un

another edition. But upon a view and perusal of this discourse, I found myself under a double surprisal; for first, in reference to my own, I could not find any thing, any doctrine, any expressions, any words reflected on, which the exceptions of this man do give me the least occasion to alter, or to desire that they had been otherwise either expressed or delivered; not any thing which now after near twenty years, which I do not still equally approve of, and which I am not yet ready to justify. The other part of my surprisal was somewhat particular, though in truth it ought to have been none at all; and this was with respect unto those doctrinal principles which he manageth his oppositions upon. A surprisal they were unto me, because wild, couth, extravagant, and contrary to the common faith of Christians; being all of them traduced, and some of them transcribed from the writings of the Socinians; yet ought not to have been so, because I was assured that an opposition unto that discourse could be managed on no other. But however, the doctrine maintained by this man, and those opposed or scorned by him, are not my special concernment; for what is it to me what the rector of, &c. preacheth or publisheth, beyond my common interest in the truths of the gospel, with other men as great strangers unto him as myself, who to my knowledge never saw him, nor heard of his name till infamed by his book? Only I shall take leave to say, that the doctrine here published and licensed so to be, is either the doctrine of the present church of England, or it is not; if it be so, I shall be forced to declare that I neither have, nor will have any communion therein, and that as for other reasons, so in particular, because I will not renounce or depart from that which I know to be the true ancient and catholic doctrine of this church; if it be not so, as I am assured with respect unto many bishops and other learned men that it is not, it is certainly the concernment of them who preside therein, to take care that such kind of discourses be not countenanced with the stamp of their public authority, lest they and the church be represented unto a great disadvantage with many.

It was some months after the publishing of this discourse, before I entertained any thoughts of taking the least notice of it; yea, I was resolved to the contrary, and declared those

resolutions as I had occasion; neither was it until very
lately, that my second thoughts came to a compliance with
the desires of some others, to consider my own peculiar con-
cernment therein. And this is all which I now design, for
the examination of the opinions which this author hath
vented under the countenance of public licence, whatever
they may think, I know to be more the concernment of other
men than mine. Nor yet do I enter into the consideration:
of what is written by this author, with the least respect unto
myself or my own reputation, which I have the satisfaction:
to conceive not to be prejudiced by such pitiful attempts;
nor have I the least desire to preserve it in the minds of such
persons as wherein it can suffer on this occasion. But the
vindication of some sacred truths petulantly traduced by
this author seems to be cast on me in an especial manner;
because he hath opposed them, and endeavoured to expose
them to scorn as declared in my book; whence others, more
meet for this work might think themselves discharged from
taking notice of them. Setting aside this consideration, I
can freely give this sort of men leave to go on with their re-
vilings and scoffings until they are weary or ashamed, which,
as far as I can discern upon consideration of their ability
for such a work, and their confidence therein, is not like to
be in haste; at least they can change their course, and when
they are out of breath in pursuit of one sort of calumnies,
betake themselves unto another. Witness the late malicious,
and yet withal ridiculous reports that they have divulged
concerning me even with respect unto civil affairs, and their
industry therein; for although they were such as had not
any thing of the least probability or likelihood to give them
countenance, yet were they so impetuously divulged, and so
readily entertained by many, as made me think there was
more than the common artifices of calumny employed in their
raising and improvement, especially considering what per-
sons I can justly charge those reports upon. But in this
course they may proceed whilst they please and think con-
venient; I find myself no more concerned in what they write
or say of this nature than if it were no more, but,

—ἐπεὶ οὔτε κακῷ οὔτ ̓ ἄφρονὶ φωτὶ ἔοικας.
Οὐλέ τε, καὶ μέγα χαῖρε, Θεός νύ τοι ἔλβια δώη κ

b

It is the doctrine traduced only that I am concerned about, and that as it hath been the doctrine of the church of England.

It may be, it will be said (for there is no security against confidence and immodesty backed with secular advantages), that the doctrinal principles asserted in this book are agreeable with the doctrine of the church in former times, and therefore those opposed in it, such as are condemned thereby. Hereabout. I shall make no long contest with them who once discover that their minds are by any means imboldened to undertake the defence of such shameless untruths. Nor shall I multiply testimonies to prove the contrary, which others are more concerned to do, if they intend not to betray the religion of that church, with whose preservation and defence they are intrusted. Only because there are ancient divines of this church, who I am persuaded will be allowed with the most to have known as well the doctrine of it, and as firmly to have adhered thereunto, as this author, who have particularly spoken unto most of the things which he hath opposed, or rather reproached, I shall transcribe the words of one of them, whereby he, and those who employ him, may be minded with whom they have to do in those things. For as to the writers of the ancient church, there is herein no regard had unto them. He whom I shall name is Mr. Hooker, and that in his famous book of Ecclesiastical Policy, who in the fifth book thereof, and fifty-sixth paragraph, thus discourseth:

"We have hitherto spoken of the person and of the presence of Christ. Participation is that mutual inward hold which Christ hath of us, and we of him, in such sort that each possesseth other by way of special interest, property, and inherent copulation.' And after the interposition of some things concerning the mutual in-being and love of the Father and the Son, he thus proceedeth. We are by nature the sons of Adam. When God created Adam, he created us; and as many as are descended from Adam, have in themselves the root out of which they spring. The sons of God we neither are all, nor any one of us, otherwise than only by grace and favour. The sons of God have God's own natural Son as a second Adam from heaven, whose race and progeny they are by spiritual and heavenly birth. God

therefore loving eternally his Son, he must needs eternally in him have loved and preferred before all others, them which are spiritually since descended and sprung out of him. These were in God as in their Saviour, and not as in their Creator only. It was the purpose of his saving goodness, his saving power, and his saving wisdom, which inclined itself towards them. They which thus were in God eternally by their intended admission to life, have, by vocation or adoption, God actually now in them, as the artificer is in that work which his hand doth presently frame. Life, as all other gifts and benefits, groweth originally from the Father, and cometh not to us but by the Son, nor by the Son to any of us in particular, but through the Spirit. For this cause the apostle wisheth to the church of Corinth, 'the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost.' Which three Saint Peter comprehendeth in one, the participation of the divine nature. We are, therefore, in God through Christ eternally, according to that intent and purpose whereby we are chosen to be made his in this present world, before the world itself was made: we are in God through the knowledge which is had of us, and the love which is borne towards us from everlasting. But in God we actually are no longer than only from the time of our actual adoption into the body of his true church, into the fellowship of his children. For his church he knoweth and loveth; so that they which are in the church, are thereby known to be in him. Our being in Christ by eternal foreknowledge saveth us not without our actual and real adoption into the fellowship of his saints in this present world. For in him we actually are by our actual incorporation into that society which hath him for their head; and doth make together with him: one body. (he and they in that respect having one name); for which cause, by virtue of this mystical conjunction, we are of him, and in him, even as though our very flesh and bones should be made continuate with his. We are in Christ, because he knoweth and loveth us, even as parts of himself. No man is actually in him but they in whom he actually is. For he which hath not the Son of God, hath not life. I am the vine, and ye are the branches: he which abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit;' but the branch

severed from the vine withereth. We are, therefore, adopted sons of God to eternal life by participation of the only begotten Son of God, whose life is the well-spring and cause of ours. It is too cold an interpretation whereby some men expound our being in Christ to import nothing else, but only, that the self-same nature which maketh us to be men, is in him, and maketh him man as we are. For what man in the world is there, which hath not so far forth communion with Jesus Christ? It is not this can sustain the weight of such sentences as speak of the mystery of our coherence with Jesus Christ. The church is in Christ, as Eve was in Adam. Yea, by grace we are every [one] of us in Christ, and in his church, as by nature we were in those our first parents. God made Eve of the rib of Adam; and his church he formed out of the very flesh, the very wounded and bleeding side of the Son of man. His body crucified and his blood shed for the life of the world, are the true elements of that heavenly being, which make thus such as himself is of whom we come. For which cause the words of Adam may be fitly the words of Christ concerning his church, ' flesh of my flesh, and bone of my bones;' a true native extract out of mine own body. So that in him, even according to his manhood, we, according to our heavenly being, are as branches in that root out of which they grow. To all things he is life, and to men light, as the Son of God; to the church, both life and light eternal, by being made the Son of man for us, and by being in us a Saviour, whether we respect him as God or as man. Adam is in us as an original cause of our nature, and of that corruption of nature which causeth death; Christ as the cause original of restoration to life. The person of Adam is not in us, but his nature, and the corruption of his nature derived into all men by propagation; Christ having Adam's nature, as we have, but incorrupt, deriveth not nature but incorruption, and that immediately from his own person, into all that belong unto him. As, therefore, we are really partakers of the body of sin and death received from Adam, so except we be truly partakers of Christ, and as really possessed of his Spirit, all we speak of eternal life is but a dream. That which quickeneth us is the Spirit of the second Adam, and his flesh that wherewith he quickeneth. That which in him made our nature uncorrupt, was the union of his Deity with