A defence of the report, concerning the present state of the differences in doctrinals, between some dissenting ministers in London, in reply to a book, enbtitled, A faithful rebuke of that report.

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,

could neither be Orthodoxly nor Intelligibly expres∣sed. And were it not, that I intend to Imbarque in this Dispute, in case it be further supported on his part, I could at present easily expose the Ignorance of your Rebuker, both in Classical and in Theological Authors, which whensoever I do, you may assure your self it shall not be in the Harle∣quin and Scarramuchio stile. Nor do I think your Au∣thor will much raise his Reputation, by his setting up for an Ecclesiastical Droll, seeing besides the Indecency of it, he will by few be thought the more Witty for acting the Buf∣foon. For a small measure of Intellectuals, if accom∣panied with a great degree of Assurance, will qualifie any man to Burlesque all that is Sacred, and thereby to ad∣vance him among such as are truly serious to the Title of Blasphemous and Atheistical. And you may easily ima∣gine, how not only your Gentlemen of the Dry-Club (whose Libertinism was too long countenanced as well as connived at by some amongst you) but your Partizans a∣gainst all Revealed Religion, will hug themselves upon the President set them by this Dissenter, in his Treating the most important Articles of the Christian Faith with a Con∣tempt as well as a Jocularness, which either a Wise or Sober Man would not allow himself to use, even in relation to the Dreams and Romances of Mahomet. And to deal with you without reserve, I will not be positive, in conclud∣ing what his Opinion is in these Controversies, tho' I fully understand the Language wherein he expresseth it, seeing I have an Exemplar before me of his sincerity, in an Ha∣rangue upon an Address in which his meaning hath since appeared ••o be Contradictions to what he said. But I will add this in Extenuation of the Authors guilt, that he useth sometimes to be Delirous, and that then both his Ge∣nius and Distemper lead him to be Divertive and Comi∣cal▪ whereas when his Lucida returns, he leaves the Stage and puts off his Buskins, and reassumes the Gravity of a Theologue, and exchangeth the Language of the Theatre for that of the Pulpit.

Sir Adieu.