I Know not to whom all Attempts to advance Truth in any kind can more properly belong than to You , to whom Knowledge gives Ability to discern ; the profest study of Truth , Candour and Sincerity to own what You discern , and both together a perfect Qualification to be Iudges in Affairs of this Nature . The Enemies to Learning are Ignorance , and Passion ; and I take you to be as much above the later , as the World will witness you are free from all suspicion of the former . I have great reason to believe I am not mistaken in the judgment I make of You , and that few Nations can produce an equal number of Men so Acute to discover the Truth , so Wise to judge of it , and ( speaking generally ) so Unbyass'd to acknowledge it . This consideration gives me a high esteem for your Authority , and that Esteem the Confidence to make choice of You for my Umpires . The wise Iustice of this Nation has provided that all differences betwixt contending Parties be try'd by their Peers ; and though your dissenting from me , in some particular Points , might possibly cause Iealousie in one who was not well assured of his own Cause or your Integrity ; yet the Interests of Learning are common to us both , and of the Right or Injury done to That , you are the Best , and peradventure Onely Iudges , and for that Point I confidently appeal to You.

Having made my Address , give me leave in the next place to declare my Case .

I had observed with much grief the Swarms of new Sects ( not to mention the declining of many good Wits towards Atheism ) which pester our Country , and looking into the Causes of such sad Effects , it needed no great reach to discover , that the Fancies of men being both by Nature and Circumstances fram'd to great variety , it could not be expected but they should take their several Plies , and sway mens Thoughts and Actions accordingly , unless some Principle , Evident , in a manner , to all , should oblige the Judgment of the Wiser ( at least ) to adhere unanimously to the same Profession of Faith , and satisfie by Motives within their own ken , and even forestall , by the way of Nature , the irregular deviations to which weaker Fancies must of necessity be subject . Nor could I , nor indeed can any man think , but that as GOD , the Author of every perfect Gift , settled Faith most firmly at first in the hearts of the Primitive Believers by Evident Miracles , so he intended , and ordered , as far as was on His part , that it should continue all along the same ; or , that his Church should persevere in Unity of Faith ; and , consequently , that he settled such a Rule to convey the knowledge of it to us , as was of a nature able to establish it , and satisfie , according to their several capacities , both the Wise and the Unwise . Whence necessarily follows that all division about Faith is to be refunded into the faulty unwariness of men who deflect from that Rule , not into want of fore-sight in the All-wise Founder of the Church , in leaving us such a Rule of Faith as should set us all on wrangling , instead of keeping us at Unity . These considerations discover'd to me that I could not bestow my pains better on any subject than in making known what was the Right Rule of Faith ; and evidencing , to men Capable of Evidence , out of the Nature of the Thing in hand , that It had indeed the qualities proper to a Rule of Faith , that is , Virtue or Power to acquaint us that live now ( without the least danger of Errour ) what Christ and his Apostles taught at first .

To this end , I shew'd first in Sure-footing that the Letter of Scripture had not this Virtue , and by consequence could not be the Rule intended and left us by Christ . Many Arguments I us'd from p. 1. to p. 41. though these two short Discourses are sufficient to evince the point to any who is not before-hand resolv'd he will not be convinc'd . First , that , that can never be a Rule or Way to Faith , which many follow to their power , yet are misled , and this in most Fundamental Points ; as we experience in the Socinians and others . For I see not how it can consist with Charity , or even with Humanity , to think that none amongst the Socinians or other erring Sects endeavour to find out the true sence of Scripture as far as they are able , nor how it can be made out that all , without exception , either wilfully or negligently pervert it ; and yet , unless it be shewn rational to believe this it can never be rational to believe that the Letter of Scripture , as useful and as excellent as it is in other respects , is the Rule of Faith ; for , if They be not all wanting to themselves and their Rule , 't is unavoidable that their Rule is wanting to them . Next , They who affirm the Letter is the Rule , must either say that the bare Letter as it lies , antecedently to and abstracting from all Interpretation whatsoever , is the Rule ; and this cannot be with any sence maintained , for so God must be held to have Hands , Feet , Passions , &c. Or else , that the Letter alone is not sufficient to give as Assurance of Gods sence in Dogmatical Points of high concern , as the Trinity , Incarnation , &c. without the Assistance of some Interpretation ; and , to say this , is to say as expresly as can be said , that the Letter of Scripture alone is not the Rule of Faith , since it gives not the Certain Sence of Christ without that Interpretation adjoyned : Nay more , since 't is the nature of Interpretation to give the Sence of words , and the nature of the Rule of Faith to give us the Sence of Christ , this Interpretation manifestly is the Rule of Faith , and the Revelation to us who live now , of what is Christs Doctrine . I know it is sometimes said that the Letter may be interpreted by it self , a clear place affording light to one more obscure : but , taking the Letter as Antecedent to all Interpretation , as in this case it ought , I can see no reason for this Pretence . For let us take two such places , e. g. It repented God that he had made man , and , God is not as man that he should repent ; abstract from all interpretation , and let him tell me that can of the two places taken alone , which is the clear , and which is the obscure one . Atheists will be apt to take such pretences to reject the Scripture , and impiously accuse it of Contradiction ; but how that method can assist a sincere man , who hopes by the meer Letter to find his Faith , and hinder the Obscure place from darkning the Clear place , as much as the Clear one enlightens the Obscure one , I understand not . In fine , It exposes a man to the Scandal and Temptation of thinking there is no Truth in Scripture , but Absolute assurance of Truth it gives no man . Besides , the former of the Reasons Lately given returns again : For the Socinians compare place to place as well as others ; other Sects do so too , and yet all err , and some in most fundamental Points . Wherefore it must be either presum'd they all err wilfully , or the Way cannot be presumed a Right Way . Farther , it may be ask'd when one pitches upon a determinate sence of any place beyond what the Letter inforces , by what light he guides himself in that determination ; and then shewn that that Light , whatever it is , and not the Letter , is indeed the Formal Revealer or Rule of Faith . Much more might be said on this occasion , but my business now is to state my Case , not to plead it .

The Letter Rule secluded , I advanc'd to prove that Tradition , or that Body call'd the Church , which Christ by himself and his Apostles constituted , taken as delivering her thoughts by a constant Tenor of living Voice and Practise visible to the whole World , is the absolutely-certain way of conveying down the Doctrine taught at first , from Age to Age , nay Year to Year , and so to our time ; which is in other Terms to say , that Pastors , and Fathers , and the conversant Faithful , by discoursing , preaching , teaching , and catechising , and living and practising , could from the very first , and so all along , better and more certainly make their thoughts or Christs Doctrine be understood by those whom they instruct , than a Book which lies before them , and cannot accommodate it self to the arising Difficulties of the Reader . I am not here to repeat my Reasons , they are contain'd in my Book which I called Sure footing in Christianity . And because I observ'd our improving Age had in this last half Century exceedingly ripen'd , and advanc'd in manly Reason , straining towards Perfect Satisfaction , and unwillingly resting on any thing in which appear'd a possibility to be otherwise ; or , to express the same in other words , bent their thoughts and hopeful endeavours to perfect Science ; I endeavoured in that Treatise rigorously to pursue the way of Science , both in disproving the Letter-Rule , and proving the Living Rule of Faith : beginning with some plain Attributes belonging to the natures of Rule and Faith , and building my whole discourse upon them , with care not to swerve from them in the least . And being conscious to my self that I had , as I proposed to do , closely held to the natures of the Things in hand , I had good reason to hold my first five Discourses demonstrative , which is all I needed have done , as appears p. 57 , and 58. the rest that follow'd being added ex abundanti , and exprest by me An endeavour to demonstrate , as by the Titles of the Sixth and Eighth Discourse is manifest , though I do not perceive by the opposition of my Answerers why I should not have better thoughts of them than at first I pretended .

This is the matter of Fact concerning that Book , as far as it related to me , and a true account why I writ on that Subject , and in that manner : What thoughts I had of its usefulness , and hopes it might prove serviceable towards composing the differences in Religion , of which the World has so long complained , though from the long and deep meditation I must necessarily have made upon those Principles , I may reasonably be judg'd to see farther into them , and know better whether they will carry , than those who look not so well thorow them ; yet it being an universal Temptation to flatter our selves with our own Productions , I think best to omit . I am next to declare what reception it found in the World . Men are subject to several Tempers , and Learned Men not exempt from the weaknesses of Humanity . Candour and Obstinacy divide Mankind : Some are fixt to nothing but Reason , and whenever that appears , whether Conformable or Opposite to their former Perswasions , they always follow It , striving to accommodate their Iudgments to Reason , not Reason to their Iudgments , and resolute to be of the party of Reason , of whatever party Reason be . Others are so fixt to their Perswasions that they can hardly be induced to believe what is Contrary to Themselves can be Agreeable to Reason , and will sooner believe Reason not to be Reason , than their own thoughts not reasonable . This crosness of nature is heightned by the unhappy circumstances of our Country , where the mixture of several Opinions , so strangely blended together , breeds a great partiality to those Perswasions which Men have taken up , and renders Reason less welcom and less effectual . My Book it seems , as it needs must , encountred with some of this Spirit , and immediately a loud noise was made against it , and a complaint of it to a Great Magistrate , as of a most pernicious Treatise . He believing his Information , testify'd much resentment , and exprest an intention of much severity against the Author ; first Banishment , then Imprisonment in that Banishment , and the liberty of ever writing more to be debarr'd in that Imprisonment , for so far the Instigators prest it . And this was the First attempt to answer the Book , and I must confess a very strong one , and which oblig'd me to a very secret retirement . But it happened that a Person of Quality who had read the Book , gave a character of it that it was a serious Piece , that it took the way of sober Reason , and was far from the Information he had received of it , leaving one with him for his own perusal . From which time I heard no more of his resentment . I conceive it was not thought honourable to employ Authority against that which bore a semblance of Reason , and permit Power to be abus'd in defence of other mens heats , and possibly the less , where there was found a loyal deferrence to the State , p. 73. and elsewhere . Whatever the reasons were , the Threats were chang'd into a desire of a solid and home Answer , and this he recommended and prest often and earnestly . Hereupon five choice Persons whom I could name , met constantly on Mundays ( as I was inform'd ) to consult and consider of it ; which being all men of Parts and Business , was found to be the day of greatest leisure .

Mean time I became acquainted with several Excellent Wits , to whose Civility I am as much obliged as I was satisfied of their Parts ; particularly with Mr. Felton of Gonvil and Caies Colledge in Cambridge , in whom ( not to speak of others ) I found such a concourse of Excellent Endowments , that I cannot but lament the loss of him as a great loss to Learning and the Nation ; his Temper was sweet and friendly , his Discourse calm and unpassionate , his Wit acute and throughly penetrative , his Iudgment , by attending heedfully to Principles , solid and steady , his Expression clear and natural ; and to all this he joyn'd a Sincerity and Candour which none could see without Esteem . From him I receiv'd some Objections to my Book , of a strain far beyond what has since appeared ; wherefore finding in him Ability to say all that could be said , and yet so much Candour as not to say what was not to purpose , I earnestly courted him by Letters to undertake the Answer , that the World might have the satisfaction of seeing the Truth impartially try'd , and my self secur'd from the fear of indirect dealing , and all pass without bitterness , and as a Great Man would have it , with the sweetness of Love-Letters . His modesty refus'd at first ; yet second thoughts prevail'd with him . But Providence over-rul'd my Hopes and Expectations of so learned and fair an Adversary , and to the grief of all that knew him , and the value due to learned Worth , particularly mine , took him soon after away ; though , if I be rightly informed , not before he had preach'd at St. Mary's of the Absolute Certainty of Tradition , and ordered his Executors to burn all his Papers ; among which I conceive were those against me .

Being thus defeated of my best hopes , and inform'd of the Iunto of Five , I began to consider if I could by any means contribute to their Endeavours , and provide that the World might reap the benefit of a solid Satisfaction from our common labours . Wherefore I writ and printed a little Piece which I intitled , A Letter from the Author of Sure-footing to his Answerer ; not out of vain glory to boast my self Author of that Book , as Dr. T. whose zealous Nature and Education , inclining him still to unhandsome misconstructions , puts upon me ; but because , not knowing yet the Persons name , I could onely call him by the Answerer of Sure-footing , and so was to express my self by the opposite Relation I had to him as such . This Letter was full of Civility to the Protestant Party , though I said no more than I truly meant , and unoffensive to any . The sum of it was to desire that we might not abuse the World and our selves by Discourses not pertinent , but closely pursue the Point in hand in a method which might be truly Conclusive and Satisfactory ; and if he lik'd not the way which I had proposed , I humbly requested he would assign any other , with which , provided he would shew it was Conclusive , I should be content . I heard some Queries were to be antecedently propos'd to me , either in Writing or in Print ; but instead , as I conceive , thereof , a personal Conference was desired with Dr. Tillotson , and another worthy Gentleman ; to which I consented readily , and when we met , discoursed freely , little suspecting the Return would prove so unsuitable to my open plainness . The next News I heard was the Answer it self , which came forth under the name of Dr. Tillotson , who whether he foresaw the unlucky success of a Rigorous Method , or that his Genius lay more for smart Irony than blunt Demonstration , or for whatever reason , He rejects the Method I had propos'd , and establishes no other instead of it , not assigning any reason why he did so , but that he had the same liberty to manage his Answer , which I had assum'd to prescribe Laws to it ; whereas I had beforehand disclaimed any authority of prescribing , and onely shew'd that Reason and the Satisfaction of the World requir'd it . Much Wit there was in his Book , and much Art , and much good Language , but so little to the purpose , that People could not but suspect , as he handled the matter , his purpose was not to speak to purpose . Generally he neglects the import of my Discourse , and picks out here and there something from its fellows , perverts and makes it fit to be laugh'd at , and then laughs exquisitely at it . As if any degree of wit will not serve to abuse and find fault , and a little wit furnish a man for Satyr , as he has since taught the World himself , Serm. p. 123. 'T is common with him to deny the Conclusion , and alledge some pretty plausible thing against It , and never take notice of the Premises , or attempt the Proof on which 't is built ; a method against which Euclid himself has said nothing strong enough to be secure . Neer three parts of his Book impose wrong Tenets on me , changing constantly my Sence , and sometimes my Words : And , whereas in things subject to Reason no Scholar is bound to defend more than himself maintains , He often puts me to defend the Reasonings of other men . As for Omissions and dextrous waving the Principal Difficulty , they are endless ; And these and some other Prevarications of the like strain , are the Ingredients of that highly-applauded Book . The rest of its commendations are a delicate Style , a fair Print , and good Paper ; whereof as the two last are of credit with the Vulgar , so I wonder to see the number of those who are carried away with the first . Yet it suits well with a prudential pitch , and such who are not much used to the strength of Reason ; especially being accompanied with the advantage of being truly victorious over counterfeit Tenets ; for in truth what he sets up most artificially , he pulls down most irrecoverably .

I was griev'd to see my well-meaning , and the pains I had taken for the benefit of my Country , so crosly checkt , and the more , to perceive by the loud applause given to such a Piece , that the peevishness whether of humour or faction , was either more numerous or more active than the sincerity of those who meant well . I thought fit to give a stop to this wild carreer of Passion and Partiality , and not being then in circumstances to make a full answer , principally for want of health , which was then so bad that I thought I should soon have ended this Dispute with my Life , I cursorily noted some few of its defects in a little Treatise , which , as Dr. Stillingfleet had advis'd me , I call'd a Letter of Thanks . In that I laid open in some signal passages of universal concern that he quite mistook the question , and so insincerely mis-represented in a manner the Whole , that his much-applauded Endeavours were indeed no better than a well-worded Prevarication ; and in short , by instancing in several particulars I made good that charge of divers faults which I have here laid against his Book . And being then in the heat of my first Resentments , and not judging it due to him who had provok'd me without occasion to conceal or diminish the faults of his Writing , I could not restrain the inclination of my Genius , which leads me to shew little respect to Those who shew none for Truth , but call'd his faults by their own course though true names . But I had soon occasion to be sorry my nature was not fram'd to more wariness . For letting my Book alone , an Argument ad hominem was us'd , of a temper much stronger than those which are forg'd in the Schools . I know not by what suggestions , but I know without other demerit more than I have here express'd , an Order was procur'd by his best Friends to seiz upon my person , and my Friends were inform'd by some Great Men , that if I were apprehended it was not possible to save my life . To inforce this Project , besides divers extravagant Calumnies , Information was given to Magistrates making me Guilty of doing more Good than it was almost possible any one single man should commit . I cannot accuse Dr. T. of having a particular hand in this unhandsome malice ; onely I can with truth aver , that the laying open in my Letter of Thanks his Faults as a Writer , was ( as appears by the circumstance ) the immediate occasion of it ; and that about that time I was told by an honest Protestant who convers'd with all three , that he judg'd in his conscience D. W. was civiler than to take such ungentile ways , and Dr. St. soberer or warier , but that I should have a care of Dr. T. for it was easie to discern by his words that , if it lay in his power to ruine me , he would do it . To the belief of which Information his known Genius and Humour contributes too much ; which is ( poor man ! ) to be a great Papist-hater ; so that had Rome but one Neck , I know no man living more fit to be the Executioner and strike a speeding blow .

Against this Storm I had no shelter but a lurking hole ; into which I retir'd the second time , and plac'd stricter Centinels of Care upon my Security . In this Confinement I began to write a very particular Answer to Dr. T's Book ; intending when the conjuncture was more seasonable , and my ability sufficient , to publish it . But no favourable Crisis of this Morbus Animi appear'd . Time had not its usual influence upon Spirits implacably exulcerated , and the motion continued very violent , though the first Impulse were long past . When my Person appeared not , my Friends were found out , and a Family with which 't was suspected I conversed , design'd for ruine : So exemplary virtuous and in all respects worthy , that should I speak what I know , I might perhaps be thought to flatter . Against these , while the rest of the Nation sat quiet in the undisturbed comfort of the general Mercy , the severity of the Law was prosecuted , and urged almost to the extremity before they could find out the reason of the partiality us'd to them , for they were very far from giving particular offence . At last , upon strict inquiry , they found that all this Anger sprung from my being seen at their House , though that was both a very little space , and long before ; and that the same was intended against all who should entertain me .

The apprehension of the like inconvenience drove me from the circumstances in which I was , and which were all my Livelihood , nor could I easily find admittance any where . I understood this to signifie I was to be aw'd , at least by the apprehension of my Friends danger , if I were more careless of my self , from printing the Answer I had promised , was preparing , and was expected . However , I proceeded in it , though I must confess I found the Task sufficiently troublesome . For there being few passages in which my sence was not voluntarily perverted , and not one in which the nature of the thing in debate was rightly stated , and solidly prosecuted , my business still was by frequent repetition of my own words to set the discourse right again , which had been so industriously disordered : An employment which how wearisom and distasteful it is , those know who have been condemn'd to the like drudgery . My Papers were grown pretty bulky , when divers of my most Iudicious Friends , solicitous of my Safety , dealt earnestly with me to surcease . They alledged that unpassionate Examiners might easily discover , by what had been done already , how frivolous and insignificant the whole way was which my Adversary took , and that another and more convictive Reply might possibly heighten the anger to fatal extremities . That if I were less sensible of my own safety , I should yet have regard to my Friends and all Catholicks ; that it was to be feared that an exception against a particular person , might in that Iuncture be enhanc'd to a Crime of the Whole , and the crossing the humour or interest of that implacable Party , raise the storm of the Great Diana of the Ephesians , and give the Gospel-Trumpeters occasion to sound out aloud Papa ad Portas . To this was joyned ( for why should I be ashamed to acknowledge my Poverty , into which that Persecution had driven me ? ) that I had written more then I was able to print . In fine , Authority and Reason , and Necessity prevail'd with me , and I forbore to finish what I had begun , and to publish what I had finish'd . But yet the desire I had to be instrumental in settling so important a Truth , suggested to me a middle way , which , as I hoped , would be incapable to be wrested into offence , so I saw plainly would be much more beneficial to the world , and to the Learned more satisfactory .

I had observ'd in the Sermon which Dr. T. call'd the Wisdom of being Religious , a Concession which amounted to this , that the very Tenet of a Deity might possibly be false . I saw the same sence often imply'd in his Rule of Faith , and p. 1●8 . plainly own'd . I perceiv'd and knew all men of insight must needs perceive with me , that , as this was the onely material , so 't was a full Answer to my Book ; and rendred the disquisition whether this or that be the Rule of Faith very superfluous , if it might be maintained It had no Rule at all , nor was capable of any . For a Rule ( speaking of an Intellectual Rule as both of us do ) being a means to make us certainly know something to be a Truth , He who says that thing may possibly be false , or not be a Truth , says it neither has nor can have any Rule . I resolved therefore to write a Treatise in behalf of Christian Faith in common , in which I endeavoured to demonstrate from all Heads I could invent that the Generality of Christians , or those who rely on the common Motives left by God to the Church ( as I exprest my self in my Introduction ) the assent called [ Faith ] must be Impossible to be False or Erroneous . And applying this to Dr. T. and his Adherents , who as I shew'd from his own words , granted his Assent built on that which he esteems his onely Rule of Faith , possible to be false , I concluded them beyond all possibility of evasion not to have true Faith , nor be truly Faithful . And this I conceive was to follow on my blow , as I had promised ; it being unimaginable how the Controversie could be prest more home , than to conclude my Adversary and his whole Cause from the very An Est of Faith , the Subject of our Dispute ; nor how his whole Book , which he calls the Rule of Faith , can be more fundamentally overthrown than by shewing from his own words and the Nature of the Thing , that his mis-called Faith has no Rule at all , nor can have any . I conceiv'd too that this was to make good the engagement into which I had enter'd , to force them either to lay Principles which would bear the Test , or let all the world see they had none . For , in case they did manifest their Faith Impossible to be False , they must of necessity build it upon such Grounds as would sustain such a Building ; if they did not , the World must needs judge by their silence that they had none , and that they knew and confest they could not evidence themselves truly Faithful and right Christians . I saw besides that this method permitted me to pursue a rational close way of Discourse , without the continual interruption which the insisting upon my Adversaries mistakes must needs occasion ; which , as it was more satisfactory to me , and more creditable to my Cause , so I judg'd it more beneficial to the intelligent Reader ; for a particular Answer must of necessity be made up for the greatest part of accusations , where the Answerer thinks it his best play to mistake all along , instead of direct confuting : I cannot say I am in the right , but I must say likewise that who says otherwise is in the wrong , and that he either misunderstands or misrepresents , and this either ignorantly or wilfully ; to show which is a task no more pleasant to the Reader than the Writer , People being of opinion , and I think they have great reason , that the time and pains spent in such wranglings might with much more advantage be employ'd in convincing the Truth in question . Lastly , my aim was from the beginning to bring Controversies to a Conclusion , in order to which I had proposed a Conclusive Method ; my Adversary neither accepted of mine , nor proposed any other of his own , as I had desired ; And I saw that by proceeding with him in his talking fashion , the Point might come to be lost in a Wilderness of Unconnected Words : Wherefore I judg'd it better to pursue my design more closely , and by the bare stating the Nature of Christian Faith , to reduce all Disputes to this short Period , Either produce and vouch such Grounds for your Faith as are Impossible to be False , or 't is evident you have none . It seemed by the Event the way I took was not ill chosen . Dr. T. being still able to boast his Book was not particularly answer'd , and so uphold his Credit with those who look not deeply into Things , seem'd by his silence well-appay'd ; and I heard of no more extraordinary Anger against me ; And for my part I was contented that superficial People should judge as their wit serv'd them ; it being abundant satisfaction to my Labours that Intelligent and Insighted Persons might perceive by them how matters stood , and into how narrow a compass Controversie was reduced . And of this I have ample experience from the most Iudicious of our Nation , who unanimously assur'd me that it was impossible to carry things farther , or bring Controversie to a shorter Method , since now the whole Cause depended upon one single Proposition , by the sole examination of which it was to be decided .

Thus stood the Controversie , and thus for some years it rested . For the future I intended when it might be seasonable to write onely such Grounds as I judged might be a solid Foundation for Union , which as I have always look'd upon as the best of Works , so I know 't is Impossible , till order be first taken to secure the Absolute and Immoveable Certainty of Faith it self , which I think is not otherwise to be done , then by shewing how and which way it comes to be Certain .

In this Calm I heard several reports that the two Doctors wondred at my silence , which they interpreted weakness , and despair of an Unmaintainable Cause ; and that I might not pretend want of means for my disability , some of their Friends offered to get any thing printed which should concern either of them . But I was not stirred , till a Gentleman of Quality and Worth , who , for his friendship , as I conceive , to Dr. T. believ'd his Book truly unanswerable , offer'd a Friend of mine to prevail with him to get Licence for me to print an Answer , if I would or could make any . So fair an invitation mov'd me to accept of it , and I sollicited , with as much earnestness as I could , the performance . But the Gentleman it seems mistook the Doctors Humour as much as his Book , for his Credit prevail'd not . All seem'd bush'd and quiet , when Dr. St. publishes a private Paper writ two years and an half before , with a Reply swell'd into a large Book , intitled , A Discourse concerning the Idolatry , &c. In the Preface to which , and elsewhere , he insults over my silence , which he calls leaving my poor Demonstrations alone to defend themselves , and with keen Ironies upbraids my pretence to Principles and Demonstration , which in his language is but Canting . Of all things in the world I should not have expected such an Objection from a Scholar . For , certainly , whoever writes on a serious subject so as to confess he has not concluded what he maintains , is an impudent Trifler ; and how to Conclude without Principles and Demonstration , is a thing not known to any Logick which has hitherto appear'd in the World . Dr. St. would deserve wonderfully of Learning and the World , if he would please to teach us this admirable new Logick of Concluding without demonstrating , and demonstrating without Principles , for in the dull way of Learning hitherto in use , 't is so far from shameful in a Scholar to own he has demonstrated what he pretends should be assented to , that 't is unpardonably shameful to pretend another mans assent to that which he does not pretend and judge to have demonstrated .

I had not time to settle the thoughts which these and the like passages stirr'd up , when I met with the Preface to Dr. T 's Sermons , directed particularly to me , and meant , as far as I can guess , for an Answer to two or three Books . I must confess the bitter smartness I found there , and the piquant upbraiding me with deserting the defence of Sure-footing ( though all men that car'd to consider any thing , saw I had already writ two Books in defence of it ) stirred me sufficiently ; but I know not whether all this provoking Raillery would have prevail'd with me to Answer particularly , if I had not thought they would not have urged me so pressingly , if their Friends had not indeed desired I should write , and that certainly I should not offend sober Men of what Perswasion soever , by doing onely what themselves so prest . Warier People have indeed suggested to me that the desires of Adversaries are suspicious , and the more because of the Time they had both chosen , since they could not but fore-see mine and others Answers would in likelihood come out about the time when the Parliament was designed to sit , which might be look'd upon as a proper season to inflame the minds of such as were apt to believe them , and stir up a new Persecution by making those Answers which themselves had so provokingly and peremptorily prest for , an argument of the Insolency of Papists , and the growth of Popery . At least I see there can be no greater security for one in my circumstances , than to mean uprightly ; and I hope every Body will see by my long silence I have used all the caution I can not to give just cause of offence , and will acknowledge that 't is none to write , when I am pressingly and publickly solicited , and this with no other design than to contribute , if I can , to the long desired happiness of bringing Disputes and Disagreements in Religion to a period . If this be Insolence or Crime , I think there is no honest man in this Nation or World who is innocent . Once more then I take my Pen in hand , with this promise to Dr. T. and his Friend , that if it be not stopt again by their indirect proceedings ( as I have reason to judge the Printing of this has been already by the diligent Searching for it ) they shall have no reason to complain of any Arrears of mine .

But what needs any Apologizing at present to prevent a sinister character of my Writing . The Point in hand now is neither the defending any Tenet of Protestant or Presbyterian on Dr. T's side , nor the impugning them , on mine . The main business controverted between him and me at present , is , whether Faith be Absolutely-Certain , or rather ( as he calls it ) onely Morally such . In which Point I doubt not but to have all unprejudic'd conscientious men of both those Parties now nam'd on my side , and against Him . There is creeping into tho World insensibly , and Scepticism is now hatching it , a Sect more dangerous than any that has hitherto dissented from the Church in particular points : They go as yet under the name of Christians , because they profess many perhaps most Points of Christianity , but yet , if we may trust their own Expressions so as thence to frame a Iudgment of them , have notwithstanding no Faith at all , or no hearty firm immoveable Assent to those Points , or any of them , as Certain Truths , but onely a dwindling Apprehension , or at most ▪ a good lusty Hope that by the grace of GOD they are True , or at least may be True . Now these men , on the one side owning no Infallible or Absolutely-Certain Authority , so to preserve the Nature of Faith inviolate , or defend it from the weakness of their Speculation ▪ that is , to protect it from Possibility of being an Errour ; on the other side , relying either on some Authority hic & nunc Fallible , that is , which they see may perhaps be actually deceiv'd in all it proposes , or else on their own Speculation and Wit , whether exercis'd in arguing from things , or in interpreting Scriptures Letter ; and withal being men of some parts , and so , seeing it impossible to make out that either those Reasons are Conclusive or Demonstrative , or that their Interpretation of Scriptures Letter is not possibly a Mistake ; hence they are forc'd to confess in equivalent Terms , all Christian Faith may possibly be a Ly ; though they express it warily and craftily , because they see the nature of Faith in the conceit of the Generality who use that word , and the whole Genius of Christianity is opposite to their Sentiments in that point . Nature therefore standing against them , necessitates them ( contrary perhaps to their intention , taking them in other circumstances ) to pursue indirect ways ; and so at unawares , though certainly not without some mixture of carelesness and precipitant passion , to undermine the solid Foundation of Faith . The means by which they work this mischief , is , First , to laugh at Principles and Demonstration , that is at all absolutely-Certain Grounds and Conclusions ; which if they can bring into disgrace and contempt ( as they hope they may because such reflexions are unusual and unsuitable to the Fancies of the Generality ) they see plainly their work is done , and that all Infallibility and Absolute Certainty which stands against them because they can with no show of Reason pretend to it , must be quite overthrown . The next way they take , is , to abuse with Ironies any man who offers or attempts to settle Faith on immovably Certain Grounds , as Confident Swaggering men , or vapouring Dogmatists ; as if it were such a piece of Confidence to say and go about to maintain , that Christian Faith cannot possibly be a lying Imposture , or that God cannot deceive us in the Grounds he has laid for his Church to embrace Faith . A third means they use , is , to abuse and baffle the nature of True Certainty , by clapping to it the Epithet of Moral , and then proposing that to the World , dilating upon it , and fitting it to Faith as well as they are able ; which conception being suitable to the Fancies even of the weakest , they hope it will take with those who reflect not that the Basis of Mankind's Salvation must be incomparably more secure than that which we usually have for the attainment of a Bag of Money , a Place at Court , Merchandise from the Indies , and such like trivial Concerns . Fourthly , they avoid by all means looking narrowly into the Natures of Faith , Truth , Assent , Demonstration , Principles , or shewing the necessity of Consequence for any thing they produce , and above all settling themselves , or yielding to any Conclusive Method of Discoursing propos'd by others , or any other things equivalent to these ; and in their stead they are given to talk much of Probabilities , Fair Proofs , Great Likelihoods , More Credible Opinions , Prudential Reasons , or such as are fit to satisfie prudent men in Humane Affairs , of not-doubting , seeing no just cause of doubt , and such-like bashful and feeble expressions , which they dress up plausibly , and talk prettily , and doubt not but by this means to find Understandings enow so shallow as to admire their superficial gayness . This is the Character of this dangerous Sect , of which what opinion we are to have , or by what name to to call them , this short Discourse will inform us .