"But you would never preach in Greenwich Tabernacle while I was permitted to fpeak there." Be it fo. I took no offence at that; nor will I fay that you are without a precedent in fo doing: other pious fouls, as well as you, have faid-" Stand by

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thy felf; come not near to me, for I am holier "than thou." Ifai. lxv. 5. And far be it from me to make you less holy than you are. When your abfence, Sir, and other holy brethren's dislike, had procured my difmiffion from Greenwich, I took it patiently without gainfaying; and I thought that, when I had opened a place for myfelf in another parish, the offence would have ceafed-but no: for although you would never appear in Greenwich pulpit while I was admitted there, yet you have never appeared there once fince, and left me out of it. I must not go in, yet you carry me in; and, though I may not speak for myself, you are fure always to fpeak of me.

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"Your charge to the people to read the fifth chapter of Matthew's Gofpel before they came to "hear me," I have confidered; and, left they should not be obedient to you in all things, and to let you know that I am not afraid to read that chapter, I have published an explanation of those texts that you referred them to, and beg of you to refute me, if you think I am wrong.

At Mr. T-d's meeting, you informed them that, "if you fhould fay the Law is not a Rule

" of

" of Life, you should expect horns to grow out of "your head, and your feet to be cloven." Then, Sir, what must Paul be, who tells us that the believer is not under the Law, but under Grace; and that the righteoufnefs of the Law is fulfilled in them that believe; and that the Grace of God teaches men to deny ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteously, and godly, in the world?

You quoted a paffage out of my Arminian Skeleton in B- Fields; and faid, « Before a man

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got into the pulpit, and advanced fuch things, "he should put on a fool's cap." Does afferting that "God is our Father, and the Church our "Mother," entitle a man to fuch an ornament? Can you prove the faying to be either falfe or foolish? If you can, it lies upon you to do it, and upon me to defend it. If you can difprove any doctrine that I hold-you know they are published to the world-do it; and if you cannot, or will not, then leave off calling me "Antinomian, Bad Spirit, "that Fellow, and Spiritual Bl-kg-d." That first word is fadly matched; for the fifth chapter of Matthew's Gofpel gives no licence for fuch hard fpeeches, especially against a fervant of Chrift, whofe doctrines you cannot overthrow, whofe usefulness you cannot deny, and whofe life you cannot cenfure. But I am informed, by one of your own people, that you have long wished that I would take up "my pen against you, that you might profecute me " for

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"for a libel." If every minifter of the Golpel, who vindicates his life and doctrine againft fcandal, who preaches against errors, and who writes againft falle doctrines, or falle evidences, is to be sued at law for libels, we should foon cause the Holy One of Ifrael to cease from before us, Ifai. xxx. 11. Peter might have profecuted Paul for this, for he withftood him to the face: and, indeed, the Scriptures are full of fuch libels; and who can escape them, and be faithful? "Dare any of you, having a

matter against another, go to law?" 1 Cor. vi. 1. Indeed, Mofes fays" An eye for an eye, and tooth "for tooth:" but I have not injured you at all. Sure I am, that the fifth chapter of Matthew's Gofpc gives no licence for fuch a practice. It tells me to give my cloak to him that fues for my coat; buɛ you fhall most furely have both my cloak and coat, without fuing at law, if you fend for them.

But I truft, Reverend Sir, that your weapons are not carnals (2 Cor. x. 4.) and that the fword of the Spirit is fufficient for you in all matters of controverfy. Flying to the temporal fword, in fuch cafes, is making the Law the only Rule of Life with a witnefs. But I am perfuaded better things of you, Sir, though you may have thus fpoken; for I cannot believe that a man of fuch holiness, who refuses even to occupy a pulpit defiled by me, would ever act like the Jewifh Pharifees, "who provoked the

"Saviour

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"Saviour to speak many things, that they might "catch fomething out of his mouth, in order to

betray him into the hands of the governor." That be far from my brother Rowland, and from every other fellow-labourer in the kingdom and patience of Christ.

We are to do as we would be done by. If I have deviated from this rule in my conduct towards you, Reverend Sir, convince me of it; " and if you have "acted agreeably to this rule yourfelf," you will be no more offended at my addreffing my Sermon to you for your perufal, than I was at your levelling your Sermon against me, to represent me as giving licence to fin. For my part, I am willing to come up to my brother Rowland's standard in every good work: if we differ, it shall only be about words, or about which shall be the greatest; and, if we must strive for mastery, I hope that he, and only he, will be crowned, who firives lawfully. I have this comfort, however, that if all the courts of law in Great Britain were to be moved against me, they would never drive a worse trade with me than Mofes did: he took both body and goods; he ftripped me, not only of my coat, but of every other covering that I had; he took my cloak-of hypocrify-and my bed from under me; and, at last, took my life alfo. For, as Paul fays, When the commandment came, fin revived, and I died; and at length he left me poor, and

wretched

wretched, and miferable, and blind, and naked, and, though I gained my point in the end, yet this was all that I got by Law.

I fhall now beg leave to make a few Remarks on the Difcourfe that you levelled at my doctrine, and fhew you wherein we differ, and fubmit them to your judgment. This, I traft, can give no offence: for the Spirit of the prophets is fubject to the prophets; and thofe that are inftructed in the Word, are to communicate to him that teacheth in all good things. Your text is-Except your righteousness" fhall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees, ye shall in no cafe enter into the kingdom of beaven, Matt. v. 20. What you have said upon the text, may be put into a very fmall compass, and be answered with a very few words.

QUOT. "Now I dare venture to fay, that fome of you "expect, from this text, that I should give you the follow"ing interpretation of it: That fince the Scribes and "Pharifees made a great buftle about righteousness, that "the righteoufnefs here meant is the righteousness of "Chrift. But that is not the meaning of this text. Are you alarmed at it? No; the text don't relate to Juftifi"cation, but to Sanctification.”

ANSW. I think my brother Rowland is intirely wrong here; and that he does contradict the Saviour himself, who, in this text, fhews the need of what he had faid before. The Lord had, in a preceding

verse,