how juftly foever they may be imputed. Dean SHERLOCK, when he enters upon his Matter against you, begins in this common theological Way by saying, that you (n) have taken great Pains to fhew, that the Argument from Prophely for the Truth of Chriftian ty, as managed and apply'd by the Writers of the New Tef tament, is abfurd and ridiculous; and that we may not flatter ourselves with Hopes of Affiftance from other Arguments, you give us this Text of PETER, viz. 2 Pet. i. 19. to shew, by the Authority of our own Scriptures, that Prophefy, as bad an Argument as it is, is nevertheless the very best, that our Caufe affords; but then he waves this Reflection in the next Words, by faying, but your Views be to yourself, what Truth there is in your Expofition, and Application of this Part of Scripture, we shall foon fee; the Dean rightly judging, that his Business was only to dispute against the Things afferted by you.

Should I, for Example, reprefent Mr. Green, as writing his Letters to you in order to get a little Credit among old Women and a small Livelihood, and to raife the Indignation of the Mob against you, and should I treat his Expofition of ISAIAH, as a moft pitiful Project, and not deferving the raifing his Hire or Pay, or indeed any Pay at all, and not proper to ftir the Paffions of the People, and fhould fay to him, "Sir, if you would do any Thing "to merit Credit and Pay, and to inflame the

(n) Sherlock's Ufe, &c. p. 3.
Z 3

* People,

People, by explaining ISAIAH, against the "Author of the Difcourfe of the Grounds, «Ε you should give us, out of the inexhaustible Stock of Theology, an Expofition, that favour'd of a more exalted Enthusiasm, and not fuch an Expofition, fo low and flat, and fo obviously false, as fhews to every Body "the utmost Distress you are in to support "what you pretend is the Cause of Chriftianity, "and manifeftly gives the Advantage in Point "of Truth to an Expofition (fuppofed de"ftructive of Christianity) of the Author of "the Difcourfe of the Grounds, if that Ex"pofition may be call'd his, which is the most

common Expofition, and indeed the most "manifeft Senfe of the Place." But is fuch a Way of Writing to be juftify'd, in any Cafe, except in the Way of Retorfion, to teach Men better Morality, and the true Method of Difputation?

VII.

I proceed now to the Confideration of a Matter, which, though I have referved for a Conclufion of what I fhall fay, yet was the fole End of my writing this Letter. For I should never have troubled myself to have attack'd his Reasonings, if I had not thought fit to have attack'd his immoral Affault upon you; which I do, not for his Sake, whom I do not pretend to make afhamed of it, but for the Sake of others, that fuch Perfons may be noted.

After

After he has laid down these two Propofitions; first, (o) that there is a God; secondly, that there is fome Duty that we owe unto him, he adds, I fay Nothing for the Confirmation of thofe Propofitions, becaufe I am writing to one, who has not OPENLY profess'd himself an Enemy to natural Religion.

In answer to which I obferve, first, that the Infinuation contain'd therein ferves no Purpose of the Controverfy. Secondly, that if fuch Liberty be allow'd in Controverfy, there is no End of Abuses; and Controverfies muft be, as indeed they too commonly are, little elfe befides Scolding. For what Abuses may not be infinuated, if Reports and Imaginations are allow'd to be Grounds fufficient to bring in fuch foreign Matters; and what are fuch Matters, but fcolding? Thirdly, this Infinuation might, on many Accounts, have been let alone; and efpecially fince Mr. Green could not well hope, in Virtue of his (fectarian) Credit, and under the present antihigh-church, anti-presbyterian, anti-popish, anti-hobbian, and truly christian State of Affairs among us, to fet the Magiftrate or Mob upon you, by his Calumnies. Why should he fhew his Willingness to cut a Man's Throat, when he is fo impotent? The Spirit of his Trade or Craft, or of his Religion or Irreligion, must needs be very predominant in him. Fourthly, that fuch Infinuations carry always with them greater Evidence of their Truth in

the Perfon, who makes them, than in the Perfon, on whom they are thrown, and ought ever to be retorted. The Truth of which is grounded on one of the most common Obfervations among Men; which I will give you in the Words of an ingenious modern Philofopher, who fays to a reverend presbyterian Divine, "how came it into your Mind, that

a Man can be an Atheist? I know DAVID "confeffeth of himself, upon the Sight of the Profperity of the Wicked, that his Feet had "almost flipp'd into a fhort Doubtfuluess of "the divine Providence. And if any Thing "elfe can cause a Man to flip in the fame "K nd, it is the feeing fuch as you, who,

though you write nothing but what is dic"tated to you by fome Doctor in Divinity, to "break through the greateft of God's Com"mandments, (which is Charity) in every "Line before his Face. But how, I fay, "could you think me an Atheift, unless it were, because finding your Doubts of the Deity more frequent than other Men do, you are thereby the apter to fall into that "Kind of Reproach? Wherein you are like "Women of poor and evil Education when

they scold; among whom the readiest dis"graceful Word is Whore; why not Theif, or any other ill Name, but because, when they remember themselves, they think that Reproach the likelieft to be true?" And this Obfervation, I fhall take Leave farther to support by a Paffage from Mr. GREEN him

felf.

felf. He is pleased to say, (p) "it is the Ob"servation of an ingenious Author, that Truth "is always near at Hand, fits upon our Lips, "and is ready to drop from us before we are aware. Of This, he fays, you have given us an Instance, p. 29. where you tell us, "that God can never be fuppofed OFTEN to permit Miracles to be done for the Confirma"tion of a falfe or pretended Miffion."

any

Upon which I obferve, that it seems very extraordinary to fuppofe fuch an Origin for Truth advanced by you; who may as juftly be thought to confider what you fay, and to defign to fpeak Truth, as to speak it only before you are aware. And I think fuch a Reflection, fo unjuft with Refpect to you, must proceed from one, who was well acquainted with the Character of Perfons, who have not Truth in View, and if it drops from them, speak it before they are aware; and who have in View to fpeak and fubfcribe, what they are hired to fpeak, as fome I know profefs to do.

He concludes his last Letter with faying, "that (9) it is his hearty Defire, that you "would seriously review your own Work "and be convinced of your Mistakes, and "fo be brought to the Acknowledgement of "the Truth;" That is, to what Mr. Green thinks the Truth, or what he thinks fit to say is the Truth.

I cannot in Confcience make him a Wish of the like Kind; being perfwaded, that the

(p) Letters, p. 40.

(9) Letters, p. 103.