(4.) The most eminent faint, having known: more of the workings of corruption in his own breaft, than he can poffibly know of the wickednefs of any other man's heart, may with great truth (according to his prefent views and former feelings of the internal evil he has overcome) call himself the chief of finners.

(5.) Nor does he know but if the feebleft believers had had all his talents and graces, with all his opportunities of doing and receiving good, they would have made far fuperior advances in the christian life; and in this view alfo, without hypocritical humility, he prefers the leaft faint to himfelf. Thus, although according to the humble light of others, all true believers certainly undervalue, yet according to their own humble light, they make a true eltimate of themselves.

V. The Vindicator having thus folved a problem of godliness, which you have undoubtedly ranked among his apparent mistakes, he takes the liberty of prefenting you with a list of fome of your own apparent mistakes on this occafion."

(1.) In the very letter in which you recant your circular letter, you defire Mr. W. to give up the fatal errors of the Minutes, though you have not yet proved they contain one; you ftill affirm they appear to you evidently fubverfive of the fundamentals of chriftianity, that is in plain English, till" dreadfully heretical;" and you produce a letter which afferts alfo, without fhadow of proof, that the Minutes were given for the establishment of another foundation than that which is laid,-that they are repugnant to fcripture, the whole plan of man's falvation under the new covenant of grace, and also to the clear meaning of our eftablished Church, as well as to all other proteftant Churches.

(2.) You declare in your Narrative, that when you caft your eye over the Minutes you are just where you was, and affure the public that nothing inferior

te

to an ATTACK UPON THE FOUNDATION of our hope through the all-fufficient facrifice of Chrift, could have been an object fufficient to engage you in its defence : Thus, by continuing to infinuate fuch an ATTACK was really made, you continue to wound Mr. W. in the tendereft part.

(3.) Although Mr. W. and 53 of his fellowlabourers have let you quietly fecure the foundation (which, by the bye, had been only fhaken in your own ideas, and was perfectly fecured by thefe exprefs words of the Minutes, "not by the merit of works," but by believing in Chrift") yet far from allowing them to fecure the fuperftructure in their turn, which would be nothing but juft, you begin already a conteft with them about our fecond juftification by works in the day of judgment.

(4.) Inftead of frankly acknowledging the rafhnefs of your step, and the greatnefs of your mistake, with respect to the Minutes, you make a bad matter worse, by treating the Declaration as you have treated them; forcing upon it a dangerous fenfe, no lefs contrary to the fcriptures, than to Mr. W.'s meaning, and the import of the words.

(5.) When you fpeak of the dreadful charges you have brought againft the Minutes, you foftly call them mifconftructions you MAY SEEM to have. made of their meaning, Page 22. Line 4. Nor is your Acknowledgment much ftronger than your may Jeem; at least it does not appear to many, adequate to the hurt done by your circular letter to the prac tical gofpel of Chrift, and the reputation of his eminent fervant, thousands of whofe friends you have grieved, offended, or ftumbled; while you. have confirmed thousands of his enemies in their hard thoughts of him, and in their unjust contempt of his ministry.

(6.) And lastly, far from candidly enquiring into the merit of the arguments advanced in the Vindication, you reprefent them as mere metaphy cal diftinctions or caft, as a veil over them, a

friendly,

friendly fubmiffive letter of condolence, which was never intended for the ufe to which you have put

it.

Therefore the Vindicator, who does not admire a peace founded upon a may seem on your part, and on Mr. W.'s part upon a Declaration, to which you have already fixed a wrong, unfcriptural fenfe of your own; takes this public method to inform you, he thinks his arguments in favour of Mr. W.'s anti-Crifpian propofitions, rational, fcriptural, and folid; and once more he begs you would remove the veil you have hitherto "caft over all the apparent miftakes of his judgment on this occafion" that he may fee whether the antinomian gospel of Dr. Crisp is preferable to the practical gofpel which Mr. W. endeavours to restore to its primitive and fcriptural

luftre.

VI. Having thus finished my remarks upon the miftakes of your Narrative, I gladly take my leave of controverfy for this time: Would to God it were for ever! I do no more like it than I do-applying a cauftic to the back of my friends; it is difagreeable to me and painful to them, and, nevertheless, it must be done when their health and mine is at stake.

I affure you, Sir, I do not love the warlike dress of the Vindicator any more than David did the heavy armour of Saul. With gladnefs therefore I caft it afide to throw myself at your feet, and proteft to you, that although I thought it my duty to write to you with the utmost plainness, frankness, and honefty; the defign of doing it with bitterness never entered my heart. However, for every "" bitter expreffion" that may have dropped from my sharp vindicating pen, ak you pardon; but it must be in general, for neither friends nor foes have yet particularly pointed out to me one fuch expreffion.

You have accepted of a letter of fubmiffion from me; let, I beseech you, a concluding paragraph of fubmiffion meet alfo with your favourable accept

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ance.

ance. You condefcend, rev. Sir, to call me your "learned friend." Learning is an accomplishment I never pretended to; but your friendship is an ho nor I shall always highly efteem, and do at this time value above my own brother's love. Appear ances are a little against me, I feel I am a thorn in your flesh; but I am perfuaded it is a necessary one, and this perfuafion reconciles me to the thanklefs and difagreeable part I act.

If Ephraim muft vex Judah, let Judah bear with Ephraim, till, happily tired of their contention, they feel the truth of Terence's words, * Amantium (why not credentium) iræ amoris redintegratio eft. I can affure you, my dear Sir, without metaphyfical diftinction, I love and honor you, as truly as I dislike the rashnefs of your well-meant zeal. The motto I thought myself obliged to follow was +E bello pax; but that which I delight in is ‡ In bello pax; may we make them harmonize till we learn war and polemic divinity no more!

My Vindication coft me tears of fear, left I should have wounded you too deep. That fear, I find, was groundless; but fhould you feel a little for the great truths and the great minister I vindicate, thefe expoftulations will wound me, and probably coft me tears again.

If in the mean time we offend our weak brethren; let us do fomething to leffen the offence till it is removed. Let us fhew them we make war without fo much as fhyness. Should you ever come to the next county, as you did last summer, honor me with a line, and I fhall gladly wait upon you, and fhew you (if you permit me) the way to my pulpit, where I fhall think myself highly favoured to fee you "fecure the foundation," and hear you inforce the doctrine of justification by faith,

The misunderstandings of lovers (why not of believers) end in a renewal and increase of love.

+ We make war in order to get peace.

We enjoy peace in the midst of war.

which you fear we attack. And should I ever be within 30 miles of the city where you refide, I fhall go to submit myself to you, and beg leave to affift you in reading prayers for you, or giving the cup with you. Thus fhall we convince the world that controverfy may be confcientiously carried on without interruption of brotherly love; and I fhall have the peculiar pleasure of tellifying to you in perfon, how fincerely I am,

Honored and dear Sir,

Your fubmiffive and obedient fervant in the bond of a practical gospel,