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To my Reverend, and much Esteemed Friend Mr. Stephen Lobb.
SIR,
I Could heartily have wished, that there had been no Oc∣casion administred for those Accusations, wherewith the Presbyterian and Congregational Divines have of late mutually charged one another. And though I do ve∣rily believe, that the Latter are as remote from all Friend∣liness to Antinomianism, as most of the Former are from being Tainted with Arminianism, or the having Em∣braced the Dogmata of Socinus; yet some Crude Wri∣ters of each Party, whose good Opinion of themselves, doth far exceed their Knowledge in those Controversies, have had the misfortune to speak less accurately, than the avoid∣ing the being thought Infected with those Heterodoxies, would have exacted of them. But, as for your Rebuker I will venture to say, that he hath not only Departed from the Received Opinions of most Protestant Divines, but that he hath Trespass'd against all the Rules of good Breeding and Modesty in his Pedantick, as well as Insolent way of Writing. For, tho' I have not the vanity to pretend the being very Conversant in the Socinian and Arminian Controversies; yet I dare affirm that the phrases, which he assumes the liberty to Ridicule, as well as to Oppose, are those that they of the greatest character for Learning, who have Written either against the Remonstrants, or them of the Racovian Belief, have both used, and judged necessa∣ry to be adopted into their Debates, not only as a Fence about the Received Faith, and a Barrier against Irrupti∣ons upon common Christianity, but as such without which the Doctrines of Christs Satisfaction, and of our Justifi∣cation,