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the threatenings from another quarter*, I am not to be deterred, from what I think is my duty for having once put my hand to the plough, I fcorn to fhrink from the tafk; especially as it is my earnest wish that a subject of such importance, may be fully investigated. I therefore am happy to find, that you have done me the honor to animadvert on my letters to you, in anfwer to those you addreffed to our nation : no matter as to the manner, although fo contrary to my expectation. For I was in hopes that my reply to your first letters, would have led you to have purfued the argument in a friendly and candid manner, according to the method proposed by me, (page 91, and 95,) and which would foon have brought the difcuffion to its proper termination.

Thus much I thought proper to premife, that you might not impute my long filence, to any doubt I entertained of an

* Anti-Socinus, alias Anfelm Bayly, has in his remarks on my first letters, threatened to tear me and my Lingua Sacra to pieces, if I again offer to touch the name, word, or character of Jefus, with profane lips, &c.

fwering

fwering your letters; but the true caufe of this delay, is as follows. First, the important work of LINGUA SACRA, which is juft completed, occupied all my time; having been obliged to fit at my desk, fixteen hours out of the four-and-twenty daily, as I informed you at the first interview that you was pleafed to honor me with*; fo that you may eafily perceive, I had but little time to fpare for performance.

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Second, the confternation into which the greatest part of our nation were thrown on the appearance of my reply to your first letters at the fame time highly blaming my temerity, in thus entering into a conteft that might coft them dear: for having long felt the iron hand of perfecution, for the most frivolous and groundless accufations, they confequently dreaded the most diftant attempt at what might by malevolent perfons be conftrued an attack upon the established religion, as this hath allways been ftudioufly avoided by ust.

See alfo my Address at the end of Lingua Sacra. + See my first letters, page 4, and note.

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This being the cafe, no wonder that they were greatly alarmed at my attempt, and naturally feared the confequence, And, although I took great pains to remove their apprehenfion, by representing to them the real ftate of the cafe, and affuring them that we had nothing to fear, as Chriftians were more enlightened, and had intirely abandoned perfecution. Nay, even Christians themselves court the inquiry, as they observe that Christianity can well bear it; and therefore urge us to the combat, and which was exactly the cafe with me in this inftance: for I did not begin the controverfy, but had only stated the reasons why we could not accept your offers to forfake Judaism, and embrace what you are pleased to call Christianity, confequently, I ftood on the defenfive only. Yet, notwithstanding all this, and much more to the purpose, I was not able to calm their fears, or reconcile them to the attempt. I then judged it most prudent to leave their cure to time, (which perfects all things,) and that they might in the interim fee, what reception my perfor

mance

mance met with from Chriftians in ge neral and I am happy to have it in my power to declare, that Chriftians of all denominations seem to approve of the attempt, and wish for a thorough difcuffion of the fubject. This is the unanimous language of all the Chriftians that I have converfed with, as well as those who have written to me on the fubject, both public and private*: and which hath fo far had its effect, that although they do not countenance me, yet they attempt not to hin der me,

Third, the ftrict attention I pay. to the rules you have thought proper to prescribe to your antagonists in controversy, wherein you require the real name of your opponent; and which, give me leave to tell you Sir, was the reason that I put my name to my first letters, although contrary to my original intention. And therefore, as you have been pleased to obferve, (page 52 of your letters, Part II.) "I have

Except Anti-Socinus, alias Anfelm Bayly, John

Hadley Swain, and Mr. Cumberland.

+ Pref. to Difq. on Matter and Spirit, page 19.

"made

"made this fecond addrefs to you, not "because I thought Mr. Levi's arguments "formidable. Of this I think you must "now be fenfible yourselves: but rather

to how the importance of a defence of "your principles, better confidered, and "better conducted, than his has been: " and it is my earnest wish that the ableft "men you have may give their most fe "rious attention to it."

Now, in compliance with your earnest with," I have waited hitherto, in hopes, that fome more able pen might take up the fubject; but as our ablest men have not thought proper to pay any attention to your defire, and have not entered into a defence of our principles, better confidered and better conducted than mine was, I have again ftepped forward, to enter into a defence of our doctrine, and which I fhall conduct as well as I can; and that you, as a philofopher, must be fenfible, is the ute most that man can do for of him to whom but little is given, but little is required: for I did not so much aspire to fame in this controverfy, as to give a just

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