; who, confefiing his ignorance, de-. 
 clined all examination j but as he was reDrefented 
 to be a man of fortune, and declared that he was 
 not defigned for holy orders, the Vice-Chancellor 
 did not think fit to remove him for this reafon 
 only, though he was fuppofed to be one of the 
 b righteous over- much, as you exprefs it. If there 
 were any others equally illiterate, they ought to 
 have been particularly accufed, and application 
 made to the Viiitor for their removal : I am fatis- 
 fied he would have been ready to hear and redrefs 
 fuch complaint. He was at that time examining 
 into the articles of accufation brought againil par- 
 ticular members of that fociety by Mr. Higfon, he 
 could not therefore with propriety proceed to any 
 other matter of grievance not alleged in thofe 
 articles ; but the Principal, who defired that others 
 might he examined, was requefted, if he had mat- 
 ter of complaint againft any of his members to ex- 
 hibit it, and the Vice-Chancellor would appoint a 
 day for hearing it : but he declined the propofal. 
 Befides, I apprehend, he might himfelf remove 
 any members from his fociety, whom he conceived 
 to be a difgrace to it ; and if the c Tutor had intro- 
 duced any fuch illiterate pupils into the Hall, in 
 which cafe I fhould think him very culpable (tho' 
 he could not have done this without the confent of 
 a P. 20. b P. 21. c Ibid. 
 
 D 3 the
 
 [ 54 ] 
 
 the Principal) it was in the Principal's option whe- 
 ther they mould continue there, and be permitted 
 " juft to keep their terms, and get into orders, 1 * 
 to the difgrace of the Church and the Univerfity. 
 
 But the truth is, you, if you are confident with 
 your own principles, think no one difqualified to be- 
 come or continue a member of the Univerfity on 
 account of a age, ignorance, or former occupation ; 
 you exclaim loudly againft fuch removals. The 
 proceedings in this cafe have been called tyranny 
 and perfecution •, the Vice- Chancellor and his af- 
 feffors have been compared to Bonner and the popifh 
 perfecutors. You call it tc the moft fevere punifh- 
 ment an Univerfity can inflict ; a cruel ignomini- 
 nious fentence •, turning them out- to ftarve ; a 
 punifhment which may reduce' them to the very 
 want of bread, and cart a lafting ftigma upon their 
 names and characters." Happy thefe gentlemen, 
 to find fo eloquent and zealous an advocate ! But 
 where after all was the great injury done them ? 
 they were deprived of neither liberty, property, 
 nor life ; they were of no foundation, had no free- 
 hold in the Univerfity, nor received one milling 
 profit from the Hall ; but were mifpending both 
 their money and their time. Nor had they any 
 character to lole ; if henceforth they are known to 
 be illiterate, that could only be a reproach to 
 them while they aflumed the character of gownf- 
 men j but can be none, while they act in their 
 
 a P. 21. 
 
 own
 
 [ ss ] 
 
 own proper one of weaver, barber, or tapfter. 
 The Vice-Chancellor had as much right and reafon 
 to remove them from the Univerfity, as a fchool- 
 mafter has to remove fcholars from his fchool, who 
 are incapable of making any proficiency there. 
 They were not qualified to improve in academical 
 ftudies, nor capable of performing the exercifes of 
 the Univerfity and the Hall. It was therefore no 
 injury (I repeat it again) but rather a kindnefs to 
 fend them from a place, where they were mif-em- 
 ploying their time, and abufing the ill-placed 
 kindnefs of their friends, who fupported them here 
 in idlenefs, that they might follow their refpective 
 trades elfewhere, and get their livelihood in an 
 honeft, and reputable manner. Mr. J — s makes 
 a good perriwig ; he need not flarve, he may get 
 his bread by his proper profefilon. Mr. M — s and 
 Mr. S — n may maintain themfelves and ferve their 
 country better at the loom, or at the tap, or be- 
 hind the counter, than they were likely to do in 
 the pulpit — tractent fabrilia fabri. — The laft 
 gentleman, we were allured from his miftrefs, bore 
 a very good character, and behaved with diligence 
 and fidelity in her fervice, till he was feduced by 
 the Methodifls ; when idlenefs fucceeded to dili- 
 gence, and negligence took the place of fidelity ; 
 let him return to her fervice, and by a faithful dif- 
 charge of his duty recover his loft reputation. 
 
 If thefe gentlemen have by our fentence been 
 debarred from entering into the miniltry, this is 
 
 alfo
 
 [ 5* ] 
 
 alfo no injury, but rather a kindnefs to them, as 
 well as a fervice done to the public. They are pre- 
 vented from expofing themfelves, and mifleading 
 others. I beg leave to recommend to their ferious 
 perufal the excellent fermon of Bifhop Bull, con- 
 cerning the great difficulty and danger of the prieftly 
 ofEce. " How horrible (fays that worthy prelate) 
 is the confidence, or rather impudence of thofe 
 mechanics, that have leapt from the fhop-board, or 
 the plough, into the pulpit, and thus, per faltum, 
 by a prodigious leap commenced teachers! what 
 fhall we fay to thefe mountebanks in the Church, 
 thefe empirics in theology ? I can only fay this, I 
 can never fufficiently admire either their boldnefs in 
 adventuring to be teachers, or the childifh folly and 
 fimplicity of thofe that give themfelves up to be 
 their difciples. 'Tis a miracle that any fuch perfon 
 fhould dare to preach, or, if he do, that any man 
 in his right wits mould vouchfafe to hear him." — 
 If Mr. Higfon has introduced a others of the 
 fame (lamp, the above reflection will be equally 
 worthy of their attention. 
 
 And here, fir, it will be proper to introduce Mr. 
 Welling, who, you tell us, had afferted, as appeared 
 upon the trial, that " whofoever believeth the mi- 
 racles of our Saviour, or of Mofes, mull be a knave 
 or a fool •, and is well known in the Hall by the 
 name of the Infidel b ." If this were his known 
 
 a P. 2i. fe P. 22, 
 
 character
 
 [ 57 ] 
 
 character, why was he permitted to continue a 
 member of a fociety devoted to a religious educa- 
 tion ? why was he not expelled from it ? — When 
 this circumftance was mentioned by way of recrimi- 
 nation, we applied to the Principal for the truth of 
 it, and defired that he might be formally proceeded 
 againft. The Principal fo far from fupporting the 
 charge, declared that he .had no objection to Mr. 
 fuelling's character, nor had ever heard any ill of 
 him. However the Vice-Chancellor and his affef- 
 fors thought a charge of this nature, which they 
 held in much greater deteftation than you would 
 reprefent them to do, ought to be thoroughly exa- 
 mined into ; he therefore ordered the two gentle- 
 men, to whofe teflimony Mr. Kay appealed in fup- 
 port of it, viz. Mr. JVrighte and Mr. Brown to at- 
 tend him. He took their depofitions upon oath, 
 and the whole of their evidence is contained in the 
 following affidavits. 
 
 Oxford, \ The information of William Wrighte, 
 * gentleman commoner of St. Edmund-Hall 
 in the Univerfity of Oxford, taken on oath 
 before me, David Durell, Doctor in 
 Divinity, Vice-Chancellor, and one of his 
 Majefty's juftices of the peace in and for 
 the faid Univerfity, this twelfth day of 
 March, 1 768 ; 
 
 Who faith, that on laft St. John's, day the baptirt, 
 (viz. the 24th of June, 1767,) he this informant 
 
 was
 
 [ 5« i 
 
 was walking in New College gardens, and was 
 there joined by John Welling and Erafmus Middle- 
 ton, commoners of Edmund Hall aforefaid, when 
 he the faid Wright e perceiving the faid Welling to 
 be concerned in liquor, took occafion to expoftu- 
 late with him thereon : a difpute then arofe be- 
 tween the faid Welling and Middleton concerning 
 fome points in religion, the particulars of which 
 he this informant does not recollect, only that 
 the miracles of Mofes were introduced in the 
 difpute ; when the faid Welling addrefnng himfelf 
 to the faid Middleton, ufed fome fuch exprefllon 
 as the following, •* What, fool, do you believe 
 in the miracles of Mofes?" or words to that 
 effect, upon which he the faid informant repro- 
 ved him feverely, and threatened him much. That 
 night, or the next day the faid Welling came to 
 afk the faid informant's pardon for his behaviour 
 that day or the preceding day : upon which he the 
 faid informant told him, that if he again beha- 
 ved in the like manner, he would acquaint the 
 Vice- Principal with it, and added, that if he had 
 thought he had been in earned in regard to the 
 expreffion, which had fo much offended him 
 the day before or that day, he would break all 
 connection with him, or to that effect. 
 
 The faid informant further faith, that in feveral 
 converfations he has had with the faid Welling, 
 he has taken occafion to examine into his real 
 fentiments in regard to^the miracles of Mofes, 
 
 and
 
 C 59 J 
 
 and other points of revelation : when the faid 
 Welling has declared, and particularly in a late 
 converfation, his unfeigned affent to, and belief 
 of divine revelation in general, and of the mi- 
 racles wrought by Mofes in particular. And he 
 the faid informant faith, that he has no fort of 
 reafon to fufpect the veracity of the faid Welling 
 in the faid declaration. 
 
 William Wrights. 
 
 Sworn before me on the 
 day and year above- 
 
 written 
 
 D. Durell, Vice-Chancellor. 
 
 Oxford,\The information of William Brown, 
 * commoner, of St. Edmund-Hall, within 
 the Univerfity of Oxford, taken on oath 
 before me, David Durell, Doctor in 
 Divinity, Vice-Chancellor of the Univer- 
 fity, and one of his Majefty's juftices of 
 the peace in and for the faid Univerfity, 
 this twelfth day of March, 1768 ; 
 
 Who faith, that in feveral converfations he has had 
 with. John Wetting, commoner of the faid Hall, on 
 religious fubje&s, he has found that he the faid 
 Welling has ufed many free expreflions, which he 
 does not now remember, but which argued a 
 fufpicion of a disbelief of divine revelation : but 
 
 upon
 
 [ 6o ] 
 
 upon a very particular enquiry, made at repeated 
 times by the faid informant, into the faid Wel~ 
 littg*s real opinion of the truth of all the divine 
 revelations, he the faid JVelling hath as often de- 
 clared his unfeigned affent to all revealed truth 
 contained in the holy fcriptures. 
 
 This informant further faith, that he has no reafon 
 now to fufpect that the faid Welling dilfembled, 
 when he folemnly declared his real belief of the 
 truth of divine revelations ; and does not fufpedt 
 his being in the leaft difaffected to the doctrines 
 or difcipline of the Church of England. 
 
 William Brown. 
 
 Sworn before me on the 
 day and year above- 
 written 
 
 D. Durell, Vice-Chancellor. 
 
 The Vice-Chancellor having taken thefe deposi- 
 tions, made enquiry after Mr. JVelling ; but was in- 
 formed that he was gone out of town, and would 
 not return till Eafter term ; he defired directions 
 to him, but the Principal knew not where to ad- 
 drefs him. The Vice-Chancellor then proceeded 
 to lay the above affidavits before the Heads of 
 Houfes ; who were of opinion that they did not con- 
 tain
 
 [ 6' ] 
 
 tain fufficient matter for a public citation, but 
 advifed that the party accufed mould, on his return 
 to the Univerfity, be fummoned before them to 
 give an account of his principles, and make fuch. 
 fatisfaction as ihould appear to them proper and 
 fufficient. Accordingly he waited on the Vice- 
 Chancellor on the 15th of May, and fhewed him a 
 letter from Mr. Higfon, in anfwer to an application 
 he had made for Teftimonials for holy Orders: 
 wherein Mr. H. declared that he had no objection 
 to figning fuch Teftimonials, provided he was 
 allured by the Vice-Chancellor that he had given 
 fatisfaction to the Univerfity in refpect to the charge 
 of infidelity, which had been brought againft him. 
 He protefted that there was no real foundation for 
 this charge, and was very defirous to give all pofllble 
 affurances of his innocence. The Vice-Chancellor 
 told him that he muft appear the day following be- 
 fore the Heads of Houfes. He attended accord- 
 ingly j and being called in, was acquainted with 
 the heinous nature of the crime laid to his charge, 
 and underwent a very ftrict examination with refpect 
 to his religious principles. He expreffed great con- 
 cern for having laid himfelf open to the fufpicion of 
 infidelity, and declared before the Meeting the fub- 
 ftance of what is contained in the affidavit here an- 
 nexed; which was read by him publicly in the 
 Convocation Houfe the next day, before the Mem- 
 bers of Congregation there afiembled, exactly as 
 it is here printed, and not in latin, as you afiert 
 
 to
 
 [ 6* ] 
 
 in the note p. 23d. This is another inftance o£ 
 your afierting nothing upon hear-fay evidence. 
 
 WHEREAS it hath been alleged upon 
 oath before the Reverend the Vice-Chancel- 
 lor, againft me John Welling, that on the 
 24th of June, 1767, in converfation with 
 Mr. Wrighte and Mr. Middleton of Edmund- 
 Hall, in this Univerfity, I made uie of certain 
 expreffions tending to difparage the truth of 
 revelation ; and in particular the miracles of 
 Mofes : I do hereby declare my unfeigned af- 
 fent to, and belief of, divine revelation in gene- 
 ral, and of the miracles wrought by Mofes in 
 particular : And I do aver that I was in- 
 toxicated in liquor (for which very criminal 
 excefs I am moft fincerely forry) when I 
 uttered thofe expreffions ; and whereas by 
 the ufe of thofe expreflions I have given 
 but too juft occafion of fcandal and offence 
 to the Vice - Chancellor and Members of 
 this Univerfity; I do hereby afk pardon of 
 them for the fame; and I do further moft 
 folemnly proteft, that however unguarded I 
 may have been in the ufe of thofe, or any 
 expreffions whatfoever concerning religion, 
 they were not declarative of my real prin- 
 ciples, in as much as thofe principles are, 
 and ever have been, and I truft will ever 
 continue to be, diametrically oppofite to fcep- 
 
 ticifm
 
 [ 63 ] 
 
 ticifm and infidelity, which from my heart 
 I deteft and abhor. 
 
 Witnefs my hand, 
 
 John Welung, 
 
 Sworn before me 
 the ninth day of 
 May, 1768. 
 
 D. Durell, Vice-Chancellor. 
 
 We whofe names are underwritten, do certify 
 that John Welling read the above declaration 
 publickly in Congregation, this tenth day of 
 May, 1768, 
 
 D. Durell, Vice-Chancellor. 
 B. Wheeler, Senior Proctor. 
 
 E. Whit more, Junior Proctor. 
 
 Let me now afk you what apology can you 
 make to the Vice-Chancellor and Heads of Houfes, 
 whofe characters you have afperfed, by a bafe insi- 
 nuation that they prefer infidelity to methodifm ? 
 what atonement to the Univerfity, which is greatly 
 injured by your unjuft and uncharitable cenfures ? 
 What anfwer to your own confcience, which muft 
 reproach you with having endeavoured to vilify the 
 governors of this venerable feat of learning and 
 piety, thereby weakening the hands of difcipline, 
 and wounding even religion herfelf ? 
 
 In
 
 t 64 ] 
 
 In your note p. 79. you give us a particular hif- 
 tory of the birth, life, and converfation of Mr. 
 Welling. How you have been able to trace this 
 poor beggar-boy from the Foundling Hofpital, thro' 
 the feveral dark windings and dirty channels thro' 
 which he waded to the Univerfity ; or how he ever 
 got there by fuch arts, is a myftery to me. If 
 your ftory be a true one, he is certainly a very de- 
 tectable character, and not worthy to be a member 
 of the Univerfity. But to what purpofe have you 
 introduced it here ? With what view have you 
 raked into this filthy kennel ? His admiflion here 
 under fuch circumftances can be no reflection on 
 the Vice-Chancellor, who could not be fuppofed to 
 be acquainted with them ; it can be no reflection on 
 his Tutor, in whofe abfence he was entered ; who 
 was quite unacquainted with his family and connec- 
 tions, who, and whence he was, and particularly 
 made this an article of complaint. Neither can 
 it reflect on thofe who figned his Teftimonials for 
 Orders, or on the Bifhop, who ordained him 
 to a cure of souls, unlefs you can fuppofe 
 that they were previoufly acquainted with this dark 
 fide of his character ; which I am perfuaded was 
 entirely concealed from them, till you hung it 
 out to public view ; whether in its proper co- 
 lours or not, I leave himfelf to ihew. This black 
 ftory, which however I have good reafon to believe 
 is mifreprefented, will indeed fuggeft one caution to 
 the Heads of Colleges and Halls, viz. not to admit 
 any one a member of their fociety, without enqui- 
 ring
 
 [ 6j ] 
 
 ring into his family, his education, and morals. 
 The Vice-Chancellor does this, as far as he pru- 
 dently can, at the matriculation of every perfon : 
 who gives an account of his age, quality, his fa- 
 ther's name, and place of abode ; all which is re- 
 giflered in the matriculation-book, and fuppofed 
 to be well known to the Governor or Tutor of the 
 fociety into which he is entered. 
 
 I now proceed to the cafe of thofe gentlemen, 
 who a " were fuffered to take their names out of 
 the book of Edmund-Hall, and to enter at Magda- 
 len-Hall -, which you reprefent to.be done in order 
 to caft a greater ftigma and opprobrium on Ed- 
 mund-Hall, and the worthy Principal of it; and 
 this, after Mr. Vice-Chancellor had told Mr. 
 Grove, and folemnly given his word to the Princi- 
 pal, that unlefs the expelled young men were re- 
 ceived again into the Univerfity, none of the 
 others mould have liberty to leave his Hall, and 
 to enter elfewhere. — Heu! prifca fides /" Is it thus 
 you defend the caufe of violated truth, and injured 
 innocence ? Is this your love of candor ? this your 
 reverence for authority? fuch an accufation brought 
 againft the chief magiftrate of the Univerfity ought 
 at leaft to be well fupported, and urged with mo- 
 defty. But you were confcious your caufe required 
 other arts than thefe; to apply your own quotation 1 * 
 
 Non tali auxilio, nee defenforibus iftis 
 
 Tempus eget. 
 
 a P. 23. b P, 83. 
 
 E Bold
 
 E 66 ] 
 
 Bold aflertion mud fupply the place of proof, and 
 vehement exclamation give to falfhood the air of 
 truth ; which however, upon the flighted touch 
 will return to her proper fhape, and appear in her 
 own deformity. The real fact is this j Mr. Grove, 
 after his expulfion, applied to the Vice-Chancellor 
 to be re-admitted into fome College or Hall, on 
 condition of his making a recantation of his errors, 
 and giving fecurity to the Univerfity for his future 
 good behaviour. The Vice-Chancellor referred 
 him to the Chancellor, to whom he prefented a 
 petition ♦, which was again referred by the Chan- 
 cellor to the Vice-Chancellor ; who, to oblige Mr. 
 Grove, fixed upon the firft vacant hour in the next 
 day after he received it, in order to deliberate 
 with his afTeflbrs upon the fubject of it. At the 
 fame time they took into their confederation ano- 
 ther petition, which had been prefented by three 
 gentlemen of the fame Hall to the Chancellor, but 
 was alfo referred to the Vice-Chancellor's determi- 
 nation. In regard to Mr. Grove, they were una- 
 nimous in their opinion that he ought not to be 
 received again into the Univerfity : but with re- 
 fpeft to the other petitioners, it was judged expe- 
 dient that perfuafion mould be ufed to induce 
 them to continue of the Hall, as the caufe of their 
 complaint had been removed by the late expul- 
 fion •, and indeed alio thro' motives of tendernefs 
 to the Principal, that by their continuance there 
 that Houfe might recover its credit. But if the 
 method here recommended mould prove ineffec- 
 tual,
 
 [ 67 ] 
 
 tual, they all agreed that the Vice - Chancellor 
 would then be obliged to call upon the Principal 
 (as the ftatute directs) to fhew caufe why their pe- 
 tition fhould not be granted. 
 
 Mr. Grove called upon the Vice-Chancellor that 
 evening for an anfwer ; when he was told the Vice- 
 Chancellor and his afTeflbrs could not confent to his 
 being re-inflated; and that the other gentlemen 
 were not allowed for the prefent to leave the Hall. 
 This was all that pafled between them. The 
 beginning of the week following the Principal of 
 Edmund-Hall called upon the Vice-Chancellor to 
 defire him to recommend a Tutor for his Hall: 
 at which time the Vice-Chancellor acquainted him 
 with the fubftance of what had pafled at the meeting 
 on the Saturday preceding ; exprefsly adding that, 
 if the gentlemen who had petitioned for leave to 
 remove to another fociety, could not be prevail- 
 ed on to continue of the Hall, he mult expect 
 to be called upon to give his reafons againfl their 
 departure. 
 
 This is the exact ftate of the cafe : and if the 
 Vice -Chancellor's bare word will not be admit- 
 ted, he is ready to confirm it upon oath. He has 
 fince called upon the Principal, and, in my pre- 
 fence, queflioned him in relation to the charge 
 brought againit him on this head. The Princi- 
 pal's anfwer was, that he underftood the deter- 
 mination of both the petitions had been final ; 
 
 and
 
 [ 68 j 
 
 and did not remember that any thing farther was 
 faid on the fubject : but abfolutely cleared the 
 Vice-Chancellor of having made any promife, or 
 having intimated a fingle word of any condition, 
 on which the fuppofed breach of promife is found- 
 ed. You will now, I hope, do him the juftice to 
 retract what you have faid, and beg his pardon for 
 the injury you have done him. 
 
 Another petition was fome time after prefented 
 to the Vice-Chancellor by fix members of Ed- 
 mund-Hall, defiring his leave to quit it : This he 
 laid before the Heads of Houfes at that meeting, 
 in which an enquiry was made into Mr. Welling* s 
 affair, and fent for the Principal of the Hall to 
 know what objection he had againfl granting it : 
 but none being urged, at leaft none that was 
 thought fatisfactory, and the Principal (till conti- 
 nuing to refufe them leave, the- Vice-Chancellor 
 put the queflion diftinctly to all then prefent, 
 who were not lefs than fixteen, whether they 
 would advife him to give the petitioners the pro- 
 per inftrument for that purpofe ; when all (the 
 Principal excepted) readily concurred to recom- 
 mend that meafure ; and if you are at all ac- 
 quainted with the ftatutes of the Univerfity, you 
 muft know it was not in the Vice-Chancellor's 
 power to make the promife you charge with him. 
 
 We come now to that article on which you feem 
 to lay the greateft ftrefs, and difplay all your 
 
 eloquence
 
 [ 69 ] 
 
 eloquence, fhall I call it ? or rather virulence. 
 You not only afTerf that all " a the doctrines which 
 thefe fix ftudents were expelled for maintaining 
 are the very fundamental avowed doctrines of the 
 Church of England ; but call thofe who hold the 
 contrary opinions, b a peftilent feditious feci, dan- 
 gerous heretics and fchifmatics : c Incendiaries in 
 the church, who had impioufiy and hypocritically 
 fet their hands to doctrines, which in their hearts 
 they never aflented to : and call their opinions d the 
 pride-foothing Arminian herefy, doctrines of de- 
 vils ; and rank them with the blafphemies of Arius, 
 Pelagius, and Socinus •, e you affirm them to be the 
 known, avowed, received tenets of the Church of 
 Rome^ compared with which tranfubftantiation is 
 an harmlefs error." — Is this the language of one 
 guided by a fpirit of wifdom, truth, love, and 
 candor ? Is it confiflent with chriftian charity or 
 decency ? The points which you pronounce fo 
 confidently upon, are generally acknowledged to 
 be abftrufe and difficult points: and wife and good 
 men have always differed about them. Lefs con- 
 fidence therefore, and more charity would have 
 better become you. Thefe points have been dif- 
 puted in almoft all ages of the chriftian church, 
 both before, and fince the council of f Trent ; 
 among the Papifts, between the Thcmifis and the 
 Scotifts j the Dominicans and the Francifcans : 
 
 a P. 29. b P. 33. c Ibid. d Ibid. c P. 73. 
 f See F. Paul's Hill, of the Council of Trent, b. ii. 
 
 E 3 among
 
 [ 7° ] 
 
 among the Proteftants, from the firft beginning of 
 the reformation, between the Lutherans and the 
 Calvinifts. What pretence then have you to call 
 your own notions the principles of the reforma- 
 tion, and the contrary opinions the avowed tenets 
 of the Church of Rome? You ought to have 
 known, that the doctrines, againft which you inveigh 
 with fo much bitternefs, have been maintained 
 by many of the brighteft ornaments of our church, 
 and the principal advocates againft the errors of 
 popery ; fuch as Laud, Hammond, Bull, T'illotfon, 
 Sharp, Stillingfltet, and many others ; and that our 
 articles have been vindicated from the charge of 
 Calvinifm by Bp Bull, Dr. Waterland, and ieveral 
 other religious and learned men. Suppofing that 
 they, and we, are miftaken in the fenfe we put upon 
 our articles, yet furely, unlefs you can fee our 
 hearts, you cannot cenfure us for fubfcribing to 
 what we believe not a word of. The fame railing 
 accufations have been frequently brought againft 
 us by Arians and Socinians, and as frequently an- 
 fwered. They have been very lately urged with 
 great bitternefs in that virulent and abufive pam- 
 phlet, called the Confefilonal. It is very ftrange 
 that you fhould repeat the fame calumnies, which 
 have been fo lately and fo fully anfwered in thofe 
 three excellent letters addrefled to the author of 
 the Confeffional, without taking any notice of the 
 
 anfwers therein given. 
 
 But
 
 [ 7* ] 
 
 But you tell us that " a the Univerfity of Ox- 
 ford have expelled her members for believing thofe 
 very doctrines which Cranmer and Ridley were mar- 
 tyred within her walls for defending." Here, fir, 
 you make their expulfion an act of the Univerfity, 
 though in your dedication you tell us, that it is 
 the higheft injuftice to that ancient and refpectable 
 feminary of true piety and learning to look upon 
 it in this light. In what light then muft we look 
 upon you, who are guilty of this injuftice ? But were 
 Cranmer and Ridley martyred for maintaining thefe 
 doctrines ? and muft we take your word for this ? 
 for you have not vouchfafed to give the leaft proof 
 of it. I beg leave to tell you that Cranmer and 
 Ridley were condemned and martyred for denying 
 traniubftantiation b, the facrifice of the mafs, and 
 the Pope's fupremacy. What their opinions were 
 with regard to the doctrines of free agency, &c. 
 may be feen in the bobk called c Pia et Catholica 
 Inftitutio, or Erudition of a Chriftian Man, pub- 
 limed 1543, by the King's authority, and autho- 
 rized by the bifhops, with Abp Cranmer at the 
 head of them. — With regard to free-will they thus 
 
 a P. 27. 
 
 b Strype's Mem. of Cranmer, b. iii. c. 10. Dr. Ridley's 
 Life of Bp Ridley, b. v. 11. 
 
 c Strype's Mem. of Cranmer, b. i. c. 20. Burnet's Hill, of 
 rhe Reformation, vol. i. 186, &c. Ridley's Life of Ridley, 
 f. 345, &c. 
 
 exprefs
 
 [ 72 ] 
 
 exprefs themfelves " a Nee liberum arbitrium ita 
 prsedicent, ut gratiam Dei afficiant contumelia, 
 nee gratiam fie efferant, ut libero arbitrio locum 
 non relinquant." Again — " b Deo fapientiflimo vi- 
 fum eft, ut homo invitatus per gratiam, quam 
 poteft, ft velit, complecti vel aipernari, in juftifica- 
 tionis fuas opere non fit otiofus." Again — " c Hoc 
 fane folius eft gratiae beneficium, quod primo vo- 
 luntates ad bonum moventur et excitantur, at in 
 tentatione refiftere ac vincere, in bonis his aclio- 
 nibus perfeverare, et progredi in ftudio, illud 
 utique et gratias eft, et noftri fimul arbitrii et 
 conatus.'* 
 
 With regard to Election and Perfeverance it is 
 there faid, " d nifi tota mente in bona opera in- 
 cumberemus, confeftim ex Dei gratia, et ftatu juf- 
 
 a " Let them not fo extol free will, as to do defpite to the 
 grace of God, nor fo magnify gtface, as to leave no room fo*r 
 free will. 
 
 b *' It feemed good to the wifdom of God, that Man being 
 invited by grace, which he may, if he pleafes, either embrace 
 or rcjedl, mould not be idle in the work of his juftification." 
 
 c *' This indeed is the gift of grace alone, that our wills 
 are at firft moved and excited to good ; bnt in tempta- 
 tion to refift, and overcome, to perfevere in thefe good ac- 
 tion?, and to advance in the progrefs of virtue, that is the joint 
 effccT; both of grace, and our own will and endeavours." 
 
 d '* Did we not apply our whole mind to good works, we 
 fliould fall from the grace of God, and (late of juftification, in 
 which we were placed, and again be brought under the b'on-r 
 stage of -fin." 
 
 titiae
 
 [ 73 ] 
 
 titias, in quem evecti eramus, excideremus, atque 
 iterum in peccati fervitutem redigeremur." Again, 
 " a Caeterum an fingularis aliqua fit per fidem no- 
 titia, qua quifquam certe apud fe ftatuere et fibi 
 confirmare poflit efie fe de numero praedeftinato- 
 rum, et eorum qui in chriftiana vocatione ad 
 finem ufque perfeveraturi funt, non eft ut in prae- 
 fentia dicamus, cum nullam hujufmodi notitiam, 
 aut certitudinem vel divinarum literarum tefti- 
 monio, vel fanctorum patrum fcriptis traditam 
 commendatamve habeamus." Again, — " b Mo- 
 nendi funt homines ne damnationem fuam Deo 
 afcribant, fed fibi, fuoque vitio acceptam referant; 
 qui tot Dei beneficiis ac donis pro fuse voluntatis 
 malitia et libidine ingrati abutuntur." 
 
 Lastly, with regard to good works, they tell 
 us, " c vifum eft Deo ut homo in juftificationis 
 
 a " Whether there be any diftinft and particular knowledge 
 given through faith, whereby a perfon may be able certainly to 
 determine, and affure himfelf that he is of the number of the 
 predeftined, and of them who fhall perfevere to the end in their 
 chriftian calling, there is no occafion at preferit to enlarge on ; 
 fince we have no fuch knowledge or certainty delivered, or re- 
 commended to us, either by the teftimony of the holy fcriptures, 
 or the writings of the holy fathers." 
 
 b " Men are to be admoniflied not to afcribe their own dam- 
 nation to God, but to themfelves and their own vices, who 
 through the malice and lull of their own will, ungratefully abufe 
 fo many bleffings and gifts of God." 
 
 c " It feemed good to the Almighty that man fhould not be 
 idle in the work of juftification, but by raifing his mind, and 
 by obedience, ufe his own endeavours to acquire it." 
 
 operc
 
 I 74 ] 
 
 opere non fit otiofus, fed per afTenfum animi et 
 obedientiam ad juftificationem adipifcendam fuam 
 fibi operam accommodet." 
 
 The fame doctrine is taught in the a Reforma- 
 tio Legum, publifhed by our firft reformers. 
 There we read " b Quapropter omnes nobis admo- 
 nendi funt ut in actionibus fufcipiendis ad decreta 
 praedeftinationis fe non referant, cum et promiffi- 
 ones bonis, et minas malis, in facris fcripturis 
 generaliter propofitas contemplemur c ." Again, 
 " d Etiam illi de juftificatis perverse fentiunt, qui 
 credunt illos, poftquam jufti fimul facti funt, in 
 peccatum non pofTe incidere ; aut fi forte quic- 
 
 a This Reformatio Legum was drawn up by commiffioners 
 appointed by King Edward VI. It is a fyflem of ecclefiaf- 
 tical laws, and is fuppofed to have been compiled chiefly by 
 Archbifhop Cranmer y who was at the head of that commif- 
 fion. The King dying foon after, thefe laws were never 
 confirmed by any authority, nor were they publifhed till the 
 reign of Queen Elizabeth. They were then publifhed by John 
 Fox, with King Edward's commiffion bearing date Nov. 11. 
 155 1. See Strype's Mem. Vol. II. b. ii. p. 303. Life of 
 Cranmer, b. ii. c. 26. p. 270. Burners Hift. Ref. Vol. II. 
 p. 2. b. i. p. 196, &c. 
 
 b *' Wherefore all are to be admonifhed by us that in 
 their undertakings and adlions, they are not to refer themfelves 
 to the decrees of predeilination, fince in the holy fcriptures we 
 fee promifes to good actions, and threats to bad ones, propofed 
 in general terms. 
 
 c De Haeres. cap. 22. 
 
 d " They form very perverfe notions of the juftified, who 
 believe that after they are once made juft, they cannot fall 
 
 into
 
 I 75 ] 
 
 quam eorum faciunt quas Dei legibus prohibentur, 
 ea Deum pro peccatis non accipereV 
 
 Let us next fee what were Latimer's fentiments 
 on thefe points — " b We need not (fays he) go 
 about to trouble ourfelves with curious queftions 
 of the predeflination of God ; but let us rather en- 
 deavour ourfelves, that we may be in Chrift ; for 
 when we be in him, then are we well, and then 
 we may be fure that we are ordained to everlaft- 
 ing life. — But you will fay, how mail I know that 
 I am in the book of life ? how (hall I try myfelf 
 to be elect of God to everlafting life ? I anfwer, 
 firft, we may know that we may one time be in the 
 book, and another time come out again ; as ap- 
 peareth by David, which was written in the book 
 of life •, but when he finned, he at the fame time 
 was out of the book of the favour of God, until 
 he had repented, and was forry for his faults. So 
 we may be in the book one time, and afterward, 
 when we forget God and his word, and do wick- 
 edly, we come out of the book, that is, oyt of 
 Chrift. 'And in that book are written all believ- 
 ers. But I will tell you how you mall know 
 when you are in the book : and there are three 
 fpecial notes, whereby you may know the fame ; 
 
 into fin; or, if -by chance they fhould do any thing prohi- 
 bited by the laws of God, that God does not impute it as fin." 
 
 a De Hxres. cap. 9. b Serra.. on 3d Sunday after the 
 Epiphany. 
 
 the
 
 [ 76 ] 
 
 the firft note is, that you know your fin, and feel 
 your own wretchednefs ; then followeth the fecond* 
 point, which is faith in Chrift ; that is, when you 
 believe moft ftedfaftly and undoubtedly, that God 
 the heavenly Father thro' his Son will deliver you 
 from your fins. The third point is, when you 
 have an earneft defire to amendment, and hatred 
 againft fin, and ftudy to live after God's will and 
 commandments, as much as is poflible for you 
 to do." 
 
 Again — ct a The promifes of Chrift our Saviour 
 are general : he made a general proclamation, fay- 
 ing, wholbever believeth on me hath everlafting 
 life. He faith, come to me all ye that labour and 
 are laden, and I will eafe you. — Mark, here he 
 faith, come all ye-, wherefore then mould any 
 man defpair, or (hut himfelf out from the promi- 
 fes of Chrift, which be general, and pertain to the 
 whole world ? He that leaveth his wickednefs and 
 fins, is content to amend his life, and then believ- 
 ing^in Chrift, feeketh falvation and everlafting life 
 by him, no doubt that man or woman, whofoever 
 he or they be, fhall be faved." The holy martyr 
 Bifhop Hooper infifts ftrongly on the doctrine of 
 univcrfal redemption throughout the preface to his 
 declaration of the ten commandments. The whole 
 is well worth reading; I (hall felecl: fome paffages. 
 He faith, " that as far extendeth the, virtue and 
 
 a Sermon on Matt. ?:xii. z. &c. 
 
 flxength
 
 [ 77 1 
 
 ftrength of God's promife to fave men, as the ri- 
 gour and juftice of the law for fin to damn men ; 
 for as by the offence and fin of one man death was 
 extended and made common to all men unto con- 
 demnation, as Paul faith, Rom. v. fo by the juftice 
 of one is derived life unto all men to juftification. 
 If all then mall be faved, what is to be faid of 
 thofe that St. Peter fpeaketh of, that fhall perifh 
 for their falfe doctrine ? And likewife Chrift faith, 
 that the gate is ftreight that leadeth to life, and few 
 enter. Matt. vii. Thus the fcripture anfwereth, 
 that the promife of grace appertaineth unto every 
 fort of men in the world, and comprehendeth them 
 all, howbeit within certain limits and bounds, the 
 which if men neglect, or pafs over, they exclude 
 themfelves from the promife in Chrift : As Cain 
 was no more excluded, till he excluded himfelf, 
 thin Abel; Saul than David; Judas than Peter-, 
 Efau than Jacob" This holy man goes on to ex- 
 plain Rom. ix. and fhews that the acceptation of 
 Jacob, and reprobation of Efau was only con- 
 cerning the promifes of the earth, not that 
 Efau was difheryted of eternal life, but that he 
 fhould be inferior to his brother Jacob in this 
 world, which prophecy was fulfilled in their pof- 
 terities, and not in the perfons themfelves. > ■ 
 Again— " It is our office to fee we exclude not 
 ourfelves from the general grace promifed to all 
 men. It is not a- chriftian man's part to attribute 
 his falvation to his own free will with the Pelagian, 
 
 and
 
 [ 78 ] 
 
 and to extenuate original fin : Nor to make God the 
 author of ill, and our damnation, with the Ma- 
 nichee. Nor yet to fay God hath written fatal 
 laws, as the Stoic ; and with the neceffity of def- 
 tiny violently pulleth one by the hair into heaven, 
 and thrufteth the other headlong into hell. But 
 afcertain thyielf by the fcripture, what be the 
 caufes of reprobation, and what of election. The 
 caufe of rejection or damnation is fin in man, 
 which will not hear, neither receive the promifes 
 of the gofpel, will not ftudy to live thereafter, &c. 
 So we judge of election by the event, or fuccefs 
 that happeneth in the life of man : thofe only to 
 be elected that by faith apprehend the mercy pro- 
 mifed in Chrift, otherwife we mould not judge of 
 election. For Paul faith plainly, Rom. viii. that 
 they that be led by the fpirit of God are the 
 children of God, and that the fpirit of God doth 
 teftify with our fpirits, that we are the children 
 of God. Being admonifhed by the fcripture we 
 muft leave fin, and do the works commanded 
 of God, or elfe it is a carnal opinion, that we 
 have blinded ourfelves withal, of fatal deftiny, 
 and will not fave us." 
 
 And the fame opinions bifhop Ridley feems to 
 have held : for in a treatife of his pubiiflied by 
 Mr. Fox in his acts and monuments, he thus in- 
 terprets that text, i John iii. 9. , whofoever is born 
 of God doth not commit fin ; for his feed re- 
 
 maineth
 
 [ 79 1 
 
 maineth in him ; " he meaneth fo long as that feed 
 doth abide in him, he cannot tin." 
 
 If then we may be permitted to form our judg- 
 ment of the doctrines which Cranmer, Ridley, and 
 our firft reformers held and maintained, from their 
 own writings and not from your afiertions, the 
 Univerfity of Oxford, * once the nurfing mother of 
 fo many faithful fons of the Anglican church, is 
 ftill worthy of that high character, and has by this 
 act of difcipline approved herfelf fuch. That thefe 
 doctrines are confiftent with our articles of religion, 
 and the homilies of our church, will be ihewn in 
 its proper place. But before I proceed to the dif- 
 cuffion of this point, it will be proper to confider 
 the authority of that evidence by which you endea- 
 vour to fupport the contrary doctrines of predefti- 
 nation, reprobation, &c. as the genuine doctrines 
 of the Church of England. And firft you infer it 
 from the cenfures inflicted upon Mr Barrett ofCaius 
 College, Cambridge, for which we have the autho- 
 rity of that loyal and godly author Mr. Prynne. 
 To the like objections urged by the author of the 
 Confeflional, I fhall give the anfwer already given 
 by the Letter-writer. " b Mr. Strype in his life 
 of JVhitgift, p. 435. faith, that till about the 
 year 1595, Calvin's way of explaining the divine 
 decrees was not entertained by many learned men 
 in the Univerfity of Cambridge c . But thefe opi- 
 
 *-P. 27. b Letter 3d, p. 99. c IbM. p. 35. 
 
 nions
 
 I 8° ] 
 
 nions were introduced by fome of our divines, 
 who, during the perfecution under Queen Mary, 
 had fled to Geneva and Zurich. There they im- 
 bibed much Calvinifm in church government and 
 difcipline, and fome rigid opinions in point of 
 doctrine : and Dr. Whitaker being made Queen's 
 Profeffor of Divinity at Cambridge, and Dr. Hum- 
 phreys at Oxford, thefe opinions prevailed much 
 in both the Univerfities, about the latter end of 
 Queen Elizabeth's reign. But " a although Cal- 
 vinifm prevailed much in her reign both in the 
 fchools, and in the pulpit, yet it was not un- 
 derftood to be certainly the fenfe of our articles 
 even by thofe who held this doctrine ; for though 
 they thought fit t* cenfure Barrett, they durft 
 not venture to affert that his opinions were con- 
 trary to our articles ; for in their letter to the 
 Archbifhop b they fay, that they are fully per- 
 fuaded that Barrett had taught untruth, if not 
 againft the articles, yet againft the religion of 
 our church, publickly received and always^ held 
 in her Majefty's reign, and maintained in all 
 fermons, difputations, and lectures." And even 
 this plea (weak as it would have been, though 
 true) was utterly falfe, and directly contrary to 
 the Archbifhop's declaration : nay they plainly ac- 
 knowledge that thefe points were not concluded 
 and defined by public authority ; and in their 
 fecond admonition to the parliament, p. 43. they 
 
 a p. 35. b Stryfe's Life of Wbitgift, App. N°. 25. 
 
 acknowledge
 
 t 81 ] 
 
 acknowledge, " indeed the book of articles fpeak- 
 eth very dangeroufly of falling from grace, which 
 is to be reformed, becaufe it too much inclineth ' 
 to their error." — Meaning the error of thofe who 
 now are called Arminians. 
 
 The Archbilhop cenfured their rafh and hafty 
 proceedings againft Barrett, for that in Tome 
 points of his retractation they had made him to af- 
 firm that " which was contrary to the doctrine 
 holden and exprefled by many found and learned 
 divines in the Church of England, and in other 
 Churches likewife, men of beft account ; and that 
 which, for his own part,he thought to be falfe and 
 contrary to the fcriptures ; for the fcriptures were 
 plain, that God by his abfolute will did not hate 
 and reject any man without an eye to his fin; 
 there might be impiety in believing the one, 
 there could be none in believing the other : nei- 
 ther was it contrary to any article of religion efta- 
 blilhed by authority in the Church of England, but 
 rather agreeable thereunto a ." 
 
 And that thefe doctrines were not then uni- 
 verfally held appears farther from [the " b learned 
 Hooker's fermons at the Temple, where he preached 
 what you call Arminianifm ; that predeftination 
 was not the abfolute will of God, but conditi- 
 onal; that the doings of the wicked were not of 
 
 a Strype's Life of Whitgift, P. 441. b Lett. 3. 
 
 P. 36, 37. 
 
 F the
 
 I 82 J 
 
 -the will of God pofitive, but only permiffivc 5 that 
 reprobates are not rejected but for the evil works 
 which God did forefee they will commit. And 
 when his opponent called for his authorities in 
 expounding St. Paul againft the judgment of all 
 churches and all good writers, Hooker replied, that 
 the fentences which he might have cited out of all 
 church confefiions, together with the beft learned 
 monuments of former times, and not the meanefl 
 of our own, were more in number than perhaps 
 he willingly would have heard of a ". 
 
 In the next place we are prefented with the fa- 
 mous Lambeth articles ; which we have nothing to 
 do with, they being no part of our faith, nor ever 
 eftablilhed by any legal authority, but rather 
 forced upon the Univerfity in oppofition to that 
 authority. Thefe too are urged againit us by the 
 author of the Confeflional, and every thing that he 
 or you have faid, is fully anfwered by the Let- 
 ter writer b . Thefe articles were drawn up by 
 Dr. Wbitaker and other Cahinifts at Cambridge. 
 And the reafon why they drew them up was, be- 
 caufe the 39 articles were not fufficient for their 
 purpofe, " thofe points being (as they themfelves 
 acknowledged) not concluded and defined by pub- 
 lic authority." The good Archbifhop, though 
 he had before exprefled his diflike of their proceed- 
 ings againft Barrett •, yet was prevailed upon to, 
 
 a Anfwer to Travers\ Supplication, feci. 12, & 23. 
 b Third letter, p. 6i> 76 &c. 
 
 agref
 
 [ §3 ] 
 
 agree to thefe articles for the fake of peace ; pray- 
 ing to take care that nothing fhould be publicly 
 taught to the contrary, and that alfo in teaching 
 them difcretion and moderation fhould be ufed, 
 that fuch as mould be in fome points differing in 
 judgment, might not be of purpofe flung, or 
 juflly grieved : " And that the propofitions never- 
 thelefs muft be fo taken and ufed as their private 
 judgments, thinking them to be true and corref- 
 pondent to the doctrine profefied in the Church of 
 England, and eftablifhed by the laws of the land ; 
 and not as laws* and decrees 3 ." But thefe articles 
 gave great offence, not only in the Univerfity but 
 at Court. The Queen was greatly difpleafed with 
 them. And therefore the Archbifhop wrote to 
 Cambridge, " defiring the Vice-Chancellor fo to 
 ufe the faid propofitions as there might be no pub- 
 lication of them otherwife than in private." Not- 
 withftanding which the Queen refented what the 
 Archbifhop and the reft had done, and commanded 
 her fecretary to fend unto his Grace, to acquaint 
 him " that fhe mifliked much that any allowance 
 had been given by his Grace, and the reft, of any 
 fuch points to be difputed, being a matter tender 
 and dangerous to weak ignorant minds : and there- 
 upon that (he required his Grace to fufpend them b ." 
 And Lord Burleigh, Chancellor of the Univerfity re- 
 primanded the Heads of Houfes on this occafion, 
 
 a Strype's Life of Whitgift, P. 462. 
 
 b Ibid. C. 18. Hey/inh Hift. Prefb. b. x, $. 7. Hift. of 
 Lamb, art. 
 
 F 2 telling
 
 [ U ] 
 
 telling them " as good and ancient were of ano- 
 ther judgment :" and that as for Baro whom they 
 had cenfured, si Ye may punifh him, (fays he) 
 if ye will j but ye (hall do it for well doing, 
 in holding the truth, in my opinion 3 ." And he de- 
 livered his opinion, to the Queen both of the doc- 
 trine itfelf and its pernicious confequences, con- 
 fidered even in a civil view, thus •> " b It is not, 
 faith he, difficult to perceive what thefe men aim 
 at, for they think and teach that whatever human 
 tranfa&ions are carried on, whether good or bad, 
 they .are all bound up by the law of an immutable 
 decree •, and that this necefiity is impofed even 
 upon the wills of men, that they cannot will other- 
 wife than they do will. If thefe opinions, moft au- 
 guft Sovereign, be true, in vain both myfelf and 
 your Majefty's other faithful fervants anxioufly, and 
 with much hefitation, deliberate what upon every 
 occafion ought to be done, what may be moft 
 conducive to your own welfare and that of the 
 kingdom: fince all confultation mud be foolifh 
 and vain concerning thefe matters, which muft ne- 
 ceflarily happen." c Nay we are told, that the 
 Queen threatened the Archbifhop with a premu- 
 nire for what he had done in thefe matters. And 
 thus thefe articles were repealed and fuppreffed. 
 And when afterwards at the conference at Hamp- 
 ton-court, it was moved to add thefe aflertions to 
 
 a Strype^s Life of Wbitgift, P. 441. Heylin's Hift. b. xi. 
 §.5. b Sec Ellis Lamb. art. Hift. P. 7. c Ibid. 
 
 the
 
 [ «5 I 
 
 the book of the 39 articles, this propofal was rejec- 
 ted. To what purpofe then do you urge the au- 
 thority of the Lambeth articles, to which we never 
 fubfcribed, which were never eftablifhed, nor in- 
 tended as laws for public ufe, but only as a tem- 
 porary expedient to procure peace at that time at 
 Cambridge^ and which were recalled and fupprefTed 
 as foon as publifhed ? Had you been acquainted 
 with the hiflory of them, how they were firft ob- 
 tained and impofed, and afterwards fupprefTed, you 
 would certainly have thought it more prudent not 
 to have mentioned them. 
 
 Still lefs to your purpofe are the queftions and 
 anfwers bound up with fome old bibles. If any bi- 
 fhops, or others concerned in publifhing an edition 
 of the bible, fhall think fit to annex a fyftem of 
 their own notions to it, this does not make their 
 notions gofpel, or give them the fanclion of pub- 
 lic authority. But that thefe queftions and anfwers 
 were bound up in all the editions of Queen Eliza- 
 beth's bibles is not true. They appear in neither of 
 Archbifhop Parker's editions, nor in Barker's of 
 1599. ^ ou wn1 l> ^ believe, find fome difficulty in re- 
 conciling your account with chronology. You tell 
 us they were bound up with the only bible in ufe in 
 Queen Elizabeth's time ; and in confirmation of it 
 produce the edition of 1607, fome time after the 
 Queen's death. I do not fo much wonder that they 
 fhould have crept into fome editions of the bible in 
 K. James I. reign, when the puritans began to 
 
 F 3 take
 
 [ 86 ] 
 
 take greater liberties in impofing their tenets; 
 though it fhould feem from the edition (or rather 
 new verfion) publifhed by that King's authority in 
 1611, in which thefe queftions and anfwers are not 
 inferted, that they were then difcountenanced. 
 
 But to be more particular. — a In page 45, the 
 laft paragragh, and page 49, you affert what is 
 not true — " That thefe queftions and anfwers 
 concerning predeftination — were always printed 
 at the end of the old teftament, and bound up 
 and fold, cum privilegio , with this authorized tranf- 
 lation of the bible, till about the year 161 5" — . It 
 appears from p. 45, that you mean the Bijhop's 
 lible. " I apprehend thefe queftions &c. were 
 never bound up with the Bifhop's bible, at leaft 
 Lewis in his hiftory of the tranflations of the bible 
 from p. 235 to 264, mentions eight editions of it, 
 and takes no notice of thefe queftions &c. being 
 printed with them, and he is very particular in 
 giving the contents of them. But, as will appear 
 hereafter, he takes particular notice when they were 
 inferted in the Geneva bible. A friend of mine has 
 the beft edition of the Bifhop's bible printed in 1572, 
 fol. which has fome corrections of the firft edition 
 of it in 1568. In that edition the queftions &c. 
 do not appear. Nor indeed could they with any 
 
 a The following account of this matter was communicated 
 to me by a very judicious friend, who is well acquainted with 
 the feveral editions of the bible, and the occafions of them. 
 
 confiftency
 
 [ «7 ] 
 
 oonfiftency appear there, for Arcbifliop Parker, 
 the great promoter of this tranflation, in his pre- 
 face afferts the direct oppofite to the third ques- 
 tion and anfwer. He aflerts there — after quoting 
 the text, Search the fcriptures, for in them &c. 
 " Thefe woordes were firft fpoken unto the Jewes 
 our Saviour, but by him in his doctrine ment to 
 al : for they concerne al, of what nation, of what 
 tongue, of what profeffion foever any man be. 
 For to al belongeth it to be called unto eternal 
 lyfe, fo many as by the witnefle of the fcriptures 
 defire to finde eternal lyfe. No man, woman, or 
 chylde, is excluded from this falvation, and there- 
 fore to every of them is this fpoken, proportionally 
 yet, and in their degrees, and ages, and as the 
 reafon and congruitie of their vocation may afk." 
 Again a little lower after quoting Jofuab i. v. 8. 
 He adds " Yet as wel fpake almightie God this 
 precept to al his people in the directions of their 
 wayes to hymwarde, as he ment it to Jofuab: For 
 that he hath care of al, he accepteth no man's per- 
 fon, his wyl is that al menne mould be faved, his wyl 
 is that al menne mould comme to the way of trueth : 
 How could this be more conveniently declared by 
 God to man, then when Chrift his wel beloved 
 Son our moll loving Saviour, the way, the trueth, 
 and the lyfe of us al, dyd byd us openly fearche 
 the fcriptures, alluring us herein to finde eternal 
 life, to finde ful teftification of al his graces and 
 benefits towardes us in the treafure therof ? There- 
 fore it is moil convenient that we mould al fuppofe 
 
 that
 
 [ 88 ] 
 
 that Chrifte fpake to us al in this his precept of 
 fearching the {captures." How then'do you make 
 it out, that thefe queftions and anfwers touching 
 the doctrine of predeftination were, by order of 
 the faid godly Bifhops, bound up with this fame 
 bible? Or how do thefe queftions and anfwers 
 clearly demonftrate the fenfe of our Church 
 touching the doctrines in queftion ? It mould feem 
 from the above quotations, that the doctrine of 
 our Church, at that critical time, was directly 
 oppofite to what is contained in the queftions 
 and anfwers, viz. the doctrine of univerfal re- 
 demption. 
 
 From page 264 to page 276, Lewis gives an 
 account of the editions of the Geneva bible. The 
 firft of which, printed in England, was in 1572. It 
 appears p. 234. of Lewis, from a letter of Archbi- 
 fhop Parker, that this bible was never intended 
 for public ufe, but admitted to be printed for 
 the ufe of private families. The firft edition prin- 
 ted at Geneva was in the year 1557. Lewis p. 
 276 takes notice, that in one printed 1583, fol. 
 certaine queftions and anfwers touching the 
 doctrine of predeftination, &c. were inferted. He 
 adds in a note — " Thefe, I obferve, were re- 
 printed in the editions, 4to. 1592, 161 5." 'Tis 
 probable thefe queftions and anfwers might be firft 
 joined to the Geneva bible of 1583. That they 
 were not always printed with it, an edition of it in 
 1599, 4 t0, * n ni y poffeflion can ttftify. Thefe 
 
 queftions
 
 [ «9 ] 
 
 queftions and anfwers therefore can only demon- 
 ftrate the fenfe of the church of Geneva, or of the 
 followers of that church, touching the doctrines in 
 queflion. 
 
 The confeflion of faith quoted by you p. ^3. is 
 bound up at the end of my Geneva bible of 1 599. 
 Therefore you conclude a little too fad, that the 
 doctrines mentioned in it — " are the ancient, un- 
 doubted, received tenets of the Church of Eng- 
 land." I know not that it ever was joined to the 
 authorized tranflations. 
 
 The patrons of the Geneva bible made ufe of all 
 their power to get it eftablifhed as the authorized 
 tranflation, but they never could obtain any more 
 than to have it printed here for the ufe of pri- 
 vate families. Cranmer's bible was always ufed 
 in churches 'till the Bifhop's was printed in 1568, 
 which fuperfeded it j and James the Ill's fucceeded 
 that in 1611." 
 
 Your quotation from the catechifm afcribed to 
 Bifhop Ponet may feem more to your purpofe •, that 
 catechifm being fet forth by command of King 
 Edward VI. But neither does that come up to 
 your point. The free-agency of man is not there 
 denied, nor univerfal redemption : nor is the in- 
 defectibility of the elect aflerted. The catechifm 
 it is true, fpeaks in pretty high terms of elec- 
 tion
 
 [ 9° I 
 
 tion and predeftination. But you would have gi- 
 ven a more fair reprefentation of the doctrine 
 therein contained, had you not omitted the follow- 
 ing pafTage which immediately precedes your quo- 
 tation, viz: " To the church properly belong 
 thofe who truly fear, honour, and worfhip God, 
 wholly applying their minds to live an holy and 
 godly life, and who placing their only hope and 
 confidence in him, expect with certainty the blef- 
 fing of eternal life." After which follows — " As 
 many as are in this faith ftedfaft were chofen, 
 predeflinated Sec." We fee then that in this 
 author's opinion, thofe only are elect: and predefti- 
 nated, who truly fear God and live a holy and 
 godly life ; the only fruits by which the good tree 
 may be known a . 
 
 But who would have thought that we fhould be 
 preffed with the authority of the fynod of Dort ? 
 and be told that the abettors of the doctrines of 
 free-will &x. were deprived and debarred by this 
 fynod from all offices in any University ? 
 How do the decrees of this fynod concern us ? 
 Were they ever received in England or in this Uni- 
 verfity ? And what do you mean by faying that 
 thefe errors were condemned by all the reformed 
 churches ? It was only a national fynod, and it 
 
 a The judicious reader is defired to confult Heylin's hift. 
 quinq. artic. p. x. chap. 15. at the beginning ; where this quo- 
 tation from Bifhop Panels catechifm is fet in a clear and moft 
 fatisfa£tory light. This hiftory is an anfvver to Prynns Anti- 
 arminianifm, in which may be found this and moft of your 
 other arguments.
 
 [ 9' ] 
 
 calls itfelf fo : and its fentence againft the remon- 
 ftrants is directed only to all and lingular the paf- 
 tors &c. in fcederato Belgio, ** in the united Pro- 
 vinces." Its authority was never owned by the Lu- 
 theran churches, or here in England. Divines of 
 other nations were indeed invited to this fynod : but 
 not many came. Our King James fent there not 
 five Bifhops and Doctors in Divinity, but only one 
 Bifhop and three other Doctors in Divinity, and 
 afterwards he fent Dr. Baicanqual, a Scotchman. If 
 thefe entered the fynod rigid Calvinifts, they came 
 from it much lefs fo. If they figned the decrees 
 of the fynod, they did it with reftrictions and limita- 
 tions a . They offered thefe three propofitions as 
 their fentiments, which they fay were in like man- 
 ner approved by the foreign Divines. I. " b Deus 
 lapfi humani generis miferatus, mifit filium fuum, 
 qui feipfum dedit pretium redemptions pro pecca- 
 tis totius mundi." II. " In hoc merito mortis 
 Chrifti fundatur univerfale promiflum evangelicum, 
 
 a Hales^s Golden Remains. 
 
 b God having compaffion on the finful race of man, fent his 
 own Son, who gave himfelf a ranfom for the fins of the whole 
 world. II. In this merit of Chrift's death is founded the uni- 
 verfal promife of the gofpel ; according to which all that be- 
 fteve in Chrift may actually receive remiffion of fins, and 
 life eternal. III. As according to this evangelical promife fal- 
 vation is offered to all men, the adminMtration of God's 
 grace in the church is fuch, as is fufHcient to convince all im- 
 penitent and incredulous men, that they have perifhed, and 
 forfeited the benefits offered them, through their own voluntary 
 fault, and through neglect or contempt of the gofpel, 
 
 juxta
 
 [ 92 ] 
 
 juxta quod omnes in Chriftum credentes remiffio- 
 nem peccatorum & vitam seternam reipsa confe- 
 quantur." III. " In ecclefia, uti juxta hoc pro- 
 mhTum evangelicum falus omnibus offertur, ea eft 
 adminiftratio gratiae fuse, quae fufficit ad convincen- 
 dum omnes impasnitentes & incredulos, quod fua 
 culpa voluntaria, vel neglectu, vel contemptu evan- 
 gelii perierint, & beneficia oblata amiferint." 
 
 These are opinions very different from yours, 
 and plainly aflert univerfal redemption and free- 
 agency. It was indeed in a great meafure owing 
 to the heats and violence, with which matters 
 were carried in that fynod, and the great feverity 
 of the horrible decrees there framed, that our Eng- 
 lijh Divines, who attended that fynod, began to have 
 lefs reverence for the doctrines of Calvin. Thus it 
 fared with the learned Mr. Hales, who went thither 
 a rigid Calvinift : " but there I bid John Calvin 
 good night," faid he to his friend Mr. Farindon a . 
 And Bifh6p Hall, one of thefe Divines, publifhed 
 afterwards a fmall piece entitled, via media, " the 
 way of peace in thefe five bufy articles, commonly 
 known by the name of Arminius." Here he endea- 
 vours to reconcile both parties by fetting forth fuch 
 propofitions, as he thought both might agree in ; 
 and tells us that the Church of England, in her ar- 
 ticles, goes a mid-way betwixt both. Among thefe 
 propofitions (though I cannot fubfcribe to all of 
 
 a Mr. Farindon'' % letter prefixed to his Golden Remains. 
 
 them
 
 [ 93 3 
 
 them) there are thefe following; viz. " God does 
 neither actually damn, or appoint any foul to dam- 
 nation without the confideration and refpect of 
 fin." " God pitying the woful condition of man, 
 fallen by his free-will into fin and perdition, fent 
 his own Son that he mould give himfelf a ranfom 
 for the fins of the whole world. 5 * " In working 
 upon the will, God does not overthrow the nature 
 of the will, but caufeth it to work after its own na- 
 tive manner, freely and willingly." So much for 
 the famous fynod of Dort ! 
 
 You had better have forborne to put us in mind 
 of what pafled in the fucceeding reigns, or to have 
 made mention of that honourable Houfe of 
 Commons. I defire you to confider what faction 
 it was, which then prevailed towards the overthrow 
 of the Church. Was it not that of the Puritans ? 
 And were not the doctrines of Calvinifm their lead- 
 ing principles ? Did they not hold thefe very te- 
 nets of election, abfolute predeftination &c. which 
 you fo warmly efpoufe ? Thefe were the men who 
 cried out, a The Church, The Church, — the Tem- 
 ple of the Lord are we -, who called themfelves 
 " the elect people of God," " his fheep," " his 
 chofen," " his faints •," who fancied themfelves act- 
 ing under the influences of the fpirit, and guided 
 by his infpiration : and under this perfuafion broke 
 out into treafon and rebellion, murdered the beft 
 
 a P. 73. 
 
 of
 
 [ 94 ] 
 
 of Kings, and overthrew our excellent couftitution 
 both in church and flate. The doctrines which 
 you would father upon Cranmer and Ridley were 
 really thofe of Prynn, Hugh Peters, Marjhall, Owen, 
 and others, who compofedthe afiembly of Divines, 
 " moft of whom were (according to my Lord 
 Clarendon a ) declared and avowed enemies to the 
 doctrine and difcipline of the Church of England -, 
 fome of them infamous in their lives and conver- 
 fations ; and moft of them of very mean parts in 
 learning, if not of fcandalous ignorance, and of no 
 other reputation than of malice to the Church of 
 England." 
 
 We come now to the articles of religion. With 
 regard to them, I would obferve in general that they 
 were drawn up with great moderation ; and thofe 
 in particular which treat of thefe difficult points of 
 free-will &c. were purpofely worded in general 
 terms, that perfons who were of different perfwa- 
 fions in feveral particulars relating to them might 
 yet agree in the general doctrines there delivered. 
 They went (as Bifhop Hall obferves) a mid-way 
 between both, guarding againft the extremities 
 on each fide ; on one hand condemning the Pa- 
 pifts, who afcribed a merit to good works, and 
 on the other the Antinomians, who denied the ne- 
 ceffity of them. We have an inftance of the like 
 moderation in the 23d article, which teaches " that 
 
 a Hift. Reb. vol. 1. b. 5. p. 415. 
 
 it
 
 [ 95 ] 
 
 it is not lawful for any man to take upon him- 
 felf the office of publick preaching or miniftering 
 the facraments in the congregation before he be law- 
 fully called ;" and that " thofe we ought to judge 
 lawfully called, which be chofen and called to this 
 work, by men who have publick authority given 
 them in the congregation to call and fend minif- 
 ters into the Lord's vineyard." Who thefe men 
 are is not here determined. The compilers were 
 not willing to condemn or unchurch the reformed 
 churches abroad, where epifcopacy was not efta- 
 blifhed, and therefore prudently avoided determi- 
 ning the queftion, whether epifcopal ordination is 
 neceffary. Thofe who hold, and thofe who deny 
 the neceflity of epifcopal ordination, may both 
 fubfcribe to this article : thofe only are condemned 
 by^ it, who hold that a man may preach without 
 any lawful vocation. The fame moderation the 
 compilers of our articles have obferved in the 
 points before us. The Proteftant churches abroad 
 were divided in thefe points : fome held with Lu- 
 ther, and fome with Calvin. Cranmer and Ridley 
 therefore, and the other compilers of our articles, 
 expreffed them purpofely in general terms, fo as to 
 include all moderate men on both fides, and con- 
 demn only the extremities on either. 
 
 But we are told that " a thefe articles were drawn 
 up on purpofe to prevent diverfity of opinions, and 
 
 a P. 32. 
 
 therefore
 
 [ 96 ] 
 
 therefore the compilers of them were particularly 
 careful to avoid the poflibility of an ambiguous ex- 
 prefiion." The very fame objections were fome 
 time ago made by Dr. Clarke^ and have been lately 
 renewed by the author of the Confefiional, and have 
 received a fufficient anfwer both from Dr. Waterland 
 and the Letter-writer a . " The compilers could only 
 mean diverfity of opinions about opinions expreffed 
 and decided in the articles, and not about others." 
 
 The fame Letter- writer diftinguifhes between 
 general propofitions and ambiguous or equivocal 
 ones j and fo did Dr. Waterland before him t>. " It 
 is not fairly fuggefted (fays that excellent writer) 
 that when men of different fentiments, as to parti- 
 cular explications, fubferibe to the fame general 
 words, that they fubferibe in contradictory, or even 
 in different fenfes. Both fubferibe to the fame ge- 
 neral propofitions, and both in the fame fenfe, only 
 they differ in the particulars relating to it : which 
 is not differing, (at leaft it need not be) about the 
 fenfe of the article, but about particulars not con- 
 tained in the article." His meaning may be il- 
 lustrated by the following inftance : We all fub- 
 feribe to this propofition, viz. Subjects ought to 
 be obedient to their lawful fovereign ; though we 
 may differ about the motives of that obedience, 
 and the authority on which it is founded j fome 
 
 a Letter 2d, p. 1 36. 
 
 b Cafe of Arian fubfeription, p. 40. 
 
 thinking
 
 [ 97 1 
 
 thinking it to be of divine right, others, that it is 
 derived merely from the compact between King 
 and people. What you add about the " a King's 
 declaration prefixed to the articles" is alfo there 
 fully anfwered. We fay then that the articles are 
 clear, as far as they go : but they leave many 
 things relating to the points treated of undetermi- 
 ned. Thus the 23d article clearly condemns all 
 who take upon them to preach, or adminifter the 
 facraments, without any outward ordination : but 
 they leave it undetermined whether it is necefiary 
 that that ordination mould be conferred by a Bi- 
 fhop. And thus alfo the articles before us clearly 
 condemn the Papifts, who hold the merit of good 
 works j and the Pelagians, who condemn the ne- 
 ceftity of grace, and hold that original fin ftandeth 
 only in the following of Adam ; they condemn alfo 
 thofe rigours of Calvinifm, which you efpoufe.— 
 But (as the above-cited Letter-writer obferves) " all 
 intermediate opinions, how to reconcile God's pre- 
 fcience of a certainty of events with free-agency, 
 the unequal vouchfafements of the means of grace, 
 their fufficiency and efficacy, the co-operations of 
 grace and free-will &c. are left undetermined. Be- 
 twixt the extremes which are condemned (fays the 
 fame writer) nice queftions may exercife the fubtle- 
 ties of the fchools, which our articles meddle not 
 with. Their purpofe is to recommend fuch a re- 
 conciliation of grace and free will, God's decrees, 
 
 a P. j2. 
 
 G and
 
 [ 9« ] 
 
 and his general promifes, as may teach us to avoid 
 defpair and unclean living, and influence us to fol- 
 low in our doings that will of God exprefsly de- 
 clared to us in the word of God. But to defcend 
 to particulars : 
 
 Firft, Of Fre e-w i l l. 
 
 We acknowledge with the article the great cor- 
 ruption and depravity of human nature, the necef- 
 fity of grace, and the inability of man without the 
 afliftance of God's grace to perform any good 
 works. How injurious therefore is your infinua- 
 tion " that any of thefe men were expelled becaufe 
 they held the a influences of the holy fpirit necef- 
 fary to conftitute every one a child of God." There 
 was no fuch article of accufation, and God forbid 
 that there ever mould. You muft be fenfible that 
 you have fhamefully mifrep relented this matter, and 
 that they were accufed not of holding the influences, 
 but the fupernatural, extraordinary, and irrefiftible 
 influences of the holy fpirit. But to return — as 
 God is ready to afford his grace to all who will 
 concur with it, fo 'tis left to man's free choice, 
 whether he will concur with it, or no. And there- 
 fore, if he perifhes for want of this grace, 'tis en- 
 tirely his own fault. Will you then fay that the 
 doctrine of man's free-will to good or evil was held 
 in utter abhorrence by our reformers ? The con- 
 trary has appeared by quotations from the Pia et Ca- 
 
 a P. 63. 
 
 tholica
 
 [ 99 ] 
 
 tholica Inftitutio — " a Nee liberum arbitrium ita 
 prsedicent, ut gratiam Dei afficiant contumelia, nee 
 gratiam fie efferant ut libero arbitrio locum non re- 
 linquant — are their words. And one of the arti- 
 cle's of religion in King Edward the Vlth's time 
 thus expreffes it — " b Gratia Chrifti voluntati vio- 
 lentiam nullam infert; et nemo hac de causa, cum 
 peccaverit, feipfum excufare poteft, quafi nolens 
 aut coactus peccaverit." St. Auftin alfo the great 
 aflertor of the neceffity of grace againft the Pela- 
 gians, afiferts the freedom of man's will in ieveral 
 parts of his works. In his 47th epiftle he exhorts 
 chriftians, " c ut in fide catholica perfeverent, quae 
 neque liberum arbitrium negat, five in vitam ma- 
 lam, five in bonam, neque tantum ei tribuit, ut 
 fine gratia Dei valeat aliquid." Nay, he has 
 a whole book de gratia et libero arbitrio, written 
 purpofely to confute the error of thofe, " d qui fie 
 
 a '* Let them not fo extol free will, as to do defpite to the 
 grace of God, nor fo magnify grace, as to leave no room for 
 free will. 
 
 b " The grace of Chrift offers no violence to the will, and 
 no one may on this account, when he has finned, excufe him- 
 felf, as if he had finned involuntarily, and by compulfion. 
 
 c " That they would perfevere in the catholic faith, which 
 neither denies free-will, whether to a good or bad life, nor at- 
 tributes fo much to it, as that it can have any efficacy without 
 the grace of God." 
 
 d " Who fo defend the grace of God as to deny the free-will 
 of men, or think, that when the grace of God is afierted, free- 
 will is denied." 
 
 G 2 gratia
 
 [ 100 ] 
 
 gratiam Dei defendunt, ut negent hominis' liberum 
 arbitrium, aut, quum gratia defenditur, negari ex- 
 iftiment liberum arbitrium." And he there proves 
 the freedom of the will from many texts of fcrip- 
 ture. And indeed, if men have no freedom of 
 will, there can be neither virtue nor vice, reward 
 nor punifhment. To fay that men are from their 
 birth laid under a neceflity of finning, is to make 
 God the author of fin. But I choofe to urge thefe 
 arguments in the words of St. Aufiin. " a Nunc 
 veio ufque adeo peccatum voluntarium eft malum, 
 ut nullo modo fit peccatum fi non fit voluntarium : 
 et hoc quidem ita manifeftum eft, ut nulla hinc 
 doclorum paucitas, nulla indoclorum turba difien- 
 tiat b ." Again — " c Peccatum fit ab anima rati- 
 onali, cui liberum voluntatis arbitrium eft: & pce- 
 
 a " Now fin is fo far a voluntary evil, that it can by no 
 means be fin, if it be not voluntary ; and this is indeed fo evi- 
 dent, that neither the learned few, nor illiterate many have dif- 
 fented from it." 
 
 b De vera relig. lib. I . cap. 1 3. 
 
 c " Sin proceeds from a rational foul, which has freedom 
 of will; and the juftice of God inflicts punifhment, who does 
 nothing unjuftly. Againft this doctrine the Manichees with 
 their ufual blindnefs object ; and though they are convinced that 
 nature is not evil, but that it is in the power of man to do well 
 or ill, yet fay that the will of the foul is not free, not feeing 
 their own abfurdity : For who does not cry out that it is abfurd 
 to give precepts to him who is not at libertv to do what is com- 
 manded, and that it is unjuft to condemn him who had it not in 
 his power to fulfil the command ? And the wretches do not per- 
 ceive that they afcribe this injufticc and iniquity to God. 
 
 nam
 
 t i°> ] 
 
 nam inftigit juftitia Dei, qui nihil facit injufte. 
 Adverfus hasc folita coecitate Manichaei latrant, et 
 cum convincuntur naturam non efTe malum, fed in 
 poteftate efTe hominis facere bene aut male, dicunt 
 non efTe animae liberam voluntatem, et non vident 
 csecitatem fuam. Quis enim non clamet ftultum 
 efTe prsecepta dare ei, cui liberum non eft quod 
 prascipitur facere, & iniquum efle eum damnare, 
 cui non fuit poteftas jufTa complere. Et has injuf- 
 titias & iniquitates miferi non intelligunt Deo fe 
 afcribere a ." Nay, all the precepts and exhorta- 
 tions, the promifes and threatnings in fcripture fup- 
 pofe man to be a free agent. " b I have fet before 
 you life and death, blefilng and curfing, (faid God 
 to the Jews) therefore choofe life, that both thou 
 and thy feed may live. c Caft away from you all 
 your tranfgreflions whereby ye have tranfgrefled, 
 and make you a new heart and a new fpirit, for 
 why will ye die, O houfe of Ifrael ? for I have no 
 pleafure in the death of him that dieth, faith the 
 Lord God : wherefore turn yourfelves and live ye." 
 And with regard to the heathen nations before the 
 coming of Chrift, we are told, " d that the Gen- 
 tiles which had not the law, did by nature the 
 things contained in the law ; and that the work 
 of the law was written in their hearts, their 
 confcience alfo bearing witnefs, and their thoughts 
 the mean while accufing, or elfe excufing one 
 
 a De fide contra Manich. c. 10. 
 
 b Deut. xxx. 19. c Ezek. xviii. 31, 32. Rom. ii. 
 14, 15. 
 
 G 3 another.
 
 [ 102 ] 
 
 another. The a fame fcriptures which teach us 
 that God worketh in us both to will and to 
 do out of his loving kindnefs b (as it fhould be trans- 
 lated) exhort us alfo to work our own falva- 
 tion ; c to give diligence to make our calling and 
 election fure ; d to lay hold on eternal life ; e to 
 receive not the grace of God in vain ; and f to grieve 
 not the holy fpirit of God, whereby we are fealed 
 unto the day of redemption. 
 
 But not to multiply inftances — our Saviour 
 aflferts the freedom of man's will in that pathetical 
 addrefs to the city of Jerufalem^ Matt. 23. 17. 
 " O Jerufalem, Jerufalem &c." I choofe to infert 
 here the fentiments of the celebrated Erafmus on 
 this pafTage of our Saviour, and its parallel one 
 in Luke 13, 34. becaufe his excellent paraphrafe 
 on the gofpels, you know, was tranflated, and 
 by the injunctions of King Edward VI. and 
 Queen Elizabeth was ordered to be placed in 
 churches for the inftruction of the people. His 
 authority then ought to have weight, as it has 
 the fanction of our two princely leaders in the 
 reformation. Matt. 23. 37. " Hierufalem, Hie- 
 rufalem^ whiche killeft the prophets, and ftoneft 
 to death them that be fent unto the, howe often 
 have I travayled to gather thy chyldren together 
 lyke as the careful hen, fearyng her chickens, 
 
 a Phil. ii. 12, 13. b mreg tjjj ivhxix;. c 2 Pet. i. 10. 
 d 1 Tim. vi. 19, c 2 Cor. vi. 1. f Eph. iv. 30. 
 
 dothc
 
 [ I0 3 1 
 
 dothe cloke them together, and noryfhe them un- 
 der her wynges, and thou wouldeft not. No- 
 thing is let paffe of my behalfe, whereby thou 
 mighteft be faved, but contrarywyfe thou haft done 
 what thou canft to bryng deftruction to the, and to 
 exclude falvation from the. But to whom free 
 wyll is once gyven, he cannot be faved agaynft hys 
 wyll. Your wyll ought to be agreeable unto my 
 wyll." fol. lxxxv. Again Luke 13. 34. after re- 
 peating the text, he adds, " But thy ftubbernefie 
 hath gon beyond my goodnefs : and as though thou 
 haddeft even vowed and beheafted thy felf to uttre 
 ruine, fo dooeft thou refufe all thynges whereby 
 thou mighteft bee recovered and made whole." 
 fol. 100. 
 
 As to the next article of Election and Repro- 
 bation, I think the queftion may be decided by 
 what has been faid under the former articles ; for if 
 all men are to be judged according to their works, 
 and if they have freedom of will either to do good 
 or evil, there can be then no abfolute and irrefpec- 
 tive decrees, either of election, or reprobation. But 
 here we are prefled with the authority of the 1 7th 
 article. I anfwer in the words of the letter to the 
 author of the Confeflional a . The contrary opinions 
 charged on the 17th article, are not contained in 
 it, but are confequences drawn by different men 
 from different parts of it, which the article was not 
 
 a Let. 2d. p. 160. 
 
 framed
 
 [ i©4 ] 
 
 framed to maintain, but to avoid. The article af- 
 fens a predeftination to life, or God's everlafting 
 purpofe, before the foundations of the world were 
 laid, to deliver from curfe and damnation thofe, 
 whom he hath chofen in Chrift out of mankind, 
 and to bring them by Chrift to everlafting falva- 
 vation ; and together with the end to grant alfo the 
 means, effectual calling, juftification, adoption. 
 But when it is inferred by the fatalift, that this de- 
 cree is irrefpectivc and abfolute, without faith and 
 obedience forefeen, it is a doctrine (whether true or 
 falfe) fuperadded to the article." And again, fays 
 the fame excellent writer 8 , " that thefe articles are 
 fufceptible of a fenfe, that is what you call Armi- 
 nianifm # is certain, becaufe the compilers meant to 
 warn people againft a predeftination, which was 
 contrary to conditional promifes, not to afcribe 
 their damnation to God, but to their own fault, 
 and to accord grace and free-will, as not to main- 
 tain either to the denial of the other. This appears 
 by a fummary of doctrines publifhed by them about 
 eight years before the articles came out, and from 
 the Reformatio Legum drawn up in the fame year." 
 
 I would farther obferve, that the article fpeaks 
 of a predeftination decreed by God's counfel fecret 
 to us, and to be difcerned only by the working 
 of the fpirit of Chrift mortifying the works of 
 the flefh; and directs us to receive God's pro- 
 
 3 Letter 3d, p. 96. 
 
 mifes
 
 [ i°5 3 
 
 mifes in fuch wife as they be generally fet forth to 
 us in the holy fcripture : But there we (hall find 
 all thefe promifes conditional. " a If thou wilt 
 enter into life keep the commandments (faith our 
 Saviour.) b He that endureth to the end Ihall be 
 faved. His apoftle exhorts us to give c diligence 
 to make our calling and election fure : for if we do 
 thefe things we lhall never fall ; which plainly im- 
 plies, that, unlefs we ufe our own diligence, our 
 calling and election is not fure; and that, if we 
 take not care to do thefe things, to add to our 
 faith virtue &c. we may and Jhall fall. 
 
 You are pleafed to give us feveral proofs of your 
 notion of election, from the offices of the Church 
 of England,-, I wifh you had chofen to do it from 
 fcripture, which is our rule of faith, and by which 
 the doctrines of our Church muft be ultimately 
 tried ; but you will find no proof there of any ab- 
 folute election, without any relpect to men's faith 
 and obedience. 
 
 But fince you appeal to our liturgy, which is 
 appointed for the daily fervice of the Church, and 
 may therefore be fuppofed to contain in its various 
 offices the pure and genuine doctrines of the gof- 
 pel, it will not be improper to examine it more 
 minutely with refpect to the doctrines of free-will, 
 univerfal redemption, falling from grace &c. 
 
 a Matt. xix. 17. b Matt. x. 22. Mar. xiii. 13. 
 
 c z Pet. i. 10. 
 
 The
 
 [ io6 ] 
 
 The fentences of fcripture, with which the morn- 
 ing and evening prayer are appointed to begin, 
 fully declare the free-will of man ; his acceptance 
 with God whenever he fhall turn away from his 
 wickednefs ; and God's faithfulnefs upon our con- 
 feflion and repentance to forgive us our fins, and 
 to cleanfe us from all unrighteoufnefs. — The ex- 
 hortation, confeflion, and abfolution have an im- 
 mediate reference to thefe fentences and are framed 
 upon the doctrines herein contained. In the ex- 
 hortation we are all entreated not to " diflemble 
 nor cloak our fins, but to confefs them with an 
 humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart, to 
 the end that we may obtain forgivenefs of the 
 fame:" according to which exhortation, we pro- 
 ceed to confeflion. 
 
 In the abfolution the prieft declares that " al- 
 mighty God defireth not the death of a finner but 
 rather that he may turn from his wickednefs and 
 live," and by divine authority pronounces that 
 " God pardoneth and abfolveth all them that 
 
 truly repent." What words can more fully 
 
 exprefs his gracious promifes to all men if they 
 will repent, or the power which he has given 
 to all men by repentance and faith to lay hold of 
 thofe promifes ? In the Lord's prayer we pe- 
 tition God not to lead us into temptation, which 
 implies that all, the very beft of men, are liable 
 to fall into temptations and divers lulls, which 
 
 may
 
 [ io 7 ] 
 
 may drown the foul in perdition. But how is 
 this confiftcnt with an abfolute impofiibilty of fall- 
 ing from grace? — The hymn called Te Deum 
 thus celebrates the univerfal redemption by the 
 incarnation and death of Chrift, " when thou 
 tookeft upon thee to deliver man thou didft not 
 abhor the virgin's womb ; when thou didft over- 
 come the fharpnefs of death, thou didft open the 
 
 kingdom of heaven to all believers." The 
 
 fuffrages offered up by the prieft and all the 
 congregation alternately, are quite inconfiftent 
 with your notion of abfolute predeftination and 
 indefectible aflurance. " Grant us thy falvation, — 
 take not thy holy fpirit from us."—- From the pe- 
 tition, " make thy chofen people joyful," you in- 
 fer indeed your doctrine of election ; but the 
 word chofen or elect in a fcripture fignifies either 
 all Chriftians in general, or b fuch Chriftians as 
 walk worthy of the vocation by which they are 
 called. Nor does it bear a different fenfe in our 
 offices, — God has knit together his elect, i. e. all 
 Chriftians in one communion and fellowfhip — God 
 the Holy Ghoft, who fanctifieth all the elect peo- 
 ple of God, i. e. all Chriftians, or at leaft all good 
 Chriftians, who are ready to comply with his mo- 
 tions. I wonder how you could quote this, and 
 overlook the article immediately preceding it, 
 
 a 2 Tim. ii. 10. Col. iii. 12. Titus i. 1. I Pet. i. 2. 
 2 John i. 7. 1 Pet. v. 13. Rom. xi. 7. Ephef. i. 4. 
 % Theff. ii. 13. 
 
 it Matt, xx iv. 24. 31. Luke xviii. 7. Rom. viii. 33. 
 
 which
 
 [ "8 ] 
 
 which exprefsly aflerts the univerfality of Chrift's 
 redemption, " I believe in God the Son, who 
 hath redeemed me and all mankind." All thofe 
 therefore whom God the Son hath redeemed, God 
 the Holy Ghoft fanctifies : but both only on con- 
 dition of their own concurrence and compliance 
 with the terms oifered. Laftly, we befeech God 
 ihortly to accomplifh the number of his elect, i. e. 
 all thofe who (hall finally perfevere and depart in 
 the true faith of his holy name, as the collect it" 
 felf explains it. 
 
 The word elect frequently occurs in the Roman 
 breviary ; the Papifts make ufe of it in their rituals 
 as well as we : 1 will only give you one inftance of 
 it ; " a Dulciffime domine Jefu Chrifte, per virtu- 
 tem fancliflimas paffionis tuse recipe me in nume- 
 rum electorum tuorum." So that if the ufe of 
 this word will prove the compilers of our liturgy 
 Predeftinarians, it will prove the Church of Rome 
 fo too, and that in this refpect it is as orthodox as 
 Calvinifm itfelf. 
 
 In the litany we befeech God to ftrengthen fuch 
 as do (land, and to raife up them that fall. But 
 to put the matter beyond all doubt I refer you to 
 the office of publick baptifm of infants : where 
 the prieft, after having read the gofpel appointed 
 for that occafion &c. thus addreffes the fponfors, 
 
 a Modus juvandi morientes. 
 
 " Dearly
 
 [ 109 ] 
 
 " Dearly beloved, ye have brought this child here 
 to be baptized, ye have prayed that our Lord 
 Jefus (Thrift would vouchfafe to receive him, to 
 releafe him from his fins, to fanctify him with the 
 HolyGhoft, to give him the kingdom of heaven and 
 everlafting life : ye have heard alfo that our Lord 
 Jefus Chrift hath promifed in his gofpel to grant all 
 thefe things that ye have prayed for ; which pro- 
 mife he for his part will moft furely keep and per- 
 form." And after having performed the office of 
 baptifm, he thus addreffes the fupreme being, 
 " We yield thee hearty thanks, moft merciful 
 Father, that it hath pleafed thee to regenerate 
 this infant with thy holy fpirit, to receive him 
 for thine own child by adoption and to incorpo- 
 rate him into thy holy Church." 
 
 From thefe pafTages I infer that it is the plain 
 and undoubted doctrine of our Church that every 
 perfon, who is by baptifm admitted into the Chrif- 
 tian covenant, is partaker of thefe high privileges, 
 and becomes thereby, as our catechifm fets forth, 
 " a member of Chrift, the child of God, and an 
 inheritor of the kingdom of heaven." That all 
 Chriftians are by baptifm admitted into a ftate of 
 grace, and will moft affuredly, if they perform 
 their part, be entitled to the " promifes of God 
 made to them in that facrament." With regard to 
 infants the rubric declares, " it is certain by God's 
 word that children which are baptized, dying be- 
 fore they commit actual fin, are undoubredly 
 
 faved
 
 [ no ] 
 
 faved :" with refpect to thofe who come to age to 
 take the promifes of their fureties upon themfelves, 
 they have the fame affurances on God's part, if 
 they will on their part perform what is promifed 
 for them, which, as the catechifm declares " they 
 are bound to perform." Where then is your doc- 
 trine of abfolute, irrefpective predeftination, and re- 
 probation, which would include children as well 
 as adults, being as you reprefent it " an abfolute 
 choice of fome in preference of others, even before 
 the children are born, or have done good or evil." 
 p. 55. Let me obferve that our Church in this 
 rubric profefledly declares her tenets on thefe 
 points, to which therefore any ambiguous expref- 
 fion, which may occur in her other offices, muft be 
 reconciled, unlefs you will fuppofe her to be in- 
 confiftent with herfelf. 
 
 As to the doctrine of absolute reprobation, 
 it is no where taught in our articles, nor in the 
 fcriptures, but juft the contrary. Our a articles 
 fay that " Chrift came to take away the fins of the 
 world ; and that *> Chrift hath made a perfect re- 
 demption and fatisfaction for the fins of the 
 whole world." Our catechifm teaches us that 
 " the Son of God redeemed all mankind." Our 
 communion-office exprefsly afferts " that Chrift 
 hath made a full, perfect, and fufficient facrifice, 
 oblation, and fatisfaction for the fins of the whole 
 
 a Art. 35. b Art. 31. 
 
 world
 
 [ "1 ] 
 
 world." Our collects declare that " God hateth 
 nothing that he hath made, nor would the death 
 of a (inner, but rather that he fhould be converted 
 and live." This you feem' fenfible of, and there- 
 fore tell us that " a where we find any expreflions in 
 our church-fervice, (and I fuppofe in fcripture too) 
 of Chrift dying for all men &c. thefe mean that 
 his facrifice and undertaking were infinite and 
 all fufficient : — but the application of this facri- 
 fice and undertaking is every where confined to the 
 elect people of God, to his fheep, his chofen, 
 his church, his feed, his fpoufe, his members." 
 A miferable quibble this! Suppofe an act of 
 grace to be fet forth by a King, declaring his 
 royal will, that all debtors in every prifon through- 
 out his dominions fhould be releafed on condition 
 that they would prefent an humble petition to 
 him by the hand of his Son, (who had difcharged 
 their feveral debts) and comply with other terms 
 therein fpecified : but that feeret orders had been 
 previoufly given to prevent greateft part of thofe 
 debtors from a pofiibility of prefenting their peti- 
 tion, or performing the terms required. What 
 would you think of the wifdom or mercy of fuch a 
 King? — Such is the character under which you 
 reprefent the Majefty of heaven ; fuch you would 
 perfuade us are his dealings with the children of 
 men. Had you faid that the redemption was uni- 
 verfal, but its application was confined to thofe 
 only who would comply with the terms of the gof- 
 
 a P. 55- 
 . . pel-
 
 [ H 2 ] 
 
 pel-covenant, you had fpoken the words of fober- 
 nefs and truth : But it is an infult on common 
 fenfe to acknowledge that God hath given Chrift 
 to be a propitiation for the fins of the whole world, 
 and at the fame time pretend, a that the greateft 
 part of the world, are without any fault or neglect 
 of their own, abfolutely excluded from the benefit 
 of it ; that they are appointed to damnation, re- 
 probated by God himfelf unto death b , and that 
 it is not in their power to be faved. You tell us 
 " c you could bring proof upon proof of this doc- 
 trine :" and why did not you ? Thofe fcripture 
 appellations of the elect people of God &c. which 
 you would appropriate to yourfelf and your feci, 
 are applied in fcripture to Chriftians in general. 
 The elect and chofen of God are all good Chrif- 
 tions j d Chrift's fheep are they, who hear his voice 
 and follow him, and e abound in good works. 'The 
 church in fcripture fignifies the whole body of 
 Chriftians, of which Chrift is the head, s and we 
 being many are one body in Chrift, and every 
 one members one of another. 
 
 That the doctrine of univerfal redemption is 
 the doctrine of the Church of England has al- 
 ready appeared from her articles and offices. The 
 fame doctrine is alfo taught in her homilies. They 
 teach " h that Chrift fufFered death univerlally 
 
 a P. 46. b Art. Lamb. 1. & 9. P. 44, 45. c P. 
 
 55. d Joh. x. 3, 4. c Matt. xxv. 32 &c. f Eph. 
 
 v. z$ &c. Rom. xii. 5. d Second horn, on the paffion. 
 
 for
 
 t "3 ] 
 
 for all men." Again, " God fo loved the world, 
 faith St. John, that he gave his only-begotten 
 Son, that whofoever believeth in him, fhould not 
 perifh, but have everlafting life." But to whom 
 did he give him ? He gave him to the whole 
 world, that is to fay, to Adam and all that fhould 
 come after him. That this was alfo the doctrine 
 of our firft reformers, appears already from the 
 citations produced from Bifhop Hooper and Lati- 
 mer. To thefe might be added the teflimony of 
 other foreign Proteftants, and thofe of the primi- 
 tive writers. " a For the four firft ages, fays the 
 learned Bifhop Bull, no true member of the Ca- 
 tholic Church ever dreamt of that predeftination, 
 which fome now make the very bafis and founda- 
 tion of Chriftianity. Thofe pious Chriftians, illuf- 
 trious both in their life and death, lived and died 
 in the firm perfuafions of thofe truths, that Chrift 
 was the common Saviour of mankind, that no one 
 to whom the gofpel of Chrift was made known 
 could attain eternal happinefs without obeying his 
 commands ; that no one could obey thefe com- 
 mands without the grace and fpirit of Chrift ; that 
 the grace of God would not work out our falva- 
 tion without the concurrence of our own induftry : 
 that this grace was wanting to no man ; that he, 
 who by the grace of God was in a ftate of falva- 
 tion, might by his own fault fall from that ftate 
 and perifh eternally, and therefore he who thought 
 he ftandeth fhould take heed left he fall." But I 
 rather choofe to appeal to the teflimony of fcrip- 
 a Built opera, p. 682. 
 
 H turc.
 
 [ "4 3 
 
 turc. And I could wifh you had rather confulted 
 your bible, than had recourfe to certain queftions 
 and anfwers bound up with it. There you will 
 find the doctrine of univerfal redemption taught 
 in the plaineft terms. There the gofpel is called 
 the a grace of God, which bringeth falvation to all 
 men. Our Saviour himfelf declares b " that ,God 
 fo loved the world, that whofoever believeth in 
 him mould not perifh, but have everlafting life." 
 St. Paul teaches us, c " that Chrift Jefus gave him- 
 felf a ranfom for all -, that d he died for all ; c that 
 as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all 
 men to condemnation, even fo by the righteoufnefs 
 of one the free gift came upon all men unto jufti- 
 fication of life ; f that he is the Saviour of all men, 
 fpecially of thofe that believe." St. John s fays, 
 *' Jefus Chrift is the propitiation for our fins : 
 and not for ours only, but alfo for the fins of the 
 whole world." Nay, he died for them that perifh, 
 «* h deftroy not him with thy meat, for whom Chrift 
 died," faith the apoftle. Again, " » Through thy 
 knowledge fhall the weak brother perifh, for 
 whom Chrift died ?" Again, we are told, " k that 
 God would have all men to be faved ; 1 that he is 
 not willing that any fhould perifh, but that all 
 
 a £?«$«»« y#£ n £#?'« fit 0t» JJ furyifteg %*<rn ot&f> i virois K 
 Tit. ii. ii. 
 
 b Joh. Hi. 1 6. ci Tim. ii. 5, 6. d 2 Cor. v. 14. 
 
 e Rom. v. 18. f 1 Tim^iv. 10. g Joh. ii. j, 2. 
 
 h Rom. xiv. 15. i 1 Cor, viii. n. k 1 Tim. ii. 4. 
 
 i 2 Pet. iii, 9. 
 
 fhould
 
 [ "5 1 
 
 mould come to repentance." How dare you then 
 confine the application of this redemption to the 
 Elect only, i. e, to yourfelf and a few other babes 
 of grace? Do you confider the dreadful confe- 
 quences of this doctrine ? a doctrine injurious both, 
 to God and man. That God mould confign over 
 the greateft part of mankind to everlafting deftruc- 
 tion before they were born, without any refpect 
 to their good or evil works •, that he mould give 
 them no power to perform any good work, and 
 yet mould damn them eternally for not doing 
 what they were under an abfolute impoflibility of 
 doing, is a doctrine, which it is impoflible to re- 
 concile to any notions, which we can form of God's 
 goodnefs, holinefs, orjuftice. " Thefe wretches 
 do not underftand that they afcribe thefe fins and 
 iniquities to God" (fays St. Aufiiri). But to this 
 you think it fufficient to anfwer, " a O man, who 
 art thou that replieft againft God ?" But St. Paul 
 there fpeaks of the gifts of God, which he dif- 
 perfes arbitrarily, according to his good pleafure. 
 He may impart the clear knov/ledge of his will 
 to one nation and not to another, without any 
 impeachment of his juftice. b But with regard to 
 rewards and punifhments, there is no refpect of 
 perfons with God j but he will render to every 
 man according to his deeds. But you are pleafed 
 to object againft making the Almighty fpirit de- 
 
 a P. 56. Rom. be. 20. 
 
 b Rom. ii. 6 &c. See anfwer to the Confeffional, letter 
 iii. p. 82. 
 
 H 2 pendent
 
 [ ii6 ] 
 
 pendent on the will of the fallen creature, p. 73. 
 And do not you lee that you compliment the Om- 
 nipotence and Sovereignty of God at the expencc 
 of his juftice, holinefs and goodnefs ? Muft not the 
 fentence of a righteous judge depend on the beha- 
 viour of thofe over whom he exercifes judgment ? 
 And if God will judge the world in righteoufnefs, 
 muft not his decrees with regard to this judgment, 
 in this refpect, depend on the actions of his crea- 
 tures, and the ufe they have made of their 
 free-will ? 
 
 Tell me, if you can, how God can lay any 
 man under a neceflity of finning confiftently with 
 his goodnefs ; or how he can fentence a man lying 
 under that necefiity to eternal damnation confift- 
 ently with his juftice and righteoufnefs. I charge 
 not you, fir, but I muft charge your doctrine, in 
 its neceffary confequences, with the moft glaring 
 abfurdity and grofs impiety againft God ; I wifh 
 too you would confider how uncharitable your no- 
 tions are with regard to mankind. Pray, who are 
 thefe fheep, thefe elect: people of God, to whom 
 you and your aflbciates would confine the benefits 
 of Chrift's redemption ? — Yourfelves only — all 
 the reft of mankind you moft charitably confign 
 over to eternal damnation. The heathen world, I 
 fuppofe, are not to be reckoned among the elect 
 people of God, nor belong to his Church: All 
 Heretics and Papifts are excluded, for they are 
 limbs of anti-chrift, hold doctrines of devils, and 
 
 ftiall
 
 [ "7 1 
 
 mall be damned with unquenchable fire : And all 
 Proteftants too, who have adopted this herefy of 
 univerfal redemption, and held thefe doctrines of 
 devils, thefe Popifh a doctrines of free-will, condi- 
 tional falvation- &c. fall under the fame cenfure, 
 and are alfo to be damned with unquenchable fire. 
 They only who are predeftinated, who feel in 
 themfelves the motions of fpiritual life, and an af- 
 furance of their own falvation, are the chofen 
 flock j all others are excluded, all the good peo- 
 ple of England, except the Methodifts, Mora- 
 vians and Quakers ; all the Univerfity of Oxford, 
 except the pious congregation of Mrs. Burbridge. 
 Thus. you confine that Grace of God, which bring- 
 eth falvation to all men, to yourfelves alone, and 
 
 a You pretend, p. 73, to be much alarmed at the great in- 
 creafe of Popery in our land, and infinuate that we, by holding 
 the doctrine of free-will and univerfal redemption, are the moll 
 ftrenuous abettors of ir, "declaring that there is lefs danger to be 
 apprehended from private mafs-houfes than from public autho- 
 rized chairs of oratory." But let me tell you, that the only 
 quarter from whence any real danger may be apprehended is 
 that, from whence divifions are caufed, and fchifms made in the 
 Church. The great door to Popery has been opened by the 
 prefumption of ignorant and foolifh men, who pretend to be 
 teachers, and fill their hearers with fpiritual pride, and a con- 
 tempt of their lawful paftors — who draw them from what 
 you call, the public authorized chairs of oratory, into private 
 focieties, and illicit conventicles, and teach them to negle£t the 
 fervice, and defpife the ordinances of the Church. It has been 
 the conftant bufinefs of Papifts to fow divifions among us, from 
 whence they have reaped a plentiful harveft, to the increafe of 
 which you and your friends have greatly contributed. 
 
 H 3 damn
 
 [ "8 ] 
 
 damn all others who are not of your feci; and party : 
 And herein you are more uncharitable than the 
 Papifts themfelves ; they admit all of their com- 
 munion, which takes in a large body of Chriftians. 
 You exclude even your fellow Proteftants, all but 
 thofe, who in thefe abftrufe and difficult points 
 hold the fame tenets with yourfelves. 
 
 Your doctrine of Perseverance is nearly al- 
 lied to the two former : If man has no free-will, 
 but is abfolutely predeflinated to eternal falva- 
 tion, then we muft acknowledge that he cannot 
 fall from grace. On the oiher hand, if we may 
 fall from grace, there can be no abfolute decree of 
 election. And here you and your difciples hold, 
 that he who is once a child of God is always a 
 child of God, and that God never cads off thole 
 whom he hath once received. But herein you 
 contradict the articles of the Church of England, to 
 which you have fubfcribed, and therefore are fub- 
 ject to the fame cenfures you ib liberally bellow on 
 us. The 1 6th article teaches that, after we have 
 received the Holy Ghoft, we may depart from 
 grace given, and fall into fin •, and that deadly fin 
 ' is here meant, appears from the beginning of the 
 article. It follows that by the grace of God we 
 may rife again, which plainly implies that we alfo 
 may not rife again. 
 
 You contradict our homilies. Among the ho- 
 milies publiihed in JC. Edward the Vlth's time, 
 
 there
 
 [ "9 ] 
 
 there is one concerning the danger of falling from 
 God. It fpeaks of thofe who truly believe the gof- 
 pel ; " be transformed to the image of Chrifl •, be 
 made partakers of the heavenly light, and of the 
 holy fpirit ; and be fafhioned to him in all good- 
 nefs requifite to the children of God j" and fays 
 that " if they after neglect the fame, if they be 
 unthankful unto him ; if they order not their lives 
 according to his example and doctrine &c. he 
 will take away from them his kingdom &c. and 
 if they remain difobedient to his word and will, 
 they fhall never enter into his reft, which is the 
 kingdom of heaven. 5 * 
 
 In the fecond homily on the fame fubject we 
 are told, " that if we, who are the chofen vine- 
 yard of God, bring not forth good grapes, that is 
 to fay, good works, — he will let us lie wafte, will 
 give us over -, he will turn away from us, he will 
 dig and delve no more about us — he will fuffer 
 us to bring forth brambles, bryars and thorns ; all 
 naughtinefs, all vice ; and that fo abundantly, that 
 they fhall clean overthrow us, choke, ftrangle, and 
 utterly deftroy us ;" and applying this parable, the 
 homily adds, " Let us beware therefore, good 
 chriftian people, left that we rejecting or cafting 
 away God's word, be at length caft offfo far, that 
 we become as the children of unbelief, in a damna- 
 ble ftate." 
 
 The
 
 [ "<> ] 
 
 The fame doctrine is taught in the fecond 
 book of homilies publifhed in Queen Elizabeth's 
 time. " a Thefe things well confidered, let us 
 now in the reft of our life declare our faith that 
 we have in this moft fruitful article, by framing 
 purfelves therunto, in riling daily from fin to righ- 
 teoufhefs, and holinefs of life : for what fhall it 
 avail us (faith St. Peter) to be efcaped and deli- 
 vered from the filthinefs of the world, through 
 the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jefus 
 Chrift, if we be entangled again therewith, and 
 be overcome again ? Certainly it had been bet- 
 ter, (faith he) never to have known the way of 
 righteoufnefs, than after it is known, to turn back 
 again from the holy commandment of God given 
 unto us— * What a fhame were it for us being 
 fo clearly and freely warned from our fins, to 
 return to the filthinefs thereof again : What a 
 folly were it, thus endowed with righteoufnefs, 
 to lofe it again ? What a madnefs were it to lofe 
 the inheritance that we be now fet in, for the vile 
 and tranfitory pleafure of fin ? And what an 
 unkindnefs mould it be, where our Saviour Chrift 
 is come to us, to dwell with us as our gueft, 
 to drive him from us, to baniih him violently 
 out of our fouls, and inftead of him, in whom is 
 all grace and virtue, to receive the ungracious, 
 fpirit of the devil?" &c. 
 
 ;a Sermon of the refurrettion, p. 193. 
 
 You
 
 [ »< J 
 
 You differ from our firft reformers, as appears 
 from, the quotations already produced from Pia 
 et Catholica Inftitutio — Reformatio Legum — Bp 
 Hooper and Latimer. — They held that we might 
 fall from grace, and a ftate of righteoufnefs ; " that 
 thofe who were written in the book of life might 
 again be blotted out of it." You differ from the 
 firft reformers in Germany, and from their confec- 
 tions, on the plan of which our own articles were 
 firft formed. a The confeffion of Augfburg, the 
 firft fummary of Proteftant faith, condemns the 
 Anabaptifts, who denied that thofe who were once 
 juftified could lofe the Holy Ghoft. b The Sax- 
 cnick confeflion compiled by Melanchton 1551, with 
 defign to offer it to the council of Trent, in the name 
 of all the Proteftants, and unanimoufly approved 
 by the German divines, fays — " ex fimilibus dic- 
 tis manifeftum eft aliquos renatos contriftare et ex- 
 cutere fpiritum fanctum, et rurfus abjici a Deo, ac 
 fieri reos iras Dei, et seternarum paenarum." 
 
 But, what is ftill worfe, you contradict the 
 holy fcriptures, The prophet Ezekiel c puts the 
 very cafe of a man in a ftate of falvation, in God's 
 favour, who afterwards turns from his righteouf- 
 nefs, and finally perifhes — when I fhall fay to the 
 righteous that he fhall furely live, if he truft to his 
 
 a Art. 12. b SUidan's Hift. Ref. b. xxii. p. 510. 
 c Ezek. xxxiii. 13. xviii. 24. See Dr Randolph's fermon 
 <m Rom. viii. 16. 
 
 own
 
 [ 122 ] 
 
 own righteoufhefs, and commit iniquity, all his 
 righteoufnefs fhall not be remembered, but for 
 his iniquity that he hath committed, he fhall die for 
 it. In the fcriptures of the New Teftament we 
 are exhorted a to work out our own falvation with 
 fear and trembling ; b to give diligence to make 
 our calling and election fure ; c not to be high- 
 minded, but fear, left we alfo be cut off; d he that 
 thinketh he ftandeth is admonifhed to take heed 
 left he fall. We read of fome e who were once en- 
 ligtened and had tafted of the heavenly gift, and 
 were made partakers of the Holy Ghoft, and had 
 tafted the good word of God, and the powers of 
 the world to come, who have afterwards fallen 
 away, and that fo totally and finally, that it was 
 impofllble to renew them again unto repentance. 
 And of others we f read, who had efcaped the pol- 
 lution of the world through the knowledge of the 
 Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, who have been 
 again entangled therein, and overcome, whofe lat- 
 ter end was worfe than the- beginning. The great 
 Apoftle St. Paul fpeaks with great diffidence and 
 doubt of his own falvation — e Brethren, fays he, 
 I count not myfelf to have apprehended, but this 
 one thing I do, forgetting thofe things which are 
 behind, and reaching forth unto thofe things which 
 are before, I prefs toward the mark for the prize 
 of the high calling of God in Chrift Jefus. And 
 
 a Phil. ii. 12. b 2 Pet. i, 10. c Rom. xi. 2,0 &c. 
 
 d 1 Cor. x. 12. e Hcb. vi. 4 &c. f 2 Pet. ii. 20. 
 
 g Phil. iii. 13 &c. 
 
 again
 
 [ I2 3 1 
 
 again in another a place, I keep under my body 
 and bring it into fubjection, left that by any 
 means, when I have preached to others, I myfelf 
 mould be a caft-away or b reprobate. 
 
 As to the doctrine of Justification by faith, 
 let us fee wherein we differ. Firft then, we all 
 hold that we are juftified freely by God's grace, 
 that there is no merit in good works, that we are 
 not to place our dependance, or reft our plea on 
 any works that we have done or can do, but only 
 on the mercy of God, and the merits of our Re- 
 deemer. And on the other hand I fhould hope 
 that all, who believe the gofpel, would agree that 
 good works are the neceffary condition both of 
 our juftification and falvation. Whether we confi- 
 der the firft juitification of perfons received into 
 the Chriftian church, — the fcripture teaches us 
 that repentance, which confifts in ceafing to do 
 evil, and learning to do well, is neeeflary as pre- 
 vious to this juftification. John the Baptift c pre- 
 pared the way of the Lord by preaching the 
 
 baptifm of repentance for remifiion of fins. 
 
 The firft doctrine which our Saviour himfelf preach- 
 ed was — " d Repent ye, and believe the gofpel." 
 And with the fame doctrine his apoftles opened 
 their commiflion — " a Repent and be baptized 
 every one of you in the name of Jefus Chrift, 
 
 a i Cor. ix. 27. b xooKtpas. c Luke iii. 3. d Mar. 
 i. 15. e Ads ii. 38. 
 
 for
 
 [ 124 ] 
 
 for the remifiion of fins." — Or if we afk what is the 
 condition of our final juftification at the day of 
 judgment, both Chrift and his apoftles will inform 
 us a that God will then render to every mart ac- 
 cording to his works. What do you mean then 
 by cenfuring thofe ** b who look to a righteoufnefs 
 of their own, made up of terms, qualifications, 
 conditions, and fuch like trumpery, for acceptance 
 before God ?" and afTerting " c that works are no 
 parts or conditions of our juftification ?" Parts or 
 conditions — Are thefe fynonymous terms ? Pray, 
 fir, what do you underftand by parts ? We hold, 
 as well as you, that juftification is the act of God 
 alone, conferred on us freely by his grace; — that 
 our own good works have no proper efficiency in 
 the act of our juftification •, have no worth or me- 
 rit in them j — that d we have all finned, and come 
 fhort of the glory of God, and can be juftified 
 and faved only by faith, by a reliance on the mer- 
 cies and merits of Chrift. But that good works, 
 though imperfect and worthlefs, are yet required 
 by God, as necefTary terms, qualifications and con- 
 ditions, both of our juftification and falvation, and 
 that we cannot be juftified and faved without them, 
 you cannot deny, without denying all the fcriptures 
 from one end to the other ; and contradicting the 
 very homilies, to which you appeal. " If thou 
 wilt enter into life, keep the commandments," 
 faith our Saviour e . " Without holinefs no man 
 
 a Mat. xvi. 27. Rom. ii. 6. b P. 61. C Ibid 
 
 d Rom. iii. 23. e Matt. xix. 17. 
 
 fhall
 
 [ 125 1 
 
 mall fee the Lord," faith the Apoftle a . After ha- 
 ving quoted the homily, you tell us with an air of 
 triumph — " b Here is no mention of works either 
 as conditions or as parts of j unification, which, as 
 plain as words can make it, is attributed only to 
 faith." I mould wonder indeed if there were any 
 mention of works, after the pains you have taken 
 to fupprefs it, and when by your unfair method of 
 quotation you have forced it to fpeak only your 
 own language. But had you proceeded only one 
 fentence further, you would have found the ho- 
 mily not fo filent on that head as you would wil- 
 lingly reprefent it to be, for it immediately fol- 
 lows, " c And yet that faith doth not exclude re- 
 pentance, hope, love, dread, and the fear of God 
 to be joined with true faith in every man that is 
 juftified, but it excludeth them from the office of 
 juftifying : fo that although they be all prefent to- 
 gether in him that is juftified, yet they juftify not 
 altogether. Nor doth that faith alfo exclude the 
 juftice of our good works neceffarily to be done 
 afterwards of duty towards God, (for we are moft 
 bounden to ferve God in doing good deeds com- 
 manded by him in holy fcripture, all the days of 
 our life) but it excludeth them, fo that we may 
 not do them to the intent to be made good by the 
 doing of them.'* 
 
 a Heb. xii. 14. See Bulli op. p. 509, 655 Sec. b P. 59. 
 c Homily of falvation, part i. c. 1. 
 
 Nor
 
 [ 126 ] 
 
 Nor is your other extract lefs partial, where 
 you have omitted the words immediately follow- 
 ing it for very obvious reafons, becaufe they ex- 
 plain the fenfe in which the Greek and Latin Fa- 
 thers hold juftification by faith only. " a Never- 
 thelefs (fays the homily) this fentence, " that we 
 be juftified by faith only", is not fo meant by 
 them (the fathers) that the faid juftifying faith 
 is alone in man, without true repentance, hope, 
 charity, dread and the fear of God at any time 
 and occafion ; for when they fay we be juftified 
 freely, they mean not that we mould or might 
 afterwards be idle, and that nothing fhould be 
 required on our part afterwards ; neither mean 
 they fo to be juftified without our good works, 
 that we fhould do no good works at all, as fhall 
 be more exprefled at large hereafter : But this 
 propofition, that we be juftified by faith only, 
 freely and without good works, is fpoken for to 
 take away clearly all merit of our works, as being 
 infurrlcient to deferve our juftification at God's 
 hands, and thereby molt plainly to exprefs the 
 weaknefs of man, and the goodnefs of God ; the 
 imperfeclneis of our own works, and the mod 
 abundant grace of our Saviour Chrift." b Thefe, 
 fir, are the words of our church. 
 
 The fame doctrine is fully exprefTed in the Pia 
 et Catholica Inftitutio •, I will tranfcribe a paffage 
 
 a Homily of Salvation, part ii. c. 3. b P. 61. 
 
 or
 
 t 127 ] 
 
 or two from the original % which was not in my 
 hands when the former part of this Letter was 
 written. In the chapter on faith, page 1, 2, we 
 thus read, " Faithe in the feconde acception is 
 confydered as it hathe hope and charitie annexed 
 and joyned unto it ; and faith fo taken, fignifyeth 
 not only the belefe and perfuafion before men- 
 cioned in the fyrft acception, bat alfo a fure confi- 
 dence and hope,' to atteyn whatfoever God hath 
 promyfed for Chriftis fake, and an hearty love to 
 God, and obedience to his commaundements. — 
 And this faithe every Chriften man profeffeth and 
 covenaunteth to kepe, when he receeyveth the 
 facrament of baptyfme. 
 
 For declaration whereof it is to be noted, 
 that all the promyfes of God, made to man after 
 the fall of Adam, for Chriftis fake, be made under 
 
 a The Pia et Catholica Inftitutio, is only a tranflation of a 
 book entitled, " A neceffary dc&rine and erudition for any 
 CHriften man &c." which was firft printed in the year 1537, 
 under this title, '• The inftitution of a Chriften man." But 
 King Henry the eighth intending to put it forth under his own 
 authority, corrected it firft with his own hand, (which copy 
 with the MS. corrections in the King's own hand, was in the 
 Cotton library) and then fent it to Archbifhop Cranmer, who 
 took fo great pains with it, that in a letter the Archbifhop de- 
 clares, " becaufe the book being' to come out by the King's 
 cenfure and judgment,, he would have nothing in the fame, 
 which Momus himfelf could reprehend," I have made the 
 above quotations from this edition of the King's printed in 
 the year 1543. 
 
 this
 
 [ 128 ] 
 
 this condition, that man fhoulde beleve in God, 
 and with the grace of God gyven for Chryfte, 
 endevour hym felfe to accomplice Goddis com- 
 mandements. The Churche therefore (intendynge 
 that man fhulde always have in mynde howe the 
 promyfes of God be made upon condition, and 
 without kepyng of the condition, no man is par- 
 taker of Goddis promifes) hath taught and ordeyn- 
 ed, that men before they receyue baptifme, fhall 
 promyfe and covenaunt to fulfylle the fayde condi- 
 tion, and to forfake the deuyll and the worlde, and 
 to ferve onely God. And of this efpeciall cove- 
 nant, whereby man byndeth hymfelfe to God, he 
 is called in latin, fidelis, faithfull ; and he that 
 never made the fame covenaunt, or after he hath 
 'made it, renounceth and refufeth the fame, is 
 called amonges Chriften men, infidelis, unfaithful, 
 or heathen. 
 
 Nowe of that which is before faide, it is mani- 
 feft, that faithe (as it is taken in the fecond ac- 
 ception) is the perfect faythe of a trewe Chriften 
 man, and conteyneth the obedience to the hole doc- 
 trine and religion of Chrift. And thus is faythe 
 taken of Saynt Pauk, and in other places of fcrip- 
 ture where it is fayde, that we be juftified by 
 faith. In whych places men may not thynke, 
 that we be juftified by faithe, as it is a feverall 
 vertue, feparated from hope and charitie, feare of 
 God and rcpentaunce, but by it is ment faith, 
 neither onely ne alone, but with the forefaid ver- 
 
 tues
 
 [ I2 9 ] 
 
 tues coupled together, conteynyng (as it is afore- 
 fayd) the obedience to the hole doctrine and reli- 
 gion of Chrift." 
 
 The judicious Hooker fpeaks the fame lan- 
 guage — " a Actual righteoufnefs, fays he, which 
 is the righteoufnefs of good works fucceedeth all, 
 followeth after all, both in order and time : which 
 being attentively marked, fheweth plainly how 
 the faith of true believers cannot be divorced from 
 hope and love ; how faith is a part of fanctifica- 
 tion, and yet unto j unification neceffary ; how 
 faith is perfected by good works, and not works 
 of ours without faith ; and finally, how our fathers 
 might hold that we are justified by faith alone, and 
 yet hold truly that without works we are not jufti- 
 fied. This likewife is the doctrine both of St. 
 Paul and St. James. But for a fuller difcuffion of 
 this matter, I beg leave to refer you to that excel- 
 lent treatife of Bifhop Bull, entitled, Harmonia 
 Apoftolica. In the conclufion of that work, the 
 learned and pious author warns us to beware of 
 four errors in this article of j unification. Firit, 
 that of the Papifls, who afcribe a merit to good 
 works. Secondly, that of the Antinomians, who 
 deny the necefiity of good works. Thirdly, that 
 of th/Pelagians, who deny the necefiity of grace. 
 Fourthly, that of the Manicheans, who deny all 
 free-will. 
 
 a Sett. 21. 
 
 I I HAV£
 
 [ *3° ] 
 
 I have now gone through the feveral points of 
 do&rine, which you have with greater confidence 
 than truth pronounced to be the a very fundamen- 
 tal avowed doctrines of the Church of England ; 
 but which may now poffibly appear in a different 
 light even to you, or at lead to others, who might 
 have been deceived by the falfe gloffes by which 
 difguifed them. 
 
 Indeed you are fometimes obliged, in fpite of 
 your principles, to fpeak the language of common 
 fenfe, when your caufe requires it. When you in- 
 veigh with great indecency of expreffion againft 
 " thofe fubtle ferpents b who lurk within the bofom 
 of the Church only to prey upon her vitals, and 
 who for the fake of filthy lucre carry on a folemn 
 farce of fubfcribing to articles, which many of the 
 fubfcribers no more believe than they do mother 
 Gooffs tales" &c. You tell us " c that this impious 
 jefuitical equivocation, without speedy repent- 
 ance, MUST DRAW DOWN THE VENGEANCE OF 
 A LONG-SUFFERING GOD UPON OUR L.AND." 
 
 Thefe words, if they have any meaning, imply 
 that even thefe fubtle ferpents, who prey upon the 
 vitals of the Church ; who would overthrow her 
 very foundation ; who are guilty of the moft horrid 
 mockery, and impious jefuitical equivocation, may 
 yet, if they will, repent ; and by a fpeedy repent- 
 ance avert the juft vengeance of God, whom you 
 yourfelf reprefent as long-suffering, i.e. 
 a p. 21. b P. 73. c P. 74. 
 
 forbearing
 
 [ '3' ] 
 
 forbearing punifhment in hopes of amendment, 
 being not willing that any fhould perifh, but that 
 all mould repent, and be faved. But how is all 
 this confiftent with your doctrine of abfolute de- 
 crees, denial of free-will, and univerfal grace of- 
 fered to all, who will lay hold of it ? &c. 
 
 Another point yet remains, which you have 
 the afiurance to tell the world was an article of ac- 
 cufation againft thefe fix Students, viz. " a that 
 they hold the influences of the Holy Spirit necef- 
 fary to conftitute every one a child of God." I have 
 already confuted the bafe calumny, which was fug- 
 gefted to you, not by the fpirit of truth, but by the 
 father of lies : You cannot but know that we all 
 hold the necefiity of grace, and of the afiiftance of 
 the Holy Spirit, and teach, that without this afiift- 
 ance we can do no good thing. Moft of us have 
 not only offered thefe petitions for the infpiration 
 and comfort of the Holy Ghoft in the b defk, but 
 from the Univerfity pulpit alfo ; and I may chal- 
 lenge you to produce an inflance, during the whole 
 time of your refidence in the Univerfity, of one, 
 who dared to aflert before that learned and religi- 
 ous body " c that it is a proof of frenzy and en- 
 thufiafm to believe God will vouchfafe an anfwer 
 to them." But while we pray for the Spirit, and 
 teach others to live under his holy influence, we 
 diftinguifh between the extraordinary infpiration 
 
 a P. 63. b P. 66. c Ibid. 
 
 I 2 which
 
 [ 132 ] 
 
 which was conferred on the Apoftles and firft: 
 Chriftians,' and the ordinary grace of the fame 
 Spirit, which was vouchfafed to them, and is ftill 
 to all good Chriflians in general, to enable them 
 to work out their falvation. Which is it then, 
 which you and your difciples claim ? If only the 
 latter ;. what folly, what preemption is it to com- 
 pare the cafe of thefe young men with that of the 
 Apoftles and our blefled Saviour himfelf ? I won- 
 der not at all atMr. Whitefield, but ftand amazed to 
 find " a a Mafter of Arts, of near twenty years 
 Handing in the Univerfity" argue in this manner — 
 " Jefus the carpenter was bred to a trade." Pray, 
 fir, confider whom you are fpeaking of — the Son 
 of God himfelf ; b who received not the fpirit by 
 meafure : c and in whom dwelleth all the fullnefs of 
 the Godhead — Luke the phyfician and d painter, 
 Matthew the publican, Paul the tent-maker" — Per- 
 fons immediately commiflloned and infpired by 
 God — were moft, if not all of them, bred to trades 
 — therefore any man may now, without any fuch 
 extraordinary commifllon or infpiration, leap from 
 the fhop-board into the pulpit — " They were moft 
 of them deficient in the learned languages" — No, 
 they were not ; they had the gift of tongues to 
 fupply the want of education, they fpoke all the 
 languages of the known e world. Will thefe men 
 
 a P. 16. b Joh. iij. 35. c Col. ii. 9. 
 
 d Of this you have no better proof than fome legendary wri- 
 tings and relicts in popifh chapels, which however, when they 
 ferve your turn, may be good authority. e A&s ii, 5 &c. 
 
 pretend
 
 [ *33 ] 
 
 pretend to have the fame gifts ? Their examina- 
 tion proved they had not. " They all ufed 
 
 extempore prayer" — and therefore perfons igno- 
 rant and uninfpired may now take upon them to ut- 
 ter whatever comes uppermoft in prayer to God Al- 
 mighty, in the name of the congregation. — " But 
 St. Paul was a notorious promoter of this kind of 
 prayer" — not this kind ; in St. Paul's time fpiri- 
 tual gifts abounded in the Church ; many Chris- 
 tians then prayed and fang with the fpirit : a St. 
 Paul directs them how they mould ufe thefe gifts 
 to the edification of the Churc*h j but this can give 
 no pretence or encouragement to ignorant perfons, 
 to pour forth extempore prayer in the congregation 
 without either fpirit or underflanding. ' 
 
 If thefe perfons, who have unhappily fallen un- 
 der our cenfure, claimed only the ordinary grace 
 and influences of the Holy Spirit, how came they 
 to think themfelves authorized or qualified to 
 preach or expound, as they call it, and to offer up 
 prayers of their own in a mix'd congregation ? The 
 ordinary grace of the fpirit gives men no new fa- 
 culties : it only afiifts and profpers us in the ufe of 
 natural means, and in the exercife of our natural 
 or acquired abilities. How then could thefe men 
 without education, and without knowledge, totally 
 deficient in every part of learning, take upon them- 
 felves thefe offices, which a long and laborious courfe 
 
 « I Cor. xiv. 
 
 I 3 of
 
 [ *34 ] 
 
 of education and ftudy is generally thought neceflfary 
 to qualify men for ? Prayer in particular is a feri- 
 ous and important duty — " a Be not ralh with thy 
 mouth, faith the preacher, and let not thine heart 
 be hafty to utter any thing before God •, for God 
 is in heaven, and thou upon earth." When we 
 come before the great Majefty of heaven, even 
 in private prayer, we mould do well to confider 
 before hand both the matter and form of what we 
 have to offer; and take particular care that we 
 offer nothing unlawful, indecent, or improper. 
 Much lefs can prayers be made in a public congre- 
 gation with any propriety or decency, without a 
 pre-compofed and well digefted form. If perfons 
 uninfpired and untaught, without knowledge, or 
 premeditation, take upon them to be the mouth 
 of the congregation, and in their name offer up 
 their own crude conceptions to the great God of 
 heaven, to call this the facrifice of fools, is a very 
 mild appellation. The Church of England has fuf- 
 ficiently teftified her difapprobation of extempore 
 prayer by appointing a liturgy or form of public 
 prayer, and requiring all her minifters to ufe this 
 form, and none other : to put up therefore fuch 
 extempore prayers in mixed congregations or 
 conventicles, wherever they are held, is to act 
 contrary to the doctrine and difcipline of the 
 Church of England. And accordingly our divines 
 have conftantly maintained and defended the ne- 
 
 v Eccles. v. z. 
 
 cefiity
 
 [ m ) 
 
 ceflity and expediency of public forms of prayer* 
 and fhewn the abfurdity and indecency of the ufage 
 of extempore prayers, againft the puritans and dif- 
 fenters, whofe practice and language (notwithftand- 
 ing the high veneration you profefs for the doc- 
 trine and difcipline of the eftablifhed Church) you 
 and your friends adopt. The enthufiafts in the 
 laft century, who overthrew our conftitution both 
 in Church and State, talked of fitting down, and 
 waiting for the fpirit, bragged of the influences of 
 the fpirit, and particularly of the gift of prayer, 
 they fpoke difrefpectfully of our liturgy, and fo 
 it appeared on the examination that fome of thefe 
 gentlemen had done j they condemned all public 
 forms of prayer, and called it ftinting and limiting 
 the fpirit: and they alfo pleaded the example of 
 Chrift and his Apoftles; but I don't remember 
 that any of them ever urged the example of " a the 
 poor, old, blind beggar, Bartimeus." 
 
 I might purfue you through every article of 
 your comparifon, and expofe the abfurdity (I had 
 almoft faid blafphemy) of it, were I not fenfible 
 that the ludicrous manner in which you have 
 treated thofe facred characters cannot even be 
 thought of without abhorrence. 
 
 I shall take notice of one point more, which 
 you have touched on, and that is the doctrine 
 of assurance, whereby the children of God are 
 
 a P. 70. 
 
 faid
 
 [ *3* ] 
 
 faid to be aflured of their falvation. You are 
 pleafed to fay " a that the denial of this affurance, 
 except by revelation, is the very doctrine of the 
 Council of Trent, and a main pillar of popery. 
 If the Council of Trent denied this doctrine of af- 
 furance, fo did it alfo the errors of Arius and 
 Socinus ; and you may as well call the denial of the 
 one a main pillar of popery, as of the other. For 
 though both thefe doctrines are, I fear, held by 
 fome Proteftants, yet are they contrary to the 
 doctrine of our Church. Our articles hold that 
 men may fall from grace, and therefore no man 
 can be infallibly fure of his perfeverance. Our 
 firft reformers, as we have feen, b held, that nei- 
 ther fcripture, nor the writings of the fathers teach 
 any fuch knowledge or cetainty. 
 
 You have favoured us with no proof of this 
 your doctrine of perfeverance, I (hall therefore 
 content myfelf at prefent with referring you to 
 Dr Randolph's fermon on Rom. viii. 1 6. lately pub- 
 limed. Our Margaret Profeflbr hath there fhewn, 
 that to do the works of God is the only mark 
 of being God's chtldren ; that we can have no af- 
 furance of being fuch, but from the teftimony 
 of our confciences : that as to the perfeverance, it 
 muft depend on our own free choice, and there- 
 fore we can have no infallible affurance of it ; 
 and that the doctrine of fuch affurance is a falfe 
 and dangerous delufion. 
 
 a P. 3 x, b P. 73. 
 
 I win
 
 [ i37 ] 
 
 I Will here add the concluding paflage of 
 the chapter on faith % which is worthy the fe- 
 rious confideration of all thofe, who talk fo vainly 
 and boaft fo confidently of their falvation. " Truthe 
 it is, that in the facramentes inflituted by Chrift, 
 we may conftantly beleve the workes of God in 
 them to our prefente comforte, and application of 
 his grace and favour, with affuraunce alio, that he 
 will not fayle us, if we falle not from hym. ! Where- 
 fore fo contynuinge in the ftate of grace with hym, 
 we may beleve undoubtedly to be faved. But 
 for as moche as oure owne frayltie and noughty- 
 neffe ought ever to be feared in us, it is therefore 
 expediente for us to lyue in contynuall watche, and 
 contynuall fyght with our ennemyes, the Dyuell, 
 the fleftie, and the worlde, and not to prefume 
 to moche of oure perfeveraunce & contynuance in 
 the ftate of grace, whiche on our behalfe is uncer- 
 tayne and unftable. For although Goddis pro- 
 myfes made in Chrift be immutable, yet he maketh 
 them not to us, but with condition, fo that his 
 promyfe ftandinge, we may yet fayle of the pro- 
 myfe, bycaufe we kepe not our promyfe. And 
 therefore yf we afiuredly reckon upon the ftate 
 of our felicitie, as grounded upon Goddis promyfe, 
 and do not therewith remembre, that no man fhal 
 be crowned, onleffe he lawfully fyght, we (hall tri- 
 umphe before the vyctorye, and fo loke in vayne 
 
 Sec " a neceffary do&rine and erudition for any Chriften 
 man." Page 3. 
 
 for
 
 [ 33« ] 
 
 for that, whiche is not otherwife promifed, but 
 under a condition. And this every chriften man 
 muft afTuredlye beleve." We muft therefore a prove 
 our own felves, and examine into our own lives 
 and converfations, and if, b on an impartial enqui- 
 ry, our hearts condemn us not, thea have we con- 
 fidence towards God. You, fir, I fuppofe, are pof- 
 feffed, or imagine yourfelf poiTefTed, of this aiTu- 
 rance, and are confident that you are one of the 
 elect people of God, one of his children, his fheep 
 • — — But this is not the bleating of fheep, which 
 we hear. Let me afk you ferioufly, whether, to 
 throw out perfonal abufe, c to rip up private cha- 
 racters, to revive old ftories, many of them falfe, 
 all of them mifreprefented, of fuppofed abufes and 
 want of difcipline, thirty or forty years ago; to 
 ufe bitter and opprobrious language, to call thofe 
 who differ from you d a peftilent, feditious fed, 
 holding pride-foothing doctrines, e doctrines of de- 
 vils; f dangerous heretics, and fcifmatics, incendia- 
 ries in the Church ; to caft general reflections on 
 the moil refpectable members of the Univerfity, 
 where there are b many great dignified divines who 
 are feen napping at the Univerfity Church molt 
 Sundays throughout the year, and cannot find time 
 to leave the common room, and attend the even- 
 ing prayers at chapel ; and on the Clergy h many 
 of whom fpend their time in idlenefs and fenfual 
 
 a 2 Cor. xiii. 5. b 1 Joh. iii. 21. c P. 6. 19. 
 
 21.79. d P. 33. e P. 52. f P. 69. gP./i, 
 
 h P. 67. 
 
 indul-
 
 [ »J9 ] 
 
 indulgence, and a carry on a folemn farce of fub* 
 fcribing to articles, which they no more believe 
 
 than they do mother Goofe\ tales. Let me afk 
 
 you, whether fuch language as this is confiftent 
 with that charity, and meeknefs which is the dif- 
 tinguifhing character of Chrift's difciples. b You 
 feem indeed fenfible that you have declared your 
 fentiments too plainly : and therefore would vin- 
 dicate yourfclf by the example of our blefled Sa- 
 viour, and Martin Luther. As to Luther, let me 
 defire you to imitate his many good qualities, and 
 not his failings. He has been cenfured as guilty 
 of too great heat and acrimony in fome of his ex- 
 prefllons ; but when you honoured him with the 
 title of the couragious champion of the re- 
 formation, you had furely forgotten that he 
 comes under the fame condemnation with us, " of 
 holding the doctrines of free-will, and univerfal re- 
 demption, the avowed doctrines of the Church of 
 Rome, compared with which tranfubftantiation is 
 
 an harmlefs error" How will you reconcile 
 
 thefe inconfiftences ? But I am very forry you 
 lhould fhelter yourfelf under the authority of our 
 BlefTed Saviour. When you can fhew that we are 
 all of us " the bittereft enemies of true godlinefs," 
 or that you have the fame authority, as our Savi- 
 our, and the fame knowledge of the heart, then 
 we will give you leave, if you find reafon, to call 
 us fcribes, and Pharifees, hypocrites. As you can- 
 
 s P. 74. b Ibid. 
 
 not
 
 [ Ho ] 
 
 not do this, we muft befeech you rather to learn 
 from our bleffed faviour a meeknefs, and lowlinefs 
 of heart ; and b to put away from you all bitter- 
 nefs, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil- 
 fpeaking with all malice. 
 
 When you complained fo bitterly of perfecu- 
 tion, and compared the proceedings againft thefe 
 young men to thofe of the ftar-chamber, and high 
 commiflion - court, you mould have confidered 
 how you could acquit yourfelf, and your friends, of 
 the fame charge. Who perfecuted Barrett, and 
 others, and would fain have impofed the Lambeth 
 articles upon them ? the calvinifts at Cambridge, 
 whofe caufe you efpoufe and defend. Who framed 
 the horrible decrees of the fynod of Dcrt, and 
 deprived the remonftrants of all ecclesiasti- 
 cal FUNCTIONS, AND ALL OFFICES IN ANY 
 
 University : drove the learned Grotius into ba- 
 nifhment, and made him fly for his life ? Your 
 friends the Calvinifts, whofe proceedings you c men- 
 tion with approbation. Who perfecuted, nay, hor- 
 ribly executed the Quakers ? The good Calvinifts 
 of New England*. And may we not add, that 
 the fame fpirit of perfecution ftill continues among 
 them ; fince they will not fuffer a Bifhop of the 
 Church of England to fet foot there, for the dif- 
 charge of an office purely fpiritual, and without 
 any pretenfions to temporal jurifdiclion ? Your 
 
 a .Matt. xi. 29. b Eph. iv. 31. c P. 57. 
 
 «l See the firfl Letter to the Author of the Confeffional P. 43. 
 
 friend
 
 [ Hi ] 
 
 friend Mr. Whitefield in his letter to the Vice-Chan- 
 cellor feems willing to encourage this fpirit of his, 
 Calvinian friends, and invidioufly calls the Bifhops 
 deftined for America, Lords Bifhops. Nay a you your- 
 felf would impofe your own fenie of the articles on 
 us, and would fentence all thofe who deny your doc- 
 trines to be rejected as heretics, excommunicated, 
 and expelled the Univerfity, and you urge the exe- 
 cution of that fentence ipfo fatto in the true fpirit 
 of your admired author Mr. Prynne, with an — 
 " Alafs ! — Quid leges fine moribus vanas profi- 
 ciunt ?" though indeed you tremble for the confe- 
 quences •, and are afraid our colleges would be in 
 danger of an utter defertion, and an almoft gene- 
 ral expulfion enfue. What right then have you to 
 complain, were we even to do by you, as you 
 would do by us ? We have deprived thefe men of 
 no preferment, or emolument. Nor fhould we 
 have done thus much, or even enquired what their 
 tenets were with regard to thefe points, if they 
 had not been charged with other matters, for which 
 they ought to have been removed from a fociety 
 devoted to true religion, and learning ; viz. fre- 
 quenting, and holding conventicles, infufficiency, 
 ignorance, mifbehaviour to their tutor &c. 
 
 You affert c indeed that though Mr. Grove was 
 expelled for preaching in a barn, yet " he really 
 never did it, and abfolutely denied it." Do you 
 
 a P. 66, b P. 17, 18. 
 
 mean,
 
 [ 142 ] 
 
 mean, Sir, that he never preached at all ? or that 
 he did not preach in a barn ? or a field ? If the 
 former; it was proved by undoubted evidence, 
 and confefied .by himfelf both at the examination 
 and afterwards — though I am fince informed that, 
 in a petition prefented to the late Archbifhop, he 
 has denied it. If the latter ; it is a mere quibble, 
 it being very immaterial whether the preachment 
 was made in a barn, or a malt-houfe, in a field, or 
 on a common; not the place, but the action was 
 condemned. a 
 
 THOUGH I am not obliged to take arry 
 notice of your poftfcript, it being addrefled 
 to a perfon totally unknown to me, yet as it con- 
 tains, what you call, " three very material points, 
 on which you ground the caufe you have defended, 
 
 and to which you publicly call for an anfwer" 
 
 (tho' you might have done this with greater pro- 
 priety, had you put your name to your perform- 
 ance) I beg you will accept the following. 
 
 a In p. 26. of your fecond edition you go 'farther, and tell 
 the world that when fentence was pafs'd on Mr. Grove, "he 
 denied the facl ; however he was put down guilty of it by 
 Dr. N — l." Now, Sir, it will appear from my minutes that 
 I had not mentioned the word barn — but that circumftance of 
 the place was recolledled by the other afleflbrs, and accordingly 
 was inferted in the fentence by the Vice- Chancellor. To what, 
 Sir, I am to attribute your remarkable attention to me ? Time 
 perhaps may explain it. 
 
 First,
 
 [ H3 ] 
 
 First, From the foregoing account of the pro- 
 ceedings, it will evidently appear that you have 
 greatly mifreprefented very many " facts relative to 
 the trial of the young men ;" whether thro' want 
 of information or candor, mult be left to your own 
 confcience, and that Being to whom you fo folemnly 
 appeal. 
 
 After you had faid all the ill-natured things 
 you could invent, you give the reader to under- 
 ftand that you could have faid a great deal more, 
 and compliment your own moderation by telling 
 him " that you have rather extenuated than ag- 
 gravated." This may be a beautiful figure in rhe- 
 toric-, either hyperbole, or apofiopefis, or fome- 
 thing fuperior to both — however, I hope, the can- 
 did reader will confider it only as a flower of fpeech, 
 and weigh your moderation and forbearance " in 
 the balance of calm reflection, and unbiafled judg- 
 ment." 
 
 What you mean by "the haughty overbearing 
 treatment the youths met with at their trial," is 
 beyond my comprehenfion. Sure I am, that the 
 Vice-Chancellor and his afTefTors treated them with 
 the greateit candor and humanity : and if any of 
 the vaft croud, which were prefent, behaved im- 
 properly, it was matter of great concern and of- 
 fence to them ; but can with no more juftice be 
 laid to their charge, then any noife, which may 
 happen in the aflize-hall, can be to the Judge who 
 
 fits
 
 [ 144 1 
 
 fits on the bench. But, in fact, the young men 
 met with no ill-treatment from any one during the 
 whole examination, which was carried on with as 
 much decency as could be expected, in a place fo 
 crouded. The only circumftance, which gave of- 
 fence, was the great throng which prefled into the 
 chapel to hear the fentence, not with that reve- 
 rence which became the place •, but their behavi- 
 our in it was proper and decent, and a perfect 
 lilence was obferved during the whole time that 
 the Vice-Chancellor pronounced the feveral fen- 
 tences. a 
 
 I know not what " veil you pretend to draw 
 over the moral characters of certain perfons who 
 were very active againft them," but am convinced 
 that you would have acted with more chriftian cha- 
 rity, had you honeftly expofed what you pretend 
 to conceal — you now flab in the dark, and your 
 obfcure infinuations reach much farther than an 
 open attack could poffibly have done. If you have 
 any charge againft the moral character of the Vice- 
 Chancellor, or either of his affefibrs, you ought, 
 in juftice to the reft, to have openly avowed it. 
 I flatter myfelf they have no reafon either to fue 
 to your mercy, or to " dread your power of ex- 
 pofing them." 
 
 a N. B. The Vice-Chancellor intended to pronounce fen- 
 tence in the Hall, where the examination had been taken; but 
 finding it greatly crouded, it was propofed to adjourn to the 
 chapel to avoid that inconveniency. 
 
 What
 
 [ H5 ] 
 
 ) 
 
 What has been above advanced concerning 
 the doctrines of the Church of England, will, I 
 hope, be a fufficient reply to the former part of 
 your fecond point. " I wonder how you can afk 
 what I think of Barref$ cafe, and whether all per- 
 fection is confined to primitive times." For an 
 anfwer to this very extraordinary queftion I refer 
 
 you to page 140. ■ the 3d point deferves 
 
 none — But if you flill perfift to demand why Mr. 
 Newton, Davies, and Fletcher (for I don't remember 
 that the other names were mentioned) were called 
 methodifts 5 I refer you to Mr. Higfon for an 
 anfwer. 
 
 B e pleafed likewife to accept the following fo- 
 lution of your queries, a 
 
 1 ft, The teftimony of Dr. Dixon was not fet at 
 nought, but had all the weight, which could with 
 juftice be given it. When particular facts were 
 urged and proved, which by the ftatutes of the 
 Univerfity, and of the Hall, fubjected the offend- 
 ers to expulfion, the Vifitor was obliged to put 
 thofe ftatutes in force, unlefs he would betray the 
 duty and authority of his office. No teftimony to 
 their characters could alter the nature, or deftroy 
 the force of the proofs brought againft them — 
 For an anfwer to the latter part of this query, and 
 to your 2d — I refer you to Mr. Welling* cafe 
 page 56 &c. 
 
 a P. 84. 
 
 K By
 
 [ 14* ] 
 
 By way of folution to the third, I beg leave to 
 afi~ure you that the young men were not obliged to 
 accufe themfeives. When the articles of accufation 
 were produced againft each of them feparately, 
 they were alked whether they acknowledged what 
 was urged againft them to be true. If they did — 
 no farther proof was required. If they did not — 
 Mr. Higfon then proceeded to fupport his charge, 
 article by article -, and he did it with the greateft 
 regularity, and clearnefs imaginable. If you do not 
 chufe to acquiefce in this account, I muft refer you 
 to him ; who has all the evidence by him, and is 
 ready to produce it, whenever he fhall be properly 
 called upon. I will only obferve that, had they been 
 queftioned in the manner you reprefent, it is no 
 more than what is ufually done, when young men 
 are accufed of any irregularity before the gover- 
 nors of their reipeclive focieties. Something more 
 than a bare denial is required ; they are expected 
 to anfwer to the charge, and to vindicate them- 
 feives by refuting, or difproving, the'matter of their 
 accufation — was not this the cafe, it is impofTible 
 that difcipline could be maintained. 
 
 One word more in anfwer to your N. B. and I 
 have done. When it was faid that the young men 
 had their tutor's advice in every Hep they took, as 
 well in their meetings at firft, as in their abfenting 
 themfeives from them afterwards, Mr. Higfon ex- 
 plained this matter, by declaring that Mr. Jones had 
 
 impofed
 
 t H7 ] 
 
 impofed upon him in his reprefentation of thefe 
 meetings — that he neither mentioned expounding 
 or extempore prayers ; but only afked whether there 
 was any crime in a few friends meeting to read the 
 holy fcriptures, and other godly books. I am not 
 furprized that Mr. Jones mould deceive his tutor, 
 when a you have endeavoured to impofe the fame 
 account upon the world, h 
 
 Whatever Mr. Grove, Mr. Middleton> or you 
 may be inclined to think, I am fully perfuaded that 
 the Vice-Chancel lor was not pulhed on by the vio- 
 lence of others, but urged by an affectionate regard 
 for the honour and welfare of the Univerfity " to 
 carry matters to the lengths they were carried ;" — 
 with reluctance indeed to the natural fweetnefs and 
 humanity of his own difpofition, but with that ftea- 
 dinefs and impartiality, which became a fcholar and 
 a magiftrate. Nor are you more happy in the proof 
 by which you would fupport your afTertion : his 
 humanity does not ftand in need of your compli- 
 ment at the expence of truth. I am not confcious 
 to myfelf of having afked any prying or imperti- 
 
 a P. 14, 15. 
 
 b In your fecond edition p. 24. you reprefent me as in- 
 finuatmg " with a fneering laugh" that Mr. Jones's defence 
 of himfelf mould be remembered to his prejudice. In con- 
 futation of this unjuft refleftion I refer you to my minutes of 
 Mr. Jones & examination page 24. from whence it will appear, 
 that I have faithfully recorded the fubitance of his defence. 
 By the fame minutes every other charge brought againit m« 
 (lands confuted. 
 
 nenc
 
 nent queftions, but fuch only as directly tended to 
 difcover, what I was appointed to enquire into, the 
 truth ; nor did the Vice-Chancellor ever flop me in 
 fuch enquiry ; but I have the fatisfaction to fay that 
 my conduct, as well as that of the other alienors, 
 met with his entire approbation. Both he, and they 
 were indeed fenfible that they were engaged in a 
 very invidious office; and that their proceedings, 
 however upright and impartial, would be cenfured, 
 and mifreprefented, by thofe, who mould be affected 
 by them. They could not expect to efcape the 
 fharpnefs of your refentment, who have not fpared 
 even the place of your education. Reverence and 
 affection will naturally induce every true fon of our 
 Alma Mater, to be tender of her reputation, to ho- 
 nour her virtues, and put the moft favourable con- 
 ftruction on her failings. But you have taken an 
 ill-natured pleafure in expofing, with no lefs falf- 
 hood than malice, what, even had it been true, hu- 
 manity would have endeavoured to conceal. Her 
 lenity, which probably yourfelf have experienced, 
 has not lefs provoked your indignation on other oc- 
 cafions, than, what you are pleafed to call, her le- 
 verity and cruelty on this. You have revived the 
 long-forgotten difgrace of fome of her members, 
 and raifed fcandalous reports of others, merely to 
 blacken her character, and bring upon her the re- 
 proach of the public. 
 
 I sincerely forgive any injury you may have 
 intended to do me, but I know not how you will 
 
 forgive
 
 [ H9 ] 
 
 forgive yourfelf for that done to the Univerlity. 
 Whatever zeal you may pretend for religion, while 
 you bridle not your tongue, I have the authority of 
 an apoftle to pronounce, that your religion is vain 
 ■ — Whatever afiurances you may flatter yourfelf with 
 of God's grace, if you have not charity, you de- 
 ceive yourfelf — however you may fancy that you 
 feel the impulfes of the Holy Spirit, yet you will do 
 well to remember that hatred, wrath, ftrife, evil- 
 fpeaking, flander &c. are not the fruits of that 
 Spirit. 
 
 That God would grant both you and me by his 
 Holy Spirit to have a right judgment in all things is 
 the hearty prayer of, 
 
 Sir, 
 
 Your moft obedient, 
 
 St; Mary-Hall, 
 Sept. io. 1768. 
 
 humble Servant, 
 
 T. Nowill,
 
 f 'So ] 
 
 P. S. I was in hopes you would have favoured 
 the world with your name fubfcribed to the fecond 
 edition of your performance, and that I mould have 
 had the pleafure of addreffing myfelf to you in a 
 more particular manner, in my poftfcript; putting 
 you in mind of fome circumftanoes which I cannot 
 now mention with propriety, left I fhould be mifl 
 taken in the application of them : but I find you 
 Hill chufe to lie concealed, delighting to fhoot your 
 arrows in the dark, even bitter words, by which, 
 though your name be concealed, you fully difcover 
 what manner of fpirit you are of — a pra&ice, which 
 feveral of your friends have imitated, who convey 
 their ftupid, illiberal invectives in anonymous Letters, 
 of which they themfelves feem to be afhamed. I 
 was likewife led by your advertifement to expect 
 that you would have acknowledged fome errors, 
 which you muft be confcious you had been guilty 
 of in your firfi: edition, but I perceive you ftill 
 perfift in them, having added nothing but low abufe 
 to notorious falfhood — I envy you not this talent, 
 but leave you in quiet pofieflion of it ; and, being 
 determined to follow you no farther, I here bid 
 you, and your friends, farewel. 
 
 E R R A T A. 
 
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