from congregation to congregation, have at last been fwallowed up, fome in the gulfe of downright Atheifme, others of the befotting dotages of the Quakers; to we have here an inftance of one whom the fame wildneffe and wantonneffe of opinion hath betrayed to Popish im postures, ob eine bed one day

The fecond perfonall reflection concernes the occafion and manner of his change which in briefe is this, as him felfe reprefent's it pag 56, He falls into the company and acquaintance of a Lay-Papift (which he had been allwaies told and fo fuppofed that they were an ignorant Generation and he propofeth and preffeth an Argu ment, which the Captain could not Anfwer, and theréfore fubmits and borrowes two or three Popifh Books from that Gentleman (viziothes question of questions Fiar Lux,and Knots anfwer to Chillingworth) and fo the work is done, my Captaine is conquer'd, and become a Papist, or (tilo nov) a Roman Catholick Upon this relation I fhall take the boldneffe to make thefe following Animadverfionspolis of sd

. In generall it is very obfervable how eafily he gives up the caufe, how valiantly the Captaine fought in the field know not, but fure I am, if he fought at the fame rate that here he difputes, no man could defire an eaffer adverfary Happily becaufe he was about to com mence into a beliefe of the unbloody Sacrifice of the Maffe, he was refolved his Antagonist should not have a bloody victory: 1 fhall adventure to commend this patterne as an effectuall receit to make Papifts, and (that you may fee it is a maʊxphsov if not a tavadakov) it will indifferently ferve to mike Turks, Jewes, Pagans, or Hes reticks of any kind Let a perfon unlearned or unftudied in the point he debates (fuch as none that read this relation will deny this Author to have been unleffe they! be fuch themselves) enter the lifts with fome able Champion

Champion of the adverfe party (a Character which the Captaine himself afcribes to his then Antagonist, and when he meets with an objection that himselfe cannot Anfwer, let him conclude it unanswerable (which out Author did) and read two or three fuch Books as his Adversary shall put into his hand, if this do not speedily and effectually work the cure, he may be given over for defperate,

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2. Though to determine that this fuppofed converfion was a plotted bufineffe, may feem an intrusion into the Divine prerogative to judge the heart, yet this I may fafely fay, that it looks fo like a plot,that it requires more then an ordinary charity to believe it was not. For as the Philofopher well obferves no man must (and no ferious man will) forfake a folid and well grounded Truth, for fome fubtill objection suggested by a crafty difputer, which he cannot anfwer; If it was not a defigned thing, how can it be imagined, that in a matter of Salvation and damnation, he fhould be fo groffely negligent in the ufe of means to come to the knowledge of the Truth and the answering of his Objection? Otherwise who can believe that he would not have addreffed himself to fome able Proteftant Minifter or Scholar to fee whether he could Anfwer it, (unleffe peradventure, through the pride of his heart he fcorned the advice of Ministers, and thought himself wifer then his Teachers, and then no wonder such pride had a fall) or would he not by the direction of fome knowing Proteftants have rather fearched into fome Protestant Books for an Answer, (as here be falls upon the reading of Popish Authors by the advice of a Papift) if he really were a Proteftant at that time when he pretended to be fo? for if this Captaine had understood those controversies,and spent that time in the reading of the folid Books of excellent Proteftant Authors, and grounding himself in the Principles of Reli

gton,

gion, which he fpent in talking and teaching others, and fcribling of idle Pamphlets, and railing at Learned and Godly Ministers; thefe objections which through his ignorance and unacquaintedneffe with thofe points feemed new to him, would have been discovered to bim as they are to others, to be but coleworts not twice but twenty times fod;and Arguments long fince exploded.

3. To this let ine adde, the wonder is the greater, and the defigne more credible, to confider that his converfion fhould be wrought by fuch Authors: as Fiat Lux, and Knots Answer to Chillingworth: The former, nothing but an heap of words and an empty found, which if ftript of all its gauderies, and rhetoricall flashes, (apt to take none but children in underftanding) and all the weight of reafons were pickt out and brought together, it might (without fuch Art as was fhewed about Homer) be put into a Nutshell, unleffe happily that was the Ar gument that convinced him, that the Author tels us (Ifay who are English-men and remember the Marian Perfecution, and the Irish Maffacre, and the bloodineffe of the French Leaguers, and the barbarities of High and Low Germany, and the late Ferities of Piemont) that the Pope is a very honest Gentleman that never did any harme.

And for Knots infidelity unmasked, that man that fhall take that Book for a folid confutation of Mr Chilling worth, must have lost both reafon and confcience; (for the loffe of one of them will hardly ferve turne) by which you may fee the Captaine was prepared for a change, and like foft Wax ready to receive the impref fion. And this is all I fhall fay concerning the quality of the perfon, and the manner of his change; Ifhall now come to the Dogmaticall part.

The

The first and principall thing will be to confider the force of that Difcourfe which did the work, which though it be a very filly one, yet is commenfurate to many mens capacities, and meeting with an ignorant proud or loofe Proteftant, fometimes is the meane of Their perverfion.

The Popish Gentleman asked me (faith my Author) whether I was fo certainly and infallibly affured of the Truth of the Chriftian Religion, that it was not poffible for me, or for those who taught me Christianity to be mistaken therein, and he gave me this reafon for his question, that otherwife, as to me, Christianity could be no more then pro bably true, and we could not condemne the Jew, or Turke, or Pagan, fince they were as well perfwaded of their feverall mayes, as we could be of ours, upon a fallible certainty, and for ought we knew, (not having any infallible certainty for our Christianity) Some of them might be in the right, and we in the wrong way, for it is poffible you may be mistaken, pag.5,6.

This is that that did the deed, and this is the fhield of Hercules, or rather the fword of Goliah, by which they fometimes do execution upon an ungrounded or ungodly Proteftant, which therefor it will be worth while a little to infift upon.

i. Let it be obferved, what rare Champions the Papifts are for the Chriftian caufe, and what a fingular courfe they take for the Converfion of Jewes and Turks and Pagans: For more clearneffe. I fhall reprefent it in a Syllogisticall forme: If the Church of Rome (i. e. the Pope and a Councell) be not infallible, a Jew, or Turke, or Pagan are as well perfwaded of their feverall waies, as we of ours, thefe are the Authors words: But the Church of Rome (whether you mean the Pope orCouncel or both) is not infallible. This I hope hath been made evident enough from the foregoing difcourfe, Ergo, a

Jew

Jew, or Turk, or Pagan are as well perfwaded of their feveral wayes, as we of ours: a glorious Conclufion! and moft true of Italian Chriftians: Turks and Pagans are as well perfwaded of their wayes, as they are of Chriftia nity. Nor is it without cause that so many Authors (fome of them Popish) complain fo much of the fwarms of Atheifts in the Church of Rome; for certainly this is as compendious a way to Atheisme as can lightly be imagined; to hang the verity of Chriftianity and the Pope's or Councels Infallibility upon the fame pin;and confequently thofe learned Papifts, who doubtless many of them laugh in their fleeves to fee fo credulous and fimple a world to believe the latter, can easily shake off the fence of the former.

2. Let us examine a little the ftrength of this pretty Propofition: That if we be not infallibly affured of the truth of Christianity, Jewes, and Turks, and Pagans are as well perfwaded of their wayes as we of ours. What a mad affertion is this, that nothing is credible, but what is infallibly certain, and that there is no difference between probabilities and improbabilities, and yet fuch Whirl pools and quick-fands muft they needs fink into, that give up themselves to the conduct of Fopifh guides and principles. I am not infallibly certain, that there is fuch a place as famaica, (for it is poftible all Geographers may mistake, and all Travellers may lye, unleffe his Holineffe fhould chance to make a voyage to fee:) therefore by this doughty argument, I am as certain, that there is a Sea-passage to China by the North. I am noc infallibly fure, that the Sun is bigger then a Bushel, (for Epicurus thought it no bigger, as Cicero informes us :) Therefore (it feems) I am as certain that there is a World in the Moon, or in every Star (as fome Philofophers held.) I am not infallibly certain of the existence and atchievement of Alexander, the Great

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