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be their wit and parts ever so sharp and admired. And whether I be mistaken herein, I'freely appeal to the judgment and determination of all orthodox protestants, who, in the point of justification, are not more or less tainted with the Popish-Arminian leaven of free-will and general redemption.

But to bid a challenge to Mr. Williams, or any other, to dispute matters of controversy in religion, I do most solemnly profess, I never spake such a thing, either in or out of the pulpit.

The fifth and last branch of the black charge brought in against me, was, that I am an universal decryer of all religious duties in the life and conversation of a christian; crying out, in the pulpit, Away with your holiness, &c.

The design of my accusers in this, was, to represent and expose me as a rank Antinomian; and so I should prove, were the accusation true.

'But to let all who read this see with what a virulent and malicious spirit the contriver and presenter of this black charge against me has acted, I here sincerely and conscientiously set down the very words I spake, from which the occasion was taken to represent me in such black colours. The thing was thus: The subject I was then upon, leading me to discover the sad and deplorable condition the poor sinner is in while in a state of unregeneracy, I had these expressions, whose design and tendency was to awaken and convince the sinner of his misery by nature, by way of observation, viz. that where God sets the law on work in the

conscience of an unconverted sinner, it will, like the avenger of blood, pursue the guilty sinner, till it either drive the sinner to Christ, the only city of refuge, or till the sinner be lodged in hell.

To bring the matter home more particularly and closely to an awakened conscience, labouring, with Adam, to cover the sinner with the fig-leaves of self-righteousness, both negative and positive, thereby to be justified and saved, I addressed myself to this sinner in these words: Thou convinced rebel sinner! who art now under the law's arrest, and sinking under the heavy weight of thy sins, hoping to relieve and lick thyself whole with thy conditions and qualifications, as if thereby thou couldest make amends to the offended justice of God, for all thy violations of his righteous law; know and consider it thou must, that the just and righteous law of God, whose terrible sentence, in thy guilty conscience, thou art now striving to fly and shun in this way of works, is like a strict creditor, who will not accept, for payment, any coin which appears short and deficient, either in quantity or quality.' It will not hear of a sinner's being justified by any works, but such as are exactly commensurate to its own just and holy demands. Now,' said I, either see that thy conditions and qualifications, whereunto thou trustest for life and salvation, be spotless, and exactly commensurate to the law's demand; or in case they be not, then away with thy fig-leaf holiness, to hell with thy duties and personal qualifications. Look to

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the Lord Jesus Christ by an eye of faith, cast thy weary sinking soul on him for life and salvation, or thou wilt perish eternally.' John iii. 36; viii. 24. This is what I said then; Christ knows I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost.

When I have to do with believing Christians, I press them to the duties of practical holiness and good works, as if they were to be justified and saved by them; but still with this seasonable caution, that believers do never join their works of sanctification with Christ's justifying righteousness in the work of justification.

Besides the black charge brought against me, to which I have spoken by way of apology, mine accusers, the better to palliate their own black and horrid crimes, charge me with defectiveness in my life and conversation, as not practising what I preach. To this I reply in four particulars,

First, By way of concession, or grant, my life and conversation is not according to my preaching. In a sense I own it. I do humbly acknowledge, with shame and grief, that I find myself vastly short of that perfection in sanctification which, in preaching, I press as a duty on myself and others: and the Searcher of hearts best knows of how great a concern it is to me, to reflect on the yast disparity which I sensibly perceive is between what I am, and what I ought to be, in point of conformity to Christ, in life and conversation; which lays me under an indispensable necessity of subscribing to

that, 'Video meliora proboque deteriora sequor:I know and approve better things, but follow or incline to things which are worse:' and to that of Paul, Rom. vii. 24. Ταλαιπωρος εγω ανθρωπος, “ Ο wretched man that I am," &c.

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Secondly, By way of negation. If my accusers intend and mean, that I give myself up to a course of dissolute and loose living, or that I allow myself in the approved practice of any immorality, which is incompatible with a regenerate state, or which is inconsistent with a holy profession; I absolutely, through special grace, deny the charge, and do bid my invidious bespatterers, and all such as do uncharitably credit such malicious reports of me, a fair and sober challenge, to make good such a charge against me, by any authentic witness, which is not known to be prejudiced against me, if not one or more of them who have plotted to overthrow my reputation and ministry.

Thirdly, If short coming in living up to what I preach and profess, be a sufficient warrant for church members to prevaricate and run away, like children of Belial, throwing off, the yoke of duty in the church; I would gladly know how it is possible for any churches to be kept up on earth, considering that the instruments, by whose ministry God sees fit to gather and build up churches, to fit them for glory, are frail men, not sinless spirits.

For my own part, albeit I am far from pleading

for any sin, though but the least infirmity, whereof either I myself, or any other know me guilty, I must needs say, that I never yet could find that ever God the Father, in the Old Testament, or Christ his Son, in the New, did call or send any to be prophets or apostles, who were exempt or free from personal failings, or who were ever able to live up, perfectly, to the doctrine they preached to others; yea, it is most evident to any intelligent reader, that a considerable part of the canon of holy scripture is occupant about discovering, acknowledging, and bewailing the sinful miscarriages and short-comings of the penmen thereof; as the learned and godly well know.

Fourthly, and lastly, Supposing that my brethren knew and could prove me guilty of as great falls as ever any pardoned sinner fell into; is it not the duty of church members to endeavour my recovery, by coming to me in the spirit of meekness and brotherly love, to call on me, and to stir me up to repentance and reformation? Knowing that the holiest of saints, even those of the highest attainments in grace, while in the body, are obnoxious to the sorest temptations; and by reason thereof, and the remains of indwelling corruption, are liable to the sorest falls thereby.

The word of God proves, that so to do is the undoubted duty of church members, one towards another, Lev. xix. 17. Matt. xviii. 15. Gal. vi. 1. But this my schismatical brethren never did to me,

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