Page images
PDF
EPUB

therans traduction, and you will find what is here advanced to be true and justly ftated.

Mof. I am afraid you have too justly stated a moft melancholy truth. Poor, miferable, unfaithful man.

Luth. Of all beings the most treacherous, rebellious, turbulent, violent, reftlefs, defigning, laying in wait to enfnare the ignorant, unwary, or illiterate, to intoxicate, withdraw and infinuate their unruly and unfriendly fpirit into their hearts and minds, ready to rife, rebel, act, beat down, overfet and gainfay all power and authority set over them. This always has and ever will be the fpirit and theme of Calvinifm.

Mof. If Calvinifin be ninety-nine out of a hundred, as the matter will not admit of a doubt, I muft, and you alfo Lutherans, with all the world, pronounce it a Bleffed Reformation, or proteftant church. Sweet chriftianity, how holy are your ways, O Sion!

Calv. The bleffings of time and eternity must caufe you, outcaft, many a falling tear, heavy figh, anguifh, defpair, melancholy, miferable and heartfelt pain, like a vulture or maw-worm, torturing your miferable and diffranchised fouls.

Luth. Your benevolence and unbounded charity gives grace to your steps, and marks the happy prefage of your future glory.

Mof. Happy Bird of Paradife, Celestial, thrice Bleffed Child of the new covenant, Calv. Great Calvin's flock,

Elect and free,

With glory stock'd,
Select will be.

C

Luth.

[blocks in formation]

Calv. Calvinifts are the truely wife. Lutb. You glean fruit from thofe you defpife. Mof. Is it an article of the Prefbyterian Thcology that all Calvinifts are virgins?

Calv. Undoubtedly all who deteft images, pictures, prints, and all other refemblances, are virgins; but the 144,000 expreffed and fet forth in the Revelations is a celeftial privilege granted only to Prefbyterians, darling lambs, who never defile themselves with the filth of this world, having the robes white without spot, or wrinkle, which fong no other can fing.

Luth. You cannot admit this inconfiftency, that a battered rake who has lived in the common stews or brothels, and all other wicked. nefs, as it is your cafe, can be a virgin.

Mof. Moft affuredly, and will intone and chaunt the new canticles in the Elyfium Fields, with the race of his heretical and heathenish forefathers.

Calv. The unfolding and breaking the fhell of the fcriptures, as I demonftrated by the fimilitude of the nut, which you have fince been mumbling in your toothless mouth to no

effect,

effect, is bequeathed only as a celeftial gift to the virgins of Sion, of which I have the honour to be not as a member only, but a fetter forth of the word allo, being one of their elders for upwards of forty years; my venerable afpect declares the greatnefs of my calling.

Luth. If a venerable face and corpulent body declares our nobility, old age and long labour in the vineyard, hard-treading the wine-prefs, exemplifying and analyfing the holy books; if this and numberlefs feats through a long feries of pilgrimage will entitle virginity, I am not a whit behind, but have every claim with yourself.

Calv. I have repeatedly refuted your claim. Luth. You truly inherit, with your whole flock, goat like, the implacable, uncharitable, disgusting, and in every degree diabolical spirit as I have often repeated of your old father; he wreftled with his Saviour, the mighty-Luther and you, with great Newton, who, as you wifely obferved, laboured and fweated for 20 years to eftablish; the whole reformation on the ruins of popery, to make virgins of himself, though an old veteran in the wars of Venus, and the whole proteftant world; his charity was fo vehement that he feeked into paft ages to loofen the bonds of many fhoals of Calvinifts and other condemned heretics, and bring them into this haven of tranquility and virgin ftate; yet you dare shut the door and put out this great benefactor of Calvinifm, and his pious Hock amongst Jews and papifts. C 2

Maf

Mof. Poor Luther has loft his birthright and turned out amongst heathens and publicans, a wretched crew!

Calv. In fcripture we find but one Efau, the type of Luther, who ftands alone, I mean in name, as Efau.

Mof. And birthright?

Luth. Undutiful and reprobate children.

Calv. You, as Luther, affume an authority you are not entitled to; mark the fcripture fimilitude, Ifaac was father to Jacob and Efau. Efau, being a brother, could claim no paternal jurif diction; fo that claiming the birthright was no breach of duty to his father, but a matter of equality, and, as twin brothers, made it his own by joint confent, and confirmed by purchafe to him and his heirs for ever; to which was annexed the bleffing that there may be no feparation or divifion but a fullness to him that will be full, and total exclufion to the lukewarm and his pofterity.

Mof. Efau and Jacob were twin-brothers, iffue of one father and one mother, which bears no anology to Luther and Calvin; one a German, the other a Frenchman, and no ways related but in wickednefs.

Luth. In the reformation we are brethren or a fpiritual brotherhood, tied together as a bunch of fweet perfumes.

Calv. Efau and Jacob were twins, according to the courfe of nature; Luther and Calvin, according as was foretold by the old fcriptures, by the fpirit; fo that they were as the new covenant, twin-brothers by the spiritual lineage,

as

as our new fcripture takes notice of Melchifedech, without father, without mother, without genealogy. That is a fpiritual birth; but when Luther, in imitation of Efau, or the fallen angels, rendered himfelf obnoxious and odious in the fight of heaven, his fpiritual or new man, forgetful of himself, interfered, fwine, or cow like, wallowing in ftench, copartner with the animal, or old man, his birthright was transferred to Calvin and his pofterity, who are daily inhabiting new Sion, with delicious fruits of the moft fweet odour.

Mof. Ifrael knows of no fcriptures that speak either of Luther, Calvin, or of your pretended reformation, either at large, or in part, in the fixteenth century.

Luth. You cannot deny the expectation of the Meffiah by Ifrael, according to your prophecies, when Chrift appeared.

Calv. Our common father Abraham, from whom we derive our pedigree, you in a carnal and us Calvinifts in a fpiritual lineage, give teftimony to our adoption by a fuperior and fpiritual birth, by paying tithes; and Livy, the father of your carnal priesthood, who received tithes of his brethren, paid tithes in Abraham, to our ancestor and type, Melchifedech.

Mof. Ifrael acknowledges that according to their feripture prophecies, the time of expectation was accomplished for their Meffiah at the time Chrift appeared; but why he did not manifeft himself they know not, but wait the good pleasure of their God; but this they af

C 3

fert,

« PreviousContinue »